All Questions
0
votes
0answers
7 views
Converting handwriting into text apps etc
Recently, I found a short story that I had written many years ago when computers were not that common. Its 25 pages of handwritting. Obviously, I don't want to spend hours typing it. My typing speed ...
2
votes
2answers
54 views
How best to format a novel written in Markdown
I want to use a text editor (Emacs) to write a novel because I don't want to consider page layout and other similar issues. I want to use the Markdown format so that I can convert it to the docx ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
Is dialogue in a novel necessary, or just padding?
I can usually tell the story I want to in less than 10,000 words. I'd really like to accomplish writing a novel and I have a complex idea I want to use and explore, but I am worried I won't need ...
7
votes
4answers
177 views
Is there a Market for Poetry with a Fixed Verse Form
I find that when I structure my poetry according to an accepted form such as a villanelle, sestina, or sonnet I am able to think more clearly because of the boundaries of the form, and believe my best ...
1
vote
4answers
207 views
Format + Editor for book writing
A friend of mine is going to write a book. Therefore he is looking for an easy WYSIWYG solution. FIrst I recommended latex, but this would be a bit to hard to learn. A big part of the book is finished ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Can a book be published by more than one publisher?
1) Some books are published by more than one publisher. For example, if you go to Amazon or Flipkart and search for 'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud, you will see many of them from ...
2
votes
2answers
92 views
Essay critique: flow and how compelling it is
I dragged myself sluggishly out of bed and instinctively reached for my phone, then I remembered: there was no cell coverage or wifi.
I wasn’t used to waking up this early. I didn’t think ...
11
votes
2answers
458 views
What are advantages/disadvantages to use a CC-license for your writings?
What are the implications, if I choose a Creative-Commons-license for my work? Cory Doctorow seems fine with this. Is this exceptional?
5
votes
9answers
279 views
What do you do if you enjoy writing, but have no ideas?
I've done some writing in the past - mostly short descriptive pieces, although I once wrote 9000+ words of a story idea I had.
What I enjoy about it are the technical, intellectual, creative ...
10
votes
3answers
152 views
Do publishers really need to translate between UK and US English?
Is there really a need for a book to be translated from UK to US English? I'm nearing completion on my own great work, and just want to know if it is truly worth doing a British and an American ...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
What factors to consider when choosing an e-book platform?
Some students that I mentor have written a number of short stories that they want to publish now.
I am totally new in this area. I did preliminary research which indicates that there are now a ...
-1
votes
1answer
37 views
How do you Open with an Anecdote in a persuasive writing? :'( Or maybe in the middle? [closed]
I'm very eager to get high grade in my English exam which is seriously so close :)...Anyway we're going to do persuasive writing (no surprise there) but I want to try something new and this year it's ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
How does one involve people in writing non-fiction?
I haven't written anything serious in a while, but I would like to get back into writing non-fiction. In particular, I want to write about "big ideas" that interest me; however, I realize that ...
3
votes
2answers
120 views
How do I create a book on iBookstore without having a Mac?
I use Linux, and I'd like to format a book for the iBookstore. When I go to signup to iTunes Connect to upload my books, it
says:
3. Download iTunes Producer
Download our delivery ...
-1
votes
1answer
44 views
Forming a tagline for customers, drivers and software [closed]
We are designing brochures for attracting possible vendors to use our software platform to attract/retain their customers.
The kind of vendors here are the hardworking type, with not necessarily any ...
1
vote
2answers
122 views
What is the smallest amount of text that can be plagiarized?
Can the following be considered plagiarized? I am interested in finding out the limit of words one is allowed to use.
Java is a programming platform that's used for developing computer ...
0
votes
0answers
151 views
Short exclamation to mean: “This is driving me crazy.” [migrated]
(Edit: The exclamation should be a "word" instead of a "sound" because it is the first human word uttered by the protagonist (the chimp). I don't really have much choice with the phrasing since it's a ...
19
votes
7answers
693 views
How does one write a character smarter than oneself?
How does one write a "genius" character? I don't mean a scientific genius, or someone who is a prodigious talent in math or chess or something like that. I mean the following scenario (or an ...
2
votes
0answers
37 views
How to cite a Terms of Service in APA style
I need to cite a Google condition using APA style.
I have the following paragraph, but when I pass it through Viper I get plagiarized. How shall I do?
2
votes
1answer
154 views
Software to change American punctuation to British
My apologies if this is off topic.
American and British writing have different punctuation styles. Is there any software that can change American style punctuation to British? I am referring to ...
1
vote
0answers
22 views
APA: how to cite a translation of an old work in a compilation that has been reissued
This might seem to be a strange question, but I can't seem to get my head around it.
I am trying to cite from Anselm's "On Truth", which is part of a compilation.
I have read it in Oxford World ...
5
votes
4answers
162 views
Best Practices To Learn By Reading?
I've been browsing writers.se for a while and I've noticed a lot of folks state you have to READ to be able to write. I'm currently having trouble working time to read fiction into my daily routine.
...
1
vote
7answers
212 views
How to assure your plot isn't a carbon copy of another story?
In what case is it justifiable for your own story to differentiate its plot from another, similar plot? For instance, I'm writing a story with a serial killer who whose motive sounds akin to the ...
12
votes
6answers
1k views
How should I break up chapters in a novel?
Is it acceptable to pace my chapters in terms of an event? Can I get away with a 4 page chapter here, and a 30 page chapter there?
Are there any reason why I should or should not be sticking to a ...
4
votes
2answers
108 views
Placing similes at the beginning and at the end of a sentence
Would the following sentences have different effects on the reader?
He washed his hands thoroughly, like a surgeon after an operation.
