The structure tag has no wiki summary.
19
votes
17answers
1k views
Are complex sentences uncommon or unwanted in English?
I wrote my opinion essay using a lot of different complex grammatical structures, linking words and so on, and some of the sentences were even over 4 lines long.
However, I was afterwards told by my ...
17
votes
4answers
404 views
Should cliffhangers be used in every chapter?
This is not a great question but I use a lot of cliffhangers. And I have a habit of making cliffhangers in the end of every chapter that I write just to hook the reader. The question is, is it a good ...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
What's a typical trilogy structure?
Is there a typical structure for a fantasy trilogy?
To be more specific, would they usually follow the three-act structure, with an act per book? And would each book need a self-contained story arc ...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
Dashes vs. Commas vs. parentheses?
Occasionally I write sentences containing subparts with extra information. I never know how to block off his information from the rest of the sentence. Three ways I have seen are dashes, commas, and ...
8
votes
4answers
425 views
How do I avoid a “mid-story info dump?”
I am revising the manuscript for a novel. About a third into the story, a major turning point occurs when the main character (through whom the reader follows the story) realizes that things are not at ...
8
votes
3answers
92 views
How to tell or retell basic character and setting information in a series?
I am writing a short children's novel and I want to expand this into a series made of several short novels. I intend to write the whole series at once so that the internal universe is consistent and ...
8
votes
1answer
162 views
Tools for exploring and analysing document structure?
I'm currently writing a thesis. Just the introduction is 25 pages/8000 words. The whole document will probably be 70 pages or so. With a document this large, and on such a complex topic, it can be ...
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 ...
7
votes
4answers
543 views
Preventing genre-savvy second-guessing in murder mysteries
In a murder mystery, most of the story is generally focused on figuring out who the murderer is; in "Fair-Play" mysteries, it's assumed the murderer is a significant character in the book, and the fun ...
7
votes
2answers
199 views
How far into a speculative novel should one go before introducing the central conflict?
By speculative, I mean mostly science fiction, fantasy or intrigue.
For example Neal Stephenson's Anathem, which is a 900-page book, goes well past the 200-page mark before the central conflict ...
6
votes
3answers
306 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?
...
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
2answers
928 views
What is the most effective way to deal with flashbacks in a novel structure ?
In writing a novel, often flashbacks are difficult to manage: if too long and detailed, they can appear as second class (at worst, aborted) plots whose only task is to sustain the main plot line; if ...
6
votes
4answers
299 views
Which goes first: summary, background or justification?
I am trying to write a long expository piece and cannot figure out which information should come first. Here are three candidates:
A summary/abstract lists the main points, without necessarily ...
5
votes
6answers
820 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 ...
5
votes
5answers
604 views
Do episodes of the show House follow a constant structural pattern?
I've seen a few episodes of House M.D., and I wonder, are the episodes written according to a fixed structural pattern? If so, what are the details, and why does such a structure make the show ...
5
votes
3answers
158 views
Should The Secret Antagonist have dual goals set in the ending of Act I of a 3-Act-Structured Mystery?
Okay, There's this antagonist in my plot who is supposed to secretly frame my protagonist (due to some undecided reasons) and also help him publicly to cover his tracks.
And since I'm working with the ...
5
votes
4answers
776 views
Do Novels follow a 3 Act/2 Plot Point structure like most Movie Scripts?
Many Movie scripts use a Structure where there are 3 Acts (Setup, Climax, Resolution) with 2 Plot Points (end of Act 1 and end of Act 2) (Three Act Structure)
I wonder if there are standards for ...
5
votes
2answers
482 views
Guideline on turning points in a novel?
What are some popular guides regarding structuring a novel, specifically what turning points the story should hit and approximately at what point in the manuscript?
I'm looking for something more ...
5
votes
4answers
570 views
Could a different structure for “Feast of Crows” have been a better solution to Martin's five-year-gap?
The latest two volumes of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire have been poorly received compared to the series' earlier books. What's interesting here is that Martin's original plan did not include these ...
5
votes
3answers
224 views
Is there a name for this kind of sentence structure?
I've seen this construction quite a bit, although only in the last five years or so. It's a transcription of a way of speaking, where the speaker is emphasizing something by using a verbal full stop ...
4
votes
9answers
238 views
Trying to indicate that the frequency is annoying
I am trying to state that a particular question is not annoying, but its frequency is. I have come up with the below sentence, but I feel like it could be worded better.
It is an annoying question ...
4
votes
5answers
149 views
How can I reconcile the exposition of the three act scheme vs. starting out with a bang?
I am a few thousand words into my newest draft and starting to question if I picked the right beginning. As usual, when I get back into the habit of writing regularly, I have also gotten back into the ...
4
votes
4answers
139 views
Is it strange if a novel starts the first chapter without one of main characters?
I'm writing a novel with the following structure (I'm not very sure what's the technical term):
Chapter One (based on the POV of Character C): C sees B for the first time
Chapter Two (based ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
Why Use Excessively Short Chapters?
Some of my favorite Frank Herbert books go 70 pages between chapters. All the James Patterson books go 2-3 pages between chapters.
I know non=fiction uses chapters to help navigate, which means ...
4
votes
3answers
411 views
Single character POV vs. two POVs - how to decide?
I'm starting to look at my next novel, and I'm trying to decide whether I should tell it from one POV or two. I've used both techniques in the past, so I'm aware of the basic ...
