So, the rule is that if you have a single character speaking across multiple paragraphs, you don't use end quotes on those paragraphs. I get the intent of the rule, but I think it looks awful and is jarring.

What I have been doing for a long time, is to insert a minor action at the end of that paragraph or the start of the next. I don't even notice that I am doing it anymore, it just feels natural to have a character gesture or emote in some way every so often.

The only reason that this came to mind is that one of my new readers pointed out a spot in Chapter 50 where I had used end quotes on a paragraph break of continuous speech. I edited in a minor action instead, the character was recalling a previous thought process, so I had him lean back in his chair and look up, which is the sort of thing people often do during that sort of thought.

One of the advantages of publishing a serial online, you potentially get some good feedback. :)

Here's the second entry in my weekly, alphabetically titled short stories that take place in my science fiction/fantasy universe. Thanks for reading and for any feedback or reactions.

Over the next few months, I'll be participating in Alphabet Superset and sharing my short stories across the internet. Yesterday marked the end of Week A, and I posted an introduction to my collection of short stories, as well as the first short that I've been working on for the past couple years on and off. I would describe the genre as lighthearted, comedic sci-fi/fantasy.

You can read the introduction here, it's about a 5 minute read: https://medium.com/@griffincouillard/tales-from-the-mortal-conglomerate-disclaimer-cf9a686076d7

And then the post for Week A is here, it's about a 20 minute read: https://medium.com/@griffincouillard/tales-from-the-mortal-conglomerate-antons-application-128fb5721972

Thanks for any reactions or feedback!

This post might sound like an advertisement (which it partly is, of course, you don't try to get published if you don't want people to read your stuff) but I want to use this post to encourage other new writers.

It took a long time to find a home for this story and I thought about giving up on it when rejections started piling up in my inbox. I'm sure there are others who feel the same from time to time, but please continue to submit.

For those interested, here is the story: https://stateofmatter.in/fiction/milk/

I'm planning a sci-fi and fantasy webseries. It probably won't go anywhere, so don't get too excited, but I need help with the plot of one episode.

I'm planning to kill off a character and have the other protagonists almost die, but only just survive. However, what should the cause of death be?

• Nuclear radiation
• Sci-fi disease
• Some kind of terrifying alien creature

Here's mine. He's a vigilante hacker in my future L.A. universe. I think this couldn't describe how he looks in my head better. What does your character look like?

I'm a firm believer that editors should write.

Why? Because we need to really understand the author experience.

Get under the hood of what it's like to create, graft and craft.

And to truly appreciate your process.

I've done it at Arvon courses and in published article writing.

Here's my story 👇

#writing #WritingCommunity #creative #author #editing
@writers @writingcommunity
@writing #WritersOfMastodon #EditorsOfMastodon #AuthorsOfMastodon

https://lisacordaro.com/2023/07/31/why-editors-should-write-and-need-to/

Many times when writing, I get a very specific image in my head of the way I want something to look, or the way I want something to move. Particularly with actions where objects are moving in a very specific way, I want to describe them accurately so that most readers would see the same thing that I'm seeing in my head. The problem is, I don't want to come off as sounding too technical (the object slid along its Z axis and suddenly stopped and rotated 45 degrees on its Y axis), and I also don't want to be so vague that a later sentence contradicts what they were seeing in their head.

Is this just a psychological thing that I need to get over and stop worrying about, and just write to the best of my ability and edit when I hear critiques/comments from readers, or is it a skill that I need to improve?

I hope it's okay to share this here. I originally wrote the story in German but unfortunately it's nearly impossible to get humorous stories published in German literary magazines, so I translated it into English and sent it to various magazines.

For those interested, below is the link. I would appreciate comments on what to improve.

The story is set in the 1920s in rural Germany, so you might find some old German names.

https://www.almamagazines.com/fiction-and-poetry/the-clocks-ticking-karl/

I joined Beehaw specifically hoping to get in on the ground floor of the growing writing community here, but I have to admit I haven't had much to say.

So, for the other folks checking this community once a day or so to see what's being posted, "Hi!"

I'm enthusiastically nearing the end of the first draft of my first novel, and pretty excited to jump into revisions once that's done.

I aspire to be traditionally published, though I've heard how unlikely that is for a first novel over and over, so I'm (primarily) viewing this first novel as a learning experience, and it's very much been one of those.

I'm interested to hear where others are at.