Questions tagged [novel]
Novels are long-form prose fiction, typically over 40,000 words. Questions that use this tag can relate to writing, editing, publishing, formatting or technique as applied specifically to novels. If the question applies to more than just novels, it should probably use the Fiction tag instead.
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How and where can I submit a finished novel?
I wrote a novel. It took me 15 years to write it.
How do I submit it to a publishing agent? How do I choose one? Will they be good? Will they take care of everything? When will I see the book in print ...
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What should I do while waiting for alpha readers?
I have finished the first draft of my first novel, a work of LGBT gothic fiction/horror. I have 5-6 people who said they are happy to look at it as alphas, but I have no idea what to do in the ...
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Stuck...Stuck and stuck how do I overcome it? [duplicate]
I've been writing since I was little but despite the idea I've had for over a year I still haven't completed it. I'm feeling stuck but I know I have something to say with my writing. Someone on a ...
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What is an inciting incident?
I've been struggling to find a clear definition of what exactly an inciting incident is.
According to Masterclass, an inciting incident is:
The inciting incident of a story is the event that sets the ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Paid beta seems to have skipped large portions of my manuscript
I feel terrible for having to lay this out there, but I'm a little frustrated following use of a beta reader service.
I received a beta report on time this past weekend, but didn't receive my full ...
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I’m feeling overwhelmed about writing a novel, can anyone help?
I’ve always wanted to write a book. I’ve finally gained enough courage to attempt to write a small novel, 100-150 pages. I’m 13, which I’ve learned is a small problem. I hate to say it, but I’m just ...
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Can I use the name of a ministry that no longer exists in my novel inspired by true events?
I'm writing a novel inspired by true events. The ministry I'm writing about shut down several years ago and no longer exists. Can I use that ministry by name without legal repercussions?
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What is the editing process for fantasy romance?
I currently trying to edit my first book, draft 1. It all feels overwhelming after I've written the notecards, replanned it a little to meet the change of plot line, and it all seems to not work like ...
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Is a self-introduction of the main character speaking to the reader appropriate to start a novel?
I'm authoring a horror/corruption/murder novel. The book starts off with the Main Character telling the reader about who he is and his physical appearance (now in his 60s), how he got to be ...
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What is the proper formatting of type and quote marks when the main character talks aloud to himself, to someone else, or has internal dialogue?
I am authoring a novel. The main character interacts with others in oral conversation and will also have internal dialogue with himself, during the same conversation. Or he will talk aloud to an ...
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What do I do when I have a novel already in the planning stage and get a new plot idea?
I have been planning a murder mystery novel for a couple months and just need to get a few more specific details planned and then I’m ready to write.
But I was laying in bed one night just scrolling ...
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What are examples of overused tropes in dystopian fiction?
I'm writing a Dystopian Novel and am in the initial plot-planning stage. I'm trying to ensure that I avoid the major tropes and have researched examples of this, however the examples I have found were ...
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Question for "standalone with series potential" query
It's a 195k word epic fantasy. These next few passes will bring that down quite a bit, and I know there's wiggle room. Reddit constantly focuses on that despite that the debut epic fantasy 120k word ...
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Does anybody know a good book on writing novels that covers complex storyweaving, multiplots, or parallel plotting?
Does anybody know a good book on writing novels that covers complex storyweaving, multiplots, or parallel plotting? I have a large collection of how-to-write manuals for screen and novel writing. ...
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Is it a copyright violation to quote another book in my book?
I am writing a novel from the perspective of a character who is very obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fight Club.” This is essential to the character and can’t be changed, but I can (and will, ...
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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 ...
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When does a story benefit from or is made better by not having a central theme?
On online forums, I often see the argument that not every story needs a theme. This is the flip side version of the question of when a story needs a theme. I felt that those arguing that some stories ...
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I need some help polishing my protagonist's motivations
I'm writing a survival horror story that's a mixture between Bloodborne and The Last of Us. The story follows an emotionally distant woman and a physically disabled child as they trek through a world ...
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Just made an exposition chapter and I'm worried
I'm currently working on a fantasy novel.
Storyline wise I'm just about to charge into the second arc of the story, much more intense and action focused than the previous world building arc.
I'm ...
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How do I write a successful book at a young age?
I am 10 years old (almost eleven), and I'm trying to write a novel. I discovered it is a lot harder and stressful than I thought. I'm also scared of people judging it negatively. This seems a lot more ...
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What would happen if all humans disappeared from the world today? [closed]
I would like to write a science fiction novel where, as of today (30 April 2023) all humans disappeared from the universe. All other animals, plants & fishes exist, just not humans.
What would be ...
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How propose a story / write / publish for an established universe or franchise? [duplicate]
I would like to know the process of proposing a story or manuscript for an established universe or franchise. Some examples of universes include Star Wars, Star Trek, Horizon, etc. My question is ...
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How do you use a heavily poetic style while also using a formatting that's similar to that of modern novel?
