Questions tagged [fiction]
Fiction is a form of prose writing that deals with at least partly artificial or imagined events and characters. This tag should be used for any questions relating to fiction, including fiction formatting, techniques and publishing.
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How do I go about writing a tragic ending in a story while making it overall satisfying to the reader?
I am working on a horror-ish novel in my spare time and want to end it by killing off the protagonist or her failing somehow. For a bit of background, here are the basic plot points of my story, Under ...
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I'm rewriting a 2019 oneshot and am up to 37,000 words already. Should I make them chapters or keep it as a long oneshot?
The oneshot I did in 2019 was about 10,000 words long, but when I read it back it was terrible. Not necessarily bad but the pacing, characters and everything was just wrong (With a lot of spelling ...
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Is "Protagonist's family gets killed by dark forces" an original idea?
As the title suggests, is "Protagonist's family gets killed by dark forces" an original idea? It was something I had originally conceived. However, I realized that Harry Potter has a very ...
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Permission to use Rick Riordan characters [duplicate]
I am already working on a novel with Rick Riordans characters and was wondering if I could get permission to use them from his copy right holders before l proceed with book 2 that has THE KANES ...
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How can I fake a character’s death without it being obvious she’s alive?
I’m writing a mystery novel about kids trying to solve the death of their four parents (two families). The families are billionaires and they’ve created an empire. One of the mothers ends up being the ...
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Leaving non-English dialogue untranslated?
I am now on the third draft of my first novel, which is written in English and based in Slovakia.
99% of the novel is in English, though occasionally there is some Slovak dialogue which I have not ...
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If my character has the same name as a character from another story, will the publisher tell me to change it?
If my character has the same name as a character from another story, will the publisher tell me to change it?
Whether the answer is yes or no, can you explain why?
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Regarding the rule of introducing a narrative change of character with a new paragraph: Does this still apply if the action is minor?
I am editing a novel. I generally follow the widely endorsed rule of using a new paragraph when introducing a change in dialogue, action or subject.
However, would this still apply when said action is ...
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When I am writing dialogue, if the character speaks childishly, would people think I am a bad author?
I am writing a novel right now, so I need some clarification for this.
When writing dialogue about a childish character that will grow and become more mature, will people assume I couldn't write ...
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How and where do I start writing my novel?
I've been creating stories in my head since I was very young. When I was around 8 I started writing it in a notebook (didn't go anywhere), when I was around 12 I started typing up a story with my ...
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Cliffhanger ending?
I'm writing a first book in a series and so far I have planned out the plot for the first and second book, not sure if I write more after that. The thing is all the issues in the first book are solved ...
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Tetralogy order sequence novel series
I'm writing a novel series based on my life experiences. Not a memior. I'm starting on a time that is in the middle of my life story. My next book will be about a time prior to the story in my current ...
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Where to cut self to give blood to another being [closed]
Where would be the best place to drain blood. I have a character who gives blood to their Patreon as part of their deal but I’m trying to figure out how they do that. Like most media uses cutting ...
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How do I tell if a relationship is becoming too toxic and how do I counteract this?
A key relationship I'm developing is a father-daughter like bond between my 17 year old protagonist (Nefeli) and my early-forties side protagonist (Cadoc). A common theme I expand on is that Nefeli ...
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Creating a fictional town - working around real-world limitations for TV show script?
I have been working on a script for a television company who accepts scripts from new writers and members of the public, and the setting is fictional, but in a real-world location.
The issues of it ...
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Show-don't-tell and limited 3rd person perspective
I am working on a story written from roaming but-limited 3rd person POV. That is, different parts of the story follow different characters and each block is very clear about who is being followed.
I ...
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Self-contained fictional narrative consisting of only about 150 words, and without conflict between the characters [closed]
The title describes the goal. Below is one attempt to achieve the goal.
My question: Can I say that there's no conflict between the characters, or is that just my opinion?
There's an obvious ...
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Do thoughts work as an info-dump?
I am writing a piece of soft science-fiction set on an alien-provided generation ship decades after the destruction of Earth (or at least the ruination of humanity) by a rogue comet, possibly sent by ...
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How to Write an Involuntary Secret Reveal
I am trying to have my character's secret discovered, they are currently in a hospital, and hiding injuries under their clothes, a couple of which have reopened. They are underaged so they are at ...
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When submitting a letter to an agent for publication of a novel, what does it mean to say that your manuscript is "complete"?
I have been looking at sample query letters [successful ones] sent to agents for publishing novels. I notice that in nearly all of them, the author says their manuscript is "complete" at X ...
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Selling small scenes?
I absolutely love writing small scenes. Smaller than a complete chapter. Is there any website where I can sell them? I am all for selling copyright over to whoever wants to write a story off of them, ...
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How should I format a surprise scene change such that it reads coherently but is still a surprise?
In the current WIP chapter of my most popular web serial, there is a scene at the beginning that is presented as happening "now" (that is, having regular story focus) only to be suddenly ...
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I need help writing a murder scene in first person [closed]
So the chapter starts like this:
I continued to sip my coffee as he choked on his own blood. It was bitter - both the coffee and the look permanently etched onto his face.
I want to write a seamless ...
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How should I choose what happens to my protagonist?
