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Writing Books/Questions Answered by Expert Sue Viders
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Creating characters who are individuals | 12/23/2011 |
| Q: Do you have any tips for writing characters with a distinctive sense of humour when it does not come ... A: Dominic... there are many ways... 1 - you could take a character class... there are many online 2 ... | |
| Writing a real life story | 9/7/2011 |
| Q: I am in the process of writing a real life story on anorexia. I am up to 15000 words and still ... A: Sue... (nice name...grin) I assume this is a non-fiction book based either on your life or someone ... | |
| character creation | 2/13/2011 |
| Q: Sue, I have a question about building characters from scratch for this new writing project that I am ... A: Jacob... that depends.... in a suspense story, the reader doesn't know who the villain is until the ... | |
| boy character bad but likeable | 2/6/2011 |
| Q: Ok so the book i am writing involves alot of magical creatures ect and is called shadows just to ... A: Sophie... well several people have asked me this question... in the last answer I listed two ... | |
| character creation | 2/4/2011 |
| Q: Sue, I have a question about building characters from scratch for this new writing project that I am ... A: Jacob... ah, a sci-fi fan... Steampunk seems to be very popular right now... as I have two other ... | |
| plot | 11/30/2010 |
| Q: I am writing a book and I need help writing the plot. My main characters seem to clash and I didn't ... A: Sarah.... hard to answer this question because of several factors... first of all, what exactly is ... | |
| Literary aents and editors | 10/3/2010 |
| Q: I have been a prentice word-smith for decades.But never before have I a written a book. As Sam ... A: David.... this is a toughie.... as there is no good answer. But here are several suggestions... 1 ... | |
| Can your character change the past? | 8/26/2010 |
| Q: I'm a college student with a minor in Creative Writing. I would like to ask this question regarding ... A: Lee, well it depends. Realistically no, but when writing fiction...which is make-believe anything ... | |
| Writing a kids book | 4/21/2010 |
| Q: I was thinking to starting to write kids book. I have a great idea of what i want to write but not ... A: Stacy... First contact your local community college and see if you can find a writing class. Next ... | |
| chapters | 1/17/2010 |
| Q: I've finished my first novel and several self-edits. One puzzlement for me concerns dividing the ... A: Good for you... now...you need to join a writing group... there are several great ones out there... ... | |
| chapters | 1/15/2010 |
| Q: I've finished my first novel and several self-edits. One puzzlement for me concerns dividing the ... A: Brenda... I like to think of a chapter as a complete scene... with a beginning, middle and ... | |
| Legal Question | 12/10/2009 |
| Q: There is a group of us that are writing our experiences with an organization. We are each ... A: Well, I'm not a lawyer but have co-authored several books. You need professional help and a written ... | |
| Real Characters & History in Fiction | 12/6/2009 |
| Q: My novel has a woman keeping a journal for many years and in it she comments on current events ... A: Karen... I'm not an attorney, so I will have to skip your question.... although usually just ... | |
| Character Deaths | 11/3/2009 |
| Q: I am currently focusing on one novel in particular, and in an effort to convey an important theme, ... A: Catherine... and so the first thing I can thing of is... who would want to read a book about how ... | |
| characterisation | 10/18/2009 |
| Q: I am writing a fiction book that I hope will be popular with younger children and also older ... A: Not at all... younger kids dream of being older... may have older siblings... You also might talk ... | |
| Plagiarism? | 5/24/2009 |
| Q: So if I reworded it and ind of changed the structure,it's not plagiarism? Though it's the same idea? ... A: that depends on a lot of things... for example if you are doing an "educational" paper...you can ... | |
| Advice on words for a book and finding an agent | 3/19/2009 |
| Q: I wrote a 47000 word book using Microsoft word, font size 12 and double spaced, I am right in ... A: Michael... most beginning novels fall somewhere between 60,000 to 75,000... HOWEVER... this depends ... | |
| Advice on words for a book and finding an agent | 3/18/2009 |
| Q: I wrote a 47000 word book using Microsoft word, font size 12 and double spaced, I am right in ... A: Michael... not sure what you mean by "125 words for a book?"... also not sure what Microsoft word ... | |
| my name | 1/7/2009 |
| Q: can a person use your name in a book with out asking first?? A: Vicke... good question and the answer is... maybe... It depends on several factors...are you ... | |
| writing books | 9/30/2008 |
| Q: I've always wanted to be able to write books, especially fantasy, but I can never get any ideas. How ... A: The best that I know of to get ideas is to read a lot of books in the genre you like best...then ... | |
