?

I'm writing a novel, and I need to know if someone gets shot in the arm, near the bicep, and the bullet passes right through, what would the recovery process be? Would doctors stitch it up, put his arm in a sling, and send him home? Or something else? Also, how long would it take to heal?

Thank you!

I'm writing a steampunk story where zeppelins are in common use. I need to know how fast one could travel from New York to England. Does anyone know?

Also, in the early 1900s, how fast could a passenger ship cross the same distance?

What was your NaNoWriMo story about? How many words did you write? How do you feel now that it's over?

Mine is a Beauty and the Beast style story set in ancient Egypt. It is called "The Pharaoh". It's finished at 66,000+ words. And I must say that I feel great about completing a novel in 30 days!

Someone once told me that science fiction is nothing more than a breeding ground for amateur authors.

As writers, I what to hear your take on what that.

I, personally, don't think it is, and here's why: believe that science fiction a very fickle genre. I think it's like a radio, you can tune it and get fuzz, boring stuff, fun stuff, etc. But every now and then you find the station that plays the good and clear stuff that you like. I believe that sci-fi taste is mostly opinion based; not everyone is going to like the same stories.

I think a lot of people either write sci-fi, or start out writing sci-fi is because there are no "rules". You can write anything; no matter how strange, new, or absurd it may sound. You can break the bonds of physics and time. You can cast away reality and make your own up. Science fiction, I believe, is one of the simplest, yet most complex, genres to write. My reason for saying this is that you need to have the mind for it. This is why, again, I believe, there's a lot of terrible books in the genre and a lot of amazing books as well.

So, tell me, writers, what do you think about this?

Who is the hero of the story that you're currently writing? Is he/she an unsung hero who operates in the background? A person who didn't know know it in them then had greatness thrust upon them? Or are they someone who already knew that they were meant to be the hero? And how do you think the actions of your hero effects the people and situations around him/her?

Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful to be home with my family this year! So what are you thankful for?

The last three or four questions I've been asking in the Books and Authors section haven't been showing up on the new questions board. They're open questions, I can access them from the My Activity section, but the questions aren't showing up at all on the new questions board. Why is that?

By the way, it's not that I'm impatient. I've refreshed the board a few times, and the question isn't where it should be.

For all of you who like science fiction, do you prefer to have an understanding of how every little thing works and is done, or do you prefer to have it there as is, and have it be left to imagination to wonder how it all works?

My examples of this are Star Trek and Star Wars (I love them both). Star Trek is more technical and scientific, everything has a techno babble reason as to why it works. On the other hand, you have Star Wars which is more fantasy-ish, where things happen but it's mostly kept in the unknown. I mean really, how does the Force really work? No one knows (and I don't accept Midichlorians as an answer...that was just stupid)

So my question to you is, which do your prefer in the books that you read? One extreme or the other, or do you like middle ground?

My blog: http://greaterthanknowledge.wordpress.com/

As an aspiring author, I'm looking to see what different people's tastes are in the genre. So, out of curiosity, what is the best science fiction or fantasy novel you have ever read, and the reason why you think so?

Mine is "The Neverending Story". I feel like that book is so unique, colorful, vibrant in imagination that it's a beautifully written novel. The story is fantastic, the characters are strong and well written, and the concept is extremely well thought out. I love to the book contains itself, and also offers the readers to find the little ways the book references itself. I've read that book so many times, and each time I do, it's like a brand new adventure.

So what's yours, and why?

My blog: http://greaterthanknowledge.wordpress.com/

As an aspiring author, I'm looking to see what different people's tastes are in the genre. So, out of curiosity, what is the best science fiction or fantasy novel you have ever read, and the reason why you think so?

Mine is "The Neverending Story". I feel like that book is so unique, colorful, vibrant in imagination that it's a beautifully written novel. The story is fantastic, the characters are strong and well written, and the concept is extremely well thought out. I love to the book contains itself, and also offers the readers to find the little ways the book references itself. I've read that book so many times, and each time I do, it's like a brand new adventure.

So what's yours, and why?

My blog: http://greaterthanknowledge.wordpress.com/

As an aspiring author, I'm looking to see what different people's tastes are in the genre. So, out of curiosity, what is the worst science fiction or fantasy novel you have ever read, and the reason why you think so?

Mine is "Artemis Fowl". That book was so poorly written that I don't know how it got published. The story had potential, but the characters were bland, the writing style was erratic. The author head hopped the point of view so often and without any break in the story (such as a chapter change or a page break), that I never knew who's eyes I was looking through. I felt like it was written for five year old, filled with fart jokes and stupid dialogue that meant nothing. I understand it's a child's book, but an author shouldn't insult the intelligence of his targeted readers. It was a pathetic piece of fiction. Another one I hated was "E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet". I kid you not, this disgusting sequel of a classic movie was written. It was horrible!

So what's yours, and why?

My blog: http://greaterthanknowledge.wordpress.com/

I'm involved in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year, and I was wondering if anyone else who visits Yahoo! Answers was as well. If so, what is your novel about? Also, how is the writing going?

I recently asked on here "What is your greatest flaw and strength as a write". I got a lot of amazing answers. But I have another one along the same lines. What is your greatest passion as a writer?

I mean, why is it that you write? What is it about the written word that drives you? That thing that makes you say to yourself, "I need to put that on paper, because someone will want to read that?"

