All Questions
0
votes
1answer
54 views
Critique of this short text about inequality and contempt
I understand it is possible to ask for critiques here and ask that you guide me to adapt this question if needed.
Now, I feel the need every now and then to get a thought down on paper. However, I am ...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
What constitutes historical fantasy?
I'm writing a trilogy set 80% in Italy and 20% in other European countries. Each novel incorporates real historical characters and fantasy elements (a magical object, real/imagined symbols, ...
5
votes
5answers
11k views
What is the proper way to write time in a manuscript?
I haven't been able to find an answer to this question for a while now. What is the proper way to write time in a manuscript? I'm referring mostly to A.M. and P.M. Should it be written in caps? With ...
4
votes
1answer
121 views
How to get a programming book published
So I feel I'm a pretty good programmer in my area of expertise. Whats the process for writing a book about my niche and getting it published?
3
votes
4answers
302 views
Is it true that men (in general) can't write female first-person?
I think I first saw that statement in an answer to this question.
Men cannot, in general, write female first-person.
I gave it a thought, and realized there was some truth in it; I've read ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
What type of writing would this fall under?
Would this be considered prose, or poetry? The reason I ask is because someone had told me that I should submit it to a magazine but I don't know what kind, if any would look at it. I write it about ...
2
votes
2answers
96 views
How to Create Barcode from ISBN Number
I have published some story books for kids and I have already bought the ISBN numbers for the same. But I am confused on how to get those ISBN numbers as barcodes on covers of books. What is the ...
6
votes
1answer
139 views
Shared worlds: are there any good collaborative sites out there?
Writing is something that I have wanted to do for some time, and I know that I don't currently have the skill set to do more than putter. Are there any shared world story sites that exist? A ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
What's a good writing software for Android phones/tablets?
Everyone once in a while while I'm out I come up with something I want to add to my story. Are there any good writing apps for Android phones and tablets? Most places that recommend mobile writing ...
15
votes
9answers
818 views
Any Technique to See if Your Idea is Original?
I usually get quite a lot of ideas for stories, but every time I want to develop them into a full fledged story, I get paranoid about how it might not be an original idea, and how it might be ...
4
votes
1answer
57 views
Effect of real world brands and/or places on story tone
This is based on that question, but from a tone point of view.
Let's say I have a story taking place in a near-future version of Boston, characters are meeting for coffee.
I have no issue saying ...
0
votes
1answer
66 views
Is there any merit to the term “Mary Sue”? [closed]
In this question I asked about whether there was a standardized definition of the term "Mary Sue". However, a related question would be whether the repeated dilution of the use of the term has rid it ...
1
vote
3answers
96 views
Punctuation and capitalisation in poetry [duplicate]
I'm writing a poem entirely without commas, periods, colons, dashes, emdashes, etc.
However, near the end of the poem I name a city and I want to capitalise it.
On one hand, I think it would be ...
4
votes
3answers
487 views
Any experience with Serenity Editor software?
Has anyone had any experience with Serenity Editor editing software? What's the difference between the Standard version or the Word add-in? What kind of results can it get?
If nobody has used it, ...
7
votes
5answers
162 views
Writing from the middle
My biggest problem as a writer is that I always get inspired and then start writing from the middle, in particular scenes or moments which I think will be crucial. Climaxes. These scenes turn out ...
0
votes
4answers
51 views
Do I include the method of my research in the title?
For my Masters Thesis, I am trying to find an appropriate title. The field of the research is in Forestry and Geographic Information Science (GIS).
Currently my title is the following:
...
0
votes
2answers
57 views
Should I state my intentions/outline my structure at the beginning of an academic essay?
When writing an essay or short paper for school, should I state my intentions and outline the essay's structure in the introduction? Or should I let the essay speak for itself?
8
votes
4answers
4k views
How do you calculate the length of your manuscript?
Say I have a 100 page manuscript in Courier, 11pt, double-spaced. How many paperback pages is this roughly equivalent to? Is there a better font/spacing to use?
6
votes
2answers
131 views
Does this riddle abuse language to make it fit into verse?
Not being a native speaker I'm unable to tell if my poetry sounds fine or just awkward - I know I'm abusing grammar to fit rhymes and rhythm, but the question is: am I abusing it too much? Does that ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Good book on writing for children?
I've dabbled with the thought of writing a childrens book. It allows my mind to go all out weird, and I believe they are ususally short enough for me to see the project through.
But, as usual, I like ...
2
votes
2answers
65 views
Does inclusion of significant quotations from literature make a novel harder to publish?
I'm considering using quotations (a sentence to a paragraph) from various pieces of literature at the beginning of each chapter of my novel. The quotations connect thematically to the events of the ...
2
votes
2answers
54 views
Do different formats of the same book need to be registered separately?
We're self-publishing a book in both paperback and e-book format. The content between the versions will be identical except for some formatting corrections (mainly white-space) made for the digital ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
How do I cite well known historical works?
If I'm writing a paper that uses well known historical sources, how would I cite them? Specifically, I'm referring to the United States Constitution and a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass.
...
5
votes
4answers
153 views
Does using version control system make backups unnecessary?
Suppose I use Git, Subversion or any other version control system for managing my writing. So my texts are preserved together with change history and if I accidentally delete something I can use ...
3
votes
1answer
73 views
Flashback or dream as a means of hinting at more going on than meets the eye
I plan to use a dream or flashback as a way to show the reader the story has more going on behind the scenes. As well to sprinkle in a little of my main characters back-story.
