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[ { "answer_id": 66656, "author": "Lucas Avigliano", "author_id": 60376, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60376", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "Honestly I think the only way to accomplish that is to read as much Dostoevsky as you can. His writing wasn't just a style you can easily pick up. He writes the way he does because of the environment he grew up in, the people he knew, his personal characteristics. These are all the variables that define each and every one of our styles. He had a very specific outlook on people and the world that would be hard to duplicate. That's one of the reasons he is so revered (at least by many) because he is not easily imitated if at all. So just read everything you can that he has written and do a bit of research into the time and environment he grew up in and wrote in. Then just write constantly and try to get that unmistakable Dostoevsky touch in your writing." }, { "answer_id": 66657, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "I almost never explicitly describe the physical characteristics of my characters, and my readers don't miss it.\n\nIf I need to show Jusg is extraordinarily tall, because this is a plot element, I have Jusg do things that require extraordinary tallness.\n\nHe can dunk a basketball on his tiptoes. He has to duck his head coming into the classroom, so he doesn't hit it on the upper frame. When kids get a ball stuck in a tree, and can't reach it with a broom, they get Jusg to get it down for them.\n\nIf Jilee is extraordinarily beautiful at 16, men *and* women turn their heads when she walks into a restaurant, or when she's walking down the street.\n\nI never say she is beautiful.\n\n> \n> Hangy and Jilee are sitting on Hangy's bed, talking.\n> \n> \n> Jilee says, \"Why don't you just ask him out? I asked Ciwe out the first time, you know.\"\n> \n> \n> Hangy says, \"Well of course he did! You ever look at yourself? The frikkin' pope would say yes if you asked him out!\"\n> \n> \n> Jilee laughed. \"But see, you're really funny!\"\n> \n> \n> \"Right! I forgot, that's number one for boys in a girlfriend.\"\n> \n> \n> \"Well not -- Oh. Okay. Hm.\"\n> \n> \n> \"I guess I can try it. All he can do is laugh at me.\"\n> \n> \n> \"Well if he does that, I'll take you for ice cream.\"\n> \n> \n> \"How can you even eat ice cream? Do you have a fairy godmother or an amulet or something? Be honest.\"\n> \n> \n> Jilee laughed.\n> \n> \n> \n\nReaders would rather read this scene, than \"Hangy is plain but spontaneously funny. Jilee is her very beautiful best friend, and Hangy makes her laugh.\n\nFACTS are forgettable. Recite as few FACTS as possible.\n\nSCENES are memorable. This is what they mean by \"Show, don't Tell.\"\n\nWhen you describe a scene, readers see the movie in their head, and remember it. When you tell them facts instead, they have to memorize those facts, and they can't remember them. If you need to get something across they will remember, invent a scene (or scenes) to do it.\n\nIt takes more words, obviously, but people that read for entertainment *do not mind reading.*" } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66655", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60395/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66663, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "I don't think there is a 'universal' drunk train of thought. Without any info on the character's type, it's hard to say how being over the limit would effect them.\n\nI offer instead the 2nd oldest excuse in the book:\n\nI don't remember anything from last night...\n--------------------------------------------\n\nThe colloquial term is \"black-out drunk\". The result is waking up in a location/situation with no knowledge or memory how you got there. Many stories of people driving home, hooking up with strangers, riding trains, but no memories how or why.\n\nSupposedly sailors would get 'Shanghaied' and be on a boat to the South Seas before they sobered up enough to regret it.\n\nIn practical storywriting terms, you don't know how it happened so your character doesn't either." }, { "answer_id": 66666, "author": "Spagirl", "author_id": 19924, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/19924", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "> \n> I need to have a quite long and wild string of thoughts leading to their choice\n> \n> \n> \n\nWhy does it need to be long and wild? A drunk person doesn’t think of their reasoning as wild, and even if an external viewer things they are rambling and wild, in their own mind the drunk person is making pithy and cogent arguments.\n\nThey are prone to thinking bad ideas are good ideas, which is partly because they are predisposed to want to do new, fun things and partly because their risk assessment is very impaired.\n\nSo your drunk person may be beguiled by any supposed up-side to the proposed job, and somewhat careless of the downside. But it will all be perfectly rational to them in that moment.\n\nFrom observation of others being drunk and having been drunk myself, I’d say that what drunk people don’t do, is spend ages justifying things to themselves because they have both inflated ego and poor impulse control. They make snap decisions on a whim, and congratulate themselves on their perspicacity. They might spend ages justifying the decision to *other* people, but not themselves. In drink we all thing ourselves wise.\n\nIf your plot really requires a touch me consuming long and wild string of thoughts, you might need to create some reason for the drunk to be practicing the explanation they would give to someone else that they know would be opposed to it and have them rehearse their justification that way." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66662", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/59942/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66665, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "The standard way is to put it on the screen. They can say it later in dialogue, perhaps. Another character can ask them, later.\n\nIf you cannot fit that in, leave it out.\n\nThe number one rule in screenplays is **put it on the screen or leave it out.**\n\nThe audience only sees what is on the screen, nothing else. They can see if your actor is frustrated, angry, hateful, or despondent, amused, whatever. You can describe that.\n\nThe director and actors are not going to *infer* from whatever you wanted that character to say how to act the scene. Just **tell** them how to act the scene, what emotions the character is feeling. That is all they want to know, what can be seen/heard **on the screen.**\n\nFailing to follow this rule increases the chances of rejection dramatically. You must write from the POV of the audience, if the audience cannot see or hear it, if an actor cannot portray it, leave it out. And be specific about *what* they are supposed to portray -- resigned frustration, angry frustration, resentment, despair? What is it you want the audience to see?\n\nThat is all the director and actor wish to know. They will read the entire script, spoilers and all, before they ever act the first line. They will read it multiple times.\n\nThat is something you can count on, if you wanted the character to say something about a future plot point, the actors and director will know what it is when the interruption is acted." }, { "answer_id": 66667, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "Write the lines in full.\n------------------------\n\nIndicate in the **stage directions** that they speak over each other and interrupt.\n\n**As a scriptwriter: do not attempt to micromanage the performances of actors who do not yet exist!** This is not your job, it is the job of the director and actors themselves.\n\nIf you're writing for self-enjoyment with no intention of having your script produced, then it doesn't matter how you choose to format the dialog. Write it as you like.\n\nBut if you're writing a *professional* screenplay, you need to understand the script will not be treated with any sanctity or precision – if it is, it's to the detriment of human professionals who understand their part of the job including the director, the actors, the editor, and any Producer decisions that need to be made on set.\n\nThe Thing from Another Planet\n-----------------------------\n\nI suggest you find a film where the actors speak in the manner you want, and try to find the original screenplay to compare how it was written. An easy-to-find example is **The Thing from Another World** (1951).\n\nThe film benefits from fast pacing and a pattern of dialog where all the characters speak over each other. **The dialog that ended up onscreen is not the same as written.** It follows closely, and the script is dense with short lines that feel spontaneous and conversational (there are almost no long expository speeches), but many lines were improvised on set that adjust the pacing and temper the characters. Some dialog that feels more confrontational (argumentative) in the script becomes playful and slightly irreverent in the final film – they way professionals actually speak to each other when they are familiar and tired, something between banter and sarcasm.\n\nBut, this one line makes the whole scene...\n-------------------------------------------\n\nThere's a writing adage: \"A scene is not a line; a script is not a scene.\" The meaning is that your scene cannot hang on one line of dialog (and the longer script cannot hang on one scene).\n\nIf you have **a specific line of dialog** where it's plot-crucial that it gets interrupted (because a character will misunderstand or some info is misinterpreted), write it as interrupted dialog. The context should carry the meaning. **If the lines require explanation you have a problem.**\n\n**Screenplays are pre-production documents that do not survive the production un-changed.** Remember that everyone involved in realizing the actual production will have ample opportunity to study and discuss the script. Scenes will be blocked and paced by the director, individual lines will be shot out-of-order according to production needs. Entire scenes will be cut.\n\n**More context is added** through the actual production –– the acting and framing, as well as innate visual and temporal cues that have no business in a screenplay. The original writer is rarely on set during production. The professionals creating the final film do not need to be constrained by a 'dead' creative voice that made qualitative decisions months or years before the production started." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66664", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60409/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66672, "author": "lost_not_found", "author_id": 59942, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/59942", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "I can think of some better ways to phrase this. One idea might be: *\"The students stood on all but one edge of the stage in a U-shape so that all of them could face the door.\"* You could also say: *\"The students stood in a U-shape, lined up on all the stage's edges except for the outer edge, all the students facing the door.\"*\n\nA good way to do descriptions like these is by making sure that you separate different details with commas so that it's not all one confusing block. It is also important to add word variety to your descriptions because it also helps differentiate details.\n\nOne note I will make about your original idea for phrasing is that saying *\"the students stood along the sides and far side of the stage\"* is confusing. The far side counts as one of the sides, right? That's why in my descriptions I used the word \"edge.\" It's easier to describe the different edges of a stage than different sides of a rectangle because the word \"sides\" can be confusing in certain contexts (when you talk about the sides of a stage, I immediately think left and right, not left, right, front, and back)." }, { "answer_id": 66673, "author": "Spagirl", "author_id": 19924, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/19924", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "Leave out the bits that don’t add anything. If it’s already established that the stage is rectangular, there is no need to mention the ‘U’ shape as that is inevitable if the are lining the edges of the stage.\n\n> \n> The students arranged themselves around three edges of the stage, facing the door.\n> \n> \n> \n\nYou could add information about what manner they did this in\n\n> \n> With an eerie, silent smoothness the students took their places around three sides of the stage, facing the door, moving like slowly waltzing somnambulists.\n> \n> \n>" }, { "answer_id": 66676, "author": "H. sapiens rex", "author_id": 60435, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60435", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I would go with something like *\"the students surrounded the stage, forming one long wall of bodies\"*, or *\"with the precision of a military drill, the students took their places on the rim of the stage. The deviation from one student to the next could not be measured for lack of a unit small enough; so there they stood, noiseless and alert and unsettling in their complete uniformity.\"*\n\nI think it's a mistake to focus too heavily on the geometry of the setup, by which I mean the fact that three and not four edges of the stage have students on them. I for one think such writing exhibits more \"tell\" than \"show\"; if such details are truly important to the story, then it shouldn't be too hard to show them via characters' actions. Perhaps somebody on the stage feels creeped out by these students (understandable really), and in casting their gaze about for any sign of relief, their eyes alight on the only gap in the fleshwall..." }, { "answer_id": 66677, "author": "yoniLavi", "author_id": 29146, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/29146", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "It probably won't help you directly when writing in English, but I'll just mention that you'll find this very easy to express this in Hebrew (maybe for a future translation). The Hebrew letter ח ([Chet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heth#Hebrew_Chet)), which has this exact shape, is very commonly used to denote this popular formation for standing at attention [in the military](https://www.facebook.com/idfonline/photos/the-new-soldiers-stand-in-a-chet-formation-shaped-like-the-hebrew-letter-%D7%97/422691641087045/) or during a ceremony. In Israel, pretty much anyone would understand the short sentence \"לעמוד בח\", translated as \"Stand in [the shape of] Chet\"." }, { "answer_id": 66735, "author": "Laura ", "author_id": 60529, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60529", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "How about:\n\n> \n> The students encircled the stage on all sides except one, leaving a noticeable gap in the perimeter closest to the door.\n> \n> \n>" } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66670", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/31666/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66672, "author": "lost_not_found", "author_id": 59942, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/59942", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "I can think of some better ways to phrase this. One idea might be: *\"The students stood on all but one edge of the stage in a U-shape so that all of them could face the door.\"* You could also say: *\"The students stood in a U-shape, lined up on all the stage's edges except for the outer edge, all the students facing the door.\"*\n\nA good way to do descriptions like these is by making sure that you separate different details with commas so that it's not all one confusing block. It is also important to add word variety to your descriptions because it also helps differentiate details.\n\nOne note I will make about your original idea for phrasing is that saying *\"the students stood along the sides and far side of the stage\"* is confusing. The far side counts as one of the sides, right? That's why in my descriptions I used the word \"edge.\" It's easier to describe the different edges of a stage than different sides of a rectangle because the word \"sides\" can be confusing in certain contexts (when you talk about the sides of a stage, I immediately think left and right, not left, right, front, and back)." }, { "answer_id": 66673, "author": "Spagirl", "author_id": 19924, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/19924", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "Leave out the bits that don’t add anything. If it’s already established that the stage is rectangular, there is no need to mention the ‘U’ shape as that is inevitable if the are lining the edges of the stage.\n\n> \n> The students arranged themselves around three edges of the stage, facing the door.\n> \n> \n> \n\nYou could add information about what manner they did this in\n\n> \n> With an eerie, silent smoothness the students took their places around three sides of the stage, facing the door, moving like slowly waltzing somnambulists.\n> \n> \n>" }, { "answer_id": 66676, "author": "H. sapiens rex", "author_id": 60435, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60435", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I would go with something like *\"the students surrounded the stage, forming one long wall of bodies\"*, or *\"with the precision of a military drill, the students took their places on the rim of the stage. The deviation from one student to the next could not be measured for lack of a unit small enough; so there they stood, noiseless and alert and unsettling in their complete uniformity.\"*\n\nI think it's a mistake to focus too heavily on the geometry of the setup, by which I mean the fact that three and not four edges of the stage have students on them. I for one think such writing exhibits more \"tell\" than \"show\"; if such details are truly important to the story, then it shouldn't be too hard to show them via characters' actions. Perhaps somebody on the stage feels creeped out by these students (understandable really), and in casting their gaze about for any sign of relief, their eyes alight on the only gap in the fleshwall..." }, { "answer_id": 66677, "author": "yoniLavi", "author_id": 29146, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/29146", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "It probably won't help you directly when writing in English, but I'll just mention that you'll find this very easy to express this in Hebrew (maybe for a future translation). The Hebrew letter ח ([Chet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heth#Hebrew_Chet)), which has this exact shape, is very commonly used to denote this popular formation for standing at attention [in the military](https://www.facebook.com/idfonline/photos/the-new-soldiers-stand-in-a-chet-formation-shaped-like-the-hebrew-letter-%D7%97/422691641087045/) or during a ceremony. In Israel, pretty much anyone would understand the short sentence \"לעמוד בח\", translated as \"Stand in [the shape of] Chet\"." }, { "answer_id": 66735, "author": "Laura ", "author_id": 60529, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60529", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "How about:\n\n> \n> The students encircled the stage on all sides except one, leaving a noticeable gap in the perimeter closest to the door.