How do you use a heavily poetic style while also using a formatting that's similar to that of modern novel? Is there a way to add a poetic spin to the modern formatting seen in novels that was ...
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How can I describe an old cloak used to cover identity?
I’m currently composing a descriptive writing – It’s about a girl spy, infiltrating an empire. She’s wearing a cloak but I have no idea how to describe the item – It’s supposed to almost look archaic ...
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Can you, or should you, credit your editor and people who helped you in any way aside from writing in your novels?
Can or should you credit your editor and other people who helped you in any way aside from writing in your novels? Is there a place to do that in a novel?
I don't typically see a place where people ...
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Is it necessary to describe a character's physical appearance in a novel
I am writing a novel and I realized that I did not describe any of my characters, like practically, no reader would be able to place or imagine the character which I feel is not right. That is why I ...
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How do you format a poem inside of a novel?
How do you format a poem inside of a novel? I am not sure how to go about it. What are some popular ways of introducing a poem inside a novel.
Let's say that the character reads a poem from a small ...
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Is it possible to write a novel without a primary character?
Let's say we have 12 primary characters and they all get the same amount of coverage, none of them are good or evil, they in the gray area, all of them have their own goals, and all of them have their ...
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What Kind of Plot Do I Have?
For quite a while I worked on writing a novel. After that went poorly, I tried to plot it. This too went poorly, but now, on the second attempt, it’s going pretty well. There’s just one problem.
I ...
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Why does all scene writing advice insist on the scene lead having a clear goal when this is often not practiced in bestsellers?
I've been reading a lot of books on scene writing. One thing in common--found in every single book--is that the main character in the scene should have a goal. That goal should be made obvious as ...
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Is there a word for when a text is between chapters that enriches the story but is not part of the previous or following chapter?
Is there a word for when a text is between chapters that enriches the story but are not part of the previous or following chapter?
I'm writing fiction and wanted to have in-universe news articles from ...
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What are the differences between writing for a video game and writing for a book?
Recently, I have been looking up different freelance job opportunities and have stumbled upon a few that involve writing for a video game, but my main goal has always been trying to write a novel, not ...
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Struggling to 'find the voice' of a character who is conflicted when speaking to a person - how can I do this?
In the story I'm writing, the character behaves differently when they're spending time with their mother - they are conflicted. They idolise their mother on the one hand, but as they have grown up (in ...
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Is it okay to kill your main character off-screen?
Because Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther, has passed away, I am assuming that his character will be shown to have passed away in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But I'm wondering: is it okay ...
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Can I take the text of my own already published book (ebook & POD), amend & improve it, add new title and cover pic, and self-publish as a new book?
I have a published (ebook & paperback) novel which was published in 2015 by a UK publishing house. The text was never carefully or properly proofed and there were many printing problems. Net ...
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How do I find the right audience for my book?
I wrote a book about two years ago with almost no prior planning or outlining done before the writing. I've since matured more and figured out that the audience for my book changes from chapter to ...
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Could I use non-English characters and expressions in a novel?
Currently I'm outlining a novel, mostly for fun, based in 9th century Norway. The closest to writing Old Norse names I can get is by using Icelandic characters like the ð and þ and the occasional á ...
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How to describe a werewolf attack?
In my book, the werewolves don't shape shift into humans, they're werewolves all the time. There are some werewolves that don't attack humans, but the majority does - those packs that don't live ...
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Can a symbol carry different meanings throughout a film or a book?
Can a symbol carry different meanings throughout a film or a book? In the film The Shining, the boy is implied to be abused by his father. In one scene, where the boy speaks to a psychologist, there's ...
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Tips on how to describe my character using his power
My secondary main character has the power ashes to ashes where he can make his enemy basically start to turn to ash and fade away (think Sandman when he fades away)
I write in 3rd person
Every ...
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How do you perfectly describe a documentary or similar videos in a novel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEENEFaVUzU
Let's say the protagonist watches a video from a channel like "Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell", how would you go about describing exactly what the ...
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170k debut fantasy story. Is it possible?
This has been a very contradictory topic for me. I've been told that publishers expect fantasy books to be that long but others would tell me that 170k is too long. So far I've been cutting things ...
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How can I vary the POVs in past tense? [closed]
I'm writing my book in the past tense (even though I hate it, it makes the most sense). I wanted to vary the POVs in the story. Should I scrap the idea, or is there a way to write it without it ...
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What are some words for sound coming from somewhere?
I am learning/ trying to write a novel but I'm facing this problem. Whenever sound comes from somewhere (for example, from behind a closed door), I don't know how to describe it. I just end up writing ...
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Would it be too presumptuous of any established author to write a novel in the hope that it be made into a film?
Before I start, let me clarify that this is not a dilemma I am facing currently. It's just a question I had in mind for many established and aspiring authors.
Many best selling novels get made into ...
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Protecting a POV in visual adaptation of a novel
I’m considering allowing a film adaptation of my novel but want the “frame story” message maintained. What would this device technically be called in the agreement?
Example:
The original Planet of the ...
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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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