4,051 reputation
11034
bio website neilfein.com
location New Jersey
age
visits member for 2 years, 6 months
seen 6 hours ago
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A freelance editor, I specialize in fiction but I've worked on non-fiction as well as web copy, corporate literature, and non-profit materials. I also edit and write for the group blog Magnificent Nose, which covers many topics but gravitates towards articles about writing and reading.

I'm also a lyricist; a guitarist for the band Baroque & Hungry; and I'm a touring cyclist.


Apr
5
comment What is an envelope line?
Can you give us more context?
Apr
5
comment How to avoid specifying the gender in English when the original text does not specify it?
We've also gotten two flags suggesting this question should be migrated. While I think the question is fine here - a question can be on-topic on more than one site - if you think the question should be moved, you can use your close votes and specify English or ELL as a migration site.
Apr
4
comment Strange ungooglable symbol. What does it mean? What is it called? §
Perhaps this would be more on-topic at English Language & Usage or Graphic Design?
Apr
4
comment Words in author's native language?
I think this is difficult to answer without knowing details about the work in question. Can you elucidate?
Mar
28
comment Is it worth switching to Dvorak?
Relevant: Daring to Dvorak
Mar
28
comment Is it acceptable practice to use contractions in a fictional first person narrative for children?
This is certainly interesting - fascinating, actually - but I don't think it addresses the question directly.
Mar
27
comment Effective techniques for describing pain
Alternatively, in the event no pain happens conveniently to you (and I hope this this is the case), talking to others might help - friends who recently broke a bone, etc. Keep in mind that recent pain is better; memory of pain can fade.
Mar
26
comment Curriculum Vitae editing/writing services for PhD (non-US)
Questions looking for editors and reviewers are off-topic here. Perhaps asking about this on a forum would yield better results?
Mar
25
comment How can I sell articles about TV shows online?
I've edited your question to emphasize the how of your question, rather than just ask for likely sites to sell articles on. I think this will get you more answers here. Does my edit work for you? Please revert my edit if I've missed what you're looking for.
Mar
24
comment How can I sell articles about TV shows online?
Also, I'd like to point out that a very short question by a new user that contains a link to a fairly random, relatively unknown website looks pretty spammy. Looking at your questions elsewhere on the network, I suspect that this is a genuine question, but adding to the question will help avoid that appearance and help avoid having this flagged as spam by users.
Mar
24
comment How can I sell articles about TV shows online?
Welcome to Writers! Can you be more specific about what you want to do? What kind of content do you want to sell?
Mar
21
comment Getting details of a past century right
Related: How does one deal with world builder's syndrome?.
Mar
20
comment Am i using “he/she” too often during action scenes?
Agreed. Do you think there's a good balance in the text Lokiie1984 posted between proper names and pronouns?
Mar
20
comment Tracing dependencies and emergent plotholes during edits
I'd only add to this that you be careful how granular you get when deciding what elements to add to the spreadsheet (or mind map, or post-its with string on a corkboard). Pick a system - say, major events in each plot thread, etc - and stick with it. Sweat the small stuff only later, when you go through and do a cleanup after hitting the major stuff.
Mar
19
comment How to tell or retell basic character and setting information in a series?
That's my personal preference as well, and a big reason why I don't read a lot of fantasy. But there are no hard and fast rules, and it always, always depends on the story.
Mar
18
comment Effective techniques for describing pain
Perhaps there are exercises that would help in this? Maybe you can also bring this to our Tuesday writing exercise chat.
Mar
16
comment Should I punctuate abbreviations for Old English, Middle English etc. in academic writing?
Welcome to Writers! You should definitely consult whatever style guide you're using. That'd probably be MLA or APA, although there are others.
Mar
16
comment Writing competitions
Can you narrow down what you're looking for? As the question is written right now, it'll essentially generate a list to which there can be no clear best answer.
Mar
16
comment Best way to emphasise the greenness of the fields in spring in comparison with summer
"Best" is extremely subjective. Can you give more detail about what, exactly, you're trying to achieve in this description? When editing this, please be aware that questions asking what to write have been determined to be off-topic and would almost certainly be closed. However, I believe the translation aspect of this is probably fine and on-topic. Also, IMO, translation questions could be a breath of fresh air for Writers in general.
Mar
15
comment What is the correct way to write a fractional number in a formal letter?
Unfortunately, my copy of the Franklin Covey style guide agrees with this, although it's not the most recent edition. Even the Yahoo! style guide requires you write one-quarter, although it (interestingly) absolutely refuses to provide a ruling on how to write out numbers like "1 1/2". But in dialog or quoted speech, such as "five and a half" - none of these references offer guidance.