Linked Questions

24 votes
10 answers
9k views

Can a successful book series let the bad guy win? [duplicate]

I have a five book series and I have plotted them all out. The main bad guy wins in the end. My problem with this is my girlfriend keeps telling me that bad guys winning will make readers upset that ...
icefire's user avatar
  • 377
18 votes
8 answers
3k views

How to open a novel?

Looking at the function of the beginning of a novel, it is clear that it should hook the reader and draw him or her into the story. Different techniques for achieving the hook have been described, ...
user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
2k views

Can I copy an existing magic system?

Is it fine for me to copy the magic system of another author if every other aspect (story,plot,etc.) of my fantasy story is my own design? For instance, can I use bending from Avatar: The Last ...
Alexander's user avatar
  • 315
8 votes
3 answers
435 views

Is it okay to switch protagonists between books, if the main protagonist is a hidden "actor"?

On my research I stumbled upon this question and it matches somehow with my question, that lingers in my head for a long time. In the mentioned question I read the common thinking is: Switching ...
Pawana's user avatar
  • 2,621
5 votes
5 answers
2k views

Would it be possible to write a novel without using the word "The"?

In the novel I am writing, the story is told present tense and first person. The themes of the story present some unique points to the style, but something I have noticed as a write the first few ...
Uncle Tres's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
733 views

What kind of an effect does breaking gender roles/stereotypes have in fiction?

Background It might sound like a silly question, I know, but something someone said to me today has made me concerned that my book sounds childish and nonsensical. Apparently: "having a woman who ...
Featherball's user avatar
  • 4,439
7 votes
3 answers
530 views

How to make a cat's perspective exciting?

I'm writing an article about a cat saving a three-year-old girl's life. What tools or techniques can I use to keep the reader interested?
Gabriella Mccoy's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is blending a largely illustrated book like James Gurney's "Dinotopia" and a dramatic and more serious plot a bad idea?

So, I don't know if any of you have heard of Dinotopia by James Gurney, but it's written in a format with large pages, and lots of illustrations: While it is not exclusively a children's book, and ...
SealBoi's user avatar
  • 527
0 votes
4 answers
332 views

Writing differently when following different character POVs - mainly age difference. (3rd Person)

I'm writing a sci-fi novel with more than one main character. Since I'm not an experienced writer, I still struggle with some basic "rules" within writing that may or may not exist. This issue is ...
storbror's user avatar
  • 2,571
2 votes
5 answers
226 views

Is it practical to write a novel with two viewpoints and written from different points in time?

I have an idea for a novel that is told from two, first person viewpoints. One of these viewpoints would be Character 1's and take place in her past, and the other viewpoint would be Character 2's, ...
pbjtoast's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
2 answers
581 views

Can you write a story using inanimate characters? [closed]

It seems a simple enough question,
Surtsey's user avatar
  • 5,281
3 votes
4 answers
253 views

Can other characters than the main character have point of view?

I am writing a story. I actually just started and I am still writing the first chapter. Is it okay to write from a minor character's point of view first? Simply put, the main character is unconscious ...
Oyeranti's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
62 views

Can I switch the POV of a main character? [duplicate]

So I'm momentarily writing a fictional story for a class I'm taking, and I've run into a problem. I have one main character, but there is a scene where that character passes out. Is it possible to ...
Nils's user avatar
  • 3