"Creative writing" is a vague term, but generally means fiction, or writing that's not non-fiction, technical, or business writing.
4
votes
2answers
40 views
Is it a bad idea to use a culture-specific word in the title of a story?
I wrote a short story long ago called The End of the World. I thought the title was too common so I renamed it to The Kid with the Gigaku Mask and the End of the World. But then, I found that title to ...
0
votes
5answers
59 views
Is the following allowed under the ungrammatical exceptions in fiction?
I wrote the following:
Under the shelter of the inn, a barbecue was taking place, red coal
glowing in the dark and tiny sparks fluttering around from time to
time.
or should I change it to:
...
6
votes
3answers
127 views
Techniques to write for a wider audience
Many years ago, I wrote a short story that used specific information from my cultural background e.g. a belief that if you dream something, it is a form of a vision (superstition, some may say!). This ...
5
votes
2answers
152 views
Is it better to make clear immediately in which country/continent the story is taking place?
I'm writing a short story, and nowhere in it I explicitly mention the country in which it is taking place. The only time I mention something about the country is when I refer to a historical event ...
3
votes
5answers
86 views
How specific should I be when outlining the plot?
One problem I often run into when trying to make a general outline of the plot for a story is how specific I am in the descriptions of events. Generally, this happens when I have written a portion of ...
3
votes
2answers
102 views
Is it correct to use verbs like “sighed” and “laughed” as dialogue tags?
In other words, is it correct to write something like this:
"Oh," he laughed. "Sorry, I'm not sure what's with me today."
(Every time I see something like this, I think: "How is this peson ...
4
votes
2answers
71 views
Punctuating dialogue with oneself
I am wondering what is the convention for punctuating dialogue with oneself.
In particular, if a character speaks to himself, does the words need to be put in open and closed quotes. Note that the ...
4
votes
3answers
110 views
Is it better to omit phrases like: after a moment, after a while, for a moment, etc?
I also find myself writing stuff like this:
(dialogue)
They remained silent for a moment. A dog barked at the distance.
(dialogue)
and this:
His stomach started to growl after a ...
4
votes
6answers
94 views
Dream analysis research
I am currently writing a short story/novella. This piece of fiction describes a child who has vivid dreams. His dreamworld starts to blend with the real world by him being able to manipulate his ...
2
votes
6answers
139 views
How to better describe “jet-black (pitch-black) darkness”?
I'm trying my hand at translating a few Korean literary texts into English. Something I come across often while translating is the phrasing "jet-black(/pitch-black) eyes(/night/darkness)" which ...
1
vote
6answers
132 views
The street is filled with cars and people
The street is filled with cars and people.
I tend to write simple, straightforward sentences, like the one above. Can you suggest ways I can write more interesting sentences? What books (with ...
4
votes
1answer
46 views
Co-authoring, brainstorming but not writing
I'm the brainstorming phase of a new manuscript.
Normally I do that on my own, but this time I I want to ask a few friends to help me with ideas.
I'm sure you all know how the brainstorming process ...
0
votes
3answers
99 views
Are my metaphors/similes effective?
I'm editing a short story I wrote I while ago. And the first thing I wanted to do was to add similes/metaphors to it (OK, maybe just similes).
The story is about a girl who fails to feel an ...
4
votes
4answers
174 views
Does writing in a certain mood change how a writer writes?
I'm not sure if this is right for this part of Stackexchange, but since there is no psychology section, here we go:
I'm currently writing the same short story several times with the intention of ...
-1
votes
2answers
71 views
Writing style — comma, period and re-referring the object of the first sentence again as subject in second sentence [closed]
Alex look around the room, it's almost empty except few small empty boxes and few clothes.
Alex look around the room. It's almost empty except few small empty boxes and few clothes.
Alex ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
Tips For A Good Medieval Fantasy Novel [closed]
I'm thinking of writing my first fiction novel based on a medieval fantasy setting and I know nothing about writing. Any pointers for this type of genre? I think I read somewhere that you need a hero, ...
