Questions tagged [narrative]
A narrative is an account of events. This tag should be used for anything related to story-telling, including elements and principles or structure.
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How to handle narrative perspective in a musical text
I am writing the text of a significant musical work that will be sung by a chorus. I will also be composing the music, but this question is specific to the lyrics that the chorus will sing. Note that ...
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Is omniscient observer POV really dead?
I am in the midst of reworking my latest manuscript into a shape that someone might be inclined to publish. To help me along I hired a professional editor and writer, whose comments and suggestions, ...
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Novel begins with a number of chapters concerning the father of the main character, but does not include the main character
Table of Contents:
Prologue
24 Years Ago: Omissions of the Past
A number of chapters of backstory (life) of father of main character, but son, who is the main character for rest of book is not in it, ...
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What counts as exposition dump and is it possible to do exposition dumps without affecting pacing?
One effective technique I was told to use is to integrate the exposition within the narrative, rather than presenting it as a separate block of information. This can be accomplished through various ...
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I want to write a short story without naming the places the characters visit
How can I write a short story without naming the places characters visit?
Example: If the main character visits a restaurant then I want to show it to the the reader without naming the restaurant.
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How do you solve the issue of emotional detachment when using unreliable narration?
I've been told that unreliable narration can cause emotional detachment because the reader may not trust or empathize with the narrator's perspective, which can make it hard to connect with the ...
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Types of stories across cultures?
After watching some of Dan Brown's masterclass on thriller storytelling, it paints a narrow view on what generally a good story is to be. It must have a singular sentence to describe the plot, and ...
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When writing a story with a fragmented narrative, do you need story beats?
When writing a story with a fragmented narrative, do you need story beats? I was told that writing a story using fragmented narratives is like writing several short stories, so I was wondering if ...
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Making the story's change in tone feel natural
I am writing an epic fantasy story for a videogame I will make in the future. In the first half, it has a lot of edgy and dark humor, but the tone feels arcadey when it comes to killing random npcs.
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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: ...
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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 ...
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How can we use ChatGPT to write stories? [closed]
If I have an idea for the plot of the story, what is the best way that I can use ChatGPT to make it write stories for me?
Edit. To everyone who has spent time answering with few assumptions (including ...
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Is the environment in a video game part of the narrative?
Is the environment in a video game part of the narrative? The Elden Ring won the award for the best narrative in the Game Awards Show, and some people were outraged, because most of the storytelling ...
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How do I balance a strong narrative and the option of multiple choices?
I am currently writing a story for an RPG I will make. For this RPG, it is supposed to be a sandbox and open-world game. It also gives the player multiple choices and pathways as they play, giving it ...
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When your main character is a misogynist or a racist, how do you tell your readers that you don't subscribe to his racist views by merely showing?
When your main character is a misogynist or a racist, how do you tell your readers that you don't subscribe to his racist views by merely showing? The only way to kinda do this in my opinion is to ...
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'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 ...
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How do you write alternative endings to a novel, comics or movies?
How do you write alternative endings to a novel, comics or movies? Video games do this, because they allow players to take decisions, but movies, comics and novels don't really allow for that, so ...
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How do you introduce several metanarratives into a story, especially conflicting ones?
How do you introduce several metanarratives into a story, especially conflicting ones?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYdwAulpWqw
I watched this video and then I was wondering how to add the two ...
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How late can a deuteragonist be added into the story?
In the fantasy epic I am writing, there is a deuteragonist that eventually becomes best friends with the protagonist. Unfortunately, due to the length of the epic as a whole, she is introduced way ...
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Handling extremely long narratives
For a video game I will make in the future, I am for now trying to write out the entire story for it. However, it ended up being an extremely long fantasy epic. For all the events, story arcs, and ...
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Do dual narratives have to alternate every chapter?
I’m contemplating writing a dual narrative, because after much thought and research, I think it’s the most interesting/effective way to tell my story. All the dual narratives I’ve seen alternate ...
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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 ...
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Is a constantly changing world bad?
I'm making a story about a guy who travels through many worlds. There's also a world that he stays in for a larger period than others, with changing hierarchy, powers, laws, and so on.
I know that ...
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How do I write a screenplay with three protagonists?
I'm an aspiring screenwriter. I'm in the process of writing my third script. But I'm stuck in a quandary. I don't how to effectively write a screenplay with three protagonists!
The story revolves ...
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How could I show good worldbuilding without ending up with info-dumps?
A horror story I am writing involves the protagonist in another world. It is like an isekai, but it is horror and the protagonist is trying to survive as long as possible.
The main story surrounds the ...
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Is it wise to start a story with a character that never appears again?
I plan to write the prologue with a limited third person view of a man delivering a 5 year old girl to a secluded city.
His reason for doing this, even though he's not related to her, is because he's ...
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Should a flashback be written in first person or third when the narrator has lost his memory?
I'm writing a story where the main character wakes up on a boat with no memory, and throughout the story his past will be revealed, along with other characters in the story. It's written from the main ...