I haven't written it ...
14
votes
6answers
574 views
What are some ingredients of really engaging non-fiction?
Some of the best non-fiction writers, in terms of sales at least, seem to be able to write in a really engaging and easy to read style that makes their work hard to put down. For example, ...
1
vote
2answers
52 views
Workflow for writing and poetry contests
I'm new to this thing. I've developed an awesome talent for essaywriting and poetics, but I have never entered a contest, gotten paid for it, etc.
So this question is simply: What is a typical ...
4
votes
7answers
1k views
Books to improve writing skills
Could you Please recommend me interesting non-technical books i could read which will help me improve my writing skills?
4
votes
4answers
205 views
What are some disadvantages of writing fiction in a diary format?
I find writing in a diary-style is the easiest way to write fiction. The format is the same as a diary, with each entry beginning with the date, then describing the feelings or events of the character ...
4
votes
3answers
135 views
Dedicated micro website
I recently wrote a non fiction book. A marketer from the publishing company, advised me to setup a small website with a few pages dedicated to this book. This website will have a description of the ...
6
votes
1answer
173 views
how should a writer use version control to track drafts, rewrites, and revisions?
I'm a writer, not a programmer. I'm just now for the first time learning about version control and how it works, and I am wondering how version control could streamline my workflow.
In a previous ...
4
votes
5answers
285 views
How can I make a collection of essays / arguments more attractive to publishers?
I've written several essays and am still working on some that I would like to eventually get published.
The issues I cover are on a wide range of topics ranging from Scientology to Piracy to ...
9
votes
2answers
210 views
What's the best version control system for a book writer?
I'm a writer—no programming, only prose in text files, mostly in Emacs org-mode, some in markdown-mode.
I want to implement a version control system for my writing projects.
I work with two types of ...
4
votes
2answers
158 views
How to have a character be nameless for the first few paragraphs of a book?
Let me first explain what is going in in the beginning of the story: My main character belongs to a tribal culture that requires their children pass a rite of passage to earn their name.
So I'm kind ...
-1
votes
2answers
111 views
What makes good writing software? [closed]
I'm developing a writing app and I'm interested to know what features would be most appreciated for such a thing.
I am most interested in writing versus editing, tooling versus immersion, organizing, ...
3
votes
3answers
95 views
Proper use of the “historical present tense”
I am thinking of employing the historical present tense in a first-person narrative (to achieve a greater level of immediacy). The problem is that I am telling the story in a non-linear manner, i.e. ...
6
votes
4answers
4k views
Should I indent the first line of the first paragraph in a chapter?
I was reading a thesis report of a friend and I noticed that he didn't indent the first line of the first paragraph in each chapter. I don't remember noticing it anywhere before until I saw it there ...
5
votes
2answers
174 views
Do script readers start at the beginning?
Script readers-- the people who sift and sort the vast piles of scripts submitted to Hollywood -- do they start at the beginning?
The reason I ask is that I know 99% of scripts are awful and just get ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
How to handle taxes for a self-published book
I'm thinking of publishing a book on kindle, but I don't currently have a business set up. Do you need a business to publish a book? I'm curious as to how to handle US taxes for the royalties. I ...
7
votes
2answers
183 views
Which free licence to choose for my book (manual)?
I wrote a 50 page manual that I plan to release for free. I do not mind if the book is copied, translated, printed, shared, ... I just want two things:
I am the only person who can sell a copy of ...
4
votes
3answers
117 views
How can I express this fragment more clearly and concisely?
For the 'who is this application for' section of an application user guide, I have the following alternatives, I'm not happy with either one. How can I convey both elements more clearly and ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Self/vanity publishing a game manual
I'm writing a player's handbook for a game I'm producing. The game is fully open source, and the manual itself will be online. However, I would like to offer a hardcopy version of the manual for those ...
2
votes
2answers
562 views
Multiple authors in MLA header
I'm writing a group paper and I was wondering whether there's a correct way to list multiple authors at the top of the first page in MLA format. Normally the header would look something like:
My Name
...
11
votes
3answers
16k views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in first person?
A lot of people are either on the side of first person or the side of third person. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in first person for fiction?
0
votes
3answers
63 views
Should I close this quoted paragraph?
I have a paragraph of dialog which technically continues into the next paragraph, but I want to interject a "she continued" almost immediately into the second paragraph. So should I close the quote on ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Page numbers on colour plates
I need to insert a full-page colour plate into a document I am writing. The plate has been prepared in a different program. As colour plates, which I have seen in books, do not carry page numbers, my ...
2
votes
4answers
258 views
What software do you use for writing and then structuring a book?
I'm looking for good software for overseeing and rearranging the structure of a book. I have used Scrivener before, but found its exporting functionality frustrating and the software itself somewhat ...
4
votes
3answers
200 views
It is a sign of bad writing to have many scenes that are disconnected with the main plot?
So my novel look like this (I took this diagram idea from this site, but I'm not sure exactly from whom):
The beginning and end focuses on the mystery that the heroine is trying to solve (main ...
7
votes
6answers
295 views
Killing off a character: deciding if, when and how
Killing off a character is a serious issue. Secondary characters or even extras can pass away without too much negative response from the readers but main characters are a whole different matter.
It ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views
In what narrative mode should you explain a process or task?
I want to explain a psychological and behavioural process to someone via email.
I start off in first-person and speak to them in second-person, but what do I use when I want to explain a process ...
