All Questions
3
votes
3answers
197 views
Online technical writing classes
anyone aware of or can recommend online training courses for technical writers to improve your technical writing skills? I'm looking for courses that provide video or audio lectures, and teachers ...
3
votes
3answers
842 views
Is Postscript still useful in the age of email?
"Post script is usually written when a writer forgets to write something on the main body of the letter and wants to add on to what he had written on the letter." But in this age of email and word ...
3
votes
2answers
106 views
Does Wiktionary supply what writers need in an online dictionary?
There are actually Wiktionaries for many languages and the English Wiktionary also defines and translates words of many other languages. But ignoring these other languages, have you tried the English ...
4
votes
4answers
94 views
Is it a Good or Bad thing to use 'I' Regularly in Magazine Articles?
Do readers want to read articles where the author refers to themselves and their experiences, or would they prefer the author to leave themselves out of the article?
When I say 'readers' I'm ...
0
votes
1answer
130 views
What are some possible reasons of why my readers preferred this “writing” over the others two? [closed]
Recently, I wrote the following stuff for a photo web comic I created inspired in "a softer world.":
To break up and stay friends means to
throw away a possession and turn it
into something ...
7
votes
4answers
565 views
Preventing genre-savvy second-guessing in murder mysteries
In a murder mystery, most of the story is generally focused on figuring out who the murderer is; in "Fair-Play" mysteries, it's assumed the murderer is a significant character in the book, and the fun ...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
Dashes vs. Commas vs. parentheses?
Occasionally I write sentences containing subparts with extra information. I never know how to block off his information from the rest of the sentence. Three ways I have seen are dashes, commas, and ...
5
votes
2answers
143 views
plagiarism vs. reference?
I just finished reading the annotated edition of Lolita, and Nabokov hid references to other works of literature everywhere. Lately I've also been considering ways to work in lyrics and other oblique ...
0
votes
1answer
347 views
English writers IDE [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a special software for writers?
What IDE's do writers typically write in? I'm aware of Microsoft Word, but surely that is not something that a professional ...
9
votes
4answers
311 views
How do you avoid the problem of all the characters in your story sounding the same?
There's a common flaw that I can easily detect in amateur writing, (and of course my own) which essentially boils down to all the characters "sounding the same", dialogue-wise anyway. Trying to ...
11
votes
6answers
179 views
Avoiding foot¬e disease
In his answer to Our note in footnote of a book, Malvolio writes:
I hate numbered foot-notes personally, they're very distracting
Which I agree with, but his recommendation, to use endnotes, I ...
9
votes
10answers
275 views
An alternative to saying 'users' when describing features
I'm creating some copy describing new web-app features for a number of different audiences (users, managers of sections of the site, owners of sub-sites which use our platform etc.).
I'm finding ...
7
votes
6answers
460 views
How to attract the average reader to an “intellectual” novel?
For instance, If I write a novel which has the following:
“The universe goes through a gradual
transition from one condition, to a
different condition, without any
abrupt changes.”
...
9
votes
5answers
1k views
How much time do you spend writing one page on average? [closed]
I'm writing a technical book about one programming technology and would like to compare how much time other authors spend on one page (on average). I rarely write a page and am done with it, quite ...
2
votes
5answers
525 views
What does “Exposition and Ammunition – back story” mean in screenwriting?
I am just starting my first screen writing class and I got an assignment that says: Exposition and Ammunition – back story. I have been searching online but I don't get it. Can someone explain it for ...
2
votes
4answers
247 views
Can I use “We” to refer to me and the reader?
I am writing my thesis and in many cases I want to take the reader through an example. For example:
Besides the advanced composition rules, it is also important to have a set of
basic rules to ...
6
votes
2answers
207 views
Should the Voice of the Author change with the Point-Of-View Character in a Non-Literary Fiction?
I have been writing an action/adventure novel and am having a tough time deciding whether the voice of the writer should undergo a slight/moderate but not a complete change with the point of view ...
5
votes
1answer
347 views
Is an overview clearer when outlined with bullet points, or when written in paragraphs?
I am writing a short piece for a technical audience. In essence I have three main points, each with sub-points. A few of the sub-points themselves have sub-points. I cannot help but find it clearer ...
6
votes
4answers
531 views
How to switch pov characters mid-scene without jarring the reader?
I am writing a novel wherein there are many characters whose thoughts are key to telling it properly. In an earlier draft, I attempted to have any given chapter told from the point of view of exactly ...
3
votes
3answers
400 views
What is a systematic way of using Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases?
I'm new to the book, and not sure where to start. Please share some ideas on how you as a writer use Roget's. I love that the book has so many different words and I would like to know how you use ...
4
votes
5answers
1k views
In what order should I describe a setting?
For instance I'm describing the park of an art museum in a foggy day. I'm not sure if I should start with the fog, wind, grass, threes, walking paths, buildings, stairs or something else. Is there a ...
5
votes
3answers
276 views
2
votes
4answers
1k views
What Types of Jobs can a Writer find?
as you all realize the term 'Writer' is very broad and general. So my quick question is: I'm trying to help my young aspiring writer friend find a job in PA, but the term writer is really general. ...
5
votes
2answers
83 views
Could anyone point me in the direction of some resources on conversational writing
Im looking to improve my writing , i would love to know if anyone has any tips on developing an engaging conversational writing style.
5
votes
4answers
348 views
What makes a good action scene?
Action, in any storytelling medium, is the relationship between build up and pay off. While cinema may emphasize the payoff (pyrotechnics play well to theater-going crowds) it seems that the written ...
