Fiction is a form of prose writing that deals with at least partly artificial or imagined events and characters. This tag should be used for any questions relating to fiction, including fiction formatting and technique, fiction critiques, and the publishing of fiction.
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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 ...
3
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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 ...
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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 ...
3
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4answers
71 views
Basing fiction on personal life
I had in mind to use threads from my own life as a foundation for work, keeping much of the incidents, traits and all, but building upon them in a potentially different direction. What are the ...
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1answer
105 views
Background speech with foreground dialogue
A few days ago, I stumbled upon an issue of the type; meaning I had two characters talking between themselves and another character talking in the background; actually delivering a speech.
What the ...
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1answer
58 views
Does this excerpt strike a balance between the formality of steampunk and accessible writing?
I'm having a bit of trouble, since I'm writing in a semi-new genre. I ordinarily write fantasy with a modern-day setting, but my latest experiment is steampunk set in not-exactly-Earth, so it has a ...
4
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3answers
102 views
Should I write about how the character solved some riddle or let the reader solve it himself
"Reaching an end to his path, Eric found a locked door, the lock was a combination of 4 numbers, and above the doorknob a script explaining the lock : 'finishing four circles, a lost day is found' "
...
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1answer
89 views
Does this qualify as a prelude or prologue?
In the story I'm writing i have a 2k word chapter that will either be attached to my fourth chapter or be a prelude. (prologue? I'm not really sure what the difference is or if there is one.) My issue ...
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2answers
69 views
What constitutes historical fantasy?
I'm writing a trilogy set 80% in Italy and 20% in other European countries. Each novel incorporates real historical characters and fantasy elements (a magical object, real/imagined symbols, ...
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1answer
95 views
What type of writing would this fall under?
Would this be considered prose, or poetry? The reason I ask is because someone had told me that I should submit it to a magazine but I don't know what kind, if any would look at it. I write it about ...
4
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1answer
60 views
Effect of real world brands and/or places on story tone
This is based on that question, but from a tone point of view.
Let's say I have a story taking place in a near-future version of Boston, characters are meeting for coffee.
I have no issue saying ...
7
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5answers
169 views
Writing from the middle
My biggest problem as a writer is that I always get inspired and then start writing from the middle, in particular scenes or moments which I think will be crucial. Climaxes. These scenes turn out ...
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2answers
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Does inclusion of significant quotations from literature make a novel harder to publish?
I'm considering using quotations (a sentence to a paragraph) from various pieces of literature at the beginning of each chapter of my novel. The quotations connect thematically to the events of the ...
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1answer
82 views
Flashback or dream as a means of hinting at more going on than meets the eye
I plan to use a dream or flashback as a way to show the reader the story has more going on behind the scenes. As well to sprinkle in a little of my main characters back-story.
I haven't written it ...
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4answers
342 views
Is it true that men (in general) can't write female first-person?
I think I first saw that statement in an answer to this question.
Men cannot, in general, write female first-person.
I gave it a thought, and realized there was some truth in it; I've read ...
5
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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 ...
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6answers
356 views
Killing off a character: deciding if, when and how
Killing off a character is a serious issue. Secondary characters or even extras can pass away without too much negative response from the readers but main characters are a whole different matter.
It ...
3
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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 ...
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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. ...
4
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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 ...
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4answers
269 views
What are some disadvantages of writing fiction in a diary format?
I find writing in a diary-style is the easiest way to write fiction. The format is the same as a diary, with each entry beginning with the date, then describing the feelings or events of the character ...
2
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3answers
117 views
What work better for the following piece of writing? Past or present tense?
I'm writing a short story but I'm not sure whether to write it in the past or the present tense.
This is the opening paragraph:
Sophia was awakened by the rattling sound of her washing machine. ...
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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
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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 ...
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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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
2
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1answer
60 views
Is it a bad idea to vary the voice of the narrator in third person (limited omniscient)?
I did some thorough searching for duplicates of this question, but I don't think they really cover the same spirit of the issue I'm having. (here are some examples of similar but different questions)
...
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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 ...
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6answers
320 views
alternatives to “he said” in dialog
I'm working on my first fiction story. And one mechanical thing I struggle with is how to identify the speakers in dialog without constantly saying "Bob said", "Mary said", etc. Any ideas?
