qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
43,649 | There are occasions where you basically just start a chapter with a short descriptive passage and go straight to dialogues, so in those situations I am not sure how to deal with acronyms in dialogues.
>
> As Ciwe settled down for work, he noticed a strange note on the corner
> of his desk. Curious, he grabbed the not... | [
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"text": "If you don't provide a hint, then readers will know only that somebody requested a meeting and that's considered... | 2019/03/16 | [
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43,669 | I'm Jewish. My middle-grade fantasy novel is very Jewish. Most of my characters are either Jews or converts/future converts or people with at least one Jewish grandparent. But some are not.
My main character, Ritp age 12, is 100% of Jewish ancestry but has been raised secular. She lives in the United States in 1995. S... | [
{
"answer_id": 43670,
"author": "Arcanist Lupus",
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"text": "Read authentic Christian voices\n-------------------------------\n\nFind works written by religious Christia... | 2019/03/17 | [
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43,673 | We use Madcap Flare for a large documentation set, with HTML output. (Flare source is a very HTML-y XML with some Flare-specific additions.) We use git for source control and new work is done on branches. This means that at the end we have a git pull request (PR) that can show a diff between the branch and the main (ma... | [
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"text": "MadCap's pre-Central answer is still in the Flare toolset - \"[Flare Contributor](https://www.madcapsoftware.co... | 2019/03/17 | [
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43,678 | My story is set in the US. Would it be believable to the reader if I deviated from the norm that is also supported by demographic data?
How many of the following deviations can I get away with?
* A female character marries an older guy and have a child before she's 23. Assume this happened in the early nineties (we ... | [
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"answer_id": 43680,
"author": "Zeus",
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"text": "Demographics is statistics. Statistics *never* defines individual cases. No single case can 'defy' statistics.\n\nBein... | 2019/03/17 | [
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43,686 | My wife is the first one who reads my writings, and I'd like to keep her in the dark until I have a solid draft to show her. But I need a second set of eyes with my plot too. If I showed her my plot and asked for her help in choosing plot paths, would that jeopardize her role as a beta reader? | [
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"text": "If she knows the plot already, she won't react to it the same way a first-time reader would, so yes, it would de... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,687 | I've heard and read from many vlogger and blogger authors that an aspiring writer should have his own webpage as early as possible. Being published or not doesn't come to it.
Now, if I created a webpage for myself, I assume I need to post my writings on it. Do my posts need to be periodical, or at least regular? What ... | [
{
"answer_id": 43688,
"author": "Sora Tamashii",
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"text": "Personally, I think that's a crock.\n===================================\n\nIt's understandable why someone wo... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,691 | I try to write on various Q&A sites, but now I am thinking about having my own blog website. The main thing is that I don't know exactly what my niche topics would be for blogs. I write on various scattered topics. Among those: how to choose one as a specialized blog topic niche for my website?
How can I manage my tho... | [
{
"answer_id": 43692,
"author": "miep",
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"text": "There's actually a simple solution to this: \n\nDo a meta-blog-post. I've seen such articles in magazins and newspape... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,694 | I'm thinking of starting a blog. I'm confused about whether giving a moral in each blog post is a good idea or not. Will it sound like a lecture to my readers? Will they see it as monotonous and eventually not return to my blog website?
FYI: I'm trying to write about my daily experiences and my thought processes behin... | [
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"answer_id": 43695,
"author": "Ron Mike",
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"text": "The Aim! \n\nWhat is your aim when you write?\n\n* To please readers\n* To teach morals to readers\n* To improve y... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,717 | Does it get too confusing if you include the narrator’s short story that she is writing within the body of her main story? | [
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"text": "This technique can work quite well, but must be carefully done, or it will distract. A pair of examples:\n\n*T... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,719 | I'm an undergraduate student of psychology. My teachers assign writing assignments from time to time, and usually require some minimum of cited sources in APA format (as expected).
