9
votes
What is the minimum requirement for a song to be considered a story?
No, your song represents an emotion; longing. Many songs do that.
A story, at its minimum, is a sequence of causes and effects, typically leading the listener to wonder what happens -- and then get ...
- 93.2k
7
votes
Is it wise to start a story with a character that never appears again?
Either make this man truly forgettable, or give reader a clue of his fate
It's common enough to start a story with a "cold open" from a point of view of a minor character that may never ...
- 6,048
5
votes
Accepted
Criteria for determining if a character did indeed act out of character
Basically, this comes down to Theory of Mind. The author, the readers and other characters in the story try to understand a character's behavior in terms of their beliefs, desires, intentions, ...
- 2,767
4
votes
Accepted
How can you foreshadow a plot twist so that it makes sense, without spoiling it entirely?
You want to shoot for the "ohhh" moment.
I insert foreshadowing of future plot twists or events often in my D&D games as the Dungeon Master. It often feels like dropping subtle ...
- 8,672
4
votes
Is it wise to start a story with a character that never appears again?
As long as the kid is the protagonist:
I’ve seen this done, and it is really a way to introduce the protagonist. If he only has this limited role, it’s fine. I would make sure every detail introduced ...
- 13k
3
votes
How could I show good worldbuilding without ending up with info-dumps?
The most effective way to introduce an immersive world is to write your story from the perspective of a character or a narrator that has a solid understanding of the world they occupy.
The world ...
- 7,997
2
votes
Accepted
Is it bad to end a story with a lot of loose points?
TL;DR
You can end the story with loose ends as long as the main story arc is fully resolved to a satisfying end. You may leave some unresolved points in case you wish to start a series. You may also ...
- 10.5k
2
votes
Criteria for determining if a character did indeed act out of character
Have a good idea of their core personality traits in the eyes of the reader.
The core disagreement that a lot of people have from TLOU is that a lot of people felt that Tommy and Joel were extremely ...
- 121
2
votes
What is the best way to blend perspectives?
Since your story is being presented as narrative from a visible narrator, why not make the break part of the narrators presentation...
I look around the room wondering when they will take...
Excuse me ...
- 10.7k
2
votes
Is it wise to start a story with a character that never appears again?
The girl is 5, and old enough that his final words to her have some lifelong impact. I can remember being 5, in my earliest memories I am between 2 and 3.
Why can't you tell this story from her POV?
...
- 93.2k
1
vote
How could I show good worldbuilding without ending up with info-dumps?
Make the world-building details part of the plot, solution to the plot, or the survival (physical, professional, mental) of the POV character.
In most cases, you shouldn't put things in the story ...
- 5,066
1
vote
How could I show good worldbuilding without ending up with info-dumps?
A frame challenge: clashing genres
In a horror story I am writing, it involves the protagonist in another world. It is like an isekai, but it is horror…
I am going to disagree with your genre label –...
- 24.8k
1
vote
How could I show good worldbuilding without ending up with info-dumps?
I always point to original trilogy Star Wars to look at how great world building was done. Without going to a fan wiki or reading any materials not presented in the release of the film, what do you ...
- 11.3k
1
vote
Should a flashback be written in first person or third when the narrator has lost his memory?
I think that I have a quibble with a character who has lost their memory having a flashback. It is entirely appropriate for a novel to have time shifts -- forwards and backward -- so in that sense, ...
- 7,997
1
vote
Is it bad to end a story with a lot of loose points?
It depends. Many successful short stories ("The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe comes to mind) where the ending is technically a cliffhanger, though it still is a satisfying ending. This ...
- 687
1
vote
What is the minimum requirement for a song to be considered a story?
Essentially, a story tells how somebody solved some problem. Your song expresses a desire, but does not present a problem. No problem, no resolution.
- 62
1
vote
Sudden diary entry within a 3rd person limited story
In Star Wars Thrawn, there's a lot of journal entries throughout the text. Whenever this is done, it is in italics. Throughout the book, italics are sometimes used as well when the POV switches from ...
- 586
1
vote
Accepted
Sudden diary entry within a 3rd person limited story
Formats:
If your goal is to get this read, I don't think there's an issue.
If you want to get this published with a publisher, I might use formatting (like an indent and additional lines before and ...
- 13k
1
vote
What is the best way to blend perspectives?
There are several things about your quote(s) that confuse me.
A: The use of "I" vs "the man".
B: I am unsure about which parts are supposed to be 'still part of the normal flow of ...
- 2,561
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