All Questions
Tagged with literary-tools or technique
823 questions
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How do I convey extreme speed to readers?
In my Urban Fantasy story, I'm trying to introduce and establish an antagonist with light-based symbolism. They're supposed to be the fastest character, referencing the speed of light. Every time they ...
- 195
0
votes
2
answers
113
views
Stuck on a scene of characters going from one location to another
So the context is that two characters have to go from Country A to Country B. They have to travel through various airports and take a cab in order to reach Country B. The main story starts after they ...
0
votes
1
answer
90
views
How can you type 3 paragraphs about being prompt and present at school?
How can you type 3 paragraphs about being prompt and present at school?
1
vote
1
answer
85
views
How do I use writing techniques more purposefully?
What are some exercises, tools, or lessons that serve the purpose of identifying the stylistic elements of my writing to facilitate practicing incorporating those elements as part of my writing ...
- 23
1
vote
4
answers
194
views
What methods can I use to pinpoint my own stylistic choices?
I will admit that I am years out of practice in consistent writing on a personal, professional and academic level. Even even when that wasn't the case, I have always had difficulty understanding what ...
- 23
2
votes
3
answers
255
views
Is there a way to write psychological horror without it involving an unreliable narrator?
I want to include psychological horror, or at least elements of it, in my story, but I don't wanna go full hog and show the main person to have an unreliable POV. I always hear you need an unreliable ...
3
votes
2
answers
248
views
What is this literary device called where a quote is changed for comedic effect?
A direct quote from the Bible is changed for comedic effect. Is it an allusion? maybe a paronomastic pan?
And God said: “Let there be cake. And there was cake. And God saw that it was good.”
- 31
-1
votes
1
answer
129
views
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 ...
- 1
2
votes
2
answers
143
views
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 ...
- 21
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How do you convey that an action is subconscious when writing in first person?
My protagonist had a traumatic experience that means she keeps her distance from men. Sometimes, if she genuinely feels in danger, all her actions will be calculated and thought-through. However, most ...
- 902
0
votes
1
answer
148
views
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 ...
- 35
1
vote
2
answers
124
views
A cool side character who knows their place
I have a question that may shake my story up a bit.
So I'm going for a mix of Faust and Dorian Gray with a very violent tone that's set in modern times. Now nearing finishing my outline/synopsis, I ...
- 11
2
votes
3
answers
126
views
How do you show the audience that the 3rd person limited narrator is deluded/wrong?
My character's home, both her family and society, are toxic, but in a way that she doesn't realise. They manipulate and essentially brainwash the inhabitants. It's not an evil place just a little ...
- 902
6
votes
2
answers
480
views
How can I tell if tension is a problem while writing?
I’ve recently started plotting out the first of many stories I have kicking around in my brain that I’d like to publish. It’s a fairly short one, and I have written stories before, but I’ve never ...
- 61
3
votes
2
answers
110
views
Can you help me find the balance where the prologue character's ending remains ambiguous w/o making the reader think they're a main character?
I'm currently working on an epic fantasy book, and I've run into a bit of a dilemma regarding the prologue and the introduction of my main character's backstory.
In my prologue, I've introduced a ...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
129
views
What is meant by deleting the last thing you wrote?
One writing tip I saw was, cutting the last thing you wrote because often it is unimportant, but I think I need a little more direction in what way I should do it.
- 13
12
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Is it better for me to add more advanced words into my book, or is it better to use easy words that any average English-speaker can understand?
To be completely honest, my English vocabulary isn’t that advanced. Currently, my writing-style is very simple and easy to understand. It doesn’t use extremely advanced wording to express things. I’m ...
- 307
1
vote
4
answers
219
views
How can I write a character with an alcohol addiction without sounding too repetitive?
This is my first time writing a book and I have been noticing that a lot of my scenes are quite similar to each other. The main character has an alcohol addiction and constantly gets drunk to the ...
- 307
4
votes
2
answers
594
views
How can I recognize and take constructive criticism?
Personally, for me, I have ADHD and mild autism, so at times I don't have the same views as the majority. For example, I like the ending/plot of this one book/show/movie, only for me to find out that ...
- 308
0
votes
2
answers
67
views
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 ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
142
views
How to find motivation in putting ideas on paper and use literary devices effectively?
I always want to write a book or story and I have very good ideas. However, I can never follow through with my ideas on pen. It feels very frustrating when all you have are a bunch of miscellaneous ...
- 19
0
votes
2
answers
143
views
What are the benefits of using 'scene cards'?
From what I understand, a scene card is a short description of a scene. I have thus far ignored them completely whilst reading The Weekend Novelist's Writes a Mystery, though the author seems to deem ...
- 43
2
votes
3
answers
685
views
Transitioning between scenes in a novel
One friend of mine told me that the scenes in my mystery novel-to-be go abruptly from, for example, a scene at the main character's home, and to the middle of his conversation with the detective. The ...
- 43
1
vote
0
answers
67
views
Selectively mute character where language is a barrier
I have a mc that speaks only mandarin and is taken in by pirates that are mostly English speakers. He didn't speak much before being taken by them. So how would I write a character that is basically ...
- 11
1
vote
3
answers
193
views
How do I make my writing flow?
I'm in the skeleton stage, but to get into the rhythm of writing, I write short stories every few days. Upon reviewing them, I've realised that unless I am specifically aiming for abstract and vivid ...
- 902
1
vote
4
answers
152
views
How to show slow character development when switching perspectives
I'm in the process of writing the first draft of my first novel (a medieval low-fantasy). In the story, I have multiple characters who slowly get possessed over time. The possession occurs through ...
- 445
0
votes
3
answers
114
views
How does one describe a setting that is going to be a central location in a story?