0
votes
0answers
268 views
What's the best and clearer way of presenting a character description for a novel? [closed]
Basically, I would like to know which method gives more clarity for the writer or helps to develop the psychology of the character the best?:
1.-
Name: John
Physical Appearance: tall, thin, etc.
...
-2
votes
1answer
144 views
How many words (or lines) are long enough to make someone think about his life but short enough to hook lazy readers? [closed]
OK, I know that it depends of what it is written. But I believe that human brain responds to a certain amount of words in different ways. Based on that, how many words (or lines) you think are long ...
7
votes
3answers
199 views
Can I ePublish my out-of-print history book?
Can I assume that the rights to my history book Frontier Theatre (Sono Nis 1983) reverted wholly back to me when the book went out of print around 1992?
The contract was a standard pre-digital ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views
Do thesis statements make sense? [closed]
Personally, for longer papers (20 pages+), I think a thesis statement is not the correct way to go about things. I think something like a thesis needs to exist; that is, an explanation to your reader ...
12
votes
2answers
783 views
What needs to be included in a corporate style guide?
What kinds of things need to be included in a corporate style guide that can't already be found in S&W, AP, Chicago Style, etc?
3
votes
3answers
133 views
Writing a bibliography
In the formats I've seen for writing a bibliography, the author is always put first, and then the title. Are there some bibliographies where the title is put before the author?
3
votes
6answers
203 views
Please help me improve this sentence…
In a first-person narrative, I’d like to use the following sentence:
It took me nearly a decade to write this script, and now I’d pitch it to the top producer in Hollywood.
I’m not following ...
3
votes
2answers
435 views
LaTex + version control writing package
This should be probably cross-posted to tex.stackexchange.com. However, since my question is more oriented towards writers who also have a firm grasp of technology, I'm posting it here in hopes of ...
9
votes
3answers
336 views
How can I create my own deadline?
I'm very responsible when I'm writing a tech book or article under contract. I have a deadline, my editor is expecting my work, and I turn it in on time. Sometimes I put it off a bit, but I pride ...
8
votes
5answers
302 views
Our note in footnote of a book
How do I designate the footnotes that are mine inside a quote?
I tried "our note", "note ours" and "remark is ours". Which one is the correct one and most commonly used?
Or is there some other way?
...
8
votes
2answers
274 views
How do critics review an author's first and second and maybe third novel differently?
Do critics review first, second, and third novels differently? And if so, how?
What do critics think is the significance of the birth order of novels?
5
votes
2answers
255 views
What can I earn as a technical writer or technical editor?
I've been a computer programmer for thirty years and an expert in some niches. I was a technical editor before that.
I'd like to be a free-lance editor again if the pay is right.
How does a ...
3
votes
3answers
156 views
Do writers use highlighting to clarify ideas in their work in progress?
In programming we often use syntax highlight in order to have a better picture of what the role of particular bits of code is (using different colours).
I wonder if writers do something similar - ...
5
votes
2answers
124 views
What's the proper way of formatting writing from a character in a novel?
I'm writing a story that constantly shows what the characters are writing.
I would like to know how to format that. Right now I'm doing it like this
(please ignore the grammar, it is a rough draft):
...
8
votes
1answer
517 views
How do I find an affordable editor?
I wrote a few chapters of a book several years ago. How do I find an affordable editor?
0
votes
4answers
182 views
“In the” vs “At the” [closed]
I am not sure which one is correct:
In the beginning of the book
or
At the beginning of the book
As in the sentence:
In the beginning of the book Marco describes his early life.
1
vote
4answers
108 views
How to convey the fact that the person that I'm talking to, is “she” but from the past?
I wrote the following:
I think about cheating on you...with a
girl who I used to have random
romantic moments with, a girl who no
longer exist, a girl which was you,
the first days we met.
...
4
votes
2answers
87 views
What are some ways to denote presentation style outside of written text.
I would like my document as I am writing it to be independent of software layouts as I think it would be a better decision to make at the end of the process. What would be good ways to denote ...
5
votes
4answers
187 views
What is the Priority in an Action/Adventure Novel: Dialogues or Conflict?
I am currently working on a novel and I was having some trouble finding the best solution for this question. I understand that both dialogues and conflicts are needed in a good proportion to cook a ...
0
votes
0answers
360 views
Why Haruki Murakami's novels are so addictive and popular all over the world (cross cultural popularity)? [closed]
I've read two books by Haruki Murakami so far. I felt attracted all the time while I was reading, and the weird thing is that I don't know why. I was surprised to know that my writing teacher (an ...
3
votes
2answers
607 views
How could I share my lyrics?
I've been writing lyrics for quite sometime now (at-least five years). Although there have been several of those moments when I've thought I'd have an act for music making.. I'm just not sure I'll ...
8
votes
3answers
235 views
I'm an editor who generally uses Word to communicate changes with my authors. Is Adobe's InCopy better for this task?
For all of my editing work I'm currently using Microsoft Word. But I've heard a bit about Adobe's InCopy being good for editing and publishing. Is it really better? What makes it better than Word?
20
votes
5answers
965 views
Writing first programming book
I was recently asked if I was interested in writing a book for a pretty reputable publisher, which of course I accepted. I am not a writer by trade, I am a software developer with some technical ...
0
votes
1answer
87 views
Where to look for ESL writers and copyeditors? [closed]
I often work on lessons for ESL students - texts, dialogues, etc. I'm not a native speaker and I don't have any friends abroad. I often need copyeditors for my lessons, but I seem to have trouble ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views
Translation as the starting point of a new work of fiction
In the past, there has been famous cases of translations becoming works on their own. Many dramatic plots were copied from country to country (Elisabethan dramatists used to translate spanish plays ...