| writing a novel | 9/30/2008 |
| Q: I am 11 years old, for years I have wanted to be an author, but I never had ideas, now that I ... A: Eileen... How wonderful that you want to write. I have an eleven year old grand son who is writing ... | |
| Question | 7/29/2008 |
| Q: I am writing a book on refined hedonism. Could you provide me with any insight on pleasure through ... A: Not sure exactly how to answer this question as "pleasure" is such an individual emotion. What ... | |
| characters' background and tone of speech | 7/21/2008 |
| Q: i want to write i novel. most story i very well developed in a storyline i created, but my main ... A: Salvador... One of the best ways to develop a character is to "use" someone you know as an ... | |
| being a contributor to a book | 7/6/2008 |
| Q: I have been asked by the writer of a book - geared to a particular professional audience - to ... A: Okay...step one...ask your friend who his/her publisher is... next, google publisher...see if they ... | |
| being a contributor to a book | 7/5/2008 |
| Q: I have been asked by the writer of a book - geared to a particular professional audience - to ... A: Laurie...congratulations! However to the best of my knowledge there are no set rules on ... | |
| questions | 7/5/2008 |
| Q: whats your opinion about someone analyze all things around him , usually searching for trunth , ... A: Well, you have several options. 1 - Write in your native language or 2 take some writing classes in ... | |
| questions | 7/4/2008 |
| Q: whats your opinion about someone analyze all things around him , usually searching for trunth , ... A: Well, that depends on what you want to do with your writing (or art)...if for yourself...go for it. ... | |
| inquiry: How to sell articles to magazines | 5/29/2008 |
| Q: Good day! I need information on the following questions. 1) What is the correct format in writing ... A: Amram... well, to answer all your questions, I would need to write a book...grin.. and many people ... | |
| BOOK TITLES | 4/4/2008 |
| Q: Can one use a bastardization of a word or phrase with impunity? For example if I wrote a book about ... A: Joseph...I am not a lawyer...so I asked my lawyer husband for an answer...but he is not familiar ... | |
| Creating Fiction Characters from Facts | 1/9/2008 |
| Q: I have written substantial text about a particular strata of society. My next step is to create a ... A: Patricia... One way to start is to determine what your story-line or plot is...then develop a ... | |
| Making characters live | 10/12/2007 |
| Q: What's the secret to making characters live? Thank you for any help. A: Jo...good question. The secret, if there is any, is to give your characters three things...1 - an ... | |
| fictional work with strong non-fiction premise | 9/21/2007 |
| Q: I'm close to completing a manuscript on Spirituality and the Workplace. The fictional story is ... A: William...probably not... unless it is a "real" quote, you might run into trouble...and you might ... | |
| pages | 7/28/2007 |
| Q: is using microsoft word, landscape and two columns the way to write a book, and how many pages ... A: Well, you can do that way, but I don't suggest it...if and when you send your novel in to an editor ... | |
| basically women. | 7/20/2007 |
| Q: I have this question that I'm afraid I'll have to do some character background explaining. I'm ... A: Robert...you are not alone, as this is a question many writers have...how to express emotion in (or ... | |
| sneaking in description | 7/1/2007 |
| Q: How do you include some details about what a character looks like without stopping the story and ... A: Carissa...great question. Basically there are three ways that I know of... 1 - the character can ... | |
| Are you sure Suzy is not Katie? | 6/19/2007 |
| Q: How do you create characters without making them obviously based on someone you know? Help! A: Here are lots of ways. First, if your person you are writing about is a female...in you story, make ... | |
| Non-Linear Novels | 6/14/2007 |
| Q: I'm interested in studying the structure of non-linear novels. I recently read Ondattje's "The ... A: Stephen...since I don't write this way, I don't feel that I can adequately comment on this narrative ... | |
| Writing a book | 5/23/2007 |
| Q: I need help in exactly your field of expertise. I love to read and write and I have a very active ... A: Derek...an active imagination. Wonderful. However what is in your mind is sometimes exceeding hard ... | |
Writing Books
Answers by Expert:
Sue Viders
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer various questions about how to create characters for fiction writers.
Experience
Two published books, Heroes and Heroines, and Ten Steps to Creating a Memorable Character, plus years of teaching both on-site and on-line
Publications
Several national magazines...had monthly columns
Education/Credentials
BFA
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