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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Coming up with names for species in fiction?
When you are writing a story that is set in a fantasy world (maybe our world with just one made-up element, or a completely different world), what is a good way to come up with names for species that ...
13
votes
11answers
929 views
Internet communities where I can read/rate/review short fiction, and post my own?
So what active internet communities are out there where I can post my own short fiction, for others to read, rate, review and discuss?
(Note that I'm not asking about local writer's groups, or ...
4
votes
1answer
83 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 ...
11
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7answers
1k views
How to start a book off?
I have been working on my book (on and off...) for about 6 months. I have a good bit planned out with the plot, story line, and characters. I even have a small idea on how to start the story but ...
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vote
1answer
55 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 ...
11
votes
8answers
494 views
What's the benefit of using invented languages in-story?
I'm working on a fictional story set in a fantastical (although coherent) universe; I'm used to seeing, in works like this, invented languages: Tolkien's languages for The Lord of the Rings, or ...
6
votes
6answers
168 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. ...
5
votes
4answers
123 views
How to avoid specifying the gender in English when the original text does not specify it?
I'm translating a short story from Korean into English. One problem I frequently face is the 'antecedent pronoun agreement' when the original text leaves the 'gender' of the subject unspecified (and ...
4
votes
3answers
99 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' "
...
5
votes
3answers
126 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
82 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
64 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, ...
3
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4answers
298 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
84 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
138 views
Shared worlds: are there any good collaborative sites out there?
Writing is something that I have wanted to do for some time, and I know that I don't currently have the skill set to do more than putter. Are there any shared world story sites that exist? A ...
4
votes
1answer
55 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
votes
5answers
162 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
65 views
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
73 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 ...
4
votes
4answers
199 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 ...
11
votes
3answers
16k views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in first person?
A lot of people are either on the side of first person or the side of third person. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in first person for fiction?
4
votes
3answers
197 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 ...
7
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6answers
289 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
votes
3answers
88 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 ...
9
votes
5answers
1k views
Why shouldn't I use a pen name?
I don't like my name. I feel like seeing my name on the cover of my novel will be an embarassment more than a moment of pride - I just can't take things I've written under my own name seriously, for ...
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votes
4answers
176 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
votes
3answers
102 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. ...
3
votes
2answers
134 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
69 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
121 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
127 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 ...
7
votes
9answers
1k views
What are some examples of modern original plots?
In a comment on this answer, a valuable community contributor suggested that it is possible to be totally original in writing, despite the fact that other valuable community members have stated that ...
11
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3answers
203 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
161 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
56 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)
...
10
votes
6answers
311 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 ...
7
votes
4answers
117 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 ...
3
votes
8answers
211 views
Is it possible that my short novel will be boring to my readers because it only has two characters and the location doesn't change?
In my story, there are two characters: a schoolgirl and a strange person with a creepy mask who gives her a tour in an art museum at night. Well, actually there is a third character; the boyfriend of ...
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votes
6answers
158 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
203 views
Balancing loads of equally-important characters
If you have a dozen good guys, but four of them are the protagonists and the other six are more in the background, it's not that hard to skew the pagetime of each character towards those that are more ...
8
votes
4answers
206 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 ...
9
votes
7answers
316 views
How little “fantasy” can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy?
How little "fantasy" can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy, and not mainstream fiction?
The "recognizable fantasy" question is one I struggle with all the time. Fantasy exists on a ...
2
votes
4answers
212 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 ...
2
votes
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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votes
1answer
62 views
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 ...
20
votes
7answers
2k views
Do most novels not get published?
If a person writes a novel, grammar alright, decent story, word count, etc. everything okay,
Is it a crap shoot for that person to get published? Is it just like the lottery or maybe better ...
0
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1answer
125 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 ...
0
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4answers
138 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 ...
13
votes
6answers
1k views
What makes first person plural a tricky narrative voice?
I absolutely loved Joshua Ferris's debut novel Then We Came to the End. Critics highly praised his use for the first person plural as a narrator. The work is set in an office and the "we" used ...
0
votes
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 ...