1
vote
2answers
93 views
Is there a reference for “dumbing down” material?
I've noticed some fiction authors (James Patterson, for instance) over time "dumbed down" their writing to include less obscure words and less poetic descriptions.
It's my understanding that this ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
How to elegantly convey the finer nuances of language in written form
I am fascinated by the idea of how to convey, in the written form, as much detail of expressive nuance as you originally intended in your head (i.e. what you hear when first coming up with it). I ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
What types of research do writers do in advance of writing? [closed]
I'm trying to determine how universal story research is, and to what extent writers actually do research vs making everything up from personal experience and imagination.
I know writing is a very ...
2
votes
4answers
143 views
Hooking the reader by omitting a piece of information
I'm writing a short story. I decided to opening it in the following way:
We were in Y, doing Z when she mentioned X. I wasn't sure whether she had misheard X's name or had gotten the wrong ...
2
votes
3answers
94 views
Is it unusual for a flashback to have a very long dialogue?
This flashback is from a short story I'm writing (unedited first draft):
I met Limei last summer. Our class had organized a graduation trip to
Green Island, where we stayed for fourteen days and ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
german tourist or German tourist? [closed]
I have learned that 'german' as a noun, written with upper case letter whilst 'german' as an adjective should be with lower case letter. Please guide me more by posting the rules if necessary, thank ...
1
vote
2answers
83 views
Tenses I should use in a translated-novel
I have been translating a novel that is originally written in my native language into English. Considering that the book's plot is the author's experience of a life that has happened in the past, I've ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
A more effective way of writing this dialogue:
I'm translating a story, and there is scene in it where an ex-colleague asks the man who had slapped the female protagonist the reason for his doing so. In reply, all he says is something like, “What ...
2
votes
3answers
97 views
Is a glossary needed in a novel?
Is a glossary needed in a translated-novel?
or I would only need to put the translation of the native words under the brackets?
0
votes
1answer
131 views
To translate a novel with Westerner's point of view
I am an Easterner. I have been translating a novel, that is originally written in my native language, into English. During the process, I have also been learning about cultural things, meant to ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
Using senses and similes in descriptions
I'm trying to make my descriptions to look less like a bunch of bullet points.
So I decided to use more senses and similes.
This is something I wrote:
The sun hung in the cloudless sky, like a ...
7
votes
5answers
161 views
How should I introduce new and complex technologies or tools?
I'm writing a Science Fiction book. While this book doesn't push reality very far, there are some new technologies and tools that I have added. One tool is used more frequently than all the others, ...
4
votes
2answers
122 views
Tips for writing sentences like a native speaker
English isn't my native tongue, but I've been writing novels in English for a while. Most of the time, I can be aware of what's grammatically correct and what's not. But making sure that a sentence ...
2
votes
0answers
64 views
How can I sell articles about TV shows online?
I am a writer, and I write mostly articles about tv shows. How can I sell them?
I researched the freelance content marketplace, but I mostly just found the general sites like fiverr, freelancer, ...
1
vote
2answers
101 views
Which animal symbolises trade? [closed]
Different animals symbolise different objects or actions. For example:
Bird for letter or postman.
Horse for speed and power.
Bull for aggressivitet and anger.
Im looking for an animal or ...
5
votes
3answers
129 views
Tracing dependencies and emergent plotholes during edits
The fiction I write currently hit a major snag and needs a big overhaul of a major part of the story. A whole, large thread is being injected, a second conflict running in parallel with the main one ...
3
votes
3answers
95 views
Putting a dialogue a tag before a quote
Sometimes I see stuff like this:
X said, "..."
"..." X did this, and then said, "..."
Is it used to just vary sentence structure? Or to make dialogue more readable or smoother in certain ...
6
votes
6answers
174 views
Should dull dialogue be removed completely?
