Creative Writing
What is copyediting ?
A query synopsis is a concise (usually 1–2 page) summary of the entire plot including the ending , submitted to agents alongside a query letter.
Denouement is the final part of a narrative where loose ends are tied up, consequences are revealed, and a new equilibrium is established after the climax.
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject matter or audience, conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and stylistic choices — e.g., sarcastic, earnest, detached.
Copyediting corrects grammar, spelling, punctuation, and consistency errors. It ensures adherence to a style guide and factual accuracy.
Creative Writing
What is Chekhov's Gun ?
Head-hopping is switching between characters' thoughts within a single scene without clear transitions. It confuses readers and weakens point-of-view consistency.
Chekhov's Gun is the principle that every element in a story should be necessary and irreplaceable — if a gun is shown in Act One, it must be fired by Act Three.
It means being willing to cut beloved passages, characters, or scenes that don't serve the story, even if the writing itself is beautiful.
The stages are: Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Tests/Allies/Enemies, Approach to the Inmost Cave, Ordeal, Reward, The Road Back, Resurrection, and Return with the Elixir .
Creative Writing
What is a positive character arc ?
In a positive arc, the character begins with a flaw or false belief and gradually overcomes it, ending the story in a better state than they began — e.g., Ebenezer Scrooge.
Purple prose is overly ornate, flowery writing that draws attention to itself rather than serving the story. It overuses adjectives, adverbs, and elaborate metaphors.
Self-publishing offers full creative control , higher royalty percentages , faster time to market , and no need for agent or publisher approval.
In medias res ("in the middle of things") is a technique of starting a story in the middle of the action, then filling in backstory later, to immediately hook the reader.
Creative Writing
What is symbolism ?
The iceberg theory (attributed to Hemingway, applied to worldbuilding by Tolkien) means the author should know far more about the world than what appears on the page, lending depth and authenticity.
Revising addresses big-picture issues like structure, character arcs, and plot holes. Editing (line editing, copyediting) focuses on sentence-level clarity, grammar, and style.
Chekhov's Gun is the principle that every element in a story should be necessary and irreplaceable — if a gun is shown in Act One, it must be fired by Act Three.
Symbolism is the use of an object, person, or event to represent an abstract idea or concept beyond its literal meaning — e.g., a white dove symbolizing peace.
Creative Writing
What are comp titles (comparable titles) in a query letter?
Comp titles are recently published books similar in genre, tone, or audience to the author's manuscript. They help agents and editors quickly understand the book's market positioning .
A literary agent represents an author, submitting manuscripts to publishers, negotiating contracts and advances, and managing subsidiary rights — typically earning 15% commission .
A static character remains essentially unchanged throughout the story, while a dynamic character undergoes significant internal change or growth.
Revising addresses big-picture issues like structure, character arcs, and plot holes. Editing (line editing, copyediting) focuses on sentence-level clarity, grammar, and style.
Creative Writing
Why is conflict essential to storytelling?
Pacing is the speed at which a story unfolds. It is controlled through scene length, sentence structure, dialogue-to-description ratio , and the balance of action and reflection.
Use longer sentences , descriptive passages , internal monologue , and reflective scenes to give the reader time to absorb information and emotion.
Conflict drives the plot, reveals character, creates tension and suspense, and gives readers a reason to keep turning pages. Without conflict, there is no story.
A motif is a recurring element, image, or idea throughout a narrative that reinforces theme — e.g., recurring references to water symbolizing rebirth.
Creative Writing
What is pacing in fiction?
Unreliable narrators create mystery, tension, and surprise . They force readers to read critically and can deliver powerful twists when the truth is revealed.
Pacing is the speed at which a story unfolds. It is controlled through scene length, sentence structure, dialogue-to-description ratio , and the balance of action and reflection.
Use short sentences and paragraphs , rapid dialogue , action scenes , and chapter breaks or cliffhangers to accelerate the pace.
Voice is the distinctive style, personality, and perspective that comes through in the writing — it's what makes one author's prose recognizable from another's.
Creative Writing
What is subtext in dialogue?
Use a light touch: suggest dialect with word choice , syntax , and occasional phonetic spelling rather than heavy phonetic transcription, which slows reading.
Sci-fi explores speculative concepts grounded in science or technology — space travel, AI, time travel, dystopias — and often examines how these affect society and humanity.
Subtext is the unspoken meaning beneath the surface of dialogue — what characters really mean or feel, as opposed to what they literally say.
Mystery revolves around a crime or puzzle that must be solved. It includes clues, red herrings, suspects, and a reveal. Fair-play mysteries give readers enough clues to solve it themselves.
