All Questions
16
votes
10answers
870 views
Where is a good place to find writing prompts?
I love using writing prompts to come up with story ideas. I'm looking for good sites that have a lot of good writing prompts. One that updates fairly often would be best. :)
11
votes
7answers
1k views
How to start a book off?
I have been working on my book (on and off...) for about 6 months. I have a good bit planned out with the plot, story line, and characters. I even have a small idea on how to start the story but ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Multiple tasks and a step by step tutorial
To my knowledge step-by-step tutorials should have the form of a ladder, where you describe how to get to a place step by step– accomplishing a single task at the end. Is it possible to accomplish ...
4
votes
5answers
299 views
How do I balance reading time with writing time?
It's rare to find a how-to-write book or blog that doesn't have this advice: "Read. Voraciously. In all genres, especially your genre of choice, books both good and bad. You won't develop as a Writer ...
8
votes
6answers
230 views
What makes a great writer's space?
If you have a usual or favorite place to write at home, what makes it so good?
I like having multiple places to write -- sometimes I find a change of scenery helps break a block -- but my most-used ...
1
vote
0answers
56 views
Steven Johnson's DevonThink writing workflow: is creating & accumulating 50-500 word snippets worth the effort?
Steven Berlin Johnson talks in this much cited article about his research workflow using DevonThink. In short, he advocates for creating 50-500 word focused text snippets from your research readings ...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
Does this excerpt strike a balance between the formality of steampunk and accessible writing?
I'm having a bit of trouble, since I'm writing in a semi-new genre. I ordinarily write fantasy with a modern-day setting, but my latest experiment is steampunk set in not-exactly-Earth, so it has a ...
6
votes
8answers
428 views
Tools for generating characters' names
I found this name generator:
http://www.fakenamegenerator.com
And I'm wondering if maybe there are others? Has anybody found this kind of tool useful? What about tools for fantasy names? Should I ...
11
votes
8answers
494 views
What's the benefit of using invented languages in-story?
I'm working on a fictional story set in a fantastical (although coherent) universe; I'm used to seeing, in works like this, invented languages: Tolkien's languages for The Lord of the Rings, or ...
3
votes
4answers
113 views
Which e-book formats to use to get a larger readership?
I am self-publishing a free e-book which I make available in several formats: EPUB, online HTML, PDF.
I create (using my own programming scripts) EPUB and online HTML from XHTML sources which I write ...
2
votes
2answers
53 views
Does DRM affect copyright or the restrictions on distribution by the author?
I hear how it is easier for the user to select DRM (digital rights management) free options so that they can use more software packages to read the book, but does that affect in anyway the authors ...
0
votes
2answers
52 views
What are the advantages of different date formats in resumes and CVs?
I've seen a somewhat related question, but it doesn't answer my question quite right. Say you're writing an event that happened on a single day, and you need to put it in your resume or CV. So how ...
2
votes
3answers
99 views
How likely is the “five consecutive word rule” to detect “random,” as opposed to intentional plagiarism?
I refer to the old fable that if you set enough monkeys at enough keyboards for a long enough period of time, they will (through random typing), reproduce the "Complete Works of Shakespeare," or any ...
5
votes
3answers
161 views
How to minimize language mistakes while writing
While it's true that:
Editors do proof reading for you, and
word processors have spell checking and grammar checking
you do not always have an editor available, and software tools aren't perfect ...
3
votes
3answers
125 views
Critique a short essay
So There I was in the scorching, afternoon, summer heat of Cairo. It was a huge change from the UK’s mild weather, and together with the fact that I had been fasting - as in no food or drink- for ...
3
votes
4answers
184 views
Ways to speed up my writing to 15 - 20 pages a day
I am currently at 5 - 10 pages (250 words/page) a day.
How to increase my speed to be able to write 15 - 20 a day?
1
vote
3answers
77 views
Improving techniques independently: Description
How can I improve my technique in description?
Which things I should avoid in description?
How can I know, that I put "enough" description and will go to narration?
My description technique is bad ...
0
votes
2answers
50 views
What is the correct word/term that needs to be before the names of the maker of the project?
I am doing a project with one other person, we have finished the project
and we are working on a cover page.
We are not sure what to write out before our names, we have thought
of a couple of ...
4
votes
3answers
369 views
How do I organize a massive collection of personal files and writing?
Note: This is a vague question, so I welcome help in improving it.
I have a large amount of writing on my computer, some thousands of RTF files that sometimes start as taking notes in class lectures, ...
11
votes
4answers
712 views
Where is a good place to find beta readers?
Beta readers are important to perfecting a novel/novella/short story. They give you a fresh set of eyes, offer opinions, and can be a great moral boost. But where can you find good beta readers? Are ...
2
votes
2answers
111 views
Where can I find lists of commonly used words to avoid?
I have a theory that good prose style comes in part from avoiding complicated, abstract, and pretentious words. Are there any good lists of words to avoid, preferably with suggested alternatives? I'm ...
2
votes
4answers
135 views
Hooking the reader by omitting a piece of information
I'm writing a short story. I decided to opening it in the following way:
We were in Y, doing Z when she mentioned X. I wasn't sure whether she had misheard X's name or had gotten the wrong ...
6
votes
6answers
169 views
Should dull dialogue be removed completely?
The following dialogue is from a novel I'm writing (first draft):
"You're quiet tonight," Erin said to Benjamin, who seemed to be lost
in thoughts.
He looked up and took a sip of his drink. ...
5
votes
4answers
185 views
How can I translate my poems in English that it doesn't sound odd/non poetic for English speaker audiences?
There are many translated Persian/Farsi poems in English like The Rubaiyat, by Omar Khayyam, the famous Iranian poet, philosopher, and mathematician, translated by Edward FitzGerald. Unfortunately ...