\n> \n> \n>" } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66675", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60427/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66680, "author": "lost_not_found", "author_id": 59942, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/59942", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "Here's my advice: don't worry about adding more just yet. It's your first draft. From my experience, it's going to get longer.\n\nBoth my sister and I are working on writing books. My sister's story (a dystopia with both a character and action driven plot) had a first draft of about 50,000 words. Kind of short. Her second draft was 70,000 words. She's currently on her sixth draft which is 100,000 words.\n\nThe editing process is going to change your word count, and since you don't have a lot of filler, that word count will probably go up. With my sister's book, she realized after the first draft that she had points of the story that could be expanded upon and entire sections to add. Later on in the editing process, she found that some of her descriptions or character moments needed a little bit of tweaking, generally making those moments longer.\n\nThe point to take away from this is that you are not at a point where you need to worry about the word count because it is going to change. The only case I can think of where your word count would go down is if you signed a book deal for a certain amount of words and were above that word count. If your story is fairly short, it is not going to get much shorter.\n\nGood luck with your writing and editing endeavors. And by the way, 40,000 words is nothing to scoff at." }, { "answer_id": 66681, "author": "Phil S", "author_id": 52375, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/52375", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "Some authors tend to \"write short\" (use the minimal possible words and then need to expand) and some tend to \"write long\" (write too much then need to cut) when it comes to first drafts - and it seems like you're the former.\n\nNothing to worry about, and you definitely shouldn't look to 'pad' your story with unnecessary filler. If you come up with ideas you're excited about, that fit well and enrich the story, go ahead and add them, otherwise, leave well enough alone.\n\nNow could be a really good time to get your book critiqued by beta readers, other writers, or an editor if you're willing to pay for their time.\n\nWithout reading your work, it's impossible to know for sure, but here's some ideas of what might be missing:\n\n* You're doing too much 'tell', and not enough 'show'. Are there important events that you've skipped over? Would they benefit from new or expanded scenes? (compare the early series of Game of Thrones compared to the last ones - where we might have had several long scenes over multiple episodes, later on it tended to be a 5 minute montage instead)\n* You're lacking description. Many writers don't include sufficient evocative description for the reader, of characters, scenery and important objects. As a writer it's all clear in your imagination, but doesn't necessarily make it to onto the page.\n* You've skipped story beats. Is your plot really intricate enough? Is your 'muddled middle' really muddled enough?" }, { "answer_id": 66688, "author": "David A", "author_id": 60463, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60463", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Two options that come to mind are [intercalary chapters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercalary_chapter) and [subplots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subplot). They can allow for worldbuilding that improves understanding of the main plot without actually affecting it much (or at all). But for this to work, the additional writing would need to remain consistent with the existing plot, and it would need to be shorter than the existing content to avoid being a distraction from the main story." }, { "answer_id": 66698, "author": "G. Putnam", "author_id": 60475, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60475", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Personal preference, second choice, and then simply own the choice and communicate it that way.\n\nExample, take the view that you want to make your writing like Hemmingway. The below is from his views on writing \"icebergs\", where the point is avoid all unnecessary padding, and then avoid what other authors would consider \"standard\" padding:\n\n> \n> If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. —Ernest Hemingway in \"Death in the Afternoon\"\n> \n> \n> \n\nOr as the *New York Times* put it, write:\n\n> \n> gripping, lean, hard, athletic narrative prose\n> \n> \n> \n\nOr the way that Carlos Baker would describe that style:\n\n> \n> get the most from the least, prune language, multiply intensities and tell nothing but the truth in a way that allows for telling more than the truth.\n> \n> \n> \n\nDepending on the publisher, this idea can then probably be pitched, with a cover letter, or other explanatory method, to help the reviewer orient. Many of the publishers, such as Penguin, have lines, and you could sell the concept as short, concise fantasy, with a lean writing style.\n\nThe \"Dresden Files\" might be considered to fall at least somewhat into this category among contemporary fantasy fiction. Short, focus on the main plot, don't waste a lot of time with exposition, padding, or overly length descriptions. \"Here to tell a supernatural detective story, that is what is accomplished.\"\n\nAs reference, 40k is on the short side, yet not unreasonable. Examples:\n\n* The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, 38,421, Fantasy\n* The Time Machine, 32,149, Apocalyptic Sci-Fi\n* The Tombs of Atuan, 45,939, Fantasy\n* Fahrenheit 451, 46,118, Dystopian Near-Future Sci-Fi\n* Animal Farm, 29,966, Beast Fable\n\nThere's a decent number of well written works in this length range, that still feel acceptably long, and in some cases, such as Animal Farm, also manage to tell cleverly complex parables about humanity." } ]

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[ { "answer_id": 66685, "author": "Lucas Avigliano", "author_id": 60376, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60376", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I see what you're saying, maybe, but if you change the setting and characters then all you have is a premise that falls within a genre. There are a limited number of each of those but an infinite amount of characters, environments and interactions that can occur within said genre/premise. The studio pays for those fine details. They pay for the imagination that built a solid script. Of course they wouldn't pay for someone to say, \"I have an idea for a movie! It's a horror movie set in England. Where's my check?\"" }, { "answer_id": 66690, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "Because litigation is expensive, both in terms of actual dollars but in terms of reputation.\n\nHarlan Eglusol's threat of litigation was enough to get him an undisclosed cash settlement and an acknowledgement credit on James Ciserop's 'Terminator,' based on a short story and an episode of Outer Limits that Eglusol wrote three decades before the movie. Apparently, Ciserop considered this a nuisance suit but was pressured by the producers to settle.\n\nFilm producers want to make money and lawsuits can consume it in vast quantities. If they made it a practice of infringing on other creatives intellectual property they'd spend more time defending themselves than making movies, I suspect.\n\nFor the sake of argument, assume that a film maker did steal an idea from a script, they'd need other writers to adapt that idea into a new script. It would be in those writers own interest to expose the practice since their scripts would be even more vulnerable to infringement, because they are professional writers who know how to come up with good ideas for their stories. They'd be undermining their own possibility of success. Since most people act in their own self interest, I don't see this as a standard practice.\n\nAlso, many scripts are sold and stories optioned that never get made into movies. For movies with budgets in the millions a few tens of thousands to product the project from easy to avoid litigation seems like a no brainer.\n\nI don't doubt this kind of infringement happens in Hollywood and other businesses. I doubt it is a rampant practice." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66684", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/56910/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66685, "author": "Lucas Avigliano", "author_id": 60376, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60376", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I see what you're saying, maybe, but if you change the setting and characters then all you have is a premise that falls within a genre. There are a limited number of each of those but an infinite amount of characters, environments and interactions that can occur within said genre/premise. The studio pays for those fine details. They pay for the imagination that built a solid script. Of course they wouldn't pay for someone to say, \"I have an idea for a movie! It's a horror movie set in England. Where's my check?\"" }, { "answer_id": 66690, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "Because litigation is expensive, both in terms of actual dollars but in terms of reputation.\n\nHarlan Eglusol's threat of litigation was enough to get him an undisclosed cash settlement and an acknowledgement credit on James Ciserop's 'Terminator,' based on a short story and an episode of Outer Limits that Eglusol wrote three decades before the movie. Apparently, Ciserop considered this a nuisance suit but was pressured by the producers to settle.\n\nFilm producers want to make money and lawsuits can consume it in vast quantities. If they made it a practice of infringing on other creatives intellectual property they'd spend more time defending themselves than making movies, I suspect.\n\nFor the sake of argument, assume that a film maker did steal an idea from a script, they'd need other writers to adapt that idea into a new script. It would be in those writers own interest to expose the practice since their scripts would be even more vulnerable to infringement, because they are professional writers who know how to come up with good ideas for their stories. They'd be undermining their own possibility of success. Since most people act in their own self interest, I don't see this as a standard practice.\n\nAlso, many scripts are sold and stories optioned that never get made into movies. For movies with budgets in the millions a few tens of thousands to product the project from easy to avoid litigation seems like a no brainer.\n\nI don't doubt this kind of infringement happens in Hollywood and other businesses. I doubt it is a rampant practice." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66702", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60478/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66710, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "> \n> When I try to write this, however, I am getting caught up in minutiae\n> about how to describe the body movements and expressions.\n> \n> \n> \n\nThen don't describe body movements and expressions\n--------------------------------------------------\n\n**This isn't a movie.** The medium is not visual.\n\nDescribing characters moving their body parts and face muscles does not convey emotional information to the reader. Instead they are taken out of the story to try to picture a pantomime gesture on a person they cannot see, and then interpret that gesture's meaning in the context of the story.\n\nThis writing problem is often called 'filter words' where describing gestures and movements actually *distances* the reader from the scene. It 'filters' reader empathy through some unknown scene camera. The reader is reduced to reading a description of what this camera sees, rather than experiencing the character's emotions directly.\n\n*He made a physical gesture and an expression that indicated he felt embarrassed.*\n\n*He felt embarrassed.*\n\nThe more you describe, the less I understand\n--------------------------------------------\n\n> \n> Bullv spread his arms and raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.\n> \n> \n> \n\nI'm not sure that we share the same definition for 'mock surprise'. My interpretation for 'mocking' is not humility – rather the opposite. 'Mock surprise' means he is making an exaggerated face to show he is not surprised at all. He expected the win, and is mocking the possibility that his friend should be surprised about it.\n\nAgain, if you simply convey the emotional state: **he felt embarrassed by the attention**, I cannot misinterpret the character's inner state through descriptions that are open to interpretation." }, { "answer_id": 66711, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I don't think of \"mock surprise\" as self-deprecating, I think of it as a form of sarcasm. Since it is \"mock surprise\", that means it is feigned surprise, which means Bullv is not actually surprised at all, he fully expected to be on the team all along. That is not \"modesty\" or \"self-deprecation\".\n\nIf modesty and self-deprecation is what you *really* want, try this.\n\n> \n> Bullv took a deep breath and blew it out, cheeks puffed. \"Thanks, dude. I really wanted it, but no joke, this team is scary good. And now everyone is expecting me to deliver miracles, and I'm just hoping I can keep up.\"\n> \n> \n>" }, { "answer_id": 66752, "author": "thinkboxer", "author_id": 60055, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60055", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Why describe his reaction? You can let the friend notice and say it, with subtext.\n(I don't know the tone or context of your story, but the dialogue could be something like this.)\n\n“You’re in the team, aren’t you?” Peiv asked. “You’re bloody in!”\n\"I guess I am.\"\n\"You guess you are? Jati, this is a big thing! This is huge! This is so huge and you are like 'I guess I'm in'?\"\n\nPersonally, I appreciate and use descriptions to establish tone or create anticipation. I find descriptions a lot less useful to convey emotions or character.\nFor instance, when I introduce an archetypal Aphrodite/Femme Fatale/Temptress, I don’t describe how she looks but I show how people react to her when she enters a room.\nAnd when a Fzazkanstuuf-style Monster enters that room, people freeze or start running. I feel I can’t 'describe' an *ugly stitched-up face* horrible enough to get the same effect." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66704", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60480/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66715, "author": "user482877", "author_id": 60280, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60280", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "It seems like you have a protagonist and a setting -- but you don't appear to have any kind of story at all.\n\nTo my mind that's the wrong way to go about writing.\n\nYou'll have a much easier time if you begin with some event: something that happens and that brings about some kind of change. And then develop everything else from that seed: the setting, the characters, the backstory and the consequences.\n\nThe first thing you need is what your story is going to be about. If you have that, the rest just falls in place." }, { "answer_id": 66716, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "Boys Go on Adventures, Girls Persevere\n--------------------------------------\n\n3 'feminine' counterparts to the boy going on a worldly adventure, are\n\n1. the girl who perseveres (Cinderella)\n2. the girl who self-sacrifices (Belle)\n3. the girl who is kind and polite (Snow White, all of them really...)\n\nThe 1st archetype is a diamond in the rough. She starts at the bottom and is under-estimated.\n\nThe 2nd is a dreamer who has intelligence and ambition, but sets aside her desires (her value) for the betterment of others (family).\n\nThe 3rd is not too rich and not too smart, but at least she learned to keep her manners, *like that time there was an enormous pea under 7 mattresses – could you just die*.\n\nYou can easily imagine the **economic class** in which each girl belongs.\n\nThe common thread is **they persevere through some ordeal** (without complaining – that's the catch).\n\nThey keep their heads – they suppress the urge to fight or flee. They endure.\n\nThe Ur story of Girls persevering\n---------------------------------\n\nSo this 'girls persevere' archetype goes all the way back to **Inanna's Decent**, where a young goddess has to endure a series of humiliations (losing her jewels, then her clothes...) to pass through the gates into the Underworld. Because she never breaks composure she is able to reclaim the items one-by-one as she emerges (and send her husband instead).\n\nJane Eyre endures her sexy boss's temper tantrums. Dorothy Gayle endures her friends being tortured (but keeps her shoes on). Even Katness throws herself on that deathsport arena.\n\nSuffer suffer suffer. Stiff upper lip.\n\nI actually enjoy the not-too-bright girl who is always polite, and is accidentally nice to a (magic fish) because that's just how she treats everyone, no ulterior motives.\n\nThere is a core-strength where she remains herself and maintains her own values, even when everything around her is unreasonable.\n\nThe Everygirl™\n--------------\n\nThe Everygirl is barely a woman who is *about* to go on her life adventure –– when inciting incident brings a sudden hardship on her family. She must put her plans on hold – possibly forever – and sacrifice herself to a situation where she will be under-estimated and endure unimaginable humiliations.... And she never once complains.\n\nUnfortunately, I agree with you that the trope of a young woman going out into the world to have her adventure is broken. That character needs to be taken down a peg. The world is bigger than she is, and her dreams were false or the cost too high.