All Questions
Tagged with development or planning
265 questions
12
votes
5
answers
689
views
How best to recover from catastrophic text loss?
This morning I had an accidental select all delete followed by auto save, which prevented me from just hitting undo. My novel became an empty file. I use MS Word.
I had emailed a copy of it a few ...
- 12.3k
4
votes
4
answers
253
views
How do I stay motivated while planning a series of novels?
I've been working on a fantasy series for the past few years. When I first started, I wrote my first draft (for the first book) in one go without any planning at all. Even though I enjoyed myself, ...
- 734
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Films where the antagonist appears relatively late [closed]
Usually the antagonist is introduced as early as possible. However, are there films where the antagonist appears rather late? The earlier parts of the film should center on the mystery of this ...
- 89
7
votes
2
answers
807
views
When should the protagonist have a self-revelation?
So far, I've been learning rules and guidelines for plotting a good story from John Truby's excellent "The Anatomy of Story".
Truby structures plot using 22 steps (a summary here). Among them, the ...
- 93
0
votes
3
answers
232
views
Do Science Fiction Stories Follow A Particular Pattern? [closed]
I recently started writing a book expanding myself from my typical fantasy genre into SciFi. I have taken a start however I have reached an impasse and can not really decide how I should structure my ...
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Snowflake Method: Step 3 - What is important to a character story line?
I'm attempting to use the Snowflake method to try and get around issues I tend to have with writing. I can pump out words, tons of words; not a problem. But, at the end of the day it's a relatively ...
- 7,610
5
votes
3
answers
303
views
Translating worldbuilding into an interesting opening
I've once heard there are 2 types of writers, and I am definitively an architect. I can write down a few hundred pages of worldbuilding and characters, but I scrap most of my stories after the first ...
- 153
6
votes
7
answers
359
views
What should I do if I can't properly formulate the personality of one of my characters in my novel?
In my novel, my protagonist joins a team with four other characters to go on a quest. Each character in the team is supposed to contribute to the journey in someway and all are mentioned in a prophecy....
- 353
6
votes
2
answers
286
views
How to introduce a world previously unknown to the reader AND the protagonist?
I'm working on a novella where the protagonist finds himself in a new world in Chapter 4. How do I avoid infodump and maintain the reader's interest whole furthering plot and theme? The time period is ...
15
votes
5
answers
3k
views
What software/techniques do people use to gather ideas?
I'm planning to create a game. It won't be the first game I've created (or even released), but it will be my first game with any story to speak of.
I'm still very much in the planning phase of the ...
- 253
0
votes
4
answers
249
views
How would I be mean to my character? [closed]
My book is about a boy who wants to run away from home, and while writing a plan to run away from home he discovers all the reasons that he should stay, his best friend, his lover, and he discovers ...
- 516
1
vote
3
answers
2k
views
How can I defeat a 'force of nature villain' without killing him? [closed]
In my story, I have found myself in somewhat of a pickle: Although the hero is more than powerful enough to defeat a villain (which is your typical 'Dark Lord’) I don't think my protagonist is ready ...
12
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What sites are available for hosting Choose Your Own Adventure stories?
I'm working on a story that is like a Choose Your Own Adventure, but different. Instead of being "you" and deciding what to do next, the reader must choose which characters participate at what time. ...
- 223
8
votes
4
answers
705
views
Cutting down story length without leaving out locations
I'd like to write a story and I have plenty of elements for it, up to and including a set of locations, characters and events, as well as some loose sequence for those.
This is still a planning phase,...
- 201
10
votes
5
answers
634
views
How to go from an opening idea to a complete plot?
I have great openings with (I humbly feel) unusual and unique situations. But after the first few pages to support the beginning, bam...no plot! It stalls and don’t know where to go with it.
I’ve ...
- 103
5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Writing a Novel Set In The Future
So, I have this idea of writing a novel set in the future. Not the far future but a few decades away from today. Could you please give me an advice for that. The reason that I am asking this is that I ...
- 65
14
votes
6
answers
725
views
Why is character lifetime proportional to character development so often?