4
votes
3answers
137 views
Adding more characters as the story moves forwards
I'm 20 and have been writing a lot of fiction since I was 11, and there is a story that I keep rewriting as I get older and learn more about writing and storytelling. Strangely I haven't done that ...
4
votes
2answers
86 views
Placing similes at the beginning and at the end of a sentence
Would the following sentences have different effects on the reader?
He washed his hands thoroughly, like a surgeon after an operation.
Like a surgeon after an operation, he washed his hands ...
4
votes
4answers
92 views
How can I consistently distinguish among tables, fields, and records in a database?
I am describing a database for a scientific publication. The database has many tables, and each table has fields (spreadsheet columns) and records (rows).
I spend a lot of time discussing tables and ...
4
votes
5answers
740 views
Preventing the symbolic conflict of “Hunger Games” from overshadowing widespread social plight [closed]
SPOILER ALERT: Questions and answers may contain spoilers for all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
Symbolic Conflict as the Climax of Social Conflict
I noticed an ...
3
votes
5answers
208 views
My first act is lengthy. And I cannot shorten it. Any Suggestions?
After the great amount of encouragement that you all gave me here, you'd be happy to know that I finally started writing my novel and I'm writing whenever I get time. Special thanks goes to Lauren for ...
3
votes
6answers
1k views
Example of a fictional story without any characters (the story being 1000+ words)
Guessing that there is no such example, but if there is, I'm very interested in knowing about it.
Just as a short example, just to make it clear it's possible; the example is not intended to be a ...
3
votes
3answers
180 views
Put text between section and subsection headings?
Are there rules about whether or not to put text between section and subsection headings (in scholarly works)?
1 section heading
text / no text here?
1.1 subsection heading
more ...
3
votes
3answers
144 views
My story portrays a process, not a conflict - how do I make the process my focus?
My current WiP is a science-fiction piece which is less about characters coping with a particular problem, and more about the process they go through in reaction to the SF-nal catalyst. My story is ...
3
votes
2answers
50 views
Parts, books, volumes, etc
Is there any standard (or at least common) heirarchical arrangement for major divisions of a fiction book? For instance, I occassionally see some large novels divided into "parts", and sometimes I see ...
3
votes
1answer
86 views
How applicable are screenwriting ideas to novels?
My current goal is to write a novel (I'm already close to the 35K word mark). However, most of the books I've read about story structure are actually about screenwriting.
While stories are stories no ...
2
votes
2answers
233 views
How much outlining should I use in writing my book?
In my writing style, I make an outline of what I'm going to write, and I have fun in between. I was kidding myself in thinking outlining contrasted with "stream of consciousness" in which thoughts ...
2
votes
1answer
633 views
Characteristics of an “example” in essay writing
Example: an item of information that is typical of a class or group;
"this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is
an example on page 10" (Google)
Maybe I haven't ...
2
votes
4answers
231 views
Does my story structure for an ensemble zombie story sound effective?
I'm working on a novel about the psychological struggle of 7 characters. It's got an ensemble cast, where every character has the same importance. I've got a structure for this that sounds good to me, ...
2
votes
2answers
173 views
Issues with Scene/Sequel model
I'm using the Scene/Sequel model to go from an informal outline of my novel to a list of scenes. In summary, during a Scene the POV Character has a Goal, encounters some Conflict, and it ends in ...
2
votes
2answers
248 views
Is there a typical structure for non-fiction popular science books? If so, what is it?
Is there an accepted or suggested structure for writing non-fiction (specifically, popular science) books?
As an example of the type of book I mean, there's Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational: a ...
2
votes
4answers
250 views
What software do you use for writing and then structuring a book?
I'm looking for good software for overseeing and rearranging the structure of a book. I have used Scrivener before, but found its exporting functionality frustrating and the software itself somewhat ...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Is a chapter the equivalent of a sequence?
When I do my daily writing, questions often pop into my head, and I jot them down to ponder later on. I was going through all the papers on my desk today and couldn't help but wonder: are chapters in ...
1
vote
5answers
254 views
Is the following piece of text comprehensible and written in good style?
I am a PhD candidate and I am having difficulty in communicating effectively in writing. Specifically, this post is a piece of text submitted for critique and, in addition, explains what I am trying ...
1
vote
3answers
97 views
Avoiding “and” as a sentence structure
I have a horrific habit I'm finding it very difficult to break. A disturbingly large portion of my sentences consist of the same structure-- two parts separated by "and." I don't know how to break the ...
1
vote
3answers
128 views
Is it a bad idea to have all the action in the beginning and all the dialogue in the end?
I wrote a short story. All the action happens mainly at the beginning of the story. You can see part of the beginning in this question, and the full story here).
This is the dialogue and ending (just ...
1
vote
4answers
410 views
Formula for a memoir
If one were to distill memoir writing to a formula, what would the formula be?
This question is inspired by the following quote from the article America's Top Parent:
She knows enough about the ...
1
vote
3answers
95 views
Critique: Make excerpt more visual/flow better
I have this excerpt I'm not sure is fluid and visual enough:
Peter came out of the café rubbing his tummy. The chipmunk had a smile on the
face and seemed content.
Not too far behind him ...
1
vote
2answers
66 views
Tenses I should use in a translated-novel
I have been translating a novel that is originally written in my native language into English. Considering that the book's plot is the author's experience of a life that has happened in the past, I've ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
Where and how to give an overview of each chapter in scientific writing?
Since I find it quite helpful for readers (e.g., of my dissertation) to get an overview of what they are going to read, I want to do this in each chapter.
Where should I locate these overviews?
How ...