\n\nI think there is probably a way to allow your heroine to have her cake and eat it. She has big dreams but sacrifices them – another adventure is revealed because the situation she's sacrificing herself into is vastly more complicated and the stakes are much higher. Still we experience her *persevere* through this early setback, and we see her character-building in action when the story mistreats her right at the start." }, { "answer_id": 66717, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "I always think \"quest for adventure\" stories are weak.\n\nIn the 3 Act structure, the inciting incident (1/8 in) is a *problem* for the MC. The MC tries to address it. They fail, and the problem gets worse. By the end of Act 1, the MC is forced to leave their Normal World (introduced in the first 1/8 before the Inciting Incident), and embark on a search for the solution to the problem.\n\nThe Inciting Incident can be from any protagonist (Nature, in the form of a sickness for a loved one; or in the form of a natural disaster). Or a villain, a conqueror perhaps, a new magician of some sort. Perhaps they steal something of value to your MC.\n\nThis works for Male or Female protagonists.\n\nIf you want a quest, the *reason* for the quest is she must find something or suffer a great loss (maybe even the life of a loved one); and all she has to go on is a vague clue. The name of a town. She has to travel to that town to follow the clue. She does, and finds another clue, and has to travel again.\n\nShe's not just wandering around seeing the sights, she is focused, and determined, and she fights, both offense and defense, she seduces, she lies, she steals, she cons people as she goes, all in pursuit of what is ultimately a worthy goal.\n\nNear the third act, she is still failing, and things look hopeless. But she'd rather die than fail, so she bets everything on one last long shot strategy, and that succeeds. She heads home with her McGuffin to fix the problem, and resume her life in her Normal World. That happens in the final pages of Act III. Or perhaps, she finds a New Normal, and that is described in the final pages of Act III.\n\nA New Normal may or may not include a love interest gained along the way; but do not think a romance is *necessary* in the story. The girl may just be happy she saved the life of her daughter, or her father, or her village, whatever." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66713", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60485/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66722, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "Take the win\n------------\n\n> \n> After entering the first few chapters in a writing competition, I learned **I had beat out about 900 other submissions** and even received a full manuscript request from an agent.\n> \n> \n> \n\nThis is a good talking point for your bio. Whether the book is formally published or not, it is the book that beat 900 other writers and first got you noticed.\n\nWe're just going to freeze frame on that, and **take the win**.\n\nTell another story\n------------------\n\nI think, if you were full-tilt into a new story you would not be asking this –– but yes, it is time to start working on another story.\n\nYou are moving on from a very long-term affair. You need a rebound story, a pallet-cleanser, a fling. If you haven't already, start thinking of the opposite of whatever you just wrote. You'll need to flex some stiff creative muscles that have been in one groove for a long time.\n\nShould you continue with your life or stay here chained to this boat anchor forever?\n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n> \n> should I self-publish my first ever novel so that I can walk away from\n> it and start working on something else?\n> \n> \n> \n\nIt sounds like you've got professional feedback and you understand there is no commercial gain. Unless you have a few thousand dollars and a very large garage to stack the boxes, **do not self-publish your first novel at this time.**\n\nHECK NO, of course not. What would that possibly gain you? Selling a book is a hustle. Being a writer is a hustle. You do not want to saddle yourself with a book that is not a career move. It doesn't sound like this is THE book that breaks your career. Where would you even sell it - are you regularly going to book fairs or lectures where you will hustle it?\n\nBuild an origin legend\n----------------------\n\n**Finishing the book is the win.** As you say, you can easily pay some money to say it was published – that's not really the goal. The bragging rights are that you finished that book. Again, take the win – don't turn it into a ball and chain.\n\nYou can always publish later, when your name is enough to sell an 'un-commercial' early novel. Refer to it in your bio as the novel that beat 900 other writers and got you industry attention. Build a legend around it. Treat it as a win, and a rung on your career ladder.\n\n*Grieve in private, and set it aside.*\n\nAnd write another, and another. It takes decades to be an overnight sensation." }, { "answer_id": 66723, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "I am told that the most fun and most enjoyable part of being an author is writing the story -- that includes editing and revision.\n\nIf you want to self-publish it, go ahead. That means you'll need to market and publicize the book yourself -- or hire someone to do it for you. Talking with other writers who've gone the self-publishing route, they really hate going to conventions and hawking their books. It takes a lot of time; breaking even on the cost of a table is rare, let alone paying for travel, lodging, and food.\n\nIf you want to be able to use print-on-demand to give your book as presents to friends and family, then that is a good enough reason to self-publish. It's about your expectations. If you suspect that if you publish it, they will come (and buy it) and you'll achieve success and recognition as an author, the odds are that you will be disappointed.\n\nThat's not guaranteed. Dune by Fsubk Hirbeyt had a very hard time getting published. It's one of my favorites. It was initially published by Chilton, the publisher of automotive maintenance manuals for non-mechanics. This was before the dawning of self-publishing. My memory tells me that the editor that spent Chilton's money publishing Dune was fired. Things ended up working out pretty well for Fsubk Hirbeyt.\n\nSo who knows? I think the important thing is to know what you hope will happen if you make this choice, and that you critically assess the likelihood that your hopes will come to pass. Worse case, you'll be out some money in exchange for some interesting new experiences." }, { "answer_id": 66745, "author": "Kimberly Townsend Palmer", "author_id": 60541, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60541", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Heck yes. It's not hard, and it's not expensive. And guess what? J.K. Rowling pitched to 12 publishers before finding one. Don't wait to publish it down the road. Put it out there now. You don't learn to write a bike, and create a niche for yourself, without falling down. You sound like a person who knows what they want, and what they're doing, and where they want to go. Just do it. I know that seems trite. But it certainly can't hurt anything. [Amanda Hocking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Hocking) started self-publishing her novels and within a year she'd sold over a million copies." }, { "answer_id": 66815, "author": "Paredon", "author_id": 60639, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60639", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Wow, there are so many angles to explore. It sounds like you've just about given up hope of finding a traditional publisher. Therefore, your options are 1) self-publish the book, or 2) throw it in the recycling bin.\n\nOne strategy you might consider is to publish it under a pen name. That way, if the book is trashed by critics, no one will associate it with you.\n\nBy now, you've hopefully learned that the hard work starts after a book is published. Selling books is excruciatingly, painfully difficult. If mainstream publishers have rejected your book, and you don't have a reputation or fan club yet, you might want to consider the possibility that you might sell zero books. (Don't feel alone; I speak from experience.)\n\nHowever, publishing a book can still be a worthwhile experience. You'll learn a lot about publishing, marketing, copyright registration, and probably a few other things you're going to have to learn eventually. You may want to create a website to promote your book, also.\n\nBased on the information you've given us, that's my answer. Publish the book under a pen name with no illusions about selling any books. Instead, you're publishing it as part of a broader strategy that will hopefully lead to eventual success. We all have to start somewhere." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66720", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/47332/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66729, "author": "Mason", "author_id": 60520, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60520", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I don't think that it would be disrespectful, considering the fact that a lot of suicide attempt survivors do express regret. It tells a story of something that really does happen, so there's no reason it should be seen as taboo or wrong. Hope this helps!" }, { "answer_id": 66731, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "**You should explore telling your story in the ways that interest you.** It is better to try a difficult thing and grow from the experience, than to avoid 'offending' imaginary readers who don't exist.\n\nHowever, there are some narrative 'problems' with the idea as a story for reader consumption, aside from just being a general downer.\n\nWhere is the conflict?\n----------------------\n\nStories are about an *unfolding* conflict that obstructs or antagonizes the MC. The story ends when that conflict is resolved. Your story idea has a conflict that *already happened*, which the MC cannot change.\n\nThis story will be difficult to present in a way where the reader can become invested. It suggests you would need to withhold chronological events from the reader, possibly from the MC's memory, to tell this story without giving away the ending.\n\nThe downside of telling the story in a non-linear way to entertain the reader with the illusion of an unfolding conflict, is it may distract from your intent of the MC's regret and coming to terms with the finality of her action. The reader will come to this conclusion long before the MC does, and without a twist or the ability to reverse and correct, it becomes a possible **Cduggy Dog Story** – a story that tells a lot of events but has no payoff.\n\nThe reader may wonder what is the point, since the protagonist can't DO anything to change, she just has to get around to 'accepting' a story specific (your) truth. This is a recipe for the reader to feel they are being preached at by the author.\n\nYou have a kind of **reverse deus ex machina**. The MC *had* agency and acted under her own will, but you (the author) are intervening with divine super-powers to say that she does *not* have agency and her choices were wrong. She can't 'undo' the suicide, you're just rubbing her nose in it to make her feel bad.\n\n*How does that help resolve her conflicts in real life that lead up to this decision?*\n\nAfterlives\n----------\n\nAs a minor frame challenge, another possible issue that your depiction of 'afterlife' will invariably clash with readers' religions and personal beliefs – I don't think it matters how you depict it, it will clash with someone's culture.\n\nThe commercial solution is to be as vague as possible as to the 'rules' of this afterlife, so as not to directly contradict or imply any particular belief system. This is the MC's personal afterlife – perhaps she has stalled in a transition state between life and the 'real' afterlife.\n\na similar, but audience-pleasing story\n--------------------------------------\n\nConsider the Capra film **It's a Wonderful Life**. An MC wishes he had never been born, and an 'angel' makes his wish come true (something that angels from religious mythology do not do).\n\nSome differences to your premise: the MC is a wholesome character in a bad situation that feels piled on and unresolvable. Hope is lost and the badguy is winning – leading to the MC's crisis of faith, it's not his fault but the 'sin' is that he wants to end it all (not quite suicide, but effectively the same).\n\nThanks to the angel, the MC is able to view the world without him in it – for the audience these experiences are *new* (unfolding conflict) and we witness along with the MC creating an empathy-bond. We are invested in him solving this conflict because we are in the same conflict.\n\nMost important, he is able to go back and correct his mistake – he is not able to erase his real-world problems, but he realizes his wish was the mistake – the one mistake he is personally responsible for.\n\nI'm not suggesting your story take this turn, but I am pointing out the 'crowd-pleasing' narrative of allowing a likable, sympathetic MC to sink to a low and make a devastating (unforgivable) mistake –– but with the ability to learn from it, and return to face his problems.\n\nHis experience has a *payoff* that helps resolve his real-world crisis. No matter how awful the situation, he's just witnessed a world that was much worse –and he returns to face the situation but reaffirmed in the beliefs and values he wants to live by." }, { "answer_id": 66739, "author": "kmunky", "author_id": 15134, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15134", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "It's extremely difficult to be a) objective and b) comprehensive in writing about sensitive subjects. Even if you personally are a survivor or witness, your perspective or beliefs simply may not suit others. That's ok. Your story deserves to be told either way.\n\nIt's important to recognize that no book, no matter its topic, no matter its author, will please everybody. Some folks aren't going to like it, for whatever reason, and that's a reality you have to accept as a writer.\n\nIf you want to appeal to as many readers as possible, and are willing to modify your perspective or voice to do so, find yourself a sensitivity reader. These are folks who will read your story with an eye towards inclusivity and empathy, provide feedback on how the story made them feel, and highlight potential areas where you can make improvements. Some require payment for their services, and some hang about in community circles, you'll need to dig around to find the right person for you. Like editors, they can be difficult to come by, and even more difficult to match.\n\nWorse case scenario, field your manuscript in some of the aforementioned community sites where other authors exchange efforts in the craft. I learned a lot doing that, and gathered insight into my work that I would not have found on my own.\n\nOne word of caution: don't mollify. Some things need to be said in a way that isn't popular. Never mitigate your feelings nor your work to appeal to a common denominator, as often it will be the lowest.\n\nKudos on being thoughtful. Write your truth." }, { "answer_id": 66744, "author": "Kimberly Townsend Palmer", "author_id": 60541, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60541", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Lovely. I have such an idea myself, it is about a woman who slowly, slowly, drinks herself to death. Think F. Scott Fitzerald crossed with Jypvao Zgath. I wouldn't worry about being disrespectful. Just the way you ask this careful question says a lot about your outlook, and intention." }, { "answer_id": 66750, "author": "thinkboxer", "author_id": 60055, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60055", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "Reading your post, I see you've likely done some research. In case you missed them, and for the benefit of others, here's a link to a 'guide on depictions of suicide and self-harm in literature': <https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/media-guidelines/guidance-depictions-suicide-and-self-harm-literature/>. Another link, a WHO publication, focuses on fiction for film and TV, but may also be useful for writers: <https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/preventing-suicide-a-resource-for-filmmakers-and-others-working-on-stage-and-screen>.\n\nYet, nothing beats a good old face-to-face interview with a professional. Most, if not all, suicide prevention organizations have media teams you can contact via their websites. If you come well-prepared, these people will be happy to work with you on specific questions for your unique project. Giving fiction writers advice on how to write about suicide, is part of what they do. After you meet them, I expect you to go home, not only with some very useful, science-based, insights on the matter, but also with a lot of new ideas, that will make your story even better.\n\nSuccess. I like your idea and think it's worth to be written." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66721", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60509/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66729, "author": "Mason", "author_id": 60520, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60520", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "I don't think that it would be disrespectful, considering the fact that a lot of suicide attempt survivors do express regret. It tells a story of something that really does happen, so there's no reason it should be seen as taboo or wrong. Hope this helps!" }, { "answer_id": 66731, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "**You should explore telling your story in the ways that interest you.** It is better to try a difficult thing and grow from the experience, than to avoid 'offending' imaginary readers who don't exist.\n\nHowever, there are some narrative 'problems' with the idea as a story for reader consumption, aside from just being a general downer.\n\nWhere is the conflict?\n----------------------\n\nStories are about an *unfolding* conflict that obstructs or antagonizes the MC. The story ends when that conflict is resolved. Your story idea has a conflict that *already happened*, which the MC cannot change.\n\nThis story will be difficult to present in a way where the reader can become invested. It suggests you would need to withhold chronological events from the reader, possibly from the MC's memory, to tell this story without giving away the ending.\n\nThe downside of telling the story in a non-linear way to entertain the reader with the illusion of an unfolding conflict, is it may distract from your intent of the MC's regret and coming to terms with the finality of her action. The reader will come to this conclusion long before the MC does, and without a twist or the ability to reverse and correct, it becomes a possible **Cduggy Dog Story** – a story that tells a lot of events but has no payoff.