Hollywood movies are a good example of this, but also many books feature the rule.
When the plot revolves around life and death situations, the first to die are the characters with least development. ...
- 285
7
votes
7
answers
3k
views
How to plan a short story for a given word count?
Many short story competitions, at least in Israel, set a theme and a word count: up to 2500 words, 2000-5000 words, etc. I often find myself starting short stories for such competitions, and hitting ...
9
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Do I have to show my characters making up after an argument, or can it be implied when we see them on good terms again?
Is it okay to have two characters who had an argument to patch things up offscreen, or do readers explicitly need to see how they made up?
None of the two characters in question are the protagonist, ...
- 2,404
3
votes
5
answers
920
views
Slow buildup vs sudden introduction
Let's say you're writing super hero fiction. The hero of your story is struggling against the villain, but suddenly awakens a power that allows him to best the bad guy!
Problem: you're unsure of how ...
user23083
1
vote
1
answer
136
views
Steps for writing a coherent letter ("Brief") in german? [closed]
Writing a coherent letter takes a lot of practice. What steps could one use in writing to form a coherent letter in german?
- 113
6
votes
7
answers
781
views
How Much Focus to Give a Supporting Character?
I've been working on my pet project a lot over the last six months, and I thought I had most of the kinks worked out- but I think I found a problem with my most important character.
The story has a ...
- 343
11
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How long should it take to Revise/Edit to get to Good Enough?
Editing, to focus my question a bit. My goal is to turn a book around from concept to publishable in a 2 year time period. Currently the plan is to write a draft in a year and revise the following, ...
- 7,610
5
votes
6
answers
972
views
Are there tools/software for planning your story using nested mindmaps and references to characters?
I've been looking for a certain piece of software for a long time, but I never quite found something that matches what I need. I'm a very visually oriented guy, the best way for me to keep track of ...
user23083
21
votes
7
answers
8k
views
Stories with multiple possible interpretations: do you plan for it?
There are many stories out there that are open-ended, up for different interpretations. Many theories spawn around such stories, most of which sound possible/plausible, but are nevertheless only ...
user23083
23
votes
11
answers
8k
views
Is there any way to get around having everyone in the world speak the same language? [closed]
You see this a lot in fantasy fiction, where everyone on the planet (and sometimes beyond) speaks the same language, even though it makes absolutely no logical sense for them to have any knowledge of ...
user26166
25
votes
15
answers
4k
views
How to derive a storyline from a beginning?
I have an idea for the beginning of a story. I have the setting, the protagonist, and the events that set the story in motion, including the inciting incident and the first plot point. I have, in ...
user29420
5
votes
3
answers
448
views
Examples of authors/novels that were planned or written on the fly
After reading the question Is it OK to invent as I write, or should I plan the entire story first? I was wondering if anyone was able to give a list of definite authors/works (fiction) that are ...
- 153
4
votes
5
answers
601
views
How can I plan the chapters in my book?
I'm looking for methods of planning chapters for books. I always saw structures and scripting in the macro level, but never in the micro level.
- 1,225
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is an arena-driven story?
There is an answer here from FraEnrico which is the cause for my question: What is the difference between character-driven stories and plot-driven stories?. Here he explains a bit of what an "arena ...
- 1,225
12
votes
6
answers
14k
views
What is the difference between character-driven stories and plot-driven stories?
I have googled this question several times but I'm just not clear on the answers I'm getting. For example, I know that screenplays/plays/books such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Enough Said, The Spare ...
user27894
0
votes
2
answers
229
views
How do I write a social survival guide for asperger people?
I decided to write a survival guide called "The neurotypical tyranny", for people with Asperger's syndrome.
I want to write this book to help people like me.
These are the following questions that I ...
- 303
2
votes
4
answers
239
views
Help! My brain is writing several chapters at once!
So, I've been thinking about my story, and suddenly I got inspiration for the continuation of the chapter (I'm not even sure what chapter it should be). So, basically, I ended with progressing 3 ...
- 763
3
votes
3
answers
261
views
How should I approach writing a trilogy?