When I start writing, I often find myself stuck. For many of my past writing assignments for school (including English Composition essays,... | [
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"text": "My answer is that you should **read widely** and then **write and cite**, because you want the foundation you're b... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,724 | There is something I find myself doing often while writing, and I don't even know what to call it, but I would like to know if its good practice. It happens when I'm writing from a third-person perspective. It's where the narrator begins to describe something based not on truth, but on a character's (potentially skewed... | [
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"text": "This depends on the narration. If you have a third person omniscient narrator then they usually would describe things... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,725 | In my story, 12 year old Ritp has visions from another place and time which lead her to gather a group of kids for a quest. She is told there will be 18 kids, but she can only find 17 with the specific requirement. They travel together and, upon arriving, discover a stowaway. This boy knows he belongs with the group bu... | [
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"answer_id": 43731,
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"text": "You've said it yourself: 18 = life. It follows that had there only been 17 travellers, they ... | 2019/03/18 | [
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43,738 | In a comment to my post [here](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/43731/14704), Cyn mentions wishing to avoid implying that the characters might all die, because she's writing for a mid-grade audience.
Which made me wonder.
I remember reading *The Hobbit* when I was nine or ten - in the mid-grade range. There's dang... | [
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"answer_id": 43742,
"author": "Summer",
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"text": "I had a similar experience with *The Hobbit*. But I don't think that's because of the target age of the audience. I ... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,752 | I have heard many times that you should always keep the sentence length to the minimum as possible, as it makes reading easy, fast and more important understandable to readers.
I'm wondering: What should be the ideal length threshold to follow for a sentence while writing a blog post? | [
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"text": "There is no specific rule about how many words should be there in a easy sentence. As long as the words used are... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,753 | I just want to be clear on this before I do any sort of writing with regards to the subject.
So I have an idea for a novel that shows a person trying to obtain his objectives using the lessons and ideas of a famous (and real) self-help book.
My question is, do I still need to ask permission from the author of the sel... | [
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"text": "If you are using the exact title or exact quotes or ideas from the book, you will have to ask for the writer's pe... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,768 | Building on the definition of a **Paranormal Story** (as opposed to Dark Fantasy) described in the answers here: [What are most common tropes of a paranormal book and dark fantasy book?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/31361/23253).
**A paranormal story is about a phenomenon that cannot be explained in-world.** I... | [
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"answer_id": 43769,
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"text": "It seems to me many paranormal stories (like possession, or demons on Earth) just begin with the paranormal, period... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,773 | Galastel did a spin off question based on one of mine.
[Mortal danger in mid-grade literature](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/43738/mortal-danger-in-mid-grade-literature/43746?noredirect=1#comment72189_43746).
And hers has spurred a new one for me.
This is an issue I've been grappling with for a while and... | [
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"text": "That is a pickle.\n\nThe sons of Levi are obeying the words of their prophet, which they believe to be the words ... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,776 | I have a situation where my MC - who has a dangerous reputation - was captured by an agent of Bolivian security. She takes him to her father in-law, who starts to torture him.
He learns that much of what she had said to her husband was misdirection and just a psychological tactic to keep her captive off balance.
He ... | [
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"answer_id": 43778,
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"text": "Hmm... \n\nI am not sure, if Laws of hospitality is a universal human concept.\n\nIn fact, I have never heard of ... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,788 | By definition, an epilogue is an additional chapter after the end of a book. Also, it literally means "additional word".
I can imagine a need for an epilogue in a series of novels when there is a need to prepare for a sequel. But are there situations that one would need to add an epilogue in a standalone novel in addi... | [
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"text": "**Yes!**\n\nThe epilogue began long before \"the never ending series\" became the common form.\n\n**Remember: \"And... | 2019/03/19 | [
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43,795 | I'm working on a story which is focused on the conditions of its world and its society and I want to tell the story of its people as a collective, the problems they create and have together and the solutions they can achieve together. No heroes, no villains.
