Questions tagged [technique]
Common, repeatable methods of achieving particular storytelling effects or of avoiding narrative pitfalls.
18 questions from the last 365 days
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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
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2
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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 ...
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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?
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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
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4
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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.”
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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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2
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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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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
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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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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 ...
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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
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480
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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