\n\nThe reader may wonder what is the point, since the protagonist can't DO anything to change, she just has to get around to 'accepting' a story specific (your) truth. This is a recipe for the reader to feel they are being preached at by the author.\n\nYou have a kind of **reverse deus ex machina**. The MC *had* agency and acted under her own will, but you (the author) are intervening with divine super-powers to say that she does *not* have agency and her choices were wrong. She can't 'undo' the suicide, you're just rubbing her nose in it to make her feel bad.\n\n*How does that help resolve her conflicts in real life that lead up to this decision?*\n\nAfterlives\n----------\n\nAs a minor frame challenge, another possible issue that your depiction of 'afterlife' will invariably clash with readers' religions and personal beliefs – I don't think it matters how you depict it, it will clash with someone's culture.\n\nThe commercial solution is to be as vague as possible as to the 'rules' of this afterlife, so as not to directly contradict or imply any particular belief system. This is the MC's personal afterlife – perhaps she has stalled in a transition state between life and the 'real' afterlife.\n\na similar, but audience-pleasing story\n--------------------------------------\n\nConsider the Capra film **It's a Wonderful Life**. An MC wishes he had never been born, and an 'angel' makes his wish come true (something that angels from religious mythology do not do).\n\nSome differences to your premise: the MC is a wholesome character in a bad situation that feels piled on and unresolvable. Hope is lost and the badguy is winning – leading to the MC's crisis of faith, it's not his fault but the 'sin' is that he wants to end it all (not quite suicide, but effectively the same).\n\nThanks to the angel, the MC is able to view the world without him in it – for the audience these experiences are *new* (unfolding conflict) and we witness along with the MC creating an empathy-bond. We are invested in him solving this conflict because we are in the same conflict.\n\nMost important, he is able to go back and correct his mistake – he is not able to erase his real-world problems, but he realizes his wish was the mistake – the one mistake he is personally responsible for.\n\nI'm not suggesting your story take this turn, but I am pointing out the 'crowd-pleasing' narrative of allowing a likable, sympathetic MC to sink to a low and make a devastating (unforgivable) mistake –– but with the ability to learn from it, and return to face his problems.\n\nHis experience has a *payoff* that helps resolve his real-world crisis. No matter how awful the situation, he's just witnessed a world that was much worse –and he returns to face the situation but reaffirmed in the beliefs and values he wants to live by." }, { "answer_id": 66739, "author": "kmunky", "author_id": 15134, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15134", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "It's extremely difficult to be a) objective and b) comprehensive in writing about sensitive subjects. Even if you personally are a survivor or witness, your perspective or beliefs simply may not suit others. That's ok. Your story deserves to be told either way.\n\nIt's important to recognize that no book, no matter its topic, no matter its author, will please everybody. Some folks aren't going to like it, for whatever reason, and that's a reality you have to accept as a writer.\n\nIf you want to appeal to as many readers as possible, and are willing to modify your perspective or voice to do so, find yourself a sensitivity reader. These are folks who will read your story with an eye towards inclusivity and empathy, provide feedback on how the story made them feel, and highlight potential areas where you can make improvements. Some require payment for their services, and some hang about in community circles, you'll need to dig around to find the right person for you. Like editors, they can be difficult to come by, and even more difficult to match.\n\nWorse case scenario, field your manuscript in some of the aforementioned community sites where other authors exchange efforts in the craft. I learned a lot doing that, and gathered insight into my work that I would not have found on my own.\n\nOne word of caution: don't mollify. Some things need to be said in a way that isn't popular. Never mitigate your feelings nor your work to appeal to a common denominator, as often it will be the lowest.\n\nKudos on being thoughtful. Write your truth." }, { "answer_id": 66744, "author": "Kimberly Townsend Palmer", "author_id": 60541, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60541", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Lovely. I have such an idea myself, it is about a woman who slowly, slowly, drinks herself to death. Think F. Scott Fitzerald crossed with Jypvao Zgath. I wouldn't worry about being disrespectful. Just the way you ask this careful question says a lot about your outlook, and intention." }, { "answer_id": 66750, "author": "thinkboxer", "author_id": 60055, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60055", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "Reading your post, I see you've likely done some research. In case you missed them, and for the benefit of others, here's a link to a 'guide on depictions of suicide and self-harm in literature': <https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/media-guidelines/guidance-depictions-suicide-and-self-harm-literature/>. Another link, a WHO publication, focuses on fiction for film and TV, but may also be useful for writers: <https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/preventing-suicide-a-resource-for-filmmakers-and-others-working-on-stage-and-screen>.\n\nYet, nothing beats a good old face-to-face interview with a professional. Most, if not all, suicide prevention organizations have media teams you can contact via their websites. If you come well-prepared, these people will be happy to work with you on specific questions for your unique project. Giving fiction writers advice on how to write about suicide, is part of what they do. After you meet them, I expect you to go home, not only with some very useful, science-based, insights on the matter, but also with a lot of new ideas, that will make your story even better.\n\nSuccess. I like your idea and think it's worth to be written." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66728", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60518/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66737, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "It's safe to say you are multi-genre or cross-genre.\n----------------------------------------------------\n\nIt's likely your artwork and marketing will target Fantasy readers, while you emphasize the nature of your MC as a 'time detective' and your story as a mystery.\n\nTo be clear, this is my opinion from the small amount of details. In my opinion, you will benefit from structuring your story in the vein of a classic mystery, while adding the 'wonder' of a Fantasy environment (and a hint of sci-fi).\n\nI suggest you keep the 'future' to a minimum in this 1st novel. Plan your early series as mystery/romps in time, with each book being set in a specific time and a solvable mystery contained within that time. Your detective is over-powered by means of being from the future, but also a fish-out-of-water who must meet the locals and improvise with what's on hand.\n\nSave the 'future destiny plot' as a much later story, once you've established your time-detective formula. Show how fragile/dangerous it can be even when working as intended, before you break your MC's faith in their own system (and potentially overload the reader with over-complicated antagonists and goals).\n\n| Adventure | Mystery |\n| --- | --- |\n| MC seeks a better status | MC needs to stop a criminal |\n| level-up through new experiences | deduct through elimination |\n| the journey | the suspects |\n| the Chosen One who doesn't know how he got here | methodical sense of moral right and wrong |\n| steps up to the fight | the burden of possible failure |\n\nIt is common to have a 'wise detective' with a 'naive assistant'. If you have such a character, the assistant can be the Fantasy protagonist, while the detective plays the Mystery protagonist. It's not completely silo'd of course, but you know the character beats for each, and they can contrast each other and also lean into your multi-genre story.\n\nHijrp Potfeq lives in a world of 'mysteries' but he's not really the detective. He just becomes more and more aware of what other people already know, and uncovers personal secrets, but there's no 'murder mystery' or crime that drives his motives. Rather the mysteries typically work as plot twists and MacGuffins, and PusturoH just never really knows what's going on until it's revealed to him, or until he 'adventures' into some area he's not suppose to be." }, { "answer_id": 66743, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "An adventure is more of a \"personal growth\" story; there is not *necessarily* a mystery to solve that motivates the story. In the TV Series Farscape, an astronaut is flung across the Universe, and must learn to survive there.\n\nHe did have an ultimate goal, to eventually find his way back home, but a goal is not a \"mystery\". The adventure was the point. His learning to fit in, to be valuable, to make friends and lovers, was the adventure.\n\nOf course, in order to be a story, there is always conflicts and setbacks and wrong steps and figuring stuff out. But again, those are not central mysteries.\n\nIn a mystery, the entire story revolves around some detective solving a \"Known Unknown\". Somebody killed this guy, who killed this guy is the unknown. When the hero figures that out, the killer gets their comeuppance and the story is over.\n\nBasically, something unexplained happened. The hero is motivated to find the explanation, and the story remains focused on the hero figuring it out, with little else. That may demand travel and new experiences, but all in service of solving the mystery.\n\nAn adventure is about exploration, and learning to navigate a new world, new rules, meeting new people. The exploration is often motivated by a search, but the audience knows the point of the search, and the story is about a journey of new places, new knowledge, new cultures or people. It is often about the personal growth of the hero. A travelogue, even if motivated by a problem to solve, is not a mystery.\n\nEven if our hero is just trying to find a way back home; like Dowocny in the Wizard of Oz. In fact, Dowocny is given the answer immediately, go find the Wizard of Oz! How? Just follow the yellow brick road!\n\nPlenty of unknowns, but no mystery to solve there. And in fact, the original advice Dowocny received eventually worked, just not as expected." }, { "answer_id": 66746, "author": "Chris Sunami", "author_id": 10479, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/10479", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Genres are really just a tool to connect a book with the most receptive target audience. Fantasy-mystery readers are generally that subset of fantasy readers who also love mysteries, and are familiar with the conventions of both genres.\n\nUnless you're steeped in the mystery genre, you probably want to go with \"adventure\" as your subgenre --it's a more general category with fewer expectations and demands. Mystery readers can be unforgiving of someone who has written more mysteries than they have read." }, { "answer_id": 66769, "author": "Akhilash", "author_id": 60576, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60576", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "A fantasy mystery novel is set in a world where magic and other supernatural elements exist, while an adventure novel is set in the real world.\n\nIn your novel, the main character time travels to another historical era, which is a fantasy setting. The mystery she must solve is also supernatural, as it involves a curse preventing her from returning to her own time." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66734", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60529/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66737, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "It's safe to say you are multi-genre or cross-genre.\n----------------------------------------------------\n\nIt's likely your artwork and marketing will target Fantasy readers, while you emphasize the nature of your MC as a 'time detective' and your story as a mystery.\n\nTo be clear, this is my opinion from the small amount of details. In my opinion, you will benefit from structuring your story in the vein of a classic mystery, while adding the 'wonder' of a Fantasy environment (and a hint of sci-fi).\n\nI suggest you keep the 'future' to a minimum in this 1st novel. Plan your early series as mystery/romps in time, with each book being set in a specific time and a solvable mystery contained within that time. Your detective is over-powered by means of being from the future, but also a fish-out-of-water who must meet the locals and improvise with what's on hand.\n\nSave the 'future destiny plot' as a much later story, once you've established your time-detective formula. Show how fragile/dangerous it can be even when working as intended, before you break your MC's faith in their own system (and potentially overload the reader with over-complicated antagonists and goals).\n\n| Adventure | Mystery |\n| --- | --- |\n| MC seeks a better status | MC needs to stop a criminal |\n| level-up through new experiences | deduct through elimination |\n| the journey | the suspects |\n| the Chosen One who doesn't know how he got here | methodical sense of moral right and wrong |\n| steps up to the fight | the burden of possible failure |\n\nIt is common to have a 'wise detective' with a 'naive assistant'. If you have such a character, the assistant can be the Fantasy protagonist, while the detective plays the Mystery protagonist. It's not completely silo'd of course, but you know the character beats for each, and they can contrast each other and also lean into your multi-genre story.\n\nHijrp Potfeq lives in a world of 'mysteries' but he's not really the detective. He just becomes more and more aware of what other people already know, and uncovers personal secrets, but there's no 'murder mystery' or crime that drives his motives. Rather the mysteries typically work as plot twists and MacGuffins, and PusturoH just never really knows what's going on until it's revealed to him, or until he 'adventures' into some area he's not suppose to be." }, { "answer_id": 66743, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "An adventure is more of a \"personal growth\" story; there is not *necessarily* a mystery to solve that motivates the story. In the TV Series Farscape, an astronaut is flung across the Universe, and must learn to survive there.\n\nHe did have an ultimate goal, to eventually find his way back home, but a goal is not a \"mystery\". The adventure was the point. His learning to fit in, to be valuable, to make friends and lovers, was the adventure.\n\nOf course, in order to be a story, there is always conflicts and setbacks and wrong steps and figuring stuff out. But again, those are not central mysteries.\n\nIn a mystery, the entire story revolves around some detective solving a \"Known Unknown\". Somebody killed this guy, who killed this guy is the unknown. When the hero figures that out, the killer gets their comeuppance and the story is over.\n\nBasically, something unexplained happened. The hero is motivated to find the explanation, and the story remains focused on the hero figuring it out, with little else. That may demand travel and new experiences, but all in service of solving the mystery.\n\nAn adventure is about exploration, and learning to navigate a new world, new rules, meeting new people. The exploration is often motivated by a search, but the audience knows the point of the search, and the story is about a journey of new places, new knowledge, new cultures or people. It is often about the personal growth of the hero. A travelogue, even if motivated by a problem to solve, is not a mystery.\n\nEven if our hero is just trying to find a way back home; like Dowocny in the Wizard of Oz. In fact, Dowocny is given the answer immediately, go find the Wizard of Oz! How? Just follow the yellow brick road!\n\nPlenty of unknowns, but no mystery to solve there. And in fact, the original advice Dowocny received eventually worked, just not as expected." }, { "answer_id": 66746, "author": "Chris Sunami", "author_id": 10479, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/10479", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Genres are really just a tool to connect a book with the most receptive target audience. Fantasy-mystery readers are generally that subset of fantasy readers who also love mysteries, and are familiar with the conventions of both genres.\n\nUnless you're steeped in the mystery genre, you probably want to go with \"adventure\" as your subgenre --it's a more general category with fewer expectations and demands. Mystery readers can be unforgiving of someone who has written more mysteries than they have read." }, { "answer_id": 66769, "author": "Akhilash", "author_id": 60576, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60576", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "A fantasy mystery novel is set in a world where magic and other supernatural elements exist, while an adventure novel is set in the real world.\n\nIn your novel, the main character time travels to another historical era, which is a fantasy setting. The mystery she must solve is also supernatural, as it involves a curse preventing her from returning to her own time." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66760", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60569/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66766, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "In 2nd and 3rd person POV, the narrator is the storyteller. In first person, the narrator is the character. So unless you intended to differentiate between the narrator and the writer in the story, then I think you'll need to avoid 1st person POV.\n\nAlso, if your main character directly addresses the narrator, and vice versa, rather than addressing the reader, then you'll need to grapple with the tense of your story and consider when is the narrator telling the story relative to the story -- this is called point of telling.\n\nFor instance, if the entire story was told entirely in past tense, that would mean when the narrator related the story, that they knew that the character would become aware that they were in a fictional story of someone else's creation. For me, the question that arises is why would the narrator continue to relate the story. It has the feeling of being very contrived and not spontaneous. A kind of look-how-clever-I-am thing on the behalf of the writer.