If the answer is "pick a method and be consistent", your question may be one of style.
1
vote
0answers
79 views
Looking for story that deliberately overused “get” [closed]
It was in Writer's Digest, probably the early 1980s, when I saw this. One of the regular columnists (or was it an irregular columnist?) went on a brief rant about careless writers overusing the word ...
11
votes
4answers
444 views
When should I avoid the passive voice? When might I use it?
An opinion exists that overusing of the passive voice can make writing harder for reading and understanding. Is it true for all kinds of writing? How to follow this advice without overemphasizing it? ...
6
votes
2answers
929 views
What is the most effective way to deal with flashbacks in a novel structure ?
In writing a novel, often flashbacks are difficult to manage: if too long and detailed, they can appear as second class (at worst, aborted) plots whose only task is to sustain the main plot line; if ...
5
votes
4answers
298 views
Rules and resources for scientific writing
The writing style in scientific papers in the natural sciences, e.g. chemistry and biology, seems very different from many other kinds of writing. There are usually severe restrictions on the length ...
13
votes
1answer
247 views
Checklist for making sure your writing is Atomic?
Question:
Can someone please give me a list of things to check when reviewing a document to make sure that it is atomic.
Atomic?
Meaning that anyone can start reading at any section in a document ...
7
votes
2answers
249 views
How to emphasize a quote is written, not spoken?
In a similar question on EL&U, I asked about suggestions for indicating that a quote is written instead of spoken.
Robusto's answer suggested several possible approaches:
For longer quotes of ...
16
votes
5answers
721 views
What are the most common style manuals?
From Wikipedia:
A style guide or style manual is a set
of standards for the writing and
design of documents, either for
general use or for a specific
publication, organization or field.
...
4
votes
3answers
227 views
How to achieve a dark and nostalgic feeling/setting in a novel?
I don't want to scare the reader, but I would like to produce a dark and nostalgic feeling.
Pretty much the feeling that gives you this video (both image and music).
The setting of my novel is a ...
4
votes
3answers
207 views
Simplicity is fundamental in design. How about in writing a novel?
I'm a web designer. The first rule in design is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
How about writing a novel? Is simplicity fundamental or just an option?
10
votes
3answers
189 views
Is it a good idea to write a summary of a plot before writing the full version?
Sometimes when I write a plot I get confused about the motivations of the characters and how events connect as I change elements.
Is it a good idea to write a summary first in order to organise ...
5
votes
2answers
191 views
How can you build an interactive tone into articles?
I was wondering about tone in articles lately. My articles don't tend to be interactive. It feels like most of them are just flowing one way.
How does actually tone contribute to the quality of an ...
0
votes
3answers
129 views
How to reword this: repeated back on him?
I don't know how to reword this:
Along the way, we see how the faults
Jacob made earlier in life are
repeated back on him.
I know
repeated back on him
doesn't sound correct, but I ...
4
votes
2answers
154 views
How should I approach possibly unfamiliar pop culture in fiction?
So sometimes I get an idea that forms specifically around some aspect of pop culture. They're often song lyrics. If the reader knows the song, they appreciate the symbolism and allegory or whatever ...
10
votes
2answers
280 views
Getting emotional while writing, good or bad?
Once in a while I get really emotional when writing.
Writing about love, jealousy or even thinking about a simple scene in which a father plays with his child can get some strong emotional responses ...
5
votes
2answers
503 views
How to make a letter interesting?
I have a question regarding the art of letter writing.
I believe in the old-fashioned way of maintaining pen friendships (not necessarily a relationship, but could be) through hand-written letters, ...
16
votes
9answers
849 views
Tips for expanding my vocabulary?
Looking back through my texts, I noticed that I often use a lot of the same words and resort to using quite a basic vocabulary. I was wondering if there are any good exercises or anything else for ...
2
votes
0answers
167 views
Is Strunk and White's “The Elements” full of “stupid grammar advice?” [closed]
In a previous question I asked about The Elements, RegDwight posted a comment containing a link to this article by Geoffrey K. Pullum:
50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice.
There is also a lengthier ...
14
votes
7answers
915 views
What makes writing emotional?
Over the years, my English professors seem to have agreed on one thing: that I'm a superb technical writer, but terrible at eliciting emotional response in something like a story or an argumentative ...
15
votes
7answers
918 views
What's Essential In A Combat Scene?
I've just been reading a bunch of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books. Although they were the most enjoyable read I'd had in ages I always found myself skimming long segments that described involved ...
12
votes
5answers
417 views
What is flash fiction?
Is it simply defined by its short word count? Or are there other accepted conventions in flash fiction? If it's just the word count, how short is too short? How long is too long?
1
vote
7answers
633 views
Verb tense for technical document titles
I'm writing a technical manual about creating database systems, and wondered what is the best verb tense for title names.
My ideas are:
Continuous (-ing) form: (e.g. "Creating a Cluster", "Creating ...
19
votes
4answers
816 views
How do you avoid purple prose?
I try to watch out for bland, overused adjectives and I keep adverbs to a minimum but -- I hear this phrase a lot and I'm not even sure what it means?
9
votes
6answers
747 views
What are the tricks to avoid repetition in writing?
After some time of working on my research, I usually have a structured information of my results, which I can best describe in bullets/numbers. Unfortunately, this is not what academia expects. For ...
