Tagged Questions
1
vote
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, ...
0
votes
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 ...
7
votes
7answers
413 views
How to overcome the fact that I can't write long stories?
I have written some short stories (in fact, they are flash fiction). When I'm writing short stories, the ideas and the structure come to my mind by themselves.
Something different happens when I try ...
11
votes
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 ...
6
votes
3answers
405 views
How to develop a story for a novel?
I am looking for some inspiration on where to start writing a novel. I have a general idea for a plot and characters, but I don't feel it's enough for sitting down and starting to write. It needs a ...
0
votes
0answers
82 views
When did conversational dialogue in fiction writing become a prevalent writing style in British Literature? [closed]
Is there a specific time period, author or group of authors that popularized the stye?
5
votes
2answers
1k views
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 ...
7
votes
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 ...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
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?
8
votes
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 ...
6
votes
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 ...
6
votes
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 ...
5
votes
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. ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
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 ...
2
votes
3answers
176 views
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 ...
1
vote
2answers
202 views
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 ...
9
votes
9answers
220 views
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 ...
13
votes
5answers
557 views
Can I shop an unfinished novel?
I've been writing a novel that addresses some very current themes. My belief is that if I can get it out there quickly, it will succeed well. I'm working on it frantically, but will agents consider ...
12
votes
7answers
286 views
Should you read your own genre?
In terms of novel writing, I tend to avoid my own genre, at least for the most part. Some of the reasons why:
Genre Blindness / Genre Trap:
Too much reading of your own genre blinds you to the ...
8
votes
5answers
835 views
What is a good methodology for researching a historical novel?
I'm having difficulty with the research aspect of my historical novel. This question was originally going to be "how much research should one do to write a historical novel?" to which, answering my ...
9
votes
2answers
176 views
What exactly do I do to get published?
I'm interested to know what the publishing process exactly entails for future reference. I'm in my last year of school and I recently finished my first substantial piece of creative writing (a subject ...
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 ...
13
votes
6answers
834 views
Keeping track of multiple plot lines
How do you track several plot lines woven together?
I usually run 2 or 3 plot-lines in parallel, so I detail those plots each in a separate document. But as the book goes on, it is sometimes ...
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 ...
7
votes
6answers
536 views
Examples for books that don't use (traditional) chapters?
I'm a big fan of Terry Pratchett, and he doesn't use chapters (mostly). Are there any other authors who don't or tend to not use chapters?
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 ...
