Questions tagged [creative-writing]
"Creative writing" is a vague term, but generally means fiction, or writing that's not non-fiction, technical, or business writing. This tag should be used when asking questions that apply to multiple categories of creative writing, such as when asking questions that could apply to fiction or poetry alike.
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How can I make a character memorable and not stereotypical?
I am planning a novel and am currently developing the characters. I have written one sentence for each character that defines them, come up with the roles they would play in the story, as well as ...
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Advice on writing a book on travelling when I have never travelled before
I am writing a book about travelling. However, I have never travelled abroad before and currently, in my situation, cannot. I feel a little discouraged on all the backlash I could receive on cultural ...
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I want to describe a young man sitting astride on a chair, leaning his forearms on the top of the back
I want to describe a young man sitting astride on a chair, leaning his forearms on the top of the back. I am aware that I am focusing too much on the mechanics of the posture, and I will deal with the ...
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How and when do you reveal information about your character?
Similar to my previous question 'How/when do you reveal a big secret to the reader,' I'm looking more specifically at the first few chapters and when to reveal anything, not just big secrets.
For ...
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Are there any theories as to what makes a story's premise good or compelling?
John Truby, in Anatomy of Story, says you shouldn't write a story that doesn't have an exciting premise.
But what makes a premise good, bad, boring, compelling, or exciting?
This is what Truby says ...
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How do I avoid repeating a sequence of events that occurs multiple times?
In a story I am working on, there are many doors that require a fingerprint, a passcode, and a key card to open. Writers say 'Show instead of telling.' As such, instead of writing something like:
...
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Urban or Epic Fantasy? [closed]
I can't decide what I want to write about: Should I go with urban or epic fantasy? And what are the pros and cons of them?
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What counts as exposition dump and is it possible to do exposition dumps without affecting pacing?
One effective technique I was told to use is to integrate the exposition within the narrative, rather than presenting it as a separate block of information. This can be accomplished through various ...
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How can I make a character death that's relevant to my book and hits really hard?
I'm writing a stand-alone fantasy novel about a bunch of kings. The protagonist is a girl I am basing off of a female king from Sweden in the 1600s. I am planning on killing off one of the other kings,...
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How to describe my character using a power
My character has the ability to charm others. She can use her powers of charm to persuade others to do what she wants or daze them for a small period of time. Too much use of this power can drain her ...
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How would you write a character turning invisible?
One of my characters in the story I'm writing has the power of invisibility. I was wondering how it would feel for her to turn invisible from her perspective.
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How/when do you reveal a big secret to the reader using first person or third person viewpoint?
How and more importantly when do you reveal a major secret about the character?
My character is a mythical species, highly valuable for both intel and magical properties, however she is humanoid and ...
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How can I come up with meaningful (and exciting) scenes for my character's journey?
I am struggling to find conflict in each place (countries for my story) I'm working on. I have some fun ones (small but whack adventures that my character partakes) but I don't have an intriguing ...
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Is it considered a story if I write short pieces that are just dialogue and philosophical-ish stuff?
I have a couple of short stories that are basically just dialogue and philosophical-ish stuff, such as “There’s no such thing as good or bad.” “Then why do we have laws? Why do we have prisons and ...
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How can I not give up on writing my story?
I am planning a book, but I can't convey it into words. I am stalling, planning unimportant things that won't be essential to my novel.
I have given up on over twenty drafts, thinking one idea was ...
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How can you put a lot of time-skips as soon as possible in a story?
How can you put a lot of time-skips as soon as possible in a story? Because of certain restrictions, I am forced to put a lot of time-skips at the beginning of a story, but how do you do that ...
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How to write an actually psychopath character
I'm constantly running into problems, this time it's wannabe Pennywise again.
So, one of my characters is supposed to be emotionless but still, pretends to have them.
Problem is that I don't know ...
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Can technical writing suck less
I currently have the prospect of writing a considerable amount of technical documentation (describing interactions with an extremely complex online service). I consider myself a reasonably proficient ...
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Would it be "wrong" to rewrite a fanfiction as a writing exercise?
I've been reading a fanfiction lately that honestly has a good plot, though the writing is subpar—grammar and punctuation errors, lack of descriptive detail, bad formatting, etc. I've been thinking ...
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How to keep an original fiction from becoming fan fiction with world-hopping?
I've got an original fiction I'm writing with the concept of a multiverse where every story written or drawn in one version of modern earth generates attached universes. Everything from anime to ...
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I need help writing a scene or experience about air being knocked out of you
How would you write a scene of someone trying to breath again after getting the wind knocked out of them?
I am trying to describe the experience and how your body reacts physically while your brain ...
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I'm trying to write a love triangle, but the relationship with the second companion seems unnatural
I will start by saying this isn’t a romance, but has your classic love triangle within the plot.
The problem is, within my writing, I got in too deep with my first two characters' love story, and now ...
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Is it possible to use an intentional plot hole as a literary device?
Is it possible to use an intentional plot hole as a literary device? If not as a literary device, can you use a plot hole intentionally for other reasons? I am wondering if there are authors who use ...
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Tips on writing a character with bipolar disorder
I am writing a novel about a young man who is grieving the loss of his mother. He's also been diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder in the last two years.
I really want to do his character justice, and I ...
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How can I get myself writing again?
