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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Should a flashback be in past tense or past perfect?
Assuming the story itself is in past tense, normally when I go further into the past I'd use past perfect:
He had first met her at the grocery store, six months prior.
However, which is more ...
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6answers
823 views
How do I re-interest myself in a plot I am working on?
I've been working on my plot for almost a year now and every time I open my Excel sheet (yes,I know its odd to plot a novel in an Excel sheet but I find it's kind of a clean and clutter free ...
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5answers
184 views
Is this excerpt's style too matter-of-fact?
I get the feeling that this blurb is too... expositiony, not enough description. Too much "this happened and then this happened and then this happened". But I'm notoriously bad at evaluating myself - ...
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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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What is the recomended word-count for a fantasy-fiction book?
By recommended I mean what is the standard for it to be not too long and not too short. I know I should write until I am finished but I want to take practicality into account as well. Mainly when the ...
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4answers
195 views
How can I work more efficiently when writing multiple pieces of fiction at the same time?
I'm working on multiple pieces of fiction at the same time, and finding it very difficult. When writing one piece at a time, I'm able to devote my passing time to thinking about the one subject I ...
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4answers
250 views
What are useful resources for a beginner whose eventual goal is to write a novel? [closed]
I am new to creative writing but have been an avid reader for years (mainly SF/fantasy). I have wanted to write fantasy stories for a long time and have recently started to build a setting for them in ...
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3answers
158 views
Italicize part of a word in fiction?
I am wondering if I can or should take a bit of stylistic license and italicize just part of a word:
He took a sharp turn back into a side street, and collided hard with something that sent him ...
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108 views
What to do with my odd-length work?
I've just about finished up the first draft of a piece of work I've put a good deal of love into. It's genre fiction (paranormal/supernatural horror/urban fantasy/whatever they're calling it this ...
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4answers
316 views
How do I successfully structure a long fiction piece?
I’ve ‘completed’ three novels – a thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a mystery. I’ve had expert readers for all three including Sue Grafton who read two of them. All the expert readers have the same ...
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What is a beat?
I keep hearing the word "beat" in Writers.SE, as in "... break your scene into beats" from this question. What is a beat? How is it different from a scene?
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109 views
Has anyone tried “pair writing” before and been published?
Most of the time when two people write a book, one person is doing the majority of the writing and the other is critiquing or helping with the plot or providing technical information that the real ...
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6answers
579 views
What to do if I can't meet my chapter word count?
I usually set a word count goal for each of my chapters, say 2000 words. But sometimes I can't meet that goal, for any number of reasons. What should I do:
A. Continue anyway, and hope to increase ...
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4answers
179 views
How to give the readers breathing space, without putting them to sleep?
I remember reading somewhere that while plots should have tension, too much tension will tire the readers out, so there should be some breathing place, where the reader can get a chance to catch their ...
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6answers
344 views
Can a likeable character be unsympathetic?
I believe an unlikable character can be sympathetic, although that's tricky. But can you go the other way? Can your character be likable but at the same time unsympathetic? I've been trying and ...
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2answers
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All persons fictitious - where to place it?
I've got an all persons fictitious disclaimer similar to the one mentioned at All persons fictitious disclaimer — ideas regarding modification? but where should I place it?
Bear in mind, this is a ...
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5answers
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“All of a sudden…” ?
I am writing a manuscript for a novel. It's my first attempt, and often I find myself wanting to write "suddenly" or "all of a sudden". I do this when I want the scene to change in an instant, or ...
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241 views
How to create space
Recently, a few snippets of my fiction have received critiques along the lines of 'Does not give a sense of space'. Or 'needs more description, sights and sounds'.
I think where I am going wrong is ...
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1answer
261 views
Is it plausible to get a contract with an US/UK publisher as a foreigner?
Looking for some insight in the publishing industry.
Is it even remotely plausible to get published in with an English-language publishing house (UK/US), when you're not a national nor a resident of ...
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5answers
318 views
How do I balance work with my love of writing?
I'm a programmer and an aspiring writer. I love writing. Over the past year, I had been working on my first novel. Making the plot, dimensioning the characters, integrating conflicts etc. And when I ...
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2answers
328 views
Any suggestions to improve these three introductory paragraphs of a novel I'm writing (e.g. writing style, description and flow)?
These are the paragraphs:
Someone had called me at half past eleven. The phone rang six times
breaking the silence and darkness of the room for about ten or
twelve seconds. I didn’t pick up. ...
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1answer
192 views
Magazines taking submissions for short stories?
Does anyone have or know of a list of magazines (print or online) accepting submissions for short stories? It would be nice if it could be broken out by genre and payment rates (if applicable).
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An engineering student wants to write fiction, where to start?
I'm a computer engineering student, programmer, avid book lover and have a very vivid (some would say "screwed up") mind.
I recently thought up an idea for a very cool short/medium story. It's like a ...
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4answers
745 views
What are examples of fiction books picked up by publishers after being self-published?
I've seen some references to commercial publishers picking up a self-published novel if it's been selling well.
Can you point me to a few specific examples of this happening?
Fiction only, please. ...
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3answers
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Does this paragraph make you want to keep reading?