Creative Writing
What is tone
A flat arc is when a character already holds a core truth and does not change internally, but instead changes the world or characters around them — e.g., Captain America.
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject matter or audience, conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and stylistic choices — e.g., sarcastic, earnest, detached.
Sci-fi explores speculative concepts grounded in science or technology — space travel, AI, time travel, dystopias — and often examines how these affect society and humanity.
It means being willing to cut beloved passages, characters, or scenes that don't serve the story, even if the writing itself is beautiful.
Creative Writing
What is internal conflict ?
Voice is the distinctive style, personality, and perspective that comes through in the writing — it's what makes one author's prose recognizable from another's.
Internal conflict occurs within a character's mind — a struggle between competing desires, moral dilemmas, fears, or beliefs (character vs. self).
Exposition is background information the reader needs. It should be woven in gradually through action, dialogue, and detail rather than delivered in large info-dumps.
It means being willing to cut beloved passages, characters, or scenes that don't serve the story, even if the writing itself is beautiful.
Creative Writing
What is dialogue attribution and what is the simplest best practice?
A compelling antagonist has clear motivations , believes they are justified , poses a credible threat, and ideally mirrors or challenges the protagonist's values.
"Save the Cat" (by Blake Snyder, adapted for novels by Jessica Brody) is a 15-beat story structure template including beats like Opening Image, Catalyst, Midpoint, All Is Lost, and Finale.
Dialogue attribution is the tag identifying who speaks (e.g., "she said"). The best practice is to use "said" most of the time, as it becomes invisible to the reader.
A literary agent represents an author, submitting manuscripts to publishers, negotiating contracts and advances, and managing subsidiary rights — typically earning 15% commission .
Creative Writing
Name three key elements to consider when worldbuilding.
Key elements include: magic or technology systems (and their rules/costs), political and social structures , and history and mythology of the world.
Theme is the central underlying message, idea, or insight about life that a story explores — e.g., "power corrupts" or "love transcends death."
Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world with its own geography, history, cultures, rules, and systems to create a believable setting for a story.
Setting establishes time, place, and atmosphere . It can influence character behavior, create conflict, reinforce theme, and immerse the reader in the story world.
Creative Writing
What is dramatic irony ?
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something a character does not , creating tension, suspense, or humor — e.g., the audience knows the killer is in the house.
Generally no. Theme is most powerful when it emerges organically through character actions, plot events, and imagery rather than being stated directly by the narrator.
Dialogue attribution is the tag identifying who speaks (e.g., "she said"). The best practice is to use "said" most of the time, as it becomes invisible to the reader.
Backstory is a character's history before the story begins. It should be revealed in small, relevant doses through dialogue, flashbacks, or brief narration — not in large blocks.
Creative Writing
What is a query letter ?
A compelling antagonist has clear motivations , believes they are justified , poses a credible threat, and ideally mirrors or challenges the protagonist's values.
A query letter is a one-page pitch sent to literary agents, containing a hook , a brief synopsis of the book, comparable titles , and the author's credentials .
An info-dump is a large block of exposition delivered all at once. It halts narrative momentum and feels like a lecture rather than storytelling.
Horror aims to evoke fear, dread, or disgust . It often features threats (supernatural or human), atmospheric tension, isolation, and explores primal anxieties.
Creative Writing
What is an archetype in storytelling?
A foil is a character who contrasts with the protagonist to highlight specific qualities of the main character — e.g., Draco Malfoy as a foil to Harry Potter.
A literary agent represents an author, submitting manuscripts to publishers, negotiating contracts and advances, and managing subsidiary rights — typically earning 15% commission .
An archetype is a universally recognized character type, symbol, or situation — e.g., the Hero , the Trickster , the Shadow , or the journey into the underworld.
A flat character is one-dimensional with few traits, while a round
Creative Writing
What are key conventions of the mystery genre?
Use longer sentences , descriptive passages , internal monologue , and reflective scenes to give the reader time to absorb information and emotion.
The mentor provides the hero with guidance, training, or a gift that prepares them for the challenges ahead — e.g., Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings .
Mystery revolves around a crime or puzzle that must be solved. It includes clues, red herrings, suspects, and a reveal. Fair-play mysteries give readers enough clues to solve it themselves.
Unreliable narrators create mystery, tension, and surprise . They force readers to read critically and can deliver powerful twists when the truth is revealed.
Creative Writing
What role does setting play in a story?
A motif is a recurring element, image, or idea throughout a narrative that reinforces theme — e.g., recurring references to water symbolizing rebirth.
