S56E8 - Case Studies: Stranger Than Fiction

The answer to the question about number formatting will largely depend on what style guide you've chosen to use. Most narrative fiction will use the Chicago Manual of Style, but not all answers are in there. There might be times you encounter weird instances of formatting for numbers, such a roman numerals. Listen for more options for when it comes to numeral formatting.

Standard paragraph formatting doesn't always cut it. Whether you're writing contemporary fiction with text messages or a steampunk novel with newspaper clippings, you'll likely run into times where you need to stray from normal paragraphs. In this episode, we talk about different options for all kinds of weird formatting you may encounter.

While Ley might tell you that physical descriptions are entirely unnecessary outside of maybe basic identifiers, there is some importance to providing a description for your readers. It helps anchor them in the world and visualize the characters. Finding the right descriptions, though, is difficult, especially when trying to describe various body types. Like any character, it's important to be respectful when describing different physical body types. Listen for more about different words and metaphors that can be useful, and cautions against what might be offensive to readers.

Questions are the never-ending well of inspiration for writers across the world. It can feel awkward or intimidating to ask sometimes, especially when it comes to craft questions. But we want you to know it's always encouraged to ask. For simply asking a question can help you find unexpected answers.

We've talked all month about numbers. How to use them in your story, common tropes associated with them, and more. But what about creating numbers within your world that mean something? This episode, we talk about ways to create rules in your story, such as the numbered rules of Zombieland or Gibb's Rules from NCIS.

The Chosen One is a well-used trope throughout all kinds of fiction, but particularly science fiction and fantasy. There are many ways to proceed with this kind of story, and not all of them work out in the end. Listen to this episode for what often makes a Chosen One and how you can use it to build your story and world.

It's often said there are two sides to a story in our lives. The same goes for the stories we write. This can include creating a villainous reflection of your hero, or simply having two point of view characters. Listen for more on how to tell these two sides of a story most effectively while avoiding repetition.

The infamous countdown can be found in all kinds of stories across genres. This is the moment characters are trying to sync actions, issue a threat, or creating mini ticking clocks in a scene. Listen for more about how to use this to create interesting character interaction or increase the tension of a moment.

Four is a common number for dividing groups in fiction. If you're categorizing characters, those groups often fall into the categories of The Heroic, The Cinnamon Roll, The Nerd, and The Not-So-Bad-Guy. A classic example of this is the Pevensie kids in The Chronicles of Narnia. In this episode, we talk about why this happens and how you can use this trend in your own story.

If you are looking for a number to help show a sense of completeness or unity, consider the number five. This number is often seen as equal parts of a whole or as a four-plus-one in a case like Sailor Moon. Listen for more about how you can use the number five.