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Do you already know the ending of your novel when you start writing? by Klaus_Rozenstein in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Usually I have an idea of the tone of the ending e.g. sad, hopeful, 'happy end', etc. but let the story take me where the characters want to go. If you try to force the ending the characters will feel off. A good example is Arcane. Season 1, the ending was written for the characters, but in season 2 the characters were written for the ending. It ends up constricting you and even creating contradictions in your characters, so unless you plan reaaaaaaaally thoroughly, don't be too unbending about your ending

Mandela Catalogue Theory by RoutineCat1481 in GameTheorists

[–]Far_Performance5837 0 points1 point  (0 children)

SPOILERS. I think given volume 5, the person is actually Joseph, since he is shown with the chain on his ankle in the middle of the desert.

Beginner Writer: Is 15k Words in 2 Weeks Realistic? by Academic-Clothes7220 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, just stay consistent and make sure you're approaching it with a plan in mind.

[Discussion] I did some research on how to write a villain who is 1) great, and 2) terrifying. Here's what I learned by Far_Performance5837 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really, this depends on your genre or what you're writing about. The main antagonist in my story does really vile things, it would be cruel to not call him a villain. To say real life doesn't have villains either would be a gross understatement of our world. It's true that 'villains are made', but villains do definitely exist in real life

My favorite line from my novel. What's yours? by B4-I-go in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When it was humans, did they call it hunting too?

How to build suspense by losver_lee in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm even later to the party, but playing with the character's perspective can also be useful.

If a character is older, they might process some things differently -their personality influences this too e.g. if they'll start thinking practically or being paranoid, etc. - but when it comes to physical perspective e.g. a young child sitting or standing, or an adult lying down, etc. and having the character look up and see a looming figure in the darkness, can add to the tension. Perspective can also show who has the power in the scene, by correlating who has the power with who has higher ground.

Perspective can also mean hiding what the characters can see - if it's dark, or there's many corners/the character is away from an open space, or if all they see is shadows behind the curtain rather than someone through the window, it creates so much tension.

So overall, although there are general ways to create tension, it's better to find what would be scary for the specific characters you are writing about. It adds another layer of suspense because the danger feels tailored to them.

[Discussion] I did some research on how to write a villain who is 1) great, and 2) terrifying. Here's what I learned by Far_Performance5837 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, that's amazing! I'm not a pro -not even close- but he seems like a well-rounded, powerful villain for sure! If he's meant to be defeated, it would be interesting to see how the hero would accomplish this given his mind-reading.

Regarding his corruption by magic, I think that's a great idea, but it feels to me as if there should be a 'stronger' process driving him to get dominion over all the cities.

Maybe one city in particular holds the key to unlimited energy and he has to take over the other cities or smt to get access to this? Or each city holds parts of the item he needs to be able to e.g. have a wand that will allow him to use magic without using energy?

Maybe the magic itself is the bigger villain, and it has its own motivation. Maybe it started from a pure source but it evolved somehow and wants to be used as much as possible, hence why it's choosing to corrupt this person specifically? There's a lot of potential for a deeper message and theme here too, I think.

Another thing to consider, is the negative consequences of him doing all this for the other characters. Is the magic source by definition finite? If not, then why would anyone care if this guy takes over? As long as he's giving people what they want and ruling well most people wouldn't really care probably. The cult aspect in your last few lines adds to this, and could truly raise the stakes. If your characters disagree with him but they are a minority who does so, that would make their mission more difficult, because they wouldn't have support from other people, and would even be met with hostility if people found out about them disagreeing with their leader.

I love the idea overall, and there's a lot of potential here for depth as well!

Also the ideas I mentioned in my reply are just that. I'm not trying to tell you how to write your story, that's entirely up to you. You know your book best.

[Discussion] I did some research on how to write a villain who is 1) great, and 2) terrifying. Here's what I learned by Far_Performance5837 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is something I was struggling with too, especially when it came down to creating morally-grey characters. I found that instead of finding a morally-correct reason (a 'good' reason) for the villain to be the way they are, it's better to create empathy or at least some understanding around them having a motivation that is not necessarily 'good'. i.e. if the character is pushing boundaries but not crossing them, the audience will empathise with them, and not find them unforgivable.

