70 Answered Questions for the topic fiction

06/05/22

What do author's need to do to be recognized by the publishing world?
Most writers get multiple rejections before finally hearing "yes" from a publisher. They find themselves getting discouraged, and wondering if their work is the problem. They ask, what are these... more
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01/19/22

can someone write me a story with these words; lawnmower. tie, toast, dragon, joust

needs to be at least a page. this would help me so much, please
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Fiction English Reading

01/19/22

Which best book series to read like harry potter or percy jackson?
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10/19/19

The world's population is currently 2. If the population doubles every 39 years, what will the population be 15000 years from now?
Hello all. I am writing a fantasy novel and need to calculate population growth for realism purposes. There was another person that asked a similar question on a smaller scale, so I was plugging in... more
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09/11/19

Humans into Elves
"hi! I am currently writing a fiction book and I still don't know how a human can be turned into an elf. I tried researching more about it, but all I know is that the Elves must do some kind of... more
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08/05/19

Should I remove scenes that I myself find "boring"?
Sometimes, I find myself writing a scene that does everything I think it should do: reveal details about the protagonist, drive the plot forward, show other elements related to the story, etc.... more
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Fiction Writing Fantasy

08/05/19

Common mistakes made by first time fantasy novelists?
I'm in a writing group. I see repeating word-choice patterns among the fantasy writers. Example: frequent use of certain words (like 'utter,' everyone seems to use that word... ), or certain... more
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08/04/19

Should you read your own genre?
In terms of novel writing, I tend to avoid my own genre, at least for the most part. Some of the reasons why:Genre Blindness / Genre Trap:Too much reading of your own genre blinds you to the... more
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08/04/19

How to share the work, if writing fiction in a team?
How should one split up the work between two people? Should one write the even-numbered chapters and the other the odd-numbered? Does each person tell the story from the point of view of a... more
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08/04/19

How to show that something is different than in real life?
I'm writing fiction set in the near future (~15-20 years). The world is still mostly the same and thus familiar to the reader, but an important part of the story is that a few things are radically... more
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Fiction Writing Technique

08/03/19

Do books have to be written in sequence?
So can we write the interesting action bits first, then add in the in between stuff, that maybe needed to understand the story or characters, but isnt so exciting by itself?For example the... more
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08/03/19

Introducing the hero first?
In the book I'm writing, the first character I introduce dies before the end of the chapter. She is the girlfriend of my hero and is setting up their date before her untimely end.The hero is also... more
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Fiction Writing Quotes

08/03/19

Quote at the beginning of a chapter, is it advisable for fiction novels?
I have read a few non-fiction works (mostly scientific) where there is a quote at the beginning of each new chapter. Sometimes the quote related to the chapter along with the title, sometimes it... more
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08/02/19

What is a good methodology for researching a historical novel?
I'm having difficulty with the research aspect of my historical novel. This question was originally going to be "how much research should one do to write a historical novel?" to which, answering... more
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08/02/19

How can I transition from academic writing to fiction writing?
I always receive the same critique when I write fiction. The critique is good for my characters and plot, but I am told that my writing style is stiff, awkward and amateurish. When I wrote... more
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07/31/19

What exactly do I do to get published?
I'm interested to know what the publishing process exactly entails for future reference. I'm in my last year of school and I recently finished my first substantial piece of creative writing (a... more
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07/29/19

Are modern authors still using colons and semicolons in dialogue?
Not sure if it's just my idea but I rarely see colons and semicolons in dialogue (especially in modern novels). Is it because they don't simulate normal speech? Because their use is more a... more
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Fiction Writing Plot

07/29/19

How should I "remind" the reader of something that they may have forgotten?
Say there is a small detail in the beginning of the book that has a big effect later on. The reader might've forgotten about that by the time they get to that part. How should I remind the reader... more
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07/16/19

How can I make an in-universe random event feel like it was really random instead of just RNJesus' will?
Some stories feature random events that bring about drastic change either to the characters or to the setting.A lottery draw, some gotcha that grants a special skill.Most of the times I find one of... more
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Fiction Writing Series Genre

07/16/19

Series: How can I get my reader to not expect any one genre?
**Background:** I'm planning on writing an extensive series of fantasy books. I plan on writing quite a few of these books, and while they'll all be set on the same planet, I intend them to center... more
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Fiction Writing Novel Style

07/16/19

Can I switch from past tense to present tense in an epilogue?
I have written my entire novel thus far in past tense. However, I feel like my final chapter/epilogue would work better in present tense. I want to give the reader the sense that everything s/he... more
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Fiction Writing Style

07/16/19

Is it a flaw if a book is readable, flows well, and gets the point across, BUT you can tell that the author is a non-native?
Even though English is not my first language, I have completed writing a fiction book in English. I have been in the US for over 40 years and I believe that I have a good command of the language.... more
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07/16/19

How to expand my vocabulary?
I wanted to write something for a long time. But what I think is, in writing the choice of words plays a very significant role. From where I can learn this thing? I think I don't have enough... more
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07/15/19

How do I find flaws in a character I'm building?
I have a particular character in my story who I feel is great. He's a retired monster hunter who settled down with his wife for his later years. He's all-around friendly, respectful, empathetic,... more
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07/15/19

How can I hide a second narrative within my story? (using time travel)?
I've been planning a story that follows two characters. At the end, one character (let's call him Joe) goes back in time and appears at the start of the book.I intend to explore themes of... more
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