The following dialogue is from a novel I'm writing (first draft):
"You're quiet tonight," Erin said to Benjamin, who seemed to be lost
in thoughts.
He looked up and took a sip of his drink. ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
Setting up for writing
I am a work professional and the writer by choice. I have been writing since a long but basically poems, short stories and my reviews on books that I read so far. But since yet I have been writing via ...
4
votes
3answers
212 views
It is a sign of bad writing to have many scenes that are disconnected with the main plot?
So my novel look like this (I took this diagram idea from this site, but I'm not sure exactly from whom):
The beginning and end focuses on the mystery that the heroine is trying to solve (main ...
3
votes
2answers
141 views
Do the characters in the following dialogue sound the same?
The following unedited dialogue is from a novel I'm writing (which is based on a short story I wrote a while ago):
"I hope it's not an inappropriate question," Icaro said, after
hesitating for a ...
2
votes
2answers
78 views
Writing exercises to practice the art of giving unique voice to characters?
I've read many blogs where they teach you how to give an unique voice to your characters. I feel I understand how to do it, but I think I'm a little stuck the the voice that I've been using since I ...
4
votes
2answers
147 views
What is the difference between “creative writing” and “fiction writing”?
My college offers many writing courses. I notice, one course is called "Creative Writing" and another is called "Fiction Writing". What is the difference between creative writing and fiction writing?
2
votes
3answers
139 views
Gadgets that make the world/story broken
Every so often I see a nice piece of fiction where its author adds something (to save the plot, or to make it interesting, whatever) that makes the story broken (usually it makes the world, setting or ...
2
votes
2answers
135 views
Resource for generic plot hooks?
I'm in a long and painful recovery from many years of writer's block. Coming up with even quite simple story ideas costs me unreasonable amount of effort. Sometimes inspiration is generous and I'm ...
11
votes
3answers
209 views
Should I remove scenes that I myself find “boring”?
Sometimes, I find myself writing a scene that does everything I think it should do: reveal details about the protagonist, drive the plot forward, show other elements related to the story, etc. There's ...
4
votes
2answers
163 views
How to keep the reader engaged in a novel where “not much happens”?
(Hope I don't get an answer like this).
I'm writing a novel where "not much happens," instead, it focuses on things that could happen. In other words, the protagonist does not directly experience ...
-1
votes
4answers
191 views
What genre appeals to the widest audience?
My writing is focused primarily on love stories, i.e. the romance genre, and I believe this reaches a relatively small audience.
Is there one genre that appeals to a far wider audience than its ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views
How much influence does blogging have on learning to write better?
I have 100 blogs and have written for 10 years in my language (Persian), but I'm not focused on increasing my ability to write better.
What exercises should a writer focus on when blogging to be a ...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
Researching sensitive subjects
How do you research subjects for a novel that might be sensitive? Both cultural and jurisdictional.
Example: I usually try to "research" the setting and characters for my texts from real life. When I ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
Dealing with lackluster plot failure
So, I wrote the beginning of something about novel-sized.
I drafted totally sweet, lovable protagonists in an interesting, original relationship, I placed them in a solid world, I painted the ...
7
votes
4answers
122 views
Is it a bad practice to occasionally add first-person narrative to third-person narrative?
This is a sample of something I wrote:
Erin watched Ruth as she disappeared between the cars and the
multitude of people crossing the street. She stood there for a moment,
staring at the city ...
7
votes
2answers
178 views
Learning storywriting for videogames - Handling deep nonlinearities
A recent question asked for pointers for writing for games, and the gist of the answers was that it's not very unlike writing books. The underlined differences were only superficial. There's a ...
6
votes
4answers
158 views
Peeking through character's mask
Normally, I specialize in strong, determined, uncompromising, extroverted protagonists, "If the laws of physics are against us, too bad, they need to be changed." I'm pretty good in getting them ...
