Newest Questions
13,316 questions
3
votes
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279
views
How to write scenes where high emotions are described by a narrator in the first person who isn’t actually experiencing the emotions?
I am a young writer who has been working for almost two years now on my first draft for a modern fantasy/ fiction novel. As this novel has several emotional high points (and overall tries to bring to ...
- 31
0
votes
1
answer
79
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Can you edit a rough draft with sophisticated sentences structures to give it cadence, preserving the basic sentence structure?
I’ve been trying to write with cadence, but I can’t get myself to write a sloppy first draft, because I fear I won’t be able to rewrite it with sophisticated sentence structures. So I thought of ...
- 161
2
votes
0
answers
110
views
What would I be able to see If I were living on the interior surface of a Dyson Sphere like planet that completely encloses a sun? [migrated]
I am toying with writing a story in a setting where the world is wrapped around the sun, totally enclosing it. I don't have enough of a science background to really know for sure what that would look ...
- 21
1
vote
3
answers
105
views
How to 'logically' depict a 'psychic' computer?
I do not want to spoil the plot of my planned story too much, but I thought I should ask for some tips on how to write a key component in a believable way that leaves no plotholes.
Basically, in the ...
- 403
6
votes
4
answers
773
views
"Is" or "are" after parenthesis?
Would you use "is" or "are" in a sentence where there is a plural word, cut off by a sort of rephrasing of the word that is singular, then followed by "is/are ____."? I ...
- 403
4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How does one write an emergency alert notification in a novel?
I'm writing a draft for a personal project and need to write a flash flood alert notification on the character's phone. I've searched around for example alerts, but none of them convey an urgent tone ...
- 83
0
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2
answers
197
views
Are LLMs good critics?
Most times I asked ChatGPT if a sentence I wrote is good, it says that it is flawed in a number of ways. Should I believe that ChatGPT is correct and edit my sentence, or should I not depend on it? ...
- 161
1
vote
1
answer
28
views
Scrivener for Windows not showing page numbers in Table of Contents
I have manually created the table of contents. In Scrivener it shows as:
Chapter Title......<$p>
Chapter Title......<$p>
But when I compile, it shows as:
Chapter Title......?
Chapter Title....
- 11
6
votes
5
answers
2k
views
My opening sentence is awkward, how can I fix it?
I know that writing the beginning of a story is often difficult, but this phrase seems especially weird. How do I communicate that the MC is popular without it being like this:
I wave to many people ...
- 63
6
votes
1
answer
468
views
The "Author" of an edited letter collection
I am self-publishing my great grandfather's Civil War letters. They have all been transcribed and footnoted, without culling or shortening. Only punctuation and more paragraphed segments have been ...
- 61
0
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1
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119
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Does writing verse enhance one's skill for writing rhythmically in prose?
Though I tried reading my prose aloud and editing, I still cannot write flowing, lyrically rhythmic prose. I am starting to think that it is not my ear that is weak, but my skill with wording things, ...
- 161
1
vote
2
answers
83
views
How to maintain consistency in POV and voice across multiple drafts?
One of my biggest challenges is maintaining a consistent character voice when I jump between writing sessions or go back to edit old chapters. I often forget small mannerisms or speech patterns I ...
- 11
0
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3
answers
202
views
I don't know where to go next with my story
I am writing a story about a modern cult that lives on the island of Polyaigos near Greece. The cult isolates itself from the rest of the world and believes that the ways of the ancient Greeks were ...
2
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How to avoid making a character too off-putting to read about?
Edit: I have edited the question to make it clearer.
This is my first time posting here so pls be gentle lmao
One of the main characters in a story concept is a vile, flawed, disgusting man. And I ...
user84994
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How do I execute a successful title drop?
I've been drafting a story exploring the concept of the "God of the gaps." The title of the story is a modified version of that concept. The title itself is implicitly present throughout the ...
- 421