: Re: How far underneath the surface is the message of a story? It seems like in some stories, you can feel the theme pervading through every element. In other stories, you don't know what you're

I've seen advice to make sure the theme is influencing every step because your story will be stronger as a result.

The beta reads I have received so far almost all revolve around 'I don't understand why this is happening ...' even for things I felt were unnecessary to the story or blindingly obvious.

My sense is that readers do not want to be confused, so err towards more. Also, and more importantly, you will think your description is crystal clear and people will say they have no idea what your setting looks like.

The images (etc) are more complete in your mind than they are on the page. Maybe lean towards a little more exposition for that reason too.

Follow your instincts - lean towards more. You may need to revise and can increase or decrease at that point - but my limited experience to date is that the revisions will include things nowhere currently on your radar.

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: Re: How far underneath the surface is the message of a story? It seems like in some stories, you can feel the theme pervading through every element. In other stories, you don't know what you're

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: How should I start to write a flash fiction story? I recently saw a contest for writing flash fiction - the contest rules were that it had to be under 100 words long. I thought "Hey, that's

: Using fake swear words without them seeming out of place to the reader This is not a question about slang, but about swearing and word creation. I have a character who uses swear words, and

: How firmly must I remain in my characters POV? Is it legitimate (acceptable) to use a 3rd person POV approach with the narration intentionally being a bit wobbly? I'm using an alternating 3rd

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