New answers tagged technique
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Well, I'd translate into familiar terms, just like the original translator:
Is the unit 'sežanj' really a fathom? Or just approximately the same measure?
I doubt the "galley of the Doge" is a Croatian thing; the Doge is an elected Lord in Italy; a galley is a sailing ship -- I don't get the reference at all, but I doubt this simile is what was in ...
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The obvious frame challenge is whether you need direct dialogues at all when your MC is not talking.
While this may sound strange at first, you may realize that it presents the story to the reader with a deeper perspective on your MC and it makes a much stronger statement about her selective mutism. In my opinion it would also be more respectful of her ...
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This is definitely a bit of a writing challenge, as a character who doesn't speak may be harder for readers to automatically relate to and connect with. However, as an introvert myself, I think it's safe to say that there are many ways people can be relatable and interesting beyond being chatterboxes, and there are many alternatives to spoken dialogue! Here ...
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It is a well accepted fact that you the author can ultimately do what you want.
In fact you could provide only half of each word, leaving the other half for the reader to figure out.
Readers may appreciate more explanations provided within the story
Fiction writing produces work that is often a form of escapism for the reader. To reach the end and be taught ...
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It's (mostly) fine to make statements after-the-fact about what you really meant in a story
Assuming the story you plan to write and publish is successful enough that people are talking about it for weeks, years, generations afterwards - then there will be people who will examine your correspondence, essays, etc, to get an understanding of this or that point,...
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In my opinion: No, it is not okay.
The closest you can come to that, which may suffice, is to engineer your plot and story so that some central character comes to the conclusion that is, in fact, the complex message you wanted to convey with the whole work.
However, even then, you need to be able to convey this message without a soliloquy, perhaps you can ...
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You are essentially doing a freeze frame, which is a common technique in screenwriting and filmmaking, even if you want the freeze frame to be displayed in a particular way.
Various sources such as this page suggests indicating freeze frames by writing "FREEZE FRAME" on a line of its own, or if you want to specify exactly what to be shown, put &...
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If you are doing something unusual, explain it at the beginning. I would use something like what you have written in the question. Give each section a label, for example, 'Email' or 'Still photo of the three drinking together when 18, taken from Scene 5' Use labelling consistently and everything will be all right. Script readers and directors aren't idiots ...
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Codeless Code Case 196 has some very pithy and wise advice on this subject.
“You speak to your peers as if they were empty registers waiting to be filled with the bits of your wisdom. Ours may be a dry digital world, but it is built atop wetware, which is squishy and irrational and prone to overheating. You cannot flip a brain from zero to one simply by ...
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