That is, I ...
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161 views
A cross-[What] kind of romance?
In the scientific taxonomy of Living Things, you have:
Life
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
etc. down to Species, and maybe thence to Breed.
If I were talking about my neighbor's dog who is half ...
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4answers
221 views
Characters with no names
I've got a few short stories going, and I've foregone naming any of my characters. It started because I just didn't have any good names in my head and I was going to take care of it later, but now I'm ...
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1answer
64 views
Looking for some tips on how to improve writing [closed]
I have just completed my first draft of a novel. Now the story is completed it's time to capture the style so the reader can engage in the story. I want to make sure the story style is easy enough for ...
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4answers
252 views
Is it a bad writing practice to start sentences with a verb?
I realized I start sentences with the, he, she, it, after and then all the time. So I'm starting to use verbs instead. Here is an example of something I wrote:
Erin left out a sigh. "Why am I ...
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1answer
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Using Documentary For Inspiration [closed]
I am using a documentary as inspiration for a fiction story I am writing.
Some elements of fiction are stated Here and Here, although there's all kinds of stuff like archetypes etc.. Some of the ...
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1answer
128 views
Is it good style in fiction to write sentences as a flow of (disjointed) thoughts? [closed]
I was wondering whether it is okay to write like this or not:
I never went for the grooves. But I did take a seat near the bar table and checked out the pretty ladies. Drinking was not my cup of ...
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4answers
141 views
Should it be a Short Story or Full Story
I asked Three questions in another question. To break it up, I am going to ask one which I still would like more feedback on.
NOTE: I was told to break it up by the moderator who closed it. Although ...
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0answers
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Story-Telling on the Internet [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Internet communities where I can read/rate/review short fiction, and post my own?
I am a user of Cowbird already, and I love it, but I want to branch out, and go to ...
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3answers
343 views
How to avoid repetitive sentence structure?
I've realized that I always start sentences with (name of character), he, she, it, they, her, his, the, after (a moment/that), and then.
I wonder if there's any useful exercise or tip to reduce this?
...
0
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3answers
116 views
Is there a description of location required in intense moments of the story like in a love story
I am writing a short love story. There is a moment when the man and woman he loved meets after 3 decades at his home and they strike up a conversation. They had some unsaid feelings buried deep within ...
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3answers
184 views
Is the opening of this detective short story gripping enough to read on? Can it be shortened?
Is this opening too short or too quick? Can it be shortened further, removing any unnecessary description like "not giving him a lift to the office"? (I feel this last can be avoided but I am not ...
3
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2answers
112 views
Is it ok to be autobiographical with a main character?
This question really comes down to a personal issue I've had present in my fiction. I'm still very new as far as being a writer is concerned. So a few (if not all) of my main characters seem to be ...
4
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4answers
131 views
How much should I reveal of how the world functions in fiction?
I am currently working on a fiction novel. The way the world (magic, technology, government, species etc) works is extremely complicated.
Basically, the idea is to reveal the mechanics bit by bit . ...
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1answer
144 views
Is the ambiguity in my story the salt which makes it tasty or just plain frustrating?
Because this story is quite ambiguous in relation to the setting and also the main character's gender, I have been wondering whether this is frustrating for the reader or whether it provides a good ...
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Deciding the setting: real or invented?
I'm preparing some material because I have the intention of writing a book. I'd do this in every type of work, but considering that I'm writing Crime Fiction, this is even more important.
I've ...
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2answers
288 views
What is “head popping” and why is it bad?
Most of my writing experience has been with first person, nonfiction stories. Now I want to try some fiction. I'm working in third person, but I'm a little bit confused about how to pull something ...
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1answer
348 views
When to use the em dash (—) in fiction writing?
I always see the em dash (—) in fiction writing.
Here are some example from Haruki Murakami's After Dark:
Komugi comes in and takes something from one of the cartons piled
against the wall—a ...
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1answer
86 views
Faith, Hope and Love as the keys to victory in an action-adventure novel?
I'm at the outline stage of my novel writing.
It is pretty straightforward to think of an action-adventure novel's victory as attained by physical attributes and/or courage.
I'm looking for ...
