Questions tagged [structure]
For questions about the connections between and ordering of elements within a written work.
377
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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,...
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6
answers
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How much indirection is too much?
I'm writing a chapter with a lot of indirection, and I'm wondering if I'm doing too much of it.
To be specific, it is the main character remembering an event from his youth when a merchant who stayed ...
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3
answers
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How to write a book about an amnesia patient properly?
I am writing a book about an amnesia patient. I do not know much about amnesia, which is quite shameful, but I want to know how to write this book in a way that does not make it cliché.
My ...
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votes
0
answers
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How to link two sentences properly? [closed]
I have two sentences:
In general, the better the equipment, the higher quality of
production you will end up with.
We choose our equipment very carefully.
To link them together, I have to use the ...
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votes
3
answers
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What is the "Proposal" Part of a Query Letter?
I'm trying to follow query guidelines that include a query letter, proposal, outline, author bio, and sample chapters.
What is the 'proposal' part of the query letter? I have not been able to find an ...
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3
answers
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How many points are sufficient for my essay?
I am writing a 3000 word essay entitled 'Challenges and opportunities of future Civil Aviation'. For the essay, I have taken two aspects of the future of civil aviation in supersonic flight and ...
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votes
7
answers
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Foregone conclusion of novel's first part
I'm writing a war sci-fi novel. At the start of the novel, my MC really wants to get into a particular unit, let's call it Space-Marines. His struggle through the training serves to showcase his high ...
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4
answers
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What is the most effective way to transition from one paragraph to the next?
I desire to know how to transition smoothly from one paragraph to another in the body text, but there are a number of ways to do it and I don't know which is best. For instance, I could place the ...
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2
answers
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How do experienced writers introduce the topic sentence halfway or near the end of the paragraph?
I have repeatedly come across the comment that experienced writers are able to put their topic sentence anywhere in a paragraph, but I wonder what that looks like and how they are able to do this. How ...
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2
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How much can the supporting sentences deviate from the topic sentence before introducing a second paragraph becomes a better option?
My question is: How much can one deviate from the topic sentence before transitioning to a second paragraph becomes a better idea?
For example, if a topic sentence consists of an assertion, then the ...
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votes
2
answers
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How do I make a concluding sentence flow from the previous sentence?
This question was flagged as being similar to another question of mine, so I have to clarify that this question pertains to how I should introduce the concluding sentence, whereas the other one ...
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1
answer
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In which cases do paragraphs require a concluding sentence?
I'm writing an argumentative non-fiction book but I often wonder if I'll bore the reader if every paragraph follows the pattern of topic sentence > supporting sentences > concluding sentence. I read a ...
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vote
1
answer
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How to combine 3 sentences into one? [closed]
I have a character limit and hence would like to reduce my sentences from three to one or at best two. I am not sure how I could simplify this.
Are you looking for an explainer video for your ...
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vote
2
answers
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How to write a sentence with expression, tone, emphasis, and more in the same line [closed]
That might not be the correct way of writing the title. I just find it really confusing on how to write that. Anyways, my question is about having those "things" in the same sentence. Let say that I ...
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1
answer
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How to confidently attract the other party to your side?
I have the following sentence:
Once they realize they have no chance of defeating you, they'll end up joining you.
I feel this sentence may come across as a bit "cocky" because I would want the ...
- 303
1
vote
1
answer
54
views
How to link two sentences? [closed]
I have the following sentences:
Anyone can use stock footage.
and
Only you know how to use it correctly.
I am wondering if it makes sense to combine them as such
Anyone can use stock ...
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2
answers
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When we start a book from the climax (from the middle of the chapter), what is it called?
Let's say that we have a plot that goes from A-Z and M is the middle (climax) part of it. There is this style of writing in which we start from M, then again back to A-Z.
At the start of a book is ...
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2
answers
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Structure for software documentation: long vs short pages
For online, developer-centered documentation for a complex software product, which structure is going to be more usable: a smaller number of long, comprehensive pages, or a larger number of more ...
user23425
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votes
1
answer
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Can someone tell me the source of this story diagram image?
This image was found on a University of Hawaii Cinematic & Digital Narrative Production course and the professor found the image on Google search.
Although the plot structure is not unique, the ...
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votes
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answers
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How do you write a Stack Exchange answer?
Over my years on StackExchange I've come to view answering SE questions as its own, highly specialized writing subgenre, with its own demands, and its own ideal format. By trial and error, and ...
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Prepare for more after the "ending"?
In my story, there's this big bad, who needs to be destroyed. That is the main goal for about the last third of the video game. So the group of heroes manages to destroy him! ... but I don't want to ...
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votes
5
answers
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views
Length as action [closed]
I was wondering if using length in this sentence would add to take away from the message. Also am I constructing the sentence correctly.
A sudden outburst drew my gaze from lazy sky to chalk ...
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4
answers
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Where should I put my tl;dr?
By definition
TL;DR, short for "too long; didn't read", is Internet slang to say that some text being replied to has been ignored because of its length. In slang it can also stand for "...
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Is it too long for each chapter of a 12-15 chapter novel to be around 10k words in length?