I want the story to focus on people's actions for addressing... | [
{
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"text": "In fact there are such books.\n\nJ.K. Rowling's *[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them](https://en.wikipedia.org/wik... | 2019/03/20 | [
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43,796 | I'm considering to have my Main Character die *before* "finishing" his arc, but have other characters carry on the plot to its conclusion, let's say to fulfill his visions.
In a way, the MC finishes his arc after his death. Those seemingly minor characters will have to carry the burden to go through the climax and the... | [
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"text": "The side characters that you are planning to hand over the story should not be minor. Their arcs and characteris... | 2019/03/20 | [
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43,804 | Can someone please tell me what's the pen used here in the below URL called? It looks like a Gel pen, but the text written with it is so sharp:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fPRzy.jpg)
<https://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Handwriting> | [
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"text": "Hard to say from just the pics but almost certainly it's a gel rollerball pen with a very fine nib, probably ~0... | 2019/03/20 | [
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43,810 | First of all, this is my first time writing more than a short story, and I am quite new to writing in general, so pretty novice. I am currently in the process of outlining the story for a novel I am about to write, and I have problems adding main characters/protagonists.
I have *the* protagonist—let's call him Ciwe—d... | [
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"text": "You might find that you are a discovery writer. My characters have the frustrating tendency of doing things and me... | 2019/03/20 | [
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43,820 | In CVs or on Linkedin profiles there are often spaces dedicated to past experience.
In those sections, one is supposed to describe what work he/she did and what skills he/she acquired on previous workplaces/projects.
In this context, is it better to describe the experience in a personal or impersonal way?
----------... | [
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"text": "While I get the feeling this might get deemed \"opinion based\" I've reviewed a few hundred technical CVs in my ... | 2019/03/20 | [
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43,831 | While not mutually exclusive, the goals of my co protagonists do conflict and I need to keep them balanced.
MC1 works for the CIA and is being burned. He needs help from someone so he can find out if the burn is sanctioned or just some desk man who dislikes him.
MC2 needs to know who the mole is in her organization ... | [
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"text": "There's a third issue that affects both of them, something so serious that both of them need to set aside their own age... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,836 | I would like to use an old photo/postcard ([example 1](http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=File:DAR_No_503_-_CPR_No_8850.jpg), [example 2](http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=File:19110625-DARPTT_08.jpg)) for a non-commercial poster. The poster is for a school assignment. The photo would illustrate a map and text a... | [
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"text": "That photograph is very clean for such a vintage photo. I used photoshop to clean up my grandparents’ wedding pho... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,843 | I have the feeling this is already been asked, but I can't seem to find it. Close the question if it comes out as duplicate.
There's an issue with novels with a first-person narrator, or a third person limited narrator that doesn't switch point of view. Namely, the reader is stuck for all the novel with the same chara... | [
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"text": "I think the reader has to like the POV character. Everything is seen through their eyes and thoughts and feelings. ... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,844 | Thalidomide is a tricky one, as I am referring to its disastrous past regarding birth defects; however, Thalidomide is still used as a immunomodulatory drug today - and even though its used under another name, I'm worried about using the trademarked "Thalidomide" in my novel (One I plan to publish).
Although I try my... | [
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"text": "Here is the entry for *thalidomide* in *Merriam-Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary* (1983):\n\n> \n> **tha... | 2019/03/20 | [
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43,852 | The title says it all: what is special in Application Programming Interface documentation compared to general technical writing? What aspects should I take care of? | [
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"text": "I would say an API needs reasonable examples of use, and needs attention paid (or links provided) to other closely ... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,858 | I have a character that likes to make humor, puns and jokes.
