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more about #freeadviceforwhatitsworth more comments → lamorevincera: And here I thought the one sentence that could ruin your day was "I'm pregnant." more » Alexis: English class with a sci-fi slant! It's like what college should have been. more » Nudemanatee: Here's the one sentence that can ruin your whole day and make your whole day at the same time. Wife to husband: "Out of all your friends, you have th... more » JohnnyZito: Topic Sentence? That's wasteful. I don't even read any books I can't download in Amazon Newspeak. more » RavenNemain: This advice should not just be for struggling writers - not to speak ill of the dead, but ever read the "Wheel of Time" series? Robert Jordan never m... more » Dr Emilio Lizardo: I would totally buy a book about the ghosts of Delta Prime. more » Faustroll: Topic sentences work well as first lines but should be used sparingly after that. Maybe just for emphasis. I'm from the Vonnegut school of straightfor... more » EugeniaBSG: Isn't this why one of those struggling writer's tips is to go back over the "finished" manuscript and cut it by 1/3 before submitting it? more » Atomictao: Those pulp covers are awesome, btw. The title 'Brother, can you spare a grave?' will keep me chuckling all day. more » wanion: Hey redhead from Beasts Who Once Were Men? You probably shouldn't lean into the drill. Just relax, let it come to you. more » cadrina: I don't know in fiction area but during law school where I had few minutes to make a resum of a book that i didn't read what saved me was one liners a... more » braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.: I have always wondered about the advice "show, don't tell" when it comes to novels. If you're trying to illustrate a thing using action, don't you ne... more » OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear: You shouldn't make fun of my book "Captain Jordan and the Book of Shadows:The Beach Party Extravaganza". more » crashedpc - Haifisch: This sentence will be a topic sentence for a comment about topic sentences. Topic sentences are sentences that are topics of a paragraph. I've typed s... more » Elizabeth Weinbloom: This column is awesome. Rather than elaborating on that topic sentence, I will get to the point and say: more please! more » -
#freeadvice
The One Sentence That Can Ruin Your Whole Day
Your space-warping, mind-bending science fiction/fantasy novel isn't just action set pieces and breathtaking ideas — it's got character and atmosphere. And when you're developing those things, it's tempting to reach for that great tool, the Topic Sentence. But beware.
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#freeadvice
Make Your Epic Space Novel Live Up To Your "Elevator Pitch"
The best science-fiction novels boast panoramic world-building and complex ideas. But eventually, you must explain your grand design in a few sentences. This is what's called the "elevator pitch," and it's actually a helpful way of thinking about your novel.
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