I am thinking of writing a trilogy and was wondering how should I begin. Should I plan out to write three books or just see if the story develops into more than one book? Thanks!
- 503
1
vote
1
answer
188
views
I am planning to write stories - But how do I publish and sell them?
I'm planning to write stories. However I am not an expert in writing or phrasing english sentences.
Is there any website which can fix the writing and publish the stories in my name and we can sell ...
- 113
4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Could I be overdoing it on my first story?
I have always wanted to write a story so I finally started to take action rather than just dream about it. I have started writing down characters, their personalities, their roles in the story, a ...
- 143
17
votes
10
answers
4k
views
Is there a method to estimating the length of a work before writing it?
I am writing my first novel, which I think likely will end up being several volumes. Although I have a lot of experience in poetry and short stories, this is a very different challenge!
My question ...
- 758
4
votes
1
answer
195
views
Can you publish an ebook as an Editor of someone else's writing under a pen name/pseudonym?
I have a collection of short notes and letters from someone I knew (who gave me permission to publish or share the writings) and I'm thinking if I can self-publish them as an ebook as "Editor" under a ...
- 41
1
vote
2
answers
336
views
Gathering information online? [closed]
How do I get correct information when looking something up for reference?
I would go to google, yes, but how to get proper intel.
I have this system where I get some general Idea for a "thing" and ...
7
votes
9
answers
2k
views
When do I successfully kill off an important secondary main character... in a series of five books?
TL;DR: How much time and development is necessary for a character I intend to kill off and replace with a second character so that both feel important to the narrative?
I've looked over this a bit, ...
- 79
1
vote
2
answers
148
views
Planning ahead or going with the flow? [duplicate]
My friend is writing a book, but he plans far ahead. I just think of a thing and write it, and if it doesn't make sense, I tweak it to fit.
Is it mandatory to plan in advance what will go on in the ...
4
votes
4
answers
289
views
Can I use prominent people in history to as characters in my fiction?
I am a little puzzled. I want to set my story in a real era that happened; like say, the American civil wars during Lincoln's time, and involve the then prominent figures like Lincoln and McClellan as ...
- 41
6
votes
2
answers
275
views
How do I calculate how many copies I am planning to print?
I wrote a fan-fiction story and had emailed a company to get a license from them so I could publish it. (The license would cover copyright stuff, etc.)
However, the person in charge of licensing ...
- 101
3
votes
3
answers
491
views
How does (or should) an inner conflict span a series of novels?
I recently asked this question, about inner conflict. Mark Baker supplied an answer to that question which redefined how I saw inner conflict, and as a result, the whole process of making a novel. ...
1
vote
5
answers
504
views
How do I write meaningful emotional bonds?
I have some problems writing romance. I guess that is because I've never experienced it, and maybe I never will.
I tried practicing this genre, writing short love stories. But all my fictional ...
- 303
4
votes
3
answers
133
views
How should I plan blog content and themes for the best reader experience?
I have been blogging for 6 months now. I have a general theme of the month but I find it very hard to organize my writing, as these themes are all very broad.
I want to ask fellow bloggers how do you ...
- 399
3
votes
5
answers
442
views
Is it possible for an aggressive character to become sensitive?
So I'm writing a story, a fanfiction to be specific, and a main character is an aggressive, emotionless, constantly angry man, who swears a lot and doesn't care much about anything. I want him to ...
- 31
5
votes
6
answers
222
views
Working out details of a technology concept
I have a sci-fi technology concept in the work I'm currently writing, and its potential implications for society and for individual characters are quite far-reaching. I want to systematically explore ...
- 364
2
votes
2
answers
166
views
How much development does a subplot need?
I've recently begun studying subplots, and I've realized I don't know how far I should develop them. Does a subplot need everything a main plot does? Does there even need to be a conflict for the ...
4
votes
6
answers
859
views
What else should I plan?
I have started writing a novel. I've done some character questionnaires for my main characters, and I've outlined the plot. I want to do this planning to keep my story from fizzling out, but I don't ...
- 297