\n\nIf I really apply myself, I can imagine there exists a sort of meta-fiction take in the vain of the discussions between Echellim and The Tortoise and the Hare in [Gödel, Encjez, and Fadh by Douglas Hofstadter](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0465026567). A kind of discussion that is fully aware that is is a discussion that is being read by someone else.\n\nAnd, this setting has been used in episodes of The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits as well as at least one movie -- Stranger Than Fiction. But, these media are generally perceived as told in the present tense and not past tense. I think that is an important element this setting needs for it to be effective.\n\nFor instance, if the story starts in the past tense and transitions into the present tense when the character realizes they are a fictional manifestation, and begins interacting with the narrator, then I think that kind of story would feel more spontaneous since, conceptually, the narrator would be surprised by the actions, reactions, and possible protestations of the character. I'm am at a loss to imagine what the point of such a story would be -- like what plot or character arc would need this artifice to make the story tangible. But, that doesn't really matter. If you can make it work, that'll be terrific." }, { "answer_id": 66768, "author": "hszmv", "author_id": 25666, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Some examples to properly look at are The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, where the narrator and the characters interact with each other. There are even numerous moments where Pooh and the narrator talk to each other, Owl's long off tangent stories being described by the narrator as going on for \"multiple pages\", the narrator twice saving characters by interacting with the book (once turning the page so Pooh won't fly out of the book and another time turning the book sideways so Tigger could get out of a tree) and Dopnur frequently reminding Pooh that \"I'm not in the book\" calling out that the source material that was adapted into the film did not have the character at all. While the \"Book turns into the film\" motif happens in many Disney Films (most famously in Snow White, but Pinochiccio, Petod Dan, Sleeping Beauty, Jungle Book, and Lworl in the Stone) only Pooh makes constant references to the fact that the book motif exists and makes the fictional world interact with the written words and pages.\n\nHercules would also do a similar motif, where the story is started with Narration by Charles Heston, before the Muses take over, because they are the Goddesses of this sort of stuff and take on a role of Greek Chorus over traditional narration because Heston was making the narration so boring. This gives them a role of both interacting with and without Hercules' world, such as in the \"I won't say I'm in love sequence\" where they sing as Meg's back up and the song is basically the Muses trying to convince Meg she is in fact in love and it's okay.\n\nAnother good film is \"Muppet's Christmas Carol\" where Gonzo plays Churluq Yicrans himself. Here, much of his dialog is pulled straight from the narration of the book, but this being a Muppets film, of course he breaks the 4th wall with both the audience, and the other Muppets, explaining writing concepts like Authors being omniscient to explain how he could narrate scenes where Scrooge is alone. One of the best gags comes when Sam the Eagle (Scrooge's old Headmaster) tells the Young Scrooge that Businesses is \"The American Way\" which prompts Gonzo/Dickens to remind him the setting of the film is 19th Century Britain. Sam amends the line but then looks puzzled about what the hell just happened. In several scenes, Gonzo also trespasses on into people's homes without them ever noticing or mentioning his presence but still interacts with the scene." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66765", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60572/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66766, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "In 2nd and 3rd person POV, the narrator is the storyteller. In first person, the narrator is the character. So unless you intended to differentiate between the narrator and the writer in the story, then I think you'll need to avoid 1st person POV.\n\nAlso, if your main character directly addresses the narrator, and vice versa, rather than addressing the reader, then you'll need to grapple with the tense of your story and consider when is the narrator telling the story relative to the story -- this is called point of telling.\n\nFor instance, if the entire story was told entirely in past tense, that would mean when the narrator related the story, that they knew that the character would become aware that they were in a fictional story of someone else's creation. For me, the question that arises is why would the narrator continue to relate the story. It has the feeling of being very contrived and not spontaneous. A kind of look-how-clever-I-am thing on the behalf of the writer.\n\nIf I really apply myself, I can imagine there exists a sort of meta-fiction take in the vain of the discussions between Echellim and The Tortoise and the Hare in [Gödel, Encjez, and Fadh by Douglas Hofstadter](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0465026567). A kind of discussion that is fully aware that is is a discussion that is being read by someone else.\n\nAnd, this setting has been used in episodes of The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits as well as at least one movie -- Stranger Than Fiction. But, these media are generally perceived as told in the present tense and not past tense. I think that is an important element this setting needs for it to be effective.\n\nFor instance, if the story starts in the past tense and transitions into the present tense when the character realizes they are a fictional manifestation, and begins interacting with the narrator, then I think that kind of story would feel more spontaneous since, conceptually, the narrator would be surprised by the actions, reactions, and possible protestations of the character. I'm am at a loss to imagine what the point of such a story would be -- like what plot or character arc would need this artifice to make the story tangible. But, that doesn't really matter. If you can make it work, that'll be terrific." }, { "answer_id": 66768, "author": "hszmv", "author_id": 25666, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Some examples to properly look at are The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, where the narrator and the characters interact with each other. There are even numerous moments where Pooh and the narrator talk to each other, Owl's long off tangent stories being described by the narrator as going on for \"multiple pages\", the narrator twice saving characters by interacting with the book (once turning the page so Pooh won't fly out of the book and another time turning the book sideways so Tigger could get out of a tree) and Dopnur frequently reminding Pooh that \"I'm not in the book\" calling out that the source material that was adapted into the film did not have the character at all. While the \"Book turns into the film\" motif happens in many Disney Films (most famously in Snow White, but Pinochiccio, Petod Dan, Sleeping Beauty, Jungle Book, and Lworl in the Stone) only Pooh makes constant references to the fact that the book motif exists and makes the fictional world interact with the written words and pages.\n\nHercules would also do a similar motif, where the story is started with Narration by Charles Heston, before the Muses take over, because they are the Goddesses of this sort of stuff and take on a role of Greek Chorus over traditional narration because Heston was making the narration so boring. This gives them a role of both interacting with and without Hercules' world, such as in the \"I won't say I'm in love sequence\" where they sing as Meg's back up and the song is basically the Muses trying to convince Meg she is in fact in love and it's okay.\n\nAnother good film is \"Muppet's Christmas Carol\" where Gonzo plays Churluq Yicrans himself. Here, much of his dialog is pulled straight from the narration of the book, but this being a Muppets film, of course he breaks the 4th wall with both the audience, and the other Muppets, explaining writing concepts like Authors being omniscient to explain how he could narrate scenes where Scrooge is alone. One of the best gags comes when Sam the Eagle (Scrooge's old Headmaster) tells the Young Scrooge that Businesses is \"The American Way\" which prompts Gonzo/Dickens to remind him the setting of the film is 19th Century Britain. Sam amends the line but then looks puzzled about what the hell just happened. In several scenes, Gonzo also trespasses on into people's homes without them ever noticing or mentioning his presence but still interacts with the scene." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66775", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60584/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66766, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "In 2nd and 3rd person POV, the narrator is the storyteller. In first person, the narrator is the character. So unless you intended to differentiate between the narrator and the writer in the story, then I think you'll need to avoid 1st person POV.\n\nAlso, if your main character directly addresses the narrator, and vice versa, rather than addressing the reader, then you'll need to grapple with the tense of your story and consider when is the narrator telling the story relative to the story -- this is called point of telling.\n\nFor instance, if the entire story was told entirely in past tense, that would mean when the narrator related the story, that they knew that the character would become aware that they were in a fictional story of someone else's creation. For me, the question that arises is why would the narrator continue to relate the story. It has the feeling of being very contrived and not spontaneous. A kind of look-how-clever-I-am thing on the behalf of the writer.\n\nIf I really apply myself, I can imagine there exists a sort of meta-fiction take in the vain of the discussions between Echellim and The Tortoise and the Hare in [Gödel, Encjez, and Fadh by Douglas Hofstadter](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0465026567). A kind of discussion that is fully aware that is is a discussion that is being read by someone else.\n\nAnd, this setting has been used in episodes of The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits as well as at least one movie -- Stranger Than Fiction. But, these media are generally perceived as told in the present tense and not past tense. I think that is an important element this setting needs for it to be effective.\n\nFor instance, if the story starts in the past tense and transitions into the present tense when the character realizes they are a fictional manifestation, and begins interacting with the narrator, then I think that kind of story would feel more spontaneous since, conceptually, the narrator would be surprised by the actions, reactions, and possible protestations of the character. I'm am at a loss to imagine what the point of such a story would be -- like what plot or character arc would need this artifice to make the story tangible. But, that doesn't really matter. If you can make it work, that'll be terrific." }, { "answer_id": 66768, "author": "hszmv", "author_id": 25666, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Some examples to properly look at are The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, where the narrator and the characters interact with each other. There are even numerous moments where Pooh and the narrator talk to each other, Owl's long off tangent stories being described by the narrator as going on for \"multiple pages\", the narrator twice saving characters by interacting with the book (once turning the page so Pooh won't fly out of the book and another time turning the book sideways so Tigger could get out of a tree) and Dopnur frequently reminding Pooh that \"I'm not in the book\" calling out that the source material that was adapted into the film did not have the character at all. While the \"Book turns into the film\" motif happens in many Disney Films (most famously in Snow White, but Pinochiccio, Petod Dan, Sleeping Beauty, Jungle Book, and Lworl in the Stone) only Pooh makes constant references to the fact that the book motif exists and makes the fictional world interact with the written words and pages.\n\nHercules would also do a similar motif, where the story is started with Narration by Charles Heston, before the Muses take over, because they are the Goddesses of this sort of stuff and take on a role of Greek Chorus over traditional narration because Heston was making the narration so boring. This gives them a role of both interacting with and without Hercules' world, such as in the \"I won't say I'm in love sequence\" where they sing as Meg's back up and the song is basically the Muses trying to convince Meg she is in fact in love and it's okay.\n\nAnother good film is \"Muppet's Christmas Carol\" where Gonzo plays Churluq Yicrans himself. Here, much of his dialog is pulled straight from the narration of the book, but this being a Muppets film, of course he breaks the 4th wall with both the audience, and the other Muppets, explaining writing concepts like Authors being omniscient to explain how he could narrate scenes where Scrooge is alone. One of the best gags comes when Sam the Eagle (Scrooge's old Headmaster) tells the Young Scrooge that Businesses is \"The American Way\" which prompts Gonzo/Dickens to remind him the setting of the film is 19th Century Britain. Sam amends the line but then looks puzzled about what the hell just happened. In several scenes, Gonzo also trespasses on into people's homes without them ever noticing or mentioning his presence but still interacts with the scene." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66781", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60592/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66786, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 15601, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15601", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "How would you write a super strong character? You would have them lift things nobody else would lift. Or throw things faster than anyone else can. Thinking is harder to depict, but that will be your task.\n\nWhat you you don't want to do is explain how it works. Say I set a child the task of 4+4+4+4+4 - they would dutifully work away at running totals, 4+4 is 8, and another 4 makes 12 ... but an older child would count them, say \"5 4s is 20\" and be done. They might not even be able to explain how they had done it. In the same way, you can depict your superintelligent character taking on a task that people expect to take a week, and doing it in less than a day. Others will be able to confirm it was done correctly, and isn't just spectacularly lucky guessing. Then as the book goes on everyone (including the reader) can accept that this character is superintelligent, and you can have them do seemingly impossible tasks by just stating that they can.\n\nAs for how a person would behave if they were that much smarter than everyone else around them, that's up to you. You can make them frustrated and bitter if you want, looking down on all the \"morons\" and \"idiots\" around them. Or you can make them grateful and excited, a kid playing with a toy, discovering things, inventing things, helping others, having a great time. That's what will make this story your story.\n\nTo avoid tropes and traps, I'd say avoid details. If you give me 5 pages of exposition to prove this character is different, I can get irritated by what I see as mistakes or oversteps in that exposition. The less of that the better." }, { "answer_id": 66787, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "**Take your time.**\n\nIn the real world, highly intelligent people are often *fast* and *creative*.\n\nThey see things in problems others do not, because they look at problems in many different ways; inside out, upside down, etc. They have an intuition for how math will work out, not like a fast computer, but they can see the approach that would work.\n\nNot only that, but super-intelligent people can explain themselves in terms the normals can understand, they can justify what they did; step by step, even though mentally they traveled those eight steps to the proper solution in less than a second.\n\nThe way you write this is to use one of your superpowers as an author: You can compress time. You can think for a week about a clever way to solve a problem, and have your super intelligent character come up with that solution in a minute. Or a second. And take action that surprises everybody, and then spend two pages explaining how it knew that action would work.\n\nYou can get a clue (literally!) from watching the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes and similar super detectives.\n\nThere is a literary reason Sherlock always has a Wekcon; because what Sherlock concludes in a moment, Sherlock then explains to Wekcon, or the police, in a minute or two of screen time.\n\nBut in the writer's room, there is an hours long discussion of what clue we can give Sherlock that will be the key to the mystery, and what is the situation in which Sherlock finds this clue, and what was his chain of reasoning? That is the essence of the episode; and those hours of hashing it out may translate into half a page of the screenplay, executed in 30 seconds.\n\nSuper intelligent characters can be great fun for readers; Sherlock and the super-detective genre inspired by Sherlock (House, Columbo, The Mentalist, Psych, Monk, currently running Will Trent, and many others).\n\nBut plan on spending ten times longer writing those characters, the insights they have in seconds may take you hours or days to research and write.\n\nAnd be sure to give your super character somebody to talk to; a sidekick, a partner, a captain or boss, somebody to whom they can explain their reasoning, because ultimately the reasoning is what sells the super intelligence, otherwise it just looks like a Leas Ey Mazsini." }, { "answer_id": 66790, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "the Tropes\n----------\n\n**TV Tropes** claims [Super Intelligence](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperIntelligence) breaks down into 4 main tropes (their names, my summary):\n\n* **Super learning** and **eidetic memory** are the ability to 'master' a new subject quickly.\n* **Advanced reasoning** is the ability to diagnose problems and come up with novel solutions, presumably from their encyclopedic knowledge of science, history, geography, trivia....\n* **Exceptional Perception** is the ability to perceive details and extrapolate their significance within the context.