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Criteria for determining if a character did indeed act out of character
I remember watching a criticism of The Last of Us 2, and there was this guy who said that Tommy acted out of character and it was a bad thing.
In the game, I think (spoiler alert) Tommy initially ...
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How can you foreshadow a plot twist so that it makes sense, without spoiling it entirely?
How can you foreshadow a plot twist so that it makes sense, without spoiling it entirely?
In my story, there's a commander talking down to a soldier and the soldier talk up to the general in private ...
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Is it bad to end a story with a lot of loose points?
Is it bad to end a story with a lot of loose points? Are there some exceptions where some loose points are permitted as long as the main questions are answered? I heard it's bad, but I see a lot of ...
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Can you help me understand what a "lyrical short story" is?
What are the minimum requirements for a lyrical short story to be a story? If it is plotless what separates the lyrical short story from random chatter?
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What is the minimum requirement for a song to be considered a story?
I can't figure out if my songs are stories since they don't contain a climax, multiple characters, or a resolution.
For example is this song a story? It lacks conflict and climax and resolution but it ...
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Sudden diary entry within a 3rd person limited story
I'm writing a 3rd person limited multi-pov Sci-Fi. The thoughts of whatever POV is being followed at any point are sometimes shown in italicized writing. Suddenly, 42K words in, starting off chapter ...
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How to Role-Play an eldritch god?
I am currently trying to figure out how to write the actions of an eldritch god that I've created in a Role-Play setting that I have with a few friends, this setting is mainly based on the SCP ...
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Plot that focuses on non-violent conflict in fantasy setting. Examples and how is it possible in storytelling?
I'm focused on creating a story where I can explore cultural differences and highlight interactions that showcase Emotional Intelligence.
So many worlds center around violence as a main means of ...
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Do I need an overall narrator for a collection of 1st person linked stories which may be a novel. If so, who would the narrator be?
I am writing a collection of short stories. Each short story is written in 1st person present tense from that particular protagonist’s POV, telling us his/her own story through their actions and ...
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Learning Story-Telling
For a long time I put off writing a novel, having been preoccupied with the contemplation of how to accomplish prose rhythm, and having little knowledge of the elements of story-telling and of the ...
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What works fine in a movie but doesn't in a book?
As a writer I'm not only looking up to great books, but I take many inspirations from movies as well.
I wonder though if there are any techniques that don't translate well between those mediums. Are ...
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Can my prologue be written in omniscient third person if the rest of my novel is written in third person limited POV?
I'm writing a novel in third person limited point of view. I want my prologue to feature an event that is referenced later in the novel, but my protagonist is not involved in the event. (e.x the ...
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What can I do with a part that I feel is necessary to a story but it's an absolute drudgery?
I've just written such a paragraph:
He turned around and started walking to the nearby store. He bought a
bread and a yoghurt. Then he came back and gave the groceries to the
homeless guy.
There are ...
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What is my story structure?
I am starting to write a story and have made an outline of the major plot points. I am looking at the outline but am not sure which story structure it follows. My outline goes like this:
Quick ...
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What is the best way to blend perspectives?
I am writing a story from the perspective of a man telling his audience what happened to him. During his monologue, somebody walks into the room in real-time and tells him something. What is the ...
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I have too much exposition in my stories. What to do?
I’ve posted several chapters of my in-progress trilogy on several writing critique websites, and while many of my fellow writers have praised my worldbuilding abilities, they have remarked that I ...
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Is it possible to write a serious story without any humour?
I'm planning out and (will hopefully be writing) a trilogy takes that takes itself pretty seriously and very dark while having a distinct absence of comedy. The reason is behind this choice that I ...
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Is it necessary to add "had" in past tense narration when it's clear we're talking about the past?
Example:
Standing in front of the sliding glass door, he began to sweat. The
last time he had stepped into a convenience store was a year ago.
This is past tense narration. The bolded part is ...
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Starting character alive or dead?
I've been struggling with this one for a long time and it's really kept me from moving forward. My main character starts off as a queen consort, and the death of her husband and her stepson (co-kings) ...
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How to demonstrate that the main character of your story is narrating a story to other people in a scene?
Being new to writing narratives, I have a query in mind. In one particular scene, I want to show that my main character is narrating a story to the crowd. How can I accomplish this?
I am unable to ...
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Can the villain be introduced too late?
An important aspect of my story is the dread of my villain. He is slowly built up throughout the story, with a bunch of characters here and there talking of the terror he inflicts upon the world. ...
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How can I avoid spoiling the reveal in a fictional diary entry?
I'm currently writing a story in a fictional diary format. This is proving challenging in several ways, but right now, my focus lies on trying not to give away any "big news" at the start of ...
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Characters feelings; Using them for pacing/tension
I'm writing a novel and in the opening chapter, one of the main characters finds herself traveling by foot through a very severe sandstorm. I used the character's feelings of choking/suffocating to ...
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