I think that without passion, and without zeal in our writing, we're simply putting words on a page and hoping someone will like it. If you have passion, drive, and zeal, you are now writing to tell a story or to improve someones life. You're now writing with a purpose. I believe that in all forms of writing, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc, that are written with passionate hand are more meaningful. And people can tell the difference. So, if you don't mind sharing, what are some of your passions, why do you write what you write?

Personally, I have a few passions. The first would be to tell stories that have not been done before. I love to think outside of the box. A brand new idea sparks passion in me to the point where I HAVE to write it down. I may not work on it for a while due to other projects, but I at least put down my thoughts and save them for later. Every now and then I go back to my files where I keep my story ideas and look through them, and I think, "Wow, I really want to work on these someday, because it's new and exciting and never been done before." Second of all, I'm passionate about science fiction, the reason being because there is no limit to how far the imagination can go. I love to share my stories of new worlds to people. It's what drives me.

I recently asked on here, "What is your greatest flaw as a writer?". But as I think, I would also like to hear what other writers think their greatest strength in writing. What is something that your are particularly good at writing (I don't mean genre). Is it settings, characters, plots, ideas, etc.?

I think knowing what our strengths are help us write good stories, as well as help us enjoy the writing experience. So, what is your strength in writing, if you don't mind sharing?

It's hard for me to give an example, because I'm not good at praising myself, and admitting that I'm good at something. But here it goes.... One thing that I think I'm strong at doing is world building. I enjoy reading and writing science fiction the most, what I like about it is the endless possibilities of other worlds (planets, dimensions, realities, it's all good). So when I write sci-fi I think that I'm pretty good at building unique places, settings, cultures, life, and systems; whole worlds and universes. Whether it be a Earth-like planet with a different culture, or a completely different universe with it's own set of physics and rules. It gives me joy to create these new worlds and lands, places and beings. It fun, and there is literally no end to how far the imagination can fly.

What I mean by this is what do you think is the worst thing about your own writing? That one issue that keeps coming up that you have to work hard on to correct?

I do not believe in perfect authors or books. Every author has something in their writing that they do not like, a flaw so to speak. I think knowing what our flaws are helps us avoid them, correct them, and improve our level of the written word. What is your flaw, if you don't mind sharing?

Personally, my major writing flaw would be lazy writing. I like for my novels to be the absolute best they can be. This is one reason why I have not searched for representation yet, my book is not yet ready...soon though! But I hate it when I fall into the trends of lazy writing, where I go back and read it and it's just sloppy, with many errors, and the scene just doesn't flow well. It sort of drifts off into a complacent writing style. I like for my novels and short stories to be clear, precise, and well written. This is something I have to work on in order for my novels to be up to par. And might I add that I'm glad I have this flaw, it keeps me on my own toes, and it, in a way, forces me to be a better writer. It makes me better because I really do care about how well my writing is.

Hello all you amazing readers out there! Let's get some opinions!

What do you think makes a protagonist (of any kind of novel) cliché? What can be done to avoid this status quo that is the cliché main character? What makes a protagonist unique? Maybe give some examples of cliché and unique protagonists.

Mind you, I'm looking for peoples opinions on this matter, not suggestions. Thanks a lot, and I can't wait to read what you all have to say on this matter.

I've already asked this, but I'm asking again to get some variety.

I want to start reviewing books, kind of like an opinionated and detailed review of books. I have a nice list of great books, but I need a list of some really, REALLY bad books (whether in plot, or in writing style). I have a few on my list already, but I need more. If you have a list of fiction books that you thought were really crappy, please give me the title and author so I can look them up, maybe read them and review them. Also, if you can tell me what was so crappy about them, that would be great.

Note: Please don't say books like Harry Potter or Twilight...I just don't wanna open that can of worms with all the lovers/haters of those series (For the record, Harry Potter rocks, and Twilight sucks). I just don't want to review those book series...at least, not at this time.

So, give me your best list of crappy novels!

Thanks a lot!

I want to start reviewing books, kind of like an opinionated and detailed review of books. I have a nice list of great books, but I need a list of some really, REALLY bad books (whether in plot, or in writing style). I have a few on my list already, but I need more. If you have a list of fiction books that you thought were really crappy, please give me the title and author so I can look them up, maybe read them and review them. Also, if you can tell me what was so crappy about them, that would be great.

Note: Please don't say books like Harry Potter or Twilight...I just don't wanna open that can of worms with all the lovers/haters of those series (For the record, Harry Potter rocks, and Twilight sucks). I just don't want to review those book series...at least, not at this time.

So, give me your best list of crappy novels!

Thanks a lot!

I've asked this before, but I never got a clear answer, so I'm trying again.

All my life I've heard that there are only seven basic plots in storytelling; only seven basic plots that every story falls into. I was wondering if this was true, and if so, what are they? Also, could I get some examples of each plot point, maybe a book or story that falls under each one.

And for clarification, I'm not talking about genres, I'm talking about the basic plots, the essence that the story boils down to. I say this because the last time I asked this someone gave me a list of genres.

Thanks a lot, I love to expand my knowledge of literature.

Hello all you amazing readers out there! Let's get some opinions!

What do you think makes a protagonist (of any kind of novel) cliché? What can be done to avoid this status quot that is the cliché main character? What makes a protagonist unique? Maybe give some examples of cliché and unique protagonists.

Mind you, I'm looking for peoples opinions on this matter, not suggestions. Thanks a lot, and I can't wait to read what you all have to say on this matter.