Humor should work here as a character trait; something really peculiar to this particular char. He says a lot of puns because he find them amusing on an intellectual level. Some people like riddles, some like puzzle games, and some others play sudoku. My ch... | [
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"text": "The question is are you writing a point of view character? If it's point of view then you have to be funny. It's the... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,866 | >
> *Definition of simile*
>
>
> : a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses)
>
>
>
Similes are nice tools that every narrator has (even if I'd like to focus on creative-writing for this question). Yet, similes are far from being fail proof. S... | [
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"text": "When it works.\n\nIt's not something that has a particular formula. Nothing to count. No threshold to pass or avoid pas... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,867 | This is in the idea stage, but I was wondering...
In stories involving multiple protagonists (4 or more) that make and end relationships, date each other, etc. during the course of the story, the typical happy ending happens when everyone has found someone else.
It does seem to be the case that until everyone is tied... | [
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"text": "Easiest example where not all protagonists find \"someone else\" is *The Lord of the Rings*.... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,887 | When I'm reading something, I immediately pick up on typos, grammatical errors, misuse of punctuation, and the like, as well as better ways to phrase things. I have no formal education in any sort of writing or English other than GE; my education is in engineering.
Is there some way to monetize...proofreading? Is wha... | [
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"text": "I would say that you could definitely monetize your skills! At the very least, you could offer freelancing servic... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,893 | Yes, I know that - in theory - any exercise is a good exercise.
**Context**: Lately I've been running a writing group were multiple creative-writing/reading enthusiasts meet. As a group activity, we've been issuing a number of writing contest. Writers are asked to write about a particular theme or following a prompt, ... | [
{
"answer_id": 43895,
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"text": "As I recall, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Horace Smith, and whoever else their fr... | 2019/03/21 | [
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43,902 | A good well-written three dimensional character requires a lot of work. You need to really show them through their ups and their downs. You have to flesh out their strengths and weaknesses. You have to get to know them. I often find myself developing backstory that I never share with the reader but that exists because ... | [
{
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"text": "Always\n======\n\nThis is somewhat of a frame challenge, but hear me out. You said:\n\n> \n> I need to know them... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,905 | For some context to my question:
The story I'm currently writing takes place on another planet. It is never mentioned whether Earth exists (or had existed), but the characters are all human, have Earth-based names, and their ancestors are stated to have traveled to this planet at some point in history.
In the first c... | [
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"text": "Welcome to writers stack.\n\nYou have characters who have books they do not really understand, so they take them l... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,906 | When I write I always want to deliver a message. Not matter what I'm writing I ultimately have something important (*to me*,) to say. For that reason I try to be very careful about how I deliver certain themes. But sometimes I also want to portray things in my story that I find distasteful. For example, a bully who pic... | [
{
"answer_id": 43907,
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"text": "Yes, kind of.\n\nSpecifically it does so by default and only by default. Unless you show something otherwise pe... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,911 | The feeling of disgust is often used in horrors, exspecially visual medias (where is arguably easier to shock the audience with great effect).
Often horror stories revolve around one scary element (a villain; a monster; a disease) that carries along a lot of repulsive traits.
The alien in *Alien* is slimey and it dr... | [
{
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"text": "TL;DR:\n======\n\n\\* Fear (or equivalent shock) followed by disgust -> horror\n--------------------------------------... | 2019/03/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/43911",
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43,921 | I'm well into the third act of my novel and I'm introducing a new character that will play a part in the ending and an even bigger part in the roughly sketched sequel I have in mind.
Now, I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that *you shouldn't introduce new characters so late*, unless not if you haven't foreshadowed ... | [
{
"answer_id": 43922,
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"text": "If you are not going to rush into telling his/her story line, and slowly allow the reader to get used to the new... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,927 | (not a duplicate of [Character Development - How much is too much?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/365/character-development-how-much-is-too-much) because that one is more about "overreaction" to smaller events.)
---
**TL;DR: How much can a character change without becoming unrecognizable? How can you in... | [
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"text": "Breaking character is not a function of the beginning or destination of the character's journey / progression. Brea... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,936 | A [substitution cipher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitution_cipher) is a method used in cryptography to encrypt the meaning of a text. In the most common form, a substitution cipher changes every letter in the target text with another, making it impossible to read without first decrypting it.