4
votes
5answers
180 views
How to tell a story with the least amount of writing?
I love to invent stories and come up with ideas, but I don't have the patience to fill out all the details that is usually a part of a novel. (For those of you familiar with Myers-Briggs or Jungian ...
1
vote
1answer
45 views
PDF e-book page size and fonts
I am self-publishing a free e-book which I will make available in several formats: EPUB, online HTML, PDF.
What characteristics should the PDF e-book file have? What should the page size, font size, ...
6
votes
5answers
3k views
What is the preferred way to type out ellipses?
I have seen ellipses written out both with ("Well . . . gosh . . .") and without spaces ("Well...gosh...") between the dots. I've also looked at several different online writing style sites, and found ...
-1
votes
1answer
52 views
What to name the parts of my thesis [closed]
I'm currently beginning to order/structure my master thesis, which will consist of quite some chapters.
I'd like to divide my thesis into parts (either 2 or 3).
Now I'm trying to decide how to name ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What types of research do writers do in advance of writing? [closed]
I'm trying to determine how universal story research is, and to what extent writers actually do research vs making everything up from personal experience and imagination.
I know writing is a very ...
11
votes
4answers
614 views
I'm getting tired of “he said” “she said” in dialogue; how do I get around it?
I get tired of "he said", "she said", "they replied". Is there a better, but still reasonable way, to indicate dialogue?
10
votes
4answers
219 views
Can a self publishing author use a Pen name/Pseudonym?
I know that an author can use a Pen name/Pseudonym instead of a true name when publishing the traditional way. This is done by signing contracts with the publisher/agent using the real name ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
How can I freelance remotely for overseas advertising agencies as a writer?
How can I freelance remotely for overseas advertising agencies as a writer? Is there a site that caters for such a thing?
The idea excites me and as a writer, I'm able to liaise with clients and ...
5
votes
3answers
172 views
1st person story, but the main character will die in the end and some of the story needs to be told after his death. How to solve this problem?
I personally like to read stories told by the the main character, it's more "alive" to me. But the problem is that my character will die and some of the story will need to be told afterwards. Maybe 1 ...
11
votes
4answers
16k views
Citation in AP style journalism
I'm writing feature articles and trying to adhere to AP style, but I'm not sure how to attribute a source. I'm familiar with academic citation (APA, MLA), but have never done this in journalism.
...
5
votes
1answer
59 views
How can I improve my analytical writing for a standardized test?
I will be taking the GRE test, which is an exam for students from non-English speaking countries who want to go to the US for graduate study. The test basically tests your English ability and your ...
2
votes
3answers
93 views
Is a glossary needed in a novel?
Is a glossary needed in a translated-novel?
or I would only need to put the translation of the native words under the brackets?
1
vote
2answers
71 views
Tenses I should use in a translated-novel
I have been translating a novel that is originally written in my native language into English. Considering that the book's plot is the author's experience of a life that has happened in the past, I've ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Dealing with potential copyright issues: manga
I have been spinning yarn around Kuchiyose Edo Tensei, a reincarnation technique I came across in the popular anime/manga series Naruto. Further developing on that, the concept of bloodlines (or ...
2
votes
3answers
86 views
Is it unusual for a flashback to have a very long dialogue?
This flashback is from a short story I'm writing (unedited first draft):
I met Limei last summer. Our class had organized a graduation trip to
Green Island, where we stayed for fourteen days and ...
-2
votes
1answer
58 views
Writing in second language [closed]
I am an Indonesian but mostly write in English. Most of my poems are written in English. What terms and rules should I notice? considering that my idea comes to mind in English not my native ...
-2
votes
1answer
96 views
Ideas for nicknames of characters in a story
I'm translating a short story into English.
1). The protagonist is a woman in her mid-forties. There was a time when she used to copy out verses from poems and paste them on her wall. The people in ...
0
votes
1answer
64 views
A more effective way of writing this dialogue:
I'm translating a story, and there is scene in it where an ex-colleague asks the man who had slapped the female protagonist the reason for his doing so. In reply, all he says is something like, “What ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
german tourist or German tourist? [closed]
I have learned that 'german' as a noun, written with upper case letter whilst 'german' as an adjective should be with lower case letter. Please guide me more by posting the rules if necessary, thank ...
5
votes
4answers
124 views
How to avoid specifying the gender in English when the original text does not specify it?
I'm translating a short story from Korean into English. One problem I frequently face is the 'antecedent pronoun agreement' when the original text leaves the 'gender' of the subject unspecified (and ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
What is an envelope line?
We're putting together a physical direct mailer advertising leaflet.
I'm embarrassed to ask my colleague who asked me to include this request in addition to my headline.
3
votes
2answers
62 views
How is parallel construction viewed in literature?
I wrote a "take-off" on a French song using a technique that I believe is called "parallel construction."
...
0
votes
2answers
77 views
Strange ungooglable symbol. What does it mean? What is it called? § [closed]
I'm not sure if this symbol will show up in everyone's browser, so I'll describe it also; It looks like an S with a o in the centre vertically. Here it is: §
I've seen this symbol used as a bullet ...
0
votes
3answers
97 views
Words in author's native language?
Why in some essays or articles there are words in author's native language?
(In other words, the essay is in English and there are some Spanish word spread out in whole essay)
Does it necessarily ...
1
vote
2answers
150 views
What exactly is the “five (consecutive) word” plagiarism rule?
My understanding is that the toughest standard regarding plagiarism is the "five (consecutive) word" rule, which holds that, if there are five consecutive words identical to someone else's writing, ...
3
votes
5answers
743 views
Which tense to use when writing a diary?
For writing diary content every day, which English tense is appropriate to use?
Things have all happened already. I usually write late at night (end of the day) or the next day.
Should I use ...