34
votes
19answers
2k views
How to overcome the fact that I can't write?
My problem is that I basically suck at writing. Especially prose.
Part of it is basically because I don't practice as much as I could.
Part of it is because I'm just not talented in that way.
...
15
votes
4answers
481 views
As a non-native English speaker, Is it better to get translated or get copyedited for long texts?
My English level is average. I can write fluently and my vocabulary is not too limited.
With the thought in mind that the end result must be perfect, is it better for me to write my long text (100 ...
5
votes
1answer
109 views
What are some appropriate uses of readability tests?
Do you use readability metrics (such as Gunning fog or Flesch-Kincaid) as you're working on a piece?
If so, how do you use them, and what benefit do you get from using them?
11
votes
5answers
446 views
When is a prologue useful?
Prologues tend to get a bad rap on the internet, and sometimes for good reason. They're often used by as an excuse to start a novel with an info-dump. However, it seems to me that people often ...
12
votes
4answers
351 views
How can I transition from academic writing to fiction writing?
I always receive the same critique when I write fiction. The critique is good for my characters and plot, but I am told that my writing style is stiff, awkward and amateurish. When I wrote academic ...
11
votes
4answers
110 views
Writing for an Audio book. What are specifics?
What are specific requirements, a writer should follow, when writing something that is going to be (or just can possibly be) not only read but listened as well?
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Techniques for writing internal monologue
I've seen the thoughts of a character written in a few different ways:
Example 1: Indirect
Ender liked it better, though, when two boys played against each other. Then they had to use each other's ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
Writing 19th century upperclass English dialog
I was recently rereading bits of Pride and Prejudice and the dialog is absolutely brilliant. How can I learn to write dialog that sounds like it is from this general era? For example are there any ...
9
votes
3answers
268 views
How can multiple viewpoints be used without breaking the flow of the story?
I'm currently writing a story in first-person that has a connection to a series of external events - things that the main character has no way of knowing but are vital to the progression of the ...
7
votes
2answers
247 views
How many liberties can one take with syntax and grammar rules when writing poetry?
I've begun to wrote a small fable in verse for my girlfriend, whereas she gets one part of the story for each day before Christmas since the 1st December. She likes it, however she tells me nearly ...
11
votes
4answers
326 views
How do you vary dialogue within stories?
How do you vary dialogue within stories? I often find myself writing "'sentence/dialogue' said character", and it sometimes gets really repetitive. How is this managed?
These are the only words that ...
3
votes
4answers
4k views
Do you use the word “that” too much?
I find myself using the word "that" too much. How do you really know when you need that "that" word there? Like just now. I don't think I need "that" there. Do you have words you overuse?
15
votes
7answers
457 views
Could I reach the level of good writing style as non-native language speaker?
I currently write in Russian, but I think of switching to English to gain more audience and to play with both languages and linguistics.
So could I ever reach the level of native English writers and ...
4
votes
1answer
176 views
Pros and cons of using perspectives?
What are the pros and cons of using first person/second person/third person perspective in your story?
12
votes
7answers
368 views
What helpful writing exercises do you use?
The two I do most are dialog and description related. When I meet a person or I'm just sitting people watching, I try to write their description in my head as if I was describing a character in a ...
10
votes
4answers
164 views
What are the usual methods for getting a daily word count?
Do, normally, only words which are eventually to be kept count, or do you also count rewrites? For example, if I rewrite a 50 word paragraph 10 times, is my daily count up to 50 or up to 500?
12
votes
4answers
221 views
How to vary writing style?
I just had to edit a 40 page paper and I'm not kidding, there were paragraphs where every sentence started with "This."
How do good writers learn to vary their sentence length and wording to flow? I ...
14
votes
2answers
348 views
When modifiers should be avoided?
I've come across the Mark Twain's quote:
"When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them -- then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close ...
6
votes
2answers
408 views
How not to overuse ellipsis?
I always… feel… so… expressive when I see this little nicy dots!.. I just can't stop to put them more… and more… and more… Please teach me how to stop!..
Update: I guess people misunderstood me. I ...
12
votes
3answers
219 views
Avoiding Deus Ex Machina resolutions?
Most Crime/Thriller Novels usually have a sudden, unexpected plot twist that puts the main character in a really hopeless situation.
One way to resolve this is by using a "Deus Ex Machina", that is a ...
10
votes
4answers
380 views
Switching POV: Should it ever be done at all?
When I started, I had a nasty habit of hopping from perspective to perspective to perspective. I forced myself down to one perspective per chapter, but I still wonder if it's acceptable to do it at ...
2
votes
3answers
55 views
Spelling style in academic papers
When an article is submitted to a conference or journal, is it better to use British or American spelling? Does it have to be according to the conference or journal's style (based on where it is being ...
2
votes
1answer
149 views
Are different styles/storylines prefered in different languages/cultures?
I'm a german and I write in german. Can I apply the hints for style or storybuilding given here or from english authors without a second thought to my work? Or exists differences in how are a style or ...
4
votes
3answers
95 views
When and how often edit the style and content of a story?
An early story I did I edited again and again to make it better. But in the end, I got the feeling the result was worse than before. Recently I tried to write (short-stories) in one go and only check ...
