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Forums - General - SCIFI fans, writers and readers , So you guys asked for it, here is a small part of the book I am writing (a LONG READ)

I don't see any text whatsoever... I only get redirected to google drive or whatever the name is...

When writing a book you need to understand some quite essential things... You have the main story arc, you have your main character's story arc, and then you have your other characters story arcs... Writing a book is goddamn complicated!

Everyone also has their own role. Take Star Wars as an example.
Luke: Main character and protagonist. Who's the antagonist then? Darth Vader? Wrong. It's the Empire. The main story arc isn't about Luke, it's about the rebels fight against the Empire. Darth Vader is what Dramatica calls an Obstacle Character: he stands in the way of the Main Character (Luke). And then you have the "Guardian" who's trying to influence the Main Character, like how Obi One convinced Luke to become a Jedi.

You also should read about the Hero's Journey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth). You might know all of this already, I just wanted to bring it up just in case. =)



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Quick writing question: how do you verbalize laughter? "Ha ha ha" really doesn't seem to work, but just saying "and then he/she laughed" doesn't seem to cut it either.



Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.

Mr Khan said:
Quick writing question: how do you verbalize laughter? "Ha ha ha" really doesn't seem to work, but just saying "and then he/she laughed" doesn't seem to cut it either.

Why not describe the laughter? "Her laugh drove a chill down my spine", "He laughed like a mad men", "The laughter echoed down the hallway, after me" - something like that?



I'm on Twitter @DanneSandin!

Furthermore, I think VGChartz should add a "Like"-button.

@ Mr. Khan - the way I see it pretty much writing it "he/she laughed" is the only way. Spelling anything longer than an "aha" is a no-go. There are some devices you can use to make it more of an impact, like placing it on it's own paragraph or adding some extra description of the action on the right place. (Edit: beaten to it, but that's pretty much it).

OT - Yeah. Took a look at the beginning and the sentences feel too long and casually written, a bit like stream-of-consciousness writing. You need to take a more contemplative, moody mode at the beginning.

As for the parts where you are exposing the background and doing the worldbuilding: even though you are writing on third person, try to have a more personal feel on the subject, how C. relates himself to the world around him, and place these pieces on a proper place inside the text.

That's what I mostly see on it that it can be improved. You really need to take care on how do you write the sentences: the way you do really flow when you are writing it, but to read it gets tiresome and confusion.

Like:

"The two men continued walking down Lowtown, the place was still busy, ships and all sorts of vehicles
moving around on top of them, and around them, the streets seem old, old houses and old ships,
probably older than C.'s own relic of a ship, the town tends to get more alive in the night, Pubs selling
their whine, Smugglers selling their wares, prostitutes selling themselves, it wasn't an easy sight, even
for a man like C., who travels a lot."

Would be better like this:

"The two men continued walking down Lowtown. The place was still busy; ships and all sorts of vehicles moved around on top of them, and around them. The street looks old, and the houses and ships surrounding it are probably older than C.'s own relic of a ship. In the night, the town tends to get more alive: pubs selling their wine, Smugglers selling their wares, prostitutes selling themselves.
It wasn't an easy sight, even for a man like C., who travels a lot."

Bear in mind that english isn't my first language and it can probably be refined further. 



 

 

 

 

 

Seems like sound advice. Onomatopoeia just breaks the flow of things, though i'd be happier with something usable.



Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.

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haxxiy said:

@ Mr. Khan - the way I see it pretty much writing it "he/she laughed" is the only way. Spelling anything longer than an "aha" is a no-go. There are some devices you can use to make it more of an impact, like placing it on it's own paragraph or adding some extra description of the action on the right place. (Edit: beaten to it, but that's pretty much it).

OT - Yeah. Took a look at the beginning and the sentences feel too long and casually written, a bit like stream-of-consciousness writing. You need to take a more contemplative, moody mode at the beginning.

As for the parts where you are exposing the background and doing the worldbuilding: even though you are writing on third person, try to have a more personal feel on the subject, how C. relates himself to the world around him, and place these pieces on a proper place inside the text.

That's what I mostly see on it that it can be improved. You really need to take care on how do you write the sentences: the way you do really flow when you are writing it, but to read it gets tiresome and confusion.

Like:

"The two men continued walking down Lowtown, the place was still busy, ships and all sorts of vehicles
moving around on top of them, and around them, the streets seem old, old houses and old ships,
probably older than C.'s own relic of a ship, the town tends to get more alive in the night, Pubs selling
their whine, Smugglers selling their wares, prostitutes selling themselves, it wasn't an easy sight, even
for a man like C., who travels a lot."

Would be better like this:

"The two men continued walking down Lowtown. The place was still busy; ships and all sorts of vehicles moved around on top of them, and around them. The street looks old, and the houses and ships surrounding it are probably older than C.'s own relic of a ship. In the night, the town tends to get more alive: pubs selling their wine, Smugglers selling their wares, prostitutes selling themselves.
It wasn't an easy sight, even for a man like C., who travels a lot."

Bear in mind that english isn't my first language and it can probably be refined further. 

thank you, I'll keep that in mind.
By the way, english isn't my first language either, hence why there are some grammar mistakes.



Mr Khan said:
Quick writing question: how do you verbalize laughter? "Ha ha ha" really doesn't seem to work, but just saying "and then he/she laughed" doesn't seem to cut it either.


sometimes you just have to settle for "and he/she laughed" so that it won't make the conversation feel long (which is a mistake I myself did here with all the "he said while ...etc" )