I have a location in my story that is a key central hub which much of the interaction surrounds. An example of this might be the bar in Cheers or Greendale Community College in Community. I want to ...
- 4,664
13
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How do I make sure that a hook is not misinterpreted as a writing mistake or plot holes?
In a scene I had in mind, there's a tricky hook or unexplained event that happened, that I fear might be considered as a mistake or a plot hole. It is basically where a girl (one of the characters) is ...
- 1,143
2
votes
2
answers
220
views
How to have subtext with a character who's blunt, direct and straightforward?
I know what makes dialogue interesting is what characters don't say as much as (or more than) what they do. How do I achieve this with a character who prides herself on 'saying it like it is', and not ...
- 607
0
votes
1
answer
147
views
How to write an event in a story with a memory gap (Repressed memory)?
Scenario: The protagonist goes to a party, gets drugged, and is assaulted. This event is not in the characters history. It happens during the course of the story.
Perspective: First Person
Genre: ...
- 109
2
votes
2
answers
296
views
Can I make an irredeemable character likeable?
In my fantasy epic, the protagonist is a destined chosen one who will defeat the dark lord (at least that is what the sorcerer propaganda says.) About 3/4 into the story, he eventually meets the ...
- 515
3
votes
3
answers
148
views
What determines the value or worthiness of an autobiography?
To make an otherwise long winded story short, I have an uncommon tale of survivorship.
Context: From child runaway, to kidnapping victim, to an escape ten years, ten months, and 23 days later.
For the ...
2
votes
2
answers
181
views
'This time' vs 'that time' in past tense narrative
I am writing a past-tense personal narrative and I'm having a hard time distinguishing which term would be best in this instance. Quote for context:
My parents always told me not to lie because lying ...
- 21
-1
votes
1
answer
88
views
"morally dialectical" is this phrase usable?
I'm wondering if this phrase can be used to characterize two characters, one who is morally good and one who is bad. Specifically I am trying to say that "I want to examine character A and ...
2
votes
1
answer
159
views
How do I get my detective to find out that one of the characters sent a threat to someone?
I'm writing a whodunnit.
At a certain point in the story, the detective finds a letter from one of the suspects (who is the director of a play,) which is intended to intimidate one of the other ...
1
vote
4
answers
263
views
How to keep MC from winning "too much"?
Imagine every person you have been jealous/envious of because of their skills/reputation/family influence.
Combine all of that in one person, and you get my MC.
My MC would be classified as the poster ...
- 41
-1
votes
1
answer
103
views
Complex cardiac surgery story
I will be writing a short story with the title as "Complex cardiac surgery".
Can this story written later converted to a documentary movie with the end user audience as MBBS (Medical) ...
- 127
2
votes
1
answer
168
views
I'm so angry! How can I show that in an interesting way?
This is in a sense a part two to my question on English Stack Exchange about replacement for word "bullshit", which I decided would better fit on this site.
A bit of background
Optional ...
- 131
2
votes
5
answers
786
views
How do you write verbal abuse without it coming off as cheesy?
I have a character who's being abused by his father. While most of the abuse is only implied/referenced and readers instead see the fallout or emotional/physical effects of it, there are a few scenes ...
2
votes
3
answers
174
views
To explain or not to explain?
In fantasy and science fiction, there's often either magic or advanced technology. Often, these are integral parts of the story and also would seem trivial for someone in the universe. However, for ...
- 727
0
votes
1
answer
87
views
Can I tell after already showing?
When writing fiction, I try to adhere to the rule of showing rather than telling. That said, is it ok to tell after already showing?
For example, I have a character already shown to be insecure. Is it ...
- 327
9
votes
5
answers
390
views
How to extend an idea into a novel?
Whenever I write any story, even with ideas that could constitute a novel, and with as many as three subplots, it always comes out to, at most, 30 pages, and a portion of that 30 pages often consists ...
- 221
2
votes
4
answers
228
views
Is it possible to write a story where every character has the same name?
I know this is probably going to get me a down vote, but I've had this idea for a while. I wanted to know if it would work or if it would be an awful failure. Every character is the same person from ...
- 67
4
votes
3
answers
95
views
What are the respective pros and cons of presenting solutions before and after challenges?
Background
I have planned out my (German language) novel and its 16 chapters in considerable detail (for my standards). But as for the sequence of presenting those of the chapters that are ...
- 658
0
votes
3
answers
187
views
What ways can be used to make a story secretly horror
I am trying to write the story for a game. It starts off well, only to end up really being horror. The goal is supposed to slowly become like that, but without the player figuring it out until it is ...
- 515
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can a visual novel with branching plotlines be translated into one single book?
For the uninitiated; Visual Novels (abbreviated as VN) are in layman terms a type of game with it's story presented in plain-text accompanied with illustrations of characters and environments, music, ...
- 196
-1
votes
2
answers
134
views
Stuck on how to expand my chapter
I am currently working on my first serious story/book. I have written in the past, but I never really paid attention to the structure or word count or really anything that made a story, a story.
For ...
- 107
1
vote
1
answer
81
views
Is there a term for the writing method where the author simply sets up a situation and lets character decisons drive the scenes from there?
like obviously most good stories should be fuelled by character. but i mean like... specifically when the author writes without any sort of scene outlines, without any real plans for the overarching ...
- 13
2
votes
3
answers
138
views
How do I smartly skip necessary scenes without causing an imbalance in the story?
My character needs to go see a psychiatrist, and as I am someone who is not that knowledgeable about the way psychiatrists talk to their patients, or manipulate them to get answers, or advice them, I ...
- 946
6
votes
1
answer
590
views
Working backwards from "Delete the people, keep the math and jazz." (SciFi short story)
I'm a great lover and a modest consumer of the short story genre.
But I've precious little experience writing fiction.
A line just popped into my head while listening to music and working problem in ...
- 245