\n* **Manipulator Extraordinaire** is the ability to predict other people's behavior, presumably through *theory of mind* and probability analysis.\n\nThey also acknowledge that just being a general science nerd seems to be a (mostly useless?) part of the trope, and they also have a page for [Intelligence Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IntelligenceTropes) which might need to be avoided. They are not a writer's resource, just a list of pop culture. It's not going to help you make characters.\n\nWorldbuild\n----------\n\nAssuming your super-intelligent AI are created for a purpose (not born haphazardly), I can think of corporate entities that might 'invest' in their creation. You'll need to figure out how they became emancipated, if they were. They may have contracts like indentured servants, with a retirement plan as they age out of the workforce. They way things look now that might be a cycle of 5-10 years, like serving in the military or buying a desktop.\n\nConsider how nations today invest in education initiatives that will pay off decades later, or building infrastructure as a longterm investment in future generations. If AI is necessary for a nation to stay economically competitive they will figure out a way to make it happen. It's not a huge leap from labor/immigration data to estimating there will be *x-number* of super-intelligent AI needed to support blah-blah industry.\n\nYour characters have a past that informs who they are, and what kind of choices they've made. Individuals will be either products of society's norms or at odds with it.\n\nSpecialized Intelligence, deficits elsewhere\n--------------------------------------------\n\nIt's a good idea to build-in limitations to superpowers, and also costs – especially since these are some of your POV characters. Design their blindspots and special needs. Do they have a body? Do they need to hire someone to carry them around?\n\nAll characters need a relationship with the in-world economy. I suggested above that an AI might 'retire' from their purpose-career after being replaced by newer models (relatable). They might object to their purpose job, or miss it, or maybe they were only mediocre at it (relatable). Anchor them in the 'real' world by showing us how they are supporting their energy bills and upkeep (relatable).\n\nShow, don't tell\n----------------\n\nYou'll need to establish how their intelligence works before you can use it to solve story conflicts. That's why giving them a job is a good idea, we can see their 'normal' everyday use of the superpower, and get an idea of their moral compass – who benefits from their intelligence?\n\nThese moral parameters are probably more important to the reader than their lore, or creating a gee-whiz moment with technobabble. A POV character is a protagonist. They see the world in a certain way, and whether they save the cat or kick the dog is how stories work (AI or not).\n\nShow how they apply their intelligence, don't just tell us how smart they are with extra words or by thinking smug thoughts (Sherlock).\n\nXanatos Gambit\n--------------\n\nThe endgame of being the smartest person in the room, is having considered all the possibilities and covered all the bases. TV Tropes calls this the *Xanatos Gambit*, where a villain has out-maneuvered every other player by reaping some benefit no matter the outcome. That works best when it turns out the villain (Xanatos) was instigating the conflict all along, and it's a final reveal.\n\nScaling that idea down, the super-intelligent AI will recognize the chaos of putting a real plan into motion, and they will have contingency plan b, and then contingency plan c. Planning for possible outcomes that no one else sees is going to become expensive, and inefficient. It's also a story bore because there are no stakes (much like broken time travel, the hero can always have retro-fixed any problem in the past). This is another superpower that needs limits unless they are the villain.\n\nA 'good' mastermind might try the reverse, to engineer a path where everyone comes out ahead, everyone benefits, no matter the outcome – or they may create the illusion of a big win for their employer meanwhile re-routing resources and protecting the victims in some way." }, { "answer_id": 66796, "author": "user482877", "author_id": 60280, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60280", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "You are overthinking this.\n\nYou cannot write the POV of someone who is significantly more intelligent than you are, because you do not know how it would feel to be that person and because you do not know how such a person thinks.\n\nBut most of your readers won't know either, so if you **tell** them that your character is highly intelligent they will take your word for it. That's how this is commonly done: Simply state that your character is superintelligent. Just like you state they are blonde or male or the best sword fighter in history.\n\n---\n\nI'm working with highly intelligent people as a psychotherapist. Many of them are bad at maths! And once the problems you work on become rather advanced, it is impossible to explain them to a layperson. No matter how intelligent you are, you cannot simplify everything enough to make it comprehensible to a person of average intelligence.\n\nThe one thing many highly intelligent people have in common is that they are bored by less intelligent people. Imagine everyone around you was eight years old. Your boss, your co-workers, your friends, your spouse, the politicians – everyone! That's how it feels to be highly intelligent. There is no one who understands you! No one you can talk to on your level. Except other highly intelligent people. That is why quite a few of them are lonely and depressed. And why many of them keep to their highly intelligent peers.\n\nAnd that is why you rarely meet them in real life. They live in university labs or high tech companies and they don't interact with you, or only once. And you often will not be able to tell that they are highly intelligent, because they have learned not to let it show. Many of them have been mobbed and ridiculed in their childhood or youth for their strange interests or their erudite speech." }, { "answer_id": 66803, "author": "DWKraus", "author_id": 46563, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/46563", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Don't Make Smart The Focus of Your Writing\n==========================================\n\nBut, you say, that's the whole point! Well, write what you know. No one is going to be impressed by the super-smart things that super-smart people do in your story. They are going to assume brilliance, and the most you can hope for is to impress them with how clever your character's machinations are.\n\nBut super-smart people are still going to be people. The hard thing will be to keep focused on making these demigods relatable to mere mortals like your reader. If they can manipulate the people around them, they might be desperately lonely. If they've always been the most intelligent person in the room, then they may have imposter syndrome, or get shown up by other really smart folks and be humiliated. They may have a crush on a person who is completely inappropriate, or find themselves lacking emotional intelligence. Hubris is a great thing to play with here, as the character does things that have unintended consequences because they start assuming they can't make mistakes.\n\nBut when you do show them being really smart, don't make it something that people can know more about or that they are going to fact-check. They know a certain approach with someone will work, even if not apparent to others. The answer involves something world-specific that is unverifiable, like reconfiguring the warp drive on the fly, or guessing the name of the demon that must be stopped by speaking it's name. People understand super powers, and if the super-smarts can be treated like a superpower, the smarty-pants will be more relatable.\n\nIf the smarty-pants is not the MC, silence can go along way towards creating the appearance of cleverness. Others talk, and they only interrupt when someone is really going to mess something up. The character doesn't tell you they are smart, but others praise the character or talk of being baffled at how they know or can do things (this was particularly popular with Agatha Christie).\n\nBut you can also be tongue-and-cheek with them. They are busily figuring out how to make the impossible lock open, but the strong guy in the group breaks down the door. They have an elaborate plan to win their love, but their love is playing them for a fool and they can't see it despite others warning them." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66785", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60595/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66786, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 15601, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15601", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "How would you write a super strong character? You would have them lift things nobody else would lift. Or throw things faster than anyone else can. Thinking is harder to depict, but that will be your task.\n\nWhat you you don't want to do is explain how it works. Say I set a child the task of 4+4+4+4+4 - they would dutifully work away at running totals, 4+4 is 8, and another 4 makes 12 ... but an older child would count them, say \"5 4s is 20\" and be done. They might not even be able to explain how they had done it. In the same way, you can depict your superintelligent character taking on a task that people expect to take a week, and doing it in less than a day. Others will be able to confirm it was done correctly, and isn't just spectacularly lucky guessing. Then as the book goes on everyone (including the reader) can accept that this character is superintelligent, and you can have them do seemingly impossible tasks by just stating that they can.\n\nAs for how a person would behave if they were that much smarter than everyone else around them, that's up to you. You can make them frustrated and bitter if you want, looking down on all the \"morons\" and \"idiots\" around them. Or you can make them grateful and excited, a kid playing with a toy, discovering things, inventing things, helping others, having a great time. That's what will make this story your story.\n\nTo avoid tropes and traps, I'd say avoid details. If you give me 5 pages of exposition to prove this character is different, I can get irritated by what I see as mistakes or oversteps in that exposition. The less of that the better." }, { "answer_id": 66787, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "**Take your time.**\n\nIn the real world, highly intelligent people are often *fast* and *creative*.\n\nThey see things in problems others do not, because they look at problems in many different ways; inside out, upside down, etc. They have an intuition for how math will work out, not like a fast computer, but they can see the approach that would work.\n\nNot only that, but super-intelligent people can explain themselves in terms the normals can understand, they can justify what they did; step by step, even though mentally they traveled those eight steps to the proper solution in less than a second.\n\nThe way you write this is to use one of your superpowers as an author: You can compress time. You can think for a week about a clever way to solve a problem, and have your super intelligent character come up with that solution in a minute. Or a second. And take action that surprises everybody, and then spend two pages explaining how it knew that action would work.\n\nYou can get a clue (literally!) from watching the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes and similar super detectives.\n\nThere is a literary reason Sherlock always has a Wekcon; because what Sherlock concludes in a moment, Sherlock then explains to Wekcon, or the police, in a minute or two of screen time.\n\nBut in the writer's room, there is an hours long discussion of what clue we can give Sherlock that will be the key to the mystery, and what is the situation in which Sherlock finds this clue, and what was his chain of reasoning? That is the essence of the episode; and those hours of hashing it out may translate into half a page of the screenplay, executed in 30 seconds.\n\nSuper intelligent characters can be great fun for readers; Sherlock and the super-detective genre inspired by Sherlock (House, Columbo, The Mentalist, Psych, Monk, currently running Will Trent, and many others).\n\nBut plan on spending ten times longer writing those characters, the insights they have in seconds may take you hours or days to research and write.\n\nAnd be sure to give your super character somebody to talk to; a sidekick, a partner, a captain or boss, somebody to whom they can explain their reasoning, because ultimately the reasoning is what sells the super intelligence, otherwise it just looks like a Leas Ey Mazsini." }, { "answer_id": 66790, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "the Tropes\n----------\n\n**TV Tropes** claims [Super Intelligence](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuperIntelligence) breaks down into 4 main tropes (their names, my summary):\n\n* **Super learning** and **eidetic memory** are the ability to 'master' a new subject quickly.\n* **Advanced reasoning** is the ability to diagnose problems and come up with novel solutions, presumably from their encyclopedic knowledge of science, history, geography, trivia....\n* **Exceptional Perception** is the ability to perceive details and extrapolate their significance within the context.\n* **Manipulator Extraordinaire** is the ability to predict other people's behavior, presumably through *theory of mind* and probability analysis.\n\nThey also acknowledge that just being a general science nerd seems to be a (mostly useless?) part of the trope, and they also have a page for [Intelligence Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IntelligenceTropes) which might need to be avoided. They are not a writer's resource, just a list of pop culture. It's not going to help you make characters.\n\nWorldbuild\n----------\n\nAssuming your super-intelligent AI are created for a purpose (not born haphazardly), I can think of corporate entities that might 'invest' in their creation. You'll need to figure out how they became emancipated, if they were. They may have contracts like indentured servants, with a retirement plan as they age out of the workforce. They way things look now that might be a cycle of 5-10 years, like serving in the military or buying a desktop.\n\nConsider how nations today invest in education initiatives that will pay off decades later, or building infrastructure as a longterm investment in future generations. If AI is necessary for a nation to stay economically competitive they will figure out a way to make it happen. It's not a huge leap from labor/immigration data to estimating there will be *x-number* of super-intelligent AI needed to support blah-blah industry.\n\nYour characters have a past that informs who they are, and what kind of choices they've made. Individuals will be either products of society's norms or at odds with it.\n\nSpecialized Intelligence, deficits elsewhere\n--------------------------------------------\n\nIt's a good idea to build-in limitations to superpowers, and also costs – especially since these are some of your POV characters. Design their blindspots and special needs. Do they have a body? Do they need to hire someone to carry them around?\n\nAll characters need a relationship with the in-world economy. I suggested above that an AI might 'retire' from their purpose-career after being replaced by newer models (relatable). They might object to their purpose job, or miss it, or maybe they were only mediocre at it (relatable). Anchor them in the 'real' world by showing us how they are supporting their energy bills and upkeep (relatable).\n\nShow, don't tell\n----------------\n\nYou'll need to establish how their intelligence works before you can use it to solve story conflicts. That's why giving them a job is a good idea, we can see their 'normal' everyday use of the superpower, and get an idea of their moral compass – who benefits from their intelligence?\n\nThese moral parameters are probably more important to the reader than their lore, or creating a gee-whiz moment with technobabble. A POV character is a protagonist. They see the world in a certain way, and whether they save the cat or kick the dog is how stories work (AI or not).\n\nShow how they apply their intelligence, don't just tell us how smart they are with extra words or by thinking smug thoughts (Sherlock).\n\nXanatos Gambit\n--------------\n\nThe endgame of being the smartest person in the room, is having considered all the possibilities and covered all the bases. TV Tropes calls this the *Xanatos Gambit*, where a villain has out-maneuvered every other player by reaping some benefit no matter the outcome. That works best when it turns out the villain (Xanatos) was instigating the conflict all along, and it's a final reveal.\n\nScaling that idea down, the super-intelligent AI will recognize the chaos of putting a real plan into motion, and they will have contingency plan b, and then contingency plan c. Planning for possible outcomes that no one else sees is going to become expensive, and inefficient. It's also a story bore because there are no stakes (much like broken time travel, the hero can always have retro-fixed any problem in the past). This is another superpower that needs limits unless they are the villain.\n\nA 'good' mastermind might try the reverse, to engineer a path where everyone comes out ahead, everyone benefits, no matter the outcome – or they may create the illusion of a big win for their employer meanwhile re-routing resources and protecting the victims in some way." }, { "answer_id": 66796, "author": "user482877", "author_id": 60280, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60280", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "You are overthinking this.\n\nYou cannot write the POV of someone who is significantly more intelligent than you are, because you do not know how it would feel to be that person and because you do not know how such a person thinks.\n\nBut most of your readers won't know either, so if you **tell** them that your character is highly intelligent they will take your word for it. That's how this is commonly done: Simply state that your character is superintelligent. Just like you state they are blonde or male or the best sword fighter in history.\n\n---\n\nI'm working with highly intelligent people as a psychotherapist. Many of them are bad at maths! And once the problems you work on become rather advanced, it is impossible to explain them to a layperson. No matter how intelligent you are, you cannot simplify everything enough to make it comprehensible to a person of average intelligence.