Schroedingers Cat

1,687 reputation

1212

bio	website	boredwithchurch.info
	location	South East England
	age	50
visits	member for	1 year, 3 months
	seen	May 29 at 15:50
stats	profile views	30

25+ years in software development.

6 years on an HCI PhD.

20+ years married.

19 years a parent.

I can cope with anything.

Check out my short story

	1,687 reputation	bio	website	boredwithchurch.info	visits	member for	1 year, 3 months
1212 badges		location	South East England		seen	May 29 at 15:50

summary answers questions tags badges favorites bounties reputation activity

160 Actions

suggestions reviews revisions comments badges posts accepts all

May 22	answered	Using today's moral compass in fantasy
May 22	comment	What are the legal implications and best practices for publishing screenshots of web sites in a book? Cool. Of course, if anyone does refuse you permission to use a screenshot, that does not stop you mentioning the fact that they have done this (or at least that some places are clearly embarrassed by their live web site failings). That tells you a lot as well.
May 21	answered	What are the legal implications and best practices for publishing screenshots of web sites in a book?
May 21	answered	My cool character is doing nothing for the plot. How do I deal with him?
May 20	comment	Self publishing: Do I still need to follow the arbitrary word count limits? I think you need to price it appropriately - maybe slightly lower than a similar but longer novel. But it has to be your own strategy. If you think you can sell your book for £243, then do so. The problem of self-publishing is that you have to make these decisions for yourself. And live with the consequences.
May 18	comment	Can you change a punctuation mark when referencing a passage from a text? You would do better to quote in full, and then paraphrase if you need to bring out a specific interpretation. Then again, you might be able to use "to paraphrase Estragon ....", making it clear that you are reworking the passage.
May 17	answered	Help! I've got Writer's Block
May 15	answered	How do I maintain flow and interest when handling numerous plot threads?
May 11	comment	How can you write less to say more? One difference is that poor technical writing you sometimes have to read, to do your job. Poor fiction or non-fiction you can just chuck, usually.
May 11	comment	How can you write less to say more? Yes it goes beyond structure, which is where I agree with you. But for a technical document - IME at least - I want to find the section that says "How to Diddly your Squat", which I then want to be able to read at my level, and know how to Diddly my Squat. If it is too detailed, then I am less likely to read it.
May 11	comment	How important is it to know the end before the writing the beginning? The one in my profile is a short story. Really doesn't take long to read.
May 11	comment	How can you write less to say more? I don't agree, because for technical writing, the approach of the reader is often different to the normal reader. Most of the time, technical documentation is consulted, not read. While some of what you say is right, you need to try it on someone in the target readership, and see if they use it as a resource. It is more helpful, IMO, to see technical documentation as a tool, so the questions regarding structure are "does this tool help me do my job", not "can a numpty read it".
May 11	answered	How can you write less to say more?
May 11	answered	Fantasy writing and Personal Philosophy
May 10	accepted	How important is it to know the end before the writing the beginning?
May 10	comment	How important is it to know the end before the writing the beginning? @jon_darkstar My writing is sci-fi - see my profile for my published story. And the surreal nature of quantum mechanics features quite heavily in that one. My latest is sci-fi too, because that takes it out of the normal.
May 10	comment	How important is it to know the end before the writing the beginning? @NeilFein that's fine. I wanted to quote the original rule, so people knew where I was coming from. But the question has moved on a little since then, so this fits better.
May 9	answered	Is it more advantageous to have an excerpt or a plot summary critiqued?
May 9	comment	Tools for generating characters' names I know it doesn't work for everyone, but this is what I use. It means that it fits into my world, which is where I create my stories from.
May 9	comment	How important is it to know the end before the writing the beginning? Yes definately - editing its a part of the writing process. But by that point, the core plot is already set up. My re-editing is about pulling the entire story together, making the plot believable, making sure the characters are consistent ( all of which is normally a complete re-write ). But always when editing, you know where it is going. I am clearly a discovery writer by nature.