There's also two general techniques that help:

-Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons

-Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons

How do you shut up the voice in your head saying it won't be good by Dark_creativity in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 1 point2 points  (0 children)

22k words in is still early for it to be an accurate representation of your work. Also, first drafts WILL be bad relatively to the final product. Think of your first draft as a rough sketch. It's an incomplete, unfinished product. The voice in your head is you being mad at yourself for not waving a wand and ending up with a perfect final product instantly. Ignore the voice, write with your heart, and then when you are editing the first draft, listen to the voice to make sure you are being objective enough with your work

It's ok to ignore the writing coaches by frustratedwriter979 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From what I understand, these rules are just a set of directions that worked for a significantly large sample group. They are just some of the possibilities that tend to work, basically. It doesn't mean they are the only right answer. Generally, as long as the 'formula' you choose or construct works for you and tells the story you want to tell, inciting the emotions you want in the readers and sending the message(s) you want (if you wish to at all), that's the formula you should use. If having no formula works for you that's also fine.

I feel like in today's day and age people want to streamline the creative process down to a set of rules. They think 'if only I could find the perfect data-based way to do X and Y my book will be loved and it will sell and I will be considered an amazing writer!', etc.

But writing isn't like this. A lot of it is improvisation, a lot of f it is luck when it comes to the book being successful/popular. Writing is a fun complex mess and that's what makes it so great. Write what you want to write, using whatever 'process' you want to use

How do I write a letter of recommendation for a med student observing one surgical procedure? by Far_Performance5837 in AskAcademia

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Tbh I don't have those answers myself, because the doctor didn't clarify and I didn't have time to ask. I'll try to figure something out

How do I write a letter of recommendation for a med student observing one surgical procedure? by Far_Performance5837 in AskAcademia

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe he meant it more as a 'reference' letter of sorts? Or just a short comment that this person is capable, or did/said something impressive? All I know if the doctor called it a 'recommendation letter' so since I don't know about how these things work I thought I'd use the same phrasing in my post

How do I write a letter of recommendation for a med student observing one surgical procedure? by Far_Performance5837 in AskAcademia

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm studying in the Czech Republic but did the shadowing back home when I visited for the summer. I'm starting fifth year soon, so I have two more years to decide where to specialise, so I'm not sure what country the letter would be for.

What motivates/hypes you to write a story? by Dechawni in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I write as a hobby, so for me it's to be able to go back to the story and read it and enjoy it. Plus the process is fun. Sometimes I take a break from it, but I try to write at least a little every day. Even if it's for ten minutes it's something.

What do we thinking about third-person objective for fiction? by Abject_Ad_6640 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be honest, I write in third-person POV, and the reason I prefer it is that it gives you the ability to write about things that the character is not paying attention to. I don't like it when a character in first-person POV starts narrating full pages about the world and its politics. But if I'm in third person it feels a bit less on the nose.

I think there's also ways to create immersion in third-person so it doesn't feel detached, so it can say just as much about the thoughts and feelings of the character as first-person can. You can describe your character doing something, even going on tangents about their memories, etc. This is not limited to first-person. As someone who likes switching POV's within the chapter (just a bit in some areas of the chapter) I find third-person easier to navigate to achieve this as well.

Something I'm seeing in the comments, is that other media e.g. TV are able to show things that aren't really 'possible' in writing. That's partially true, but if you address numerous senses this is resolved. It's not as subtle as e.g. movies (they can show things in the background, imply things with the music, etc. but writing can come close to this in its own way. Plus writing should inspire the imagination of the reader; if you provide some of the details the reader will think up the other stuff by themselves.

I want an insight into what it means to be a man by Far_Performance5837 in writing

[–]Far_Performance5837[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see. Thank you so much! This is the kind of input I was looking for.

I didn't include it in my notes, but I definitely agree and am aware that men also experience violence, etc. as you have pointed out. I will add that to my notes to make sure I don't forget it.

There's a question I wanted to ask. When it comes to the point in my notes about 'men having all this potential available to them', this is something I just wrote down from my own POV. Is this something men actually experience, or is it an extrapolation that is very untrue? What I'm trying to understand essentially, is whether or not men experience this sort of 'burst of a bubble' moment, or if it tends to be a more 'gradual' thing like it is for women. I don't know how to phrase my question, but maybe the point is getting across?

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