Linked Questions
20 questions linked to/from The "Rules" of Writing
38
votes
8
answers
5k
views
When is it okay to "tell", instead of "show"?
One of the major mantras of writing fiction is "show, don't tell".
Is it ever okay to tell? When?
- 5,913
31
votes
2
answers
2k
views
When should modifiers be avoided?
I've come across this Mark Twain quote:
When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them -- then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close ...
- 1,143
16
votes
7
answers
3k
views
I can't write without an inspiration
I've been writing a book for almost a year now. But it takes so long because I have to wait for "inspiration".
Sometimes I will get an idea that makes me excited and want to write. Mostly it's a ...
- 171
16
votes
8
answers
1k
views
How much leeway can be expected from an editor regarding my preference for nonstandard punctuation?
As I hope to present a unique style to the world, as I am not especially tolerant of being told I'm doing things "wrong" when that's a subjective statement related to writing style, and as I've never ...
10
votes
8
answers
2k
views
Correct spelling errors while writing or after you've finished?
With the "write, don't edit" rule in mind, how should one handle mistyping?
I usually stop or go back to fix the error as soon as I spot it, but often I feel this breaks the flow of writing.
Should ...
- 2,504
12
votes
4
answers
644
views
2nd Draft- Fix spelling/grammar or plot first?
I just finished the first draft of my novel, and Im going to put it away for at least a month.
The book has a lot of spelling / grammatical errors, as in true Nanowrimo style, I kept typing without ...
- 6,913
7
votes
7
answers
5k
views
How important is it to know the end before the writing the beginning?
One of the Rules of writing indicates that knowing the end before the beginning is critical to writing. Which I find odd, because in my writing (early days, probably doing it wrong), one of the best ...
- 2,320
4
votes
6
answers
20k
views
Fiction Novels & Active vs. Passive Voice
Before I launch into this, I've perused these threads and they don't quite answer the specific question I have in mind:
When to keep the passive voice and when to remove it
When *should* I use ...
- 203
4
votes
6
answers
1k
views
How can I make my story's worldbuilding magical but not too far from realistic?
I was trying to do the world building first since I have lots of decisions that I can't make when I'm creating a character. I'm not sure whether to make it all magical or realistic. I want both.
...
- 1,113
3
votes
7
answers
515
views
Beginners can break rules too?
I came across several disciplines of writing which one must know while writing (especially beginners), concerning narrative conventions and the rules of story logic.
Some of the sources for this ...
- 195
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How to identify a scene type?
What are the main types in which a scene can be classified, and what are the key concepts for each type?
I am thinking something along the following (guessing the descriptions):
suspense - scene ...
- 677
4
votes
4
answers
535
views
Are these fictional musings convincing or overwrought?
I've been working for some time on a story about a detective who finds himself alienated, delusional and hopeless while trapped inside a dystopic, postmodern dream. This segment voices some of the ...
- 593
2
votes
5
answers
296
views
How do I avoid tradeoffs with showing vs. telling? [closed]
I learned early on (as most writers have) "show, don't tell," which I agree with for the most part. However, I've found many situations in writing when I'd start to write a statement in tell, catch ...
- 163
3
votes
7
answers
257
views
Writing technique resources
Are there resources (books, blogs...) which describe proven techniques to obtain certain effects? For example: you will obtain this effect if you use the first person, effective ways to describe fear, ...
- 131
1
vote
3
answers
499
views
What are frequently used arguments for recognizing bad writing styles in fiction?
I ve heard randomly of remarks used to explain why a writing style is bad. for instance by the argument that a writing style is bad because of the usage of adjectives.
Could you provide further ...
- 189