I have authored a particular fanfiction, which has garnered a moderate following on the fanfiction website I published it to. As of now, the story has 279 users following it for updates, as well as 45 ...
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How do I determine if the premise of my story is believable?
This post is part advice and part discussion.
How do you determine if a story's premise is believable?
Is the believability of a story's premise more of a demographic thing? Do people determine how ...
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How can I write a fictional college?
Im having trouble creating a fictional college for my books. I'm trying to make it realistic with a lot of different majors, but I'm only in high school and I don't understand all that much about ...
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In a subjective omniscient PoV, can a writer ask a question in the narration?
When a narrator filters the thoughts of characters, can the narrator ask a question as if it comes from him or her?
For example:
“Who could ask such a question? John was upset.”
Or
“Was she scared? ...
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What is an inciting incident?
I've been struggling to find a clear definition of what exactly an inciting incident is.
According to Masterclass, an inciting incident is:
The inciting incident of a story is the event that sets the ...
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Is it good to publish a novel online for free?
I am not after earning money but to spread knowledge about something for free. But if money is neglected, what else can be the disadvantage of publishing it online?
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Is it better to write a novel with contractions?
In a subjective omniscient PoV, is it better to use contractions for the narrator’s voice, or to avoid them for a more formal and distinctive tone?
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Swapping between third and first person in a book
So, I was wondering in the case of a book is it okay to swap from 1st person to 3rd person? Like on the spot swaps, almost like breaking the 4th wall. So, for most of the book it'll be a third person, ...
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How to write symbolism into a story?
I'm writing a dark academia/Gothic romance. It's about this guy named Humphry who accidentally summons a ghost girl named Cal after a failed experiment. He at first is freaked out and wants nothing to ...
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What pronouns should I use for a character with no gender?
I'm writing a book in which there is a character with no gender.
I don't know what pronouns I should use for this character.
I can't use he/she.
What pronouns should I use?
Example:
With gender:
She ...
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How do you handle hallucinations/daydreaming in comics?
How do you handle hallucinations/daydreaming in comics? I remember instances where people in TV shows are literally dreaming while awake with their eyes wide-open and just wakes up from their ...
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How do you create an emotional attachment to a character who never appears?
Main Question
My protagonist, Dannie, was taken from her home for 7 years. The story starts when she escapes and follows her journey home. Dannie discusses her home with her traveling companion, and ...
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How short can a poem be until it can no longer be a poem?
I am on a small journey to help me understand what the definition of a poem is to different people, what poems mean to them.
This made me wonder, some poems are longer than others, so:
How short ...
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What are good ways to improve as a writer other than writing courses?
As a novice writer to improve my writing I have taken one online course. I want to ask, what are good ways to improve as a writer other than writing courses?
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How do you prevent the readers or viewers from guessing the whole plot when you use foreshadowing?
How do you prevent the readers or viewers from guessing the whole plot when you use foreshadowing? I remember watching Monster.Inc when I was young and I was able to guess the whole plot of the movie ...
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Is there a term for the underlying concept that must be accepted for the story to work?
Is there a term/trope for the sort of underlying concept of a story, which itself is most likely unrealistic, but which we must accept without explanation, proof or tie back to real-life, for the ...
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Writing a character with amnesia
I'm working on a webcomic in which the main character has amnesia from head trauma. She was an experiment and when escaping she hit her head. She has one sentence of dialogue to the other main ...
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How to write "The Breakdown Scene"? (cosmic horror)
I am currently writing a cosmic horror story, (without an eldritch abomination) and I am wondering how one would write the classic "You've seen too much and now your mind is breaking" scene ...
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How to refer to different versions of a character?
In my historical spy thriller, there are five different characters named Miku that our protagonist has to fight. So initially, they're refered to as Idol Miku, Vampire Miku, etc. etc. etc. But then ...
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What is a good way to practice essay writing?
I was never that good at writing essays, especially if the essays require works cited or sources. I have a basic idea of the methods but how do I practice making a good essay I am no longer in school ...
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Writing a surreal, dreamlike setting?
I am working on a concept for an existential horror / comedy, similar to works like the DHMIS TV show and Little Runmo. I already have a collection of strange, dreamlike entities; like an organic ...
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Which Is Clearer: 'Being pressed' or 'Pressed'?
Consider these two sentences:
[1] Being pressed against the wall, he struggled to break free.
[2] Pressed against the wall, he struggled to break free.
I've recently spent some time reading grammar ...
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Past progressive in a novel
I have been reading a lot of different options on how to write a novel.
Many people suggest that the past progressive tense is most often used in fiction to describe interrupted actions (in relation ...
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How do I make my characters sound British?
This might sound silly, but I am trying to make one of my characters British and I have a hard time portraying that idea on paper. My novel is set in a fantasy land, nothing like this world and I am ...
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What does it mean when people say your dialogue should have its own line? [duplicate]
So, I've been trying to write a novel and some people have read it and said it was great and I've also received some criticism saying I needed to give each line of dialogue it's own line. Does it mean ...
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Should I use 1st-person or 3rd-person perspective for an alien character alone in a post-apocalyptic world?
This has been a difficulty for me for a bit. I'm writing a story about an alien character alone in a post-apocalyptic world. Them being alone makes me think it'd be easier and better to chose 1st ...