Setting establishes time, place, and atmosphere . It can influence character behavior, create conflict, reinforce theme, and immerse the reader in the story world.
A cliffhanger ends a chapter or scene at a moment of high suspense or unresolved tension , compelling the reader to continue reading.
A static character remains essentially unchanged throughout the story, while a dynamic character undergoes significant internal change or growth.
Creative Writing
What is a character arc ?
Backstory is a character's history before the story begins. It should be revealed in small, relevant doses through dialogue, flashbacks, or brief narration — not in large blocks.
A character arc is the transformation or inner journey a character undergoes over the course of a narrative, often moving from a flaw or false belief to growth or truth.
A compelling antagonist has clear motivations , believes they are justified , poses a credible threat, and ideally mirrors or challenges the protagonist's values.
Hard sci-fi prioritizes scientific accuracy and plausibility, while soft sci-fi focuses more on social sciences, character, and speculative ideas with less technical rigor.
Creative Writing
What is proofreading ?
Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality. The three types are verbal (saying the opposite of what is meant), situational (events contradicting expectations), and dramatic (the audience knows something a character doesn't).
Proofreading is the final check before publication, catching remaining typos, formatting issues, and minor errors that slipped through earlier edits.
A compelling antagonist has clear motivations , believes they are justified , poses a credible threat, and ideally mirrors or challenges the protagonist's values.
A developmental edit evaluates the manuscript's overall structure, pacing, character development, and plot coherence , often resulting in significant rewrites.
Creative Writing
What is free indirect discourse ?
Pathetic fallacy is attributing human emotions to nature or weather to reflect a character's emotional state — e.g., a storm raging during a character's grief.
Free indirect discourse blends a character's thoughts with third-person narration without quotation marks or attribution, creating intimacy — e.g., "She couldn't believe it. The nerve of him!"
A flat arc is when a character already holds a core truth and does not change internally, but instead changes the world or characters around them — e.g., Captain America.
Setting establishes time, place, and atmosphere . It can influence character behavior, create conflict, reinforce theme, and immerse the reader in the story world.
Creative Writing
What is line editing ?
In medias res ("in the middle of things") is a technique of starting a story in the middle of the action, then filling in backstory later, to immediately hook the reader.
Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality. The three types are verbal (saying the opposite of what is meant), situational (events contradicting expectations), and dramatic (the audience knows something a character doesn't).
Line editing focuses on the prose style at the sentence and paragraph level — improving word choice, rhythm, clarity, and voice without changing the story's structure.
In a positive arc, the character begins with a flaw or false belief and gradually overcomes it, ending the story in a better state than they began — e.g., Ebenezer Scrooge.
Creative Writing
What are key conventions of the horror genre?
A literary agent represents an author, submitting manuscripts to publishers, negotiating contracts and advances, and managing subsidiary rights — typically earning 15% commission .
The inciting incident is the event that disrupts the protagonist's ordinary world and sets the main conflict in motion, typically occurring in Act One .
Backstory is a character's history before the story begins. It should be revealed in small, relevant doses through dialogue, flashbacks, or brief narration — not in large blocks.
Horror aims to evoke fear, dread, or disgust . It often features threats (supernatural or human), atmospheric tension, isolation, and explores primal anxieties.
Creative Writing
How can dialect be conveyed in dialogue without overwhelming the reader?
A literary agent represents an author, submitting manuscripts to publishers, negotiating contracts and advances, and managing subsidiary rights — typically earning 15% commission .
Pacing is the speed at which a story unfolds. It is controlled through scene length, sentence structure, dialogue-to-description ratio , and the balance of action and reflection.
In medias res ("in the middle of things") is a technique of starting a story in the middle of the action, then filling in backstory later, to immediately hook the reader.
Use a light touch: suggest dialect with word choice , syntax , and occasional phonetic spelling rather than heavy phonetic transcription, which slows reading.
Creative Writing
What is irony in literature, and what are its three main types?
On-the-nose dialogue states feelings or intentions too directly, lacking subtext. Real people rarely say exactly what they mean, so it feels unrealistic and dramatically flat.
The main types are character vs. character , character vs. self , character vs. society , and character vs. nature . Some lists also include character vs. technology and character vs. fate.
An unreliable narrator is one whose account of events is biased, incomplete, or deliberately deceptive, forcing the reader to question the truth — e.g., in Gone Girl .
Irony involves a contrast between expectation and reality. The three types are verbal (saying the opposite of what is meant), situational (events contradicting expectations), and dramatic (the audience knows something a character doesn't).