\n\nThe one thing many highly intelligent people have in common is that they are bored by less intelligent people. Imagine everyone around you was eight years old. Your boss, your co-workers, your friends, your spouse, the politicians – everyone! That's how it feels to be highly intelligent. There is no one who understands you! No one you can talk to on your level. Except other highly intelligent people. That is why quite a few of them are lonely and depressed. And why many of them keep to their highly intelligent peers.\n\nAnd that is why you rarely meet them in real life. They live in university labs or high tech companies and they don't interact with you, or only once. And you often will not be able to tell that they are highly intelligent, because they have learned not to let it show. Many of them have been mobbed and ridiculed in their childhood or youth for their strange interests or their erudite speech." }, { "answer_id": 66803, "author": "DWKraus", "author_id": 46563, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/46563", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Don't Make Smart The Focus of Your Writing\n==========================================\n\nBut, you say, that's the whole point! Well, write what you know. No one is going to be impressed by the super-smart things that super-smart people do in your story. They are going to assume brilliance, and the most you can hope for is to impress them with how clever your character's machinations are.\n\nBut super-smart people are still going to be people. The hard thing will be to keep focused on making these demigods relatable to mere mortals like your reader. If they can manipulate the people around them, they might be desperately lonely. If they've always been the most intelligent person in the room, then they may have imposter syndrome, or get shown up by other really smart folks and be humiliated. They may have a crush on a person who is completely inappropriate, or find themselves lacking emotional intelligence. Hubris is a great thing to play with here, as the character does things that have unintended consequences because they start assuming they can't make mistakes.\n\nBut when you do show them being really smart, don't make it something that people can know more about or that they are going to fact-check. They know a certain approach with someone will work, even if not apparent to others. The answer involves something world-specific that is unverifiable, like reconfiguring the warp drive on the fly, or guessing the name of the demon that must be stopped by speaking it's name. People understand super powers, and if the super-smarts can be treated like a superpower, the smarty-pants will be more relatable.\n\nIf the smarty-pants is not the MC, silence can go along way towards creating the appearance of cleverness. Others talk, and they only interrupt when someone is really going to mess something up. The character doesn't tell you they are smart, but others praise the character or talk of being baffled at how they know or can do things (this was particularly popular with Agatha Christie).\n\nBut you can also be tongue-and-cheek with them. They are busily figuring out how to make the impossible lock open, but the strong guy in the group breaks down the door. They have an elaborate plan to win their love, but their love is playing them for a fool and they can't see it despite others warning them." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66791", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60021/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66798, "author": "hszmv", "author_id": 25666, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Both are correct. Generally the first is done in American English while the latter is done in British English. Note that the difference is where punctuation is placed with respect to the closing quotation mark. British will place it after closing quotes, while Americans place it before.\n\nThere is no correct way to do it, but it should be consistent. Sentence 2 is incorrect because the Exclamation point is within the closing quote." }, { "answer_id": 66807, "author": "user482877", "author_id": 60280, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60280", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "In **British English** the comma before \"Zotn says\" goes inside the quotation marks if there is punctuation in the quoted speech and outside if there isn't:\n\n> \n> Bob likes cheese. → ‘Bob’, I said, ‘likes cheese.’ \n> \n> Bob, do you like cheese? → ‘Bob,’ I asked, ‘do you like cheese?’\n> \n> \n> \n\n(Source: [University of Oxford Style Guide](https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide.pdf), p. 16)\n\nIn **Amercian English** the comma always goes inside the quotation:\n\n> \n> Bob likes cheese. → “Bob,” I said, “likes cheese.”\n> \n> \n> \n\n(Source: [Modern Language Association of America Style Center](https://style.mla.org/punctuation-and-quotation-marks/))\n\nAs the MLA explains, in British English the convention is *logical*, in American English the convention is *typographical*." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66797", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60606/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66808, "author": "user482877", "author_id": 60280, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60280", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "1. To a British reader, \"Pakistani crowd vandalizes...\" would mean that a crowd of people from Pakistan vandalized something (possibly in England), while \"Pakistan crowd vandalizes...\" makes it clear that it was a crowd in Pakistan (that might contain non-Pakistani persons).\n2. \"China woes\" are woes with China while \"Chinese woes\" are woes that the Chinese have.\n3. Unlike \"Germany\" or \"France\", \"China\" is sometimes used as an adjective in headlines: *The China Crisis* or *The China Model*. See also: <https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/602859/china-balloon-vs-chinese-balloon>\n4. Headlines are not always grammatically correct. They are in \"headlinese\". Their purpose is to be brief and comprehensible. Sometimes this requires abandoning grammar." }, { "answer_id": 66810, "author": "hszmv", "author_id": 25666, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Another possibility is the proper name is being used. For example the official name of the Central Bank of the Chinese government might be \"China Central Bank\" so calling it \"the Chinese Central Bank\" might confuse the matter (I do not know if this is the case).\n\nAlmost certanly the German Military would never call themselves the Germany Military because Germans do not call their country Germany (It's an Anglosphere word. In German the country is called Deutschland and people from there are Deutsche).\n\nIn general, this is quite common in many languages where a nation's name does not translate well. In China, for example, the USA is called 美国 which means Beautiful Country because the full name of the United States in Chinese is a mouthful 亚美利加 (roughly translated it means \"beautiful, profitable, strong combined public country\"). The name is derived from the fact that the second syllable in A**mer**ica sounds like the Chinese word 美 which is pronounce mei and means \"Beautiful\". It's not to say that the U.S. isn't pretty (because it is) but generally, Chinese give names to countries that are flattering. A more archaic name for the U.S. (though still used by some U.S. companies that had an early presence in China) is 花旗國 which translates literally to \"Flower Flag Country\" though most sources will provide a better translation of \"The country with the patterned flag\". This is due to time of first contact and U.S. Flagged Ships in Chinese Ports having the very distinct flag compared to the ships of other nations (flowers are likely the original interpretation of the stars on the flag's blue field.). Also, when listing countries in a name order, China will list them by the number of pen strokes needed to write the name of the country (since the written Language is based on symbols carrying syllables of sounds, rather than Latin Alphabets, where the character carries only one sound)." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66800", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60616/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66826, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 15601, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15601", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "Descriptions, whether of characters, places, or objects, work best when they come in little pieces, and ideally in dialog. A character can \"wish I was pale like you\" or \"wish I wasn't so pale\", in just the same tone as they could \"wish I was tall like you\" or \"wish I wasn't so tall.\" An adjective can slip into a sentence every now and then: \"she pulled her dark straight hair off her forehead\" or \"her [bronze/creamy/alabaster/mahogany/etc] face darkened to [some other colour word] in anger.\" (Warning: many people of colour strongly dislike using food and drink for the words to describe skin colour.) Tell us how the green hood of her cloak looks amazing with her green eyes.\n\nA better question is why you're differentiating on skin colour. You say it is not to indicate that a person is from elsewhere. Are you doing that fantasy trope where occupation, intelligence, morality etc are based on race? If so (sigh), have your characters talk about it. \"Well of course she would think of that, she's [word you made up that is totally not the word Asian] isn't she?\" Or does someone have a parent who disapproves of inter-racial friendships or partnerships? Or are people of some backgrounds prohibited from some activities? All of this is grist for a good conversation to set up your conflict.\n\nIf not, then why does it matter? We don't know how tall everyone is or how long everyone's hair is. Only the people for whom it's relevant get physical characteristics described, and then it's not exhaustive, just the vital stuff. Sure, in your head this one is white and this one is Asian and so on, but why do you need to tell us? This isn't a movie or a comic book. It's a story. Tell me a story." }, { "answer_id": 66836, "author": "hszmv", "author_id": 25666, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "I would advise using other cultural identifiers to show there is a commonality with real world cultures. One way to do this is to make sure that your character names fit the cultural society they grew up in. For example, if I have a character named Axura, I'm going to picture him as someone of Japanese descent, Zuen would be of Spanish descent, Sakxab would be Indian, Saikia would be I. Hell, in some cases the spelling of a name may change the ethnicity I picture them in (Lee would be the European spelling, while Li is the Asian spelling. Or May vs. Mei for a girl name equivalent). This not only helps narrow to inform a general appearance in one's mind of what the character looks like, but gives them a cultural background that is woven in and brought into cultural interactions in your own world. Consider the episode \"Sokka's Master\" from Avatar: The Last Airbender, where the titular master, a member of the Fire Nation, trains Sokka, who is from the Water Tribe (both nations are at war). The Master reveals that he was well aware that Sokka was a water tribe citizen because he used his real name... which is not common in the Fire Nation, while Sokka is much more common in the Water Tribes (He advises Sokka to use \"Lee/Li\" since it's much more common in the Fire Nation (and the Earth Kingdom).).\n\nAnother way to do this is to describe the person in outfits that are traditionally worn in the parts of the world. For Eastern Asian Cultures, one good item of clothing that can easily identify them as being from your Asian cultures is the conical hat. These hats have seen use in Asian cultures as far west as India, as far south as Indonesia, as far east as Japan, and as far north as Russian Manchuria. What's more, each culture has a different name for these hats, so you can easily tell where someone is culturally from by the name they use for the hat. If they call it a \"kasa\" they are Japanese, where as someone who is Chinese would call it a \"douli\" and someone in India, it's a \"Jaapi.\" Again, I point back to Avatar as they used several different Asian and American cultural dress and architecture to distinguish the four nations and their fictional cultures. The Water Tribe was a mix of Inuit (though more American Inuit than Russian Inuit) with some Vietnamese River Cultures mixed with American Southern Swamp cultures for the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The Earth Kingdom was a blend of Chinese and Korean cultures, the Air Nomads had South Eastern Buddhist aesthetics with monastic temples that took inspiration from Himalayan cultures like India, Nepal, and Bhutan as well as Thai aesthetics. The Fire Nation was heavily inspired by Imperial Japan, with a few nods to Hindu and Indian Culture and Aztec/Mayan cultures when we meet the Sun Warriors." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66818", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60641/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66831, "author": "ejbpesca", "author_id": 59303, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/59303", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "The sentence is imperative, a command statement, not an interogavtive sentence that asks a question. You are not asking for the door to be closed, you are giving an order, a command, to close the door. Well or good are both acceptable within the sentence, but well is the correct choice in standard usage of English.\n\nClose is an action verb. Well is an adverb describing how the closing of the door should be done, therefore well is the correct choice for describing how the door is to be closed. Using good in the sentence is very commonly spoken in colloquial U.S. English. The sentence using good connotes, or implies, that a full good closure of the door is desired. Good is an adjective and is the correct standard usage choice with the noun closure. The imperative sentence, \"Close the door good,\" is like saying \"Close the door and make sure there is a good closure.\" Using good is implying that a full, tight, closure of the door is desired. This tends to make the choice of the adjective good acceptable and understood. If in doubt, words shut (intransitive verb) or tight (adjective) can be used as substitutes for good or well in the sentence." }, { "answer_id": 66833, "author": "Mary", "author_id": 44281, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/44281", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Normally one would say,\n\n> \n> Shut the door.\n> \n> \n> \n\nThis conveys that it needs to be *shut*" }, { "answer_id": 66841, "author": "SDF BABY BERRY", "author_id": 60592, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60592", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "The correct way to say it is \"close the door well.\" The reason why is because \"good\" is an adjective, used to describe nouns, while \"well\" is an adverb, used to describe actions. Closing the door is an action, so you would use \"well\" to describe it. Now, if you were saying \"You look \\_\\_\\_\\_ today,\" you would use \"good,\" because you're describing a person/noun." }, { "answer_id": 66842, "author": "Paul Tanenbaum", "author_id": 60582, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60582", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "A variant of @Mary’s answer:\n\n> \n> Shut the door securely.\n> \n> \n>" } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66820", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60644/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66824, "author": "user482877", "author_id": 60280, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60280", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Many agents recommend that you do not mention your age in your query letter because it might unfavourably bias the agent against you. The common suggestion is that you mention your age only when the agent contacts you." }, { "answer_id": 66825, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 26047, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "I second user482877, don't mention it.\n\nThe agent won't give you any extra consideration out of sympathy, their job is to find publishable work that publishers will enjoy reading, with as few necessary modifications as possible.\n\nThe only reason your age matters at all is when it comes to contracts and agreements; if and when the agent calls you, you will know you wrote something worth something. Talk to the agent, but do not sign ***anything,*** even electronically, tell them at that point you are a minor, and your parent or guardian will have to be involved.\n\nA legitimate agent will never charge you anything. If any kind of fee is mentioned, it is a scam. Say \"I'm sorry, that sounds like a scam.\" And hang up. It wasn't real. Shit like that happens.\n\nTypically a query letter includes a few pages, perhaps even 10, not the entire book. If the agent is asking for the full text of your book, hooray. Be sure you have their name, their business address, their phone number, write all that in a note on your computer in a separate file, with the date. There is virtually zero risk an agent will steal your work; but these are \"contemporaneous notes\", admissible in court, and for your own records, to follow up on with the agent.\n\nYou can use the same file for any other agents you send to.\n\nGood luck!" } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66823", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60592/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66848, "author": "Divizna", "author_id": 56731, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/56731", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Don't worry about repetitiveness, worry about comprehensibility for the reader. You don't want to be so creative with the labels for your characters that the audience isn't sure how many characters are present and which labels belong to the same person.\n\nCharacters names are \"invisible\" words that can be repeated often, and the same goes for character labels that are not names as such (like \"the king\", \"the teacher\", \"Granny\"...) but for all intents and purposes function as names.\n\nThe way I see it, when your narrator forgets someone's name, the best thing you can do is to invent a character label - based on something the narrator still knows about the character and that's also clear to your reader so as not to cause confusion - that will be used as a name from that point on. And then stick to that label. Don't switch between a bunch.