The main plot of my story is that a girl named Arabella signs up for a dance competition and practices for weeks. Fearing that the other dancers are too good, she invites them over to a practice ...
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Showing the readers what the villains are doing in 3rd person
I am currently writing a YA detective mystery. It involves a group of detectives who work to keep their city safe, but there is an organization that has infiltrated every level of the government. They ...
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I want to describe a young man sitting astride on a chair, leaning his forearms on the top of the back
I want to describe a young man sitting astride on a chair, leaning his forearms on the top of the back. I am aware that I am focusing too much on the mechanics of the posture, and I will deal with the ...
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The Dread of Planning a Timeline
I'm working on the second draft of a novel series, and I already have 800 pages written. After re-evaluating the characters and most of their arcs, I've started planning a timeline for each book in ...
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Are there any theories as to what makes a story's premise good or compelling?
John Truby, in Anatomy of Story, says you shouldn't write a story that doesn't have an exciting premise.
But what makes a premise good, bad, boring, compelling, or exciting?
This is what Truby says ...
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Interested in editing fiction novel as co-author? [duplicate]
I've written a fiction novel that is intended to be the first in a series of five. I have not edited to novel and want to know if any writer is interested in giving it a read and would like to edit/...
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Urban or Epic Fantasy? [closed]
I can't decide what I want to write about: Should I go with urban or epic fantasy? And what are the pros and cons of them?
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How do you correctly write a Father-Daughter Relationship?
The two main protagonists aren't actually related and the initial relationship they have is filled with mistrust and irritation, but eventually it turns into an unspoken father-daughter kind of bond.
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Do I have to follow a formula to write good fiction?
When writing fiction, do I need to follow a formula or can I author a story the way I see fit?
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How to correctly portray sign language between multiple characters
I am writing a book where one of the main characters only uses sign language to communicate, and all of the speaking characters communicate using ASL whilst also speaking aloud at the same time.
Is ...
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I need help writing a scene or experience about air being knocked out of you
How would you write a scene of someone trying to breath again after getting the wind knocked out of them?
I am trying to describe the experience and how your body reacts physically while your brain ...
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Help with writing letters!
In a story I'm writing, the two main characters write letters to each other frequently. The characters are close, and have a romantic relationship that starts midway through the story. The story takes ...
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How do I determine if the premise of my story is believable?
This post is part advice and part discussion.
How do you determine if a story's premise is believable?
Is the believability of a story's premise more of a demographic thing? Do people determine how ...
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Can I write a story based in a world without humans?
I have this world I'm building that I want to write a story on, but there's absolutely nothing human in the world.
It's entirely built around elemental creatures including the protagonist.
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Swapping between third and first person in a book
So, I was wondering in the case of a book is it okay to swap from 1st person to 3rd person? Like on the spot swaps, almost like breaking the 4th wall. So, for most of the book it'll be a third person, ...
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Writing an accent and evolving
Sometimes I read written accents in books, most notably maybe Hagrid in Harry Potter. I find it a fun way to add a layer to a character that sets them apart from the rest.
Could you "evolve" ...
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How to write symbolism into a story?
I'm writing a dark academia/Gothic romance. It's about this guy named Humphry who accidentally summons a ghost girl named Cal after a failed experiment. He at first is freaked out and wants nothing to ...
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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 ...
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Describing exclaimations from a group
My character, an old woman, has been knocked down, injured and can't get up. There is a crowd of people, spread across a park, who all witnessed the accident. From her view, at ground level, she is ...
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How do I make a situation that looks like a planet will be destroyed, but without actually destroying it? [closed]
Here are some details for context:
There are two civilisations, A and B. B is significantly smaller, around a few hundred people.
B is visiting A's home world via a magic item that can teleport a ...
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Blending First and Third Person: A Wording Question
I'm writing a book with a blending of first and third person, and it switches whenever I need it to and not across chapters. The third person follows every character until the perspective changes to ...
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How to refer to different versions of a character?
In my historical spy thriller, there are five different characters named Miku that our protagonist has to fight. So initially, they're refered to as Idol Miku, Vampire Miku, etc. etc. etc. But then ...
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Should I flesh out the start of my fictional story?
The plot I’m thinking of goes from very normal, with fleshed out characters, to surreal towards the end. I want to wrap it around to have strange foreshadowing at the very beginning of the book to ...
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Can I use a place from another book in my own?
I am starting to write a book. I have original characters and plot (it should be original). It is about Greek mythology but Camp Half-Blood is not in it. I want my character to go to Olympus. Can I ...
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How Should We Implement the Given-before-New Principle in Fiction?
It's safe to say I've become a bit of a grammar nerd since I started writing my first novel. Three years after my first words landed on the page, I'm only now coming to the end of my final round of ...
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Is it inadvisable to use a racial slur in my story?
I’m currently writing a story which is an erotic thriller/romance set in the music/TV industry. The protagonist is a Taylor Swift-type confessional songwriter who is the biggest popstar in the world, ...
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If a character has multiple names, how can my narrator refer to them?
I'm writing a story about a spy. The narrator is third person omniscient. However, our spy has multiple names.
Her fellow spies refer to her as "Spy 94" but her real name is "Kafu"....