**For example, thi... | [
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"text": "If the purpose of the cipher is encryption, use the substitution cipher. Have some character study it, know it is... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,941 | I have a sentient robot in my novel.
Truth to be told, I have many. Sentience is somewhat *cheap* to achieve, meaning that there are multiple artificial beings that can be considered sentient by our standards.
I'm already making some differences and showing how he perceives the world through his set of sensory array... | [
{
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"text": "I suggest [this long answer](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/34797/26047) of mine (90 votes) on a similar topic... | 2019/03/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/43941",
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43,942 | **Following the previous question:**
* [Characterizing a sentient robot: sensory data](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/43941/characterizing-a-sentient-robot-sensory-data)
I'm writing a robot character with a particular PoV. In the previous question I wanted to talk about sensory data; here I would like to... | [
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"text": "One way this has been done is by using a human foil; perhaps somebody that doesn't trust the robot.\n\nThe way this ... | 2019/03/22 | [
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43,952 | Ok so, I’m kind of new to writing. I wrote a couple of books in my teens but they were just for fun. I’m now starting to write a book I hope to get published.
So, my book starts about a year in the future then will go back to the start (if that makes sense). This is where I really want to rope the reader in but not te... | [
{
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"text": "I believe the opening you are looking for is called [in medias res](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_medias_res),... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,956 | I'm in the final polishing stages of a novel and I have two endings that both blow me away and I feel are very, very strong.
Obviously, I can only have one ending. The story doesn't lend itself to a trick where I can write both into the book, but one of them turns out to be a dream and then the real one follows (I rem... | [
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"text": "Do you wish to sell the book?\n\nHappy endings outsell unhappy endings about 10 to 1. This has actually been studied... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,959 | What makes a battle scene tense and visceral is the immediate danger and the fast-paced action and reaction. For that, the human soldier needs to be on the battlefield, in the action.
Here's the problem though: as technology advances, we move soldiers away from the battlefield, if we can. As an example, once we had ac... | [
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"text": "I don't think the soldier's presence **on the battlefield** should be contrived, but there is still reason for sold... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,961 | If I were to describe Jatarxio from Napoleon's point of view, it would be very different from that same battle from the point of view of a soldier, or even a cavalry lieutenant in the front ranks. Napoleon's fate is decided on that battlefield as much as the lieutenant's. Napoleon has a better understanding of what's g... | [
{
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"text": "Some Generals fought alongside their soldiers. I did a quick google to confirm and as recent as WWII some general... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,968 | Often enough works of literature, particularly old classics, receive renewed translations. Sometimes, the older translation might contain mistakes. And sometimes, the work being an old classic, the mistakes have become famous as part of the work of literature.
For example, English-speakers know that the plot of the fi... | [
{
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"text": "Let's look at the example from the *Three Musketeers* that you give.\n\nReaders today probably wouldn't know what an ag... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,972 | Most of us who have spent more than a few days reading things and interacting with people on the internet know how difficult it is to convey sarcasm. There is no *tone* there is only the words on our screens. Surely there is a way to express oneself in text in such a way that sarcasm is understood.
Here on Stack Excha... | [
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"text": "In novels you can parse sarcasm because you know the characters, specifically you know what they know and how they t... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,977 | I've been struggling for a long time to tell a story. In any medium really. I've read a lot of writing tutorials and read lots of writing sites. I've also read a lot of books on writing. However in spite of reading and watching those tutorials I still haven't written a book / script or created a comic or animation. Whi... | [
{
"answer_id": 43978,
"author": "Summer",
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"text": "Outlines are a tool. Nothing more. Should you use it? I don't know, that depends on you.\n\nDoes the added structure... | 2019/03/23 | [
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43,983 | I was watching a movie and, in multiple scenes, the characters were using a set of coffee cups that I haven't seen before. I realized my Main Character is the type of person who would have and use such a set.