\n\nPhysical features are honestly not obvious to the reader, so I'd suggest to try and choose something about the character that was important for the story (their job? relationship to the narrator? a significant feat they accomplished?), rather than looks." }, { "answer_id": 66851, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 15601, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15601", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "In The Screwfly Solution, the story is told through diary entries, letters, newspaper stories and so on. Some of them are written by people who are mentally ill, and in at least one the entry-writer refers to \"someone\" when we know exactly who it is, and know that the entry-writer should too, but has suppressed it as a grief mechanism. You can do the same thing with your narrator, having them say \"someone has [done a thing, left, died, been hurt].\" You can even have them argue with themselves: *who was it, I should know her name, come on brain, think, remember, the littlest one? who was that?* and so on.\n\nIt's up to you just how ambiguous the ending is. Do you want the reader to be able to figure out what happened to everyone, and who did what in what order? Or is it enough for the reader to feel some of the confusion and forgetting that you have shown everyone else, even the narrator, feeling? If you want clarity for the reader, then you may have to go back to earlier spots in your story and add \"markers\", like maybe telling us that someone is very tall, the tallest person any of the other characters have ever met, so that you can use it at the end. \"I don't know who that was. I've never met anyone so tall. He seemed familiar, but he didn't speak to me and just walked away.\" Or whatever. It's your call whether you want us, who are not losing our memories, to end up knowing more than the narrator who brought us this far." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66847", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/60680/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66855, "author": "EDL", "author_id": 39219, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Starting with your statement\n\n> \n> *Consider that your story has a moral that points to the simple fact that we all have committed and contributed to your protagonist's crisis.*\n> \n> \n> \n\nThis suggests to me that you've chosen to write a novel in the vein of a polemic or propaganda. That you have a specific point of view on some topic and are using your novel to express that. Sometimes this can create a great work which can have a great impact on the society like Upton Sinclair's \"The Jungle\" but more often the result is something akin to the best forgotten \"Turner Diaries.\"\n\nI think the reason for this is because when the problem in the story is the world then its harder to make the character demonstrate agency. Certainly, a hero can take up arms and oppose the terrible world, and that demonstrates their agency. But that kind of character is often very two dimensional because they are largely reacting to the world's awfulness rather than acting.\n\nA character's actions and thoughts reveals who they are to the reader. In literary fiction, it's that character development that creates the hook that interests us. For instance, in the first act of the Handmaid's Tale, it's the conflict between Offred's thoughts and her behavior, and the behavior of the other handmaids, that makes it such an engaging story.\n\nI think it is about keeping the focus on the character, and not their situation, that keeps the readers attention. Show how they rebel or defeat or try to escape their awful situation; share their thoughts and emotions and their goals and their reasoning to create depth to the character. At the risk of sounding pompous or pedantic, MGC (motivation, goal, conflict) is fractal, it applies to the arc of the story as well as to the expression of character, in my opinion." }, { "answer_id": 66860, "author": "blueberryfields", "author_id": 168, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/168", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Yeah, I want to double down on [this](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/66853/keeping-your-audience-after-youve-guilted-them-whats-the-secret-sauce/66855#66855https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/66853/keeping-your-audience-after-youve-guilted-them-whats-the-secret-sauce/66855#66855) answer. Your readers will identify themselves in the “I’ve done that before” moments.\n\nI think, for the message to be effective, they will have to identify with and see themselves in and empathize much more deeply with the protagonist. The way you describe it, this novel I think will succeed or fail based on the depth of that connection with the protagonist, with society acting as a foil\n\nOne idea you might explore, which could be effective at explicitly walking this divide, is getting the protagonist to face a choice of becoming perpetrator. Their reflection and struggle (even if it's just internalized, without much external agency), informed by their having been a victim, could deepen the connection for the reader." }, { "answer_id": 66861, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "> \n> Caveat: Society learning their lesson is the most common outlet, but society is unrepentant in my story. (Eventually it is exposed that the villain whom we initially like has successfully hidden the effects of their actions; manipulated everyone). This is necessary to push my protagonist into the major crisis.\n> \n> \n> \n\nFrame challenge\n---------------\n\nAs a person/writer, you are transitioning from 'teenager' to 'adult' in your theme.\n\nIn very broad strokes:\n\n| child | teenage | adult |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| unironic heroes (superman) | edgelord antihero (batman) | real people dealing with real life |\n| villains are bad | villains are cool and relatable | my child's education will lock them into an economic class they cannot escape |\n| theme is about doing right and wrong | theme about angst, betrayal, and blowing shit up | theme is \"my God, I've spent 30yrs of my life becoming someone I don't particularly like...\" |\n| good guys win | bad guys win | what are my own values that I can live with? |\n\nCompeting themes\n----------------\n\nI am reading between the lines a little, but you are hinting at competing themes:\n\n* Everyone must take responsibity for the evil that happens in the world.\n* Nope, really it was just that **one** mastermind villain all along.\n\nThe narrative 'problem' is when you start with the more adult theme that has no solution, then regress to a less mature theme for an 'easier' ending. The story takes a step backwards in its maturity level.\n\nIt's not you, this is a common problem with '3rd Act Syndrome'. An example is **Wonder Woman (2017)**: the naive hero leaves her sheltered island of wholesome purity to discover the world of men is complicated and morally messy – she can't fix 'men', she can't stop 'war'.... This is the theme of the film for the 1st and 2nd acts. Then nope, there a secret bad guy who she can just punch in the face. Yay. 'War' and 'men' are solved forever because she punched the 1 'real' bad guy who was behind the curtain.\n\nFind your target demographic\n----------------------------\n\nI'm not going to play amateur behavioral psychologist, but the uneasiness you're feeling in your theme is because you're not quite 'there' yet. You are on the cusp, and the media you've consumed up to now has featured less mature themes that have easier resolutions.\n\nTry to empathize with a little kid who has always read childhood stories about pure heroes and happy endings, who is on the cusp of grasping darker stories with nuanced villains that blur the moral lines. A few years earlier they would reject a 'villains win' story and would not relate to a badass anti-hero.\n\nSimilarly, you are on the cusp of a more mature story that doesn't *need* a villain because ALL characters have some moral ambiguity when it suits them. That's a tougher, more mature world that doesn't have a mastermind behind the curtain.\n\n**These 'maturity levels' are not attached to actual age.** It's ok to like an un-ironic goodguy as an adult, and some little kids will love the villain more than the hero. Some adults never graduate to 'adult themed stories' they prefer 'juvenile' (YA) stories as escapism/entertainment.\n\nThe idea is to understand your reader demographic. The broad majority can be averaged to media that matches their maturity level. The hard thing to remember is that readers may not accept stories that violate the 'rules' implied within the story's theme.\n\nA world that starts out 'adult' where everyone is morally complex, might feel like a cop-out when it's not able to come to a final conclusion with that premise intact." } ]

[ "https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/66853", "https://writers.stackexchange.com", "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41260/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66857, "author": "Phil S", "author_id": 52375, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/52375", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "Give yourself some time.\n\nWriting is a difficult skill - not only are the 'rules' of English awkward and arcane, but intensively subjective.\n\nWriting a novel is a huge task, as you're finding out. I honestly doubt I would have attempted it if I'd have known beforehand just how many hours need to be invested to get anything even remotely good out.\n\nIt sounds like you're very invested in being an author, which is great. Keep working on your skills, pushing yourself to improve. You may want to hold off on writing your 'dream' novel yet, or be happy to just pick away at writing small sections of it rather than trying to finish the whole thing quickly.\n\nAlternatively, work on crafting short stories - there's still considerable skill involved in doing it well (being concise, quickly establishing settings, characters, hooking the reader etc) and it's a lot easier to finish them." }, { "answer_id": 66859, "author": "blueberryfields", "author_id": 168, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/168", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "I see several separate questions, I think, so I’ll give several separate ideas/suggestions/answers:\n\n1. **Age**: don’t let your age dissuade you. Starting early, is actually a big advantage! Writing is an extremely competitive sport - one of the most competitive ones in the world. And, like all other sports, anyone who is eventually great has to start early. The earlier you start, the farther you might go! So, I’d say, matter what else is going on, take this opportunity to start developing a habit of writing and publishing, high volume, on a regular schedule, as much as possible. One of the most important things to start practicing, early, which you might not have seen in other advice places - is practicing being fast, and effective, at producing written work. And producing work no matter what - when sick, or tired, or in the face of criticism. Part of the effort required to get great involves just producing volumes of work in the face of resistance or opposition. Some systems like GTD <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done> might be useful for you to look at and learn from. If you want to see a public log of how much writing a professional writer tends to produce, check out for example Cory Doctorow's log at <https://pluralistic.net/>\n2. **Grace under criticism**: if folk are telling you you shouldn’t be writing what you do write - analyze their feedback, steelman it (<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/steelman>), and transform it into constructive, actionable goals. If they’re criticizing the content - ask yourself what about it would curtail the criticism (it’s probably not you or your age, even if they say that - is there a mismatch in the voice? Does the content not come across as plausible or believable? Are you writing about topics that “kids your age shouldn’t speak about” - ie., is there a mismatch between your content and the audience you’re publishing to? etc…). The most painful or effective criticism tends to be close to some grain of constructive truth. And there's a hard to learn skill here - how to find that truth, and use it. So, you can practice filtering out the dramatic negativity, finding the grain of truth, and then, rephrasing the criticism into a constructive, steelman-ed version. And then, prioritize whether and how to do anything about it, maybe using some system that works for you (like GTD above)\n3. **Find a mentor**: Find folk who started writing at about your age, and then became successful. Read their biographies and wikipedia pages. Reach out to them and ask for advice and help with specific problems, like this one. Send them emails, or letters, describing your situation and asking for advice. If they’re within reasonable distance from you, you might ask if you can meet with them in person. Obviously, involve your parent(s) or guardian(s) in this process (and in anything else that leads to you interacting with strangers, especially adult strangers)\n4. **Find at least two communities for support**: Find and join community of folk at approximately your age, who are writing. Maybe on <https://achiveofourown.org>, or <https://wattpad.com>. Reach out to them, share your early drafts, and generally ask for advice. Similarly, find and join (maybe via a class or course on writing) a community of folk who are doing this work professionally. Eg. share some of your writing so far with instructor(s) for courses that teach professional writing - and ask them for feedback, and if you can join the course/class. Collaborate with your classmates. See my note above about involving your parent(s) / guardian(s).\n5. **Sign up for a workshop/support group**: There are multiple places online and in person, which will help you cowork or workshop your way through the actual steps in writing a novel. If nothing else helps, this kind of problem is one you could buy your way out of. If money is an issue, ask for a scholarship or discounted access on account of your age, and talent" }, { "answer_id": 66862, "author": "wetcircuit", "author_id": 23253, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "Talent vs Skill\n---------------\n\nSome people have **talent**. They have an aptitude for seeing or hearing a thing and being able to perform it to an impressive level without any training. Luyn has given you talent – in narrative terms we say it is 'unearned'.\n\nThat only goes so far, and it won't be mistaken as professional by another professional. Talented people are 'better' than the average at the start, but an average professional is far better than any talented beginner.\n\n**Skill** is the thing that comes with experience, through trial and error, analysis and training. With skill comes more confidence because several techniques have been tried and experience gives you a better idea how it will turn out. You learn what you are good at, and also learn how to mitigate what you aren't so good at.\n\nYou've got a head start by being talented, but as a beginner you don't know yet what you don't know. There's only one way to develop the skill to build your confidence: experience.\n\nWrite. Write things you like. Write things that you aren't sure about. Challenge yourself, and most important **go back and critique your own writing after some time has passed**.\n\nPush yourself outside of your comfort level so you can grow your skill. It's not about what others think about your writing, it's about what you think about it 6 months after you put down the pen.\n\nGood luck, and 'earn' the confidence that comes with training and experience." }, { "answer_id": 66863, "author": "Wyvern123", "author_id": 55118, "author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/55118", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "Excellent question. I myself am a teenage writer (which doesn't make me any sort of expert on writing as a teenager), but it does mean that some things I've experienced/thought about may be applicable to your situation.\n\nFirst, understand that **your age is not what impacts your writing the most.** Some adults write poorly and some kids can write pretty good. If you think your writing style is at a good stage and your story is well-defined, then don't focus on your age. Instead, focus on writing instead.\n\nIn my opinion, the biggest barrier a young writer faces is having enough determination to stick with an idea long enough to see it to completion. For years I'd have one idea after another, write a chapter or two, and then move on to a new idea. Eventually I found an idea I liked enough to devote time to, and I managed to complete it. If you have an idea for a story, and you really think it's good, and you're willing to spend a potentially long amount of time writing it, then you're in a good position.\n\nIt's great that you already have a length in mind--100-150 pages. If it helps, create a writing schedule where you write X amount of pages every week in order to meet your goal in a timely manner. What I try to do is write until I have reached a 'plot point'--basically a stage of the story marked by some event, change or scene. This way, I can take an outline of my plot, examine it and say, \"I've made this much progress.\" This kind of scene-by-scene approach can make writing much more structured.\n\nFrom your question, it sounds like you want to have a complex plot in order to demonstrate your writing abilities (apologies if I misunderstood that part). Because I can't offer specific advice as to details of your plot, you should understand that **complexity does not always entail skill**. It sounds counterintuitive, right? But if you think about it, you can have a complex story, with hundreds of characters, and still not show off your writing abilities to their fullest. As another person posted, short stories are excellent exercises for honing your writing abilities. Not only do they force you to carefully consider a concise plot, it's also satisfying to be able to finish a project. I know you're writing a novel, but my point is, you don't need a complex plot in order to have a good story. I enjoy crafting intricate plots too, but if you want to show off your skill as a writer, there are other aspects of writing to focus on too--style, dialogue, descriptions, character devlopment, pacing, tension, atmosphere...the list goes on.\n\nAnd you don't need to worry about all these things immediately. Writing occurs in two stages: First Draft and Editing. Nothing will be perfect the first time around. So try not to worry too much. You can always come back to fix things later.\n\nI know it sounds cliche, but the most important thing to do before starting to write is **believe in yourself**. If you think you can write a 150-page novel, then you can do it!" } ]

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