I disagree with the dialogue tags thing. As someone who used to write almost entirely without dialogue tags, not one person who read the manuscript could understand who was talking, no matter how diverse the voice of the characters. Dialogue tags are important, don’t remove them. (Don’t overuse them, though.)
So, in general, I'm not a fan of starting out with dialogue. I prefer narration or description of some kind to start us off and give us a really good hook.
I have seen it in multiple books. One was in the Cytonic series by Brandon Sanderson, and then I feel like I saw it in Stephen king's Fairy Tale, but might be mistaken on this since I usually am bouncing between two audiobooks and one physical book at a time lol.
Do you remember that story about the orphaned kid who's raised by his aunt and uncle in a boring, out of the way place because they want to hide the truth about his parents from him, until one day a robed old man takes him under his wing to teach him about the mystical powers he inherited so he can learn to use them to defeat the greatest evil in anyone's memory?
The cheapest is offered is $3000 and I just knew it wasn’t going to be good. It’s an autobiography about myself and I want to be author so bad but ugh Why is this so difficult?
Too much plot? Interesting. Last time I was critiqued I was told there wasn’t enough. I suppose I may have leaned too hard on the spectrum. The thing is, I’m not sure to put about Achim? Like do I mention that he is a “do-or-die” sort of guy that airs on the side of caution? Do I incorporate his sarcasm or the rough exterior he has adopted due to his background? And is all that stuff relevant to the query? That goes double if the plot is understood for an agent who is a “It’s the journey, not the destination” kind of person.
There is nothing wrong with "over used" phrases, it means that they are tropey and familiar, recognizable.
You need to do something to make it new or fresh.
"Once upon a time."
This depends entirely on what comes next.
A series or parallel construction makes one (verb, subject, even modifier) do multiple duty.
Thank you, that summed it up perfectly for me.
Sorry but you let the grammar/writing teacher get going.
bidet_fan
Any rule we tell you here becomes a written rule.
I disagree with the dialogue tags thing. As someone who used to write almost entirely without dialogue tags, not one person who read the manuscript could understand who was talking, no matter how diverse the voice of the characters. Dialogue tags are important, don’t remove them. (Don’t overuse them, though.)
You use them where you need them, for sure. (I am pretty sure I said that already).
There's no magic secret.
Thank you. But do you think Cursed Rites is worth finishing?
I think that every project can be worth finishing.
I think simple is better.
Endless/Forever Summer have been overused.
The point being that I think your titles are all too verbose and complicated.
When writers say "show don't tell" they generally mean to use vivid language to paint the reader a picture.
Untitled -
Title - Cheating Death Genre - paranormal romance
So, in general, I'm not a fan of starting out with dialogue. I prefer narration or description of some kind to start us off and give us a really good hook.
First person uses "I."
You might have better luck with this in
I have seen it in multiple books. One was in the Cytonic series by Brandon Sanderson, and then I feel like I saw it in Stephen king's Fairy Tale, but might be mistaken on this since I usually am bouncing between two audiobooks and one physical book at a time lol.
Yeah, both ways are grammatically correct, I just prefer the other way.
What is your reasoning? I feel like when it comes with said, for example, after a character action, it reinforces what they're trying to convey better
If there's a character action, I'll leave it off altogether.
Do you remember that story about the orphaned kid who's raised by his aunt and uncle in a boring, out of the way place because they want to hide the truth about his parents from him, until one day a robed old man takes him under his wing to teach him about the mystical powers he inherited so he can learn to use them to defeat the greatest evil in anyone's memory?
That would not be weird at all.
Why does the energy get all converted to heat?
Nothing in your story should be "filler."
How did you get this offer?
What stories that are steampunk have you read?
I think you can keep it in this order, but give us some narration in between to give us some context.
If you're writing a fictionalized account then make it up.
Someone else just had a similar question. Here's what I told them:
You have a summary of your premise here.
You should not publish anything yourself if you want to have it published in the future by an actual publisher.
The cheapest is offered is $3000 and I just knew it wasn’t going to be good. It’s an autobiography about myself and I want to be author so bad but ugh Why is this so difficult?
Because there's technique to it.
I suck at dancing and drawing 😢
You can get better at anything if you work and practice at it.
The idea isn't bad, but you're "telling" the story instead of "showing" it.
There isn't a magic secret.
As mentioned last time, your word count makes this unpublishable.
Too much plot? Interesting. Last time I was critiqued I was told there wasn’t enough. I suppose I may have leaned too hard on the spectrum. The thing is, I’m not sure to put about Achim? Like do I mention that he is a “do-or-die” sort of guy that airs on the side of caution? Do I incorporate his sarcasm or the rough exterior he has adopted due to his background? And is all that stuff relevant to the query? That goes double if the plot is understood for an agent who is a “It’s the journey, not the destination” kind of person.
It's going to take you months to get through QS at one post a day.