Can you remember the last toy you ever bought?
We do. Here at the St. Abattoir, London's largest toy store, your childhood is our business. We think of ourselves not as merely customer ...
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111 views
How do you reference pop culture in a dialogue without proper attribution?
I'm not sure exactly how to ask this question in a vacuum so I'll give an example first:
Many people are familiar with the Mitch Hedberg joke about an escalator being "temporarily stairs" rather than ...
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271 views
How can I create drama in a story that is mostly political and procedural?
I'm writing a fantasy story about whether a teacher should be fired or not over teaching competency; most of the story revolves around the politics and the procedural process of the decision.
So much ...
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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 ...
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3answers
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Adding breaks in a novel—spaces, asterisks, or a chapter break?
I am editing my first novel and wherever I find a natural break in the story, I add a few spaces. I want to go back and adjust what types of breaks those are, but how best to represent those spaces in ...
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3answers
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Italicizing and adding accents to Spanish words in an English novel.
In my current novel I have a few characters who speak Spanish. The book takes place along the Texico border, so it happens frequently. I know that in more foreign Spanish, or when someone speaks a ...
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2answers
155 views
Using a town to symbolize/represent a character within a story (fiction)?
I'm not sure if this has been done before. In my story, the main character's wife takes the form of a town. The town represents how he feels towards his wife (mostly sad feelings and repulsion).
It ...
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4answers
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How often do writers develop characters before plot, and why?
As someone who writes a little as a hobby, this is something that I haven't really thought about until just recently, but...
Is it common for a writer to develop characters before actually coming up ...
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How can I improve this description which includes actions?
This is the beginning of a short story I'm writing (I'm not a native English speaker):
I was lying in the dark, looking at
the ceiling, counting spider webs. She
was lying right beside me. I ...
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3answers
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Use of past vs. present tense in works of fiction
I have recently picked up several works of fiction and begun to read them. I have found that some are written using past tense while others use the present tense.
What is the significance of using ...
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2answers
155 views
Style of writing as told from the point of view of the main character
What would be a good style for writing a story from one point of view while keeping the narration interesting? I mean you can't go into too much detail as what a person does during the day is fine for ...
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3answers
892 views
Write a 1st person story with a 3rd person narrator
I am writing a story in the 3rd person and i would like to switch the narrator for one of the main characters half way through so that the reader can read how he perceives the story. does anybody have ...
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Writing about drug induced hallucinations and paranoia
Not long ago I wrote a short story about a mathematics graduate student on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The young student is innocent and working to finish a difficult mathematical derivation ...
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Does this microfiction provide a slightly surreal sense when describing an ordinary scene?
In this short story I'm trying to describe an unexceptional scene in an exciting and compelling way. I want to make a common ritual seem strange and a bit surreal. Does this paragraph accomplish these ...
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Can a book be written without an antagonist?
I have had this thought running through my head and wondered what your thoughts were on it. Can a book, a story I should say, be written without an antagonist or antagonistic theme? I have an idea ...
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Do books have to be written in sequence?
So can we write the interesting action bits first, then add in the in between stuff, that maybe needed to understand the story or characters, but isnt so exciting by itself?
For example the ...
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4answers
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Writing about extreme trauma
I've just written a chapter in which one of my protags witnesses her entire family massacred during an invasion of her home city. This is obviously an extremely traumatic and horrifying event, and in ...
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Why is this ‘loved’ italicized?
I’m interested in italics in novels. Italic writings in novels have a wide variety of feelings, for example surprise, delight, anger, irony, humor, etc. However, consulting reference books, I only ...
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What breaks suspension of disbelief?
So much of Sci-Fi and Fantasy requires the viewer (or reader) to suspend their disbelief: The speed of light can be circumvented, magic works, vampires are real (and may or may not sparkle), etc.
...
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Will my readers feel like they are reading a children's storybook if there are illustrations in my novel?
I'm writing a novel. I also have good drawing skills. I would like to add illustrations of the setting, locations and characters. I may include 8 or 10 illustrations (the novel is approximately 200 ...
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2answers
203 views
Should the Voice of the Author change with the Point-Of-View Character in a Non-Literary Fiction?
I have been writing an action/adventure novel and am having a tough time deciding whether the voice of the writer should undergo a slight/moderate but not a complete change with the point of view ...
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5answers
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In what order should I describe a setting?
For instance I'm describing the park of an art museum in a foggy day. I'm not sure if I should start with the fog, wind, grass, threes, walking paths, buildings, stairs or something else. Is there a ...
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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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1answer
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How to avoid getting confused while adding symbols within symbols (novel writing)?
For instance, I'm writing a novel where the main character is wandering in a city which represents his wife (symbol number one), but then the places he visits within the city also represent the bad ...
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Has this dialogue enough suspense to engage the reader?
I still have to make some grammar and writing corrections but I would like to know if this dialogue Has this has enough suspense to engage the reader (so that he or she wants to read more)?
“Excuse ...
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3answers
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Do writers use highlighting to clarify ideas in their work in progress?
In programming we often use syntax highlight in order to have a better picture of what the role of particular bits of code is (using different colours).
I wonder if writers do something similar - ...