Is it acceptable to use those exact ones in my novel? They would serve to highlight the taste and attachment s... | [
{
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"text": "I don't see why not. If they were objects unique to a particular movie setting, like the lightsabers in Star Wars, ... | 2019/03/24 | [
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43,985 | All the viewpoint characters in my story are orcs and speak Orcish as their native tongue, but some are bilingual: they use English to talk to humans. Additionally, the main character has a magic power: she speaks with djinns telepathically, and it feels to her like she's talking to herself in her head and hearing hers... | [
{
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"text": "Some authors use italics to indicate telepathy. Depending on formatting alone could get lost in publication if th... | 2019/03/24 | [
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43,987 | I want to quote a text in which *re* of the word *relationships* is on one line while *lationships* is on the next, and a hyphen follows *re* (re-) to indicate that the word continues on the next line. When I want to quote the text, can I simply write down the word *relationships* or must I write down *re-lationships*?... | [
{
"answer_id": 43993,
"author": "Jason Bassford",
"author_id": 30561,
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"text": "According to *The Chicago Manual of Style* (17th ed.), 2.96:\n\n> \n> End-of-line hyphens should be marked t... | 2019/03/24 | [
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44,023 | In every country, some names are particularly common: 'Zotn' in the UK, 'Zuen' in Spain, 'Evun' in Russia. Those names are common almost to the point of being stereotypical (consider 'Zotn Doe').
If I have no more than one or two characters from a particular place, **is it bad form to use those extremely common names?... | [
{
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"text": "The problem about this is that most of the time we want to read something about *special* people. Sure, we want ... | 2019/03/25 | [
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44,037 | There is a character in every story. Special One. It becomes the center of the story. i.e. the Main character.
The author takes special care of them. Provides them wise thinking. Good luck. A charm. In some cases special powers, too. Sometimes readers bind that character to themselves, that's how they keep engaging w... | [
{
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"text": "It is harder to keep the reader engaged without one\n===================================================\n\nAs y... | 2019/03/26 | [
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44,044 | I'm working on a novel which is based on a true story. I first thought of writing from the heroine's POV, but later changed my mind and introduced a pet in the plot as the narrator of the story. Which means the story and the whole incident is told from the pet's POV (it being one of the eye witnesses). But while writin... | [
{
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"text": "As usual, I have an example from *Worm*! In the Interlude for Arc 4 (main chapters are from the he... | 2019/03/26 | [
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44,046 | English is a language invented by humans, for humans. Which means some words don't fit well when you're writing about characters who *aren't* human.
For example: Suppose I write "**The demon tiptoed across the room.**"
My inner nitpicker complains that demons don't have toes. But if I try to replace "tiptoed" with "t... | [
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"text": "Adapt to the culture. If it's a town of demons and the narrator is implied to be well familiarized with them, then you can... | 2019/03/26 | [
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44,051 | I was invited to participate in an anthology of essays about a tv show. I chose an episode based on the Wikipedia summary (since it had been so long since I had watched it), but after I watched it, I felt nothing.
I wrote to the editor and said that I wanted to give up that essay slot to someone who felt more passiona... | [
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"text": "Reading is subjective when it comes to what is \"blah\" and what is \"non-blah\". \n\nI say go for it, even if you... | 2019/03/26 | [
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44,061 | Just a scene I pictured- (Character receives a syringe in the chest but doesn't feel the after pain until a moment later)
Ex:
Jajnnw begins to feel a burning like sensation in his chest that's more painful than a gunshot. It forces him to fall down on the ground and hit his head, bear in mind Jajnnw's like 6'1. Then t... | [
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"text": "One problem is that you are outside of the character describing what is happening. I have been rather rough on my... | 2019/03/26 | [
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44,068 | How possible is it to publish a sequel with a different publisher than the original (successfully)?