I'm writing my first novel and I wanted to try and write around 12-15 chapters about 10k-ish (give or take a thousand or two) words each. The idea behind it being each chapter covers a very large arc ...
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answers
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Is discovering memories are false, a plot twist that invalidates my story so far?
So about halfway through the story I'm writing, the main characters discover that they're actually AI whose entire lives have been simulated in order to create an AI with human-level emotional skills. ...
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votes
5
answers
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views
How to simplify a sentence so that a younger audience can understand it?
I have the following sentence:
Pocket squares are a standout amongst the most vital apparatuses for a
man of style. It's important to have the correct pocket square for the
correct event.
I ...
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votes
1
answer
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views
Can tables describing data go into the materials and methods section?
I have a table that describes a dataset that I use for an analysis. The table describes the sample sizes of each of the four collecting events to create the dataset. It breaks down the dataset into ...
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votes
8
answers
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Should mystery stories have resolutions?
I'm working on the finishing touches of a story that has as part of the plot a possibly-supernatural mystery. I'm feeling rather nervous about the whole thing though because said mystery isn't the ...
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votes
5
answers
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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.
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vote
1
answer
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How to create this scenario [closed]
The novel I am writing hinges on an orphan boy, who is not evil, but merely frustrated and angry with the world and how it is treating him. I need him to do something or cause something to happen that ...
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2
answers
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How do I make a book or series of books that take place in three different centuries make sense and flow appropriately?
I have a vast series of scenes, characters, and stories coming together in my head, which I have yet to transcribe to an actual story on paper. I have notes, and many of them, but I cannot seem to ...
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Structure / arcs for multiple characters
The Hero's journey is very individualistic. I want to know how writers build the book's structure for multiple characters. Do they make one for each character of for a whole? If it is for a whole, how ...
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2
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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 ...
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1
answer
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What is the origin of the Hero's Journey?
I'm curious as to whether or not there was one story seen as the 'first' example of the Hero's Journey.
Most Googling returns academic theory (Campbell's steps) rather than examples. But I'm curious ...
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votes
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answers
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Character pivots, where to put them
Normally this sort of thing is easier than actually writing the piece for me but this time I can't get anywhere with the overall structure of the story:
I want a character to win a great victory, at ...
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1
answer
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Help with phrasing a survey question [closed]
I think this sentence is awkwardly worded: Do(es) you/your company add job questions on job applications currently?
I think it should say: Do you or your company currently add job questions on job ...
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vote
0
answers
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Really bad wording and structure, help! [closed]
So, in the very first paragraph of my first chapter of my Work in progress novel, there's this absolute piece of trash event happening. And oh, my God I can't fix it for the life of me.
In the year ...
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vote
1
answer
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How to sound confident but not cocky?
I am working on this slogan, and it comes out like this.
On the road to success.
What I mean by that is that I have positioned myself to accomplish something, but while I am not there yet, I have ...
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vote
2
answers
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How to ask a question and define what I mean?
I am in the middle of the painful process of buying a car. I am trying to do much of my legwork online before going into a dealership. One of the things I hate the most about purchasing a car is ...
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votes
5
answers
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Writing garbage to see if the characters do something interesting?
I need a change ~ 80% of the way through my story. At the moment, I'm just throwing my characters into different combinations and seeing if they come up with anything interesting.
Two of my ...
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votes
4
answers
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Skipping the first act?
In traditional story structure theory, the ACT 1 is made to set up the world and host the inciting incident, the ACT 2 is made for the main quest and sequence of obstacles, and ACT 3 is made for the ...
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How often can I use time lapses?
I looked at a few questions regarding time lapse, but I didn't find one that helped.
In my story I skip parts of the life of my main character, because they don't drive the plot, but of course write ...
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answer
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About the Scope of Sections and Paragraphs
Consider a document structure like this:
1. First-Level-Heading
Some text to give an overview about what I want to tell in this chapter. In LaTeX, this heading would be produced using the \section-...
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Flash-forward as Prologue and then Flashbacks too complicated?
Chronologically, the story begins with the protagonist as a child and description of her world, which is important to the plot.
Since I thought "girl abandoned by parents meets a man who explains how ...
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Alternative for the Hero's journey (since it is about Ego)
According to psychologist Carl Jung, there are divisions into one's mind. The "Self" (often described as "Higher-Self" or "Soul") is what hold all of those divisions together (or try to). It is what ...
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2
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A Question of Pacing - Trilogy or Quadrilogy - Cluttered Story
So I recently had a discussion with a reader and who pointed out a significant flaw in my work that I hadn't seen.
When I first started writing my series, I had a trilogy in mind - based on exploring ...
3
votes
3
answers
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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!
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votes
7
answers
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How to make my story structure less repetitive?
Someone told me that the way I write is almost like I'm writing from a template, how do I break away from this?
I always end up with this: Saying what the person is doing in the present tense, ...
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10
answers
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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 ...
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2
answers
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How can I make the relevance of a story thread more apparent?
The story I'm writing has multiple story threads, which relate to each other subtly at first, while gradually converging over the course of the story.
The trouble is that one particular thread of the ...
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