Like a surgeon after an operation, he washed his hands ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
How to quote something twice
If I use a quote and then want to explicitly refer to a small part of that quote again, within the same paragraph, do I need to use quotation marks again? Can I use italics instead? I am writing in ...
9
votes
6answers
407 views
What is the term for an accessible character that knows nothing?
In a lot of books, movies, or TV shows, there will be a character that knows little to nothing about the subject at hand. Most cop shows and medical shows will have someone who doesn't know very ...
4
votes
4answers
157 views
Is it strange if a novel starts the first chapter without one of main characters?
I'm writing a novel with the following structure (I'm not very sure what's the technical term):
Chapter One (based on the POV of Character C): C sees B for the first time
Chapter Two (based ...
1
vote
2answers
79 views
Best Grammar checking software
What is best the grammar checking software to check the grammar errors in novels and screenplays?
3
votes
4answers
132 views
Iambic pentameter: how do you use words with 'secondary stressed' syllables?
I'm trying to create textbook-perfect iambic pentameter.
I may be wrong in my assumption of there being such a thing as a 'secondary stressed syllable', but in the word 'poetry', the rhythm of it ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
How many words in 350 pages typed and double spaced?
How many words in 350 pages typed and double spaced? I want to know because I am 66 of those into my first novel, and I set my goal at 350. I'd like my word count to be epic novel sized.
2
votes
1answer
101 views
Mashery vs. Apigee
I was wondering if anyone could lend some advice as to the pros and cons between using Mashery versus Apigee for documenting an API? I have do some evaluating and have about 2 weeks to come up with a ...
4
votes
3answers
108 views
How to format dialogue with an embedded long monologue
I use the following formats for dialogues:
dialogue
dialogue - describing action (if any)
dialogue - describing action (if any) - more dialogue (if any)
There is a chapter in my book that is ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
How do I quote a song from Youtube? MLA format
I need to quote a song from Youtube. I don't own the song and the artist who sings it hasn't put an official version on YT.
How should I do this? It needs to be in MLA form.
This is the song: ...
6
votes
4answers
103 views
When quoting a person's informal speech, how much liberty do you have to make changes to what they say?
Even during a formal interview for a news article, people speak informally. They say "uhm", they cut off sentences half-way through, they interject phrases like "you know?", and they make innocent ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Using senses and similes in descriptions
I'm trying to make my descriptions to look less like a bunch of bullet points.
So I decided to use more senses and similes.
This is something I wrote:
The sun hung in the cloudless sky, like a ...
5
votes
4answers
239 views
Ways to improve your writing skills
As a CS major I've learned that knowing how to write is critically important, but, I'm not really sure how to improve my writing skills. I'm currently trying to write a tech blog in English, but, ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Where to find editors to hire for tech blog?
Recently, I secured a job with big MNC. Now, I want to concentrate on it and appoint 2-3 editors to look after mildly popular tech blog.
Can you guys suggest where should I search or post to hire ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
When quoting a person's informal speech, how much liberty do you have to make changes to what they say? [duplicate]
Even during a formal interview for a news article, people speak informally. They say "uhm", they cut off sentences half-way through, they interject phrases like "you know?", and they make innocent ...
0
votes
1answer
48 views
Comma between the following clauses in AP Style?
The AP style says that a comma is not needed between two clauses that have the same subject. However, it would become ambiguous if I removed the comma fromt the following:
When you walk straight ...
3
votes
1answer
157 views
Not happy with format of self-published book. How to proceed?
I currently have my book published on Amazon using createspace and Lulu (google weave of the ride). However, I am not happy with the quality of the product.
I don't want a glossy cover, bleached ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Maintaining the consistency of voice and spontaneity throughout a piece
So straight to it, I don't write very long pieces. Usually poetry or flash fiction and a smattering of short stories whenever it needs to be longer, though I have aspirations (mostly just dreams) of ...
1
vote
3answers
72 views
Create automatic index from text document
Is there some software which can automatically do a basic index from my Text document (MS Word) for me?
I have written multiple speaker text's (each 2-3 MS Word pages in german language) for videos I ...
6
votes
6answers
729 views
Coming up with names for species in fiction?
When you are writing a story that is set in a fantasy world (maybe our world with just one made-up element, or a completely different world), what is a good way to come up with names for species that ...
3
votes
1answer
31 views
how to cite a dubbed TV series? APA 6th edition
I'm quoting lines from a dubbed TV series and I'm not sure how to reference it?
I have looked everywhere and I only found how would you cite an original version.
Help please :)
5
votes
5answers
607 views
Do episodes of the show House follow a constant structural pattern?
I've seen a few episodes of House M.D., and I wonder, are the episodes written according to a fixed structural pattern? If so, what are the details, and why does such a structure make the show ...
4
votes
4answers
153 views
Does writing in a certain mood change how a writer writes?
I'm not sure if this is right for this part of Stackexchange, but since there is no psychology section, here we go:
I'm currently writing the same short story several times with the intention of ...
5
votes
7answers
600 views
Is it OK to refer to some characters by first name and to others by last name?
I'm writing the outline for my first novel, which has three main characters. I'm very happy with their names, however I recently noticed that I was naturally referring to the first two by first name, ...
2
votes
3answers
807 views
Link shorteners for research paper citations?
I'm curious about the "properness" of using shortened links (a la bit.ly or tinyurl) in research papers. I haven't been able to find any sort of definitive reference about whether or not this is ...
0
votes
1answer
119 views
To translate a novel with Westerner's point of view
I am an Easterner. I have been translating a novel, that is originally written in my native language, into English. During the process, I have also been learning about cultural things, meant to ...