Does the genre matter? Such as science fiction, fantasy, mysteries or picture books?
I would appreciate examples of when this has been done. The author I am asking for has published a picture book with sequels planned... | [
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"text": "Quite frankly, it all depends on your contract with your publisher. \n\nIf the publisher is already publishing you... | 2019/03/26 | [
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44,082 | I read a very interesting novel or book about aliens accidentally discovering humans and finding out how dangerous they are, where the galaxy got scared of humans and their potential to wipe out all life or dominate.
It was about an ordinary human abducted by aliens going through immigration then suddenly alien terror... | [
{
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"text": "IMO, as a believer in Evolution, aliens cannot be that much different than humans. There is only one reality; in or... | 2019/03/27 | [
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44,089 | **Goal**: To publish a blogpost 2 times/month (from once in 4 months)
**Currently**: 300 blog posts in drafts/unfinished. I even have three 20k word unfinished novellas gathering dust. (Over 5 years of casual writing)
Writers please help me: **What process can I follow (or mind change can I do), to go from unfinishe... | [
{
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"text": "I imagine the issue is psychological, but not necessarily fear of public opinion.\n\nI would pick an endpoint for t... | 2019/03/27 | [
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44,092 | This is in a professional email.
I'm quoting from a business document that was sent to the person that I'm writing the email to. I need to clarify something, and to do so I need to quote from a section in the document. The document and the section have names.
Is it okay to put it like this?
>
> In (the name of the... | [
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"text": "According to [APA 6th Edition Citation Style](https://aus.libguides.com/apa/apa-no-author-da... | 2019/03/27 | [
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44,099 | The protagonist sets out on a journey to reach a goal. But the further he gets into the story, the clearer he understands that the odds aren't in his favor. He experiences loss, frustration, anger, fatigue. He falls, rises again, and falls once more.
When he seems to be running out of option, thought, a *stroke of luc... | [
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"text": "Short answer: yes, with measure and forethought.\n\nNote #1: unless karma and universal balance is a defining character... | 2019/03/27 | [
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44,100 | **Question :** When writing my screenplay, I frequently find the urge to describe a character's emotion. However, I have read somewhere (I forget where) that this should be left to the actor to some extent, the actor should understand the story enough to know how their character would respond to events. What is the cor... | [
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"text": "**E.**\n\n> \n> A scared Bob walks over to the door, hand on the knob.\n> \n> \n> \n\nor\n\n> \n> BOB\n> \n> \n> (scare... | 2019/03/27 | [
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44,118 | A beta reader of sorts (cousin) mentioned he thought my MC2 rather brutal in her capture of MC1 - though justified.
I have her dupe him into surrendering (believing himself outnumbered and outgunned). Once he does surrender, she does the following:
* searches him
* disarms him
* handcuffs him
* binds his elbows to p... | [
{
"answer_id": 44121,
"author": "linksassin",
"author_id": 33442,
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"text": "The tone of your writing will make the difference\n=================================================\n\nWritten ... | 2019/03/28 | [
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44,127 | When describing the physical features of my more important characters, I often don't add much. I of course describe important features, especially if they will be relevant in the story. For example Harry Potter's scar. Part of my problem is my mental model of my characters is their personality and not their physical fe... | [
{
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"text": "Describe the important bits\n---------------------------\n\nIn my opinion Hijrp Potfeq is actually an excellent e... | 2019/03/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44127",
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44,131 | So, the story is about the heroine of the book, but the whole thing is narrated by her pet. Initially the plot is light and easy, but later into the story, it gets a little serious. There's stuff like death and blood bath. Now here, in the few scenes I'm going to describe the 'bloody incident', I want to add MY two (ph... | [
{
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"text": "Provided you believe your narrator can philosophize, the reader will accept it. \n\nMany stories are told about a... | 2019/03/28 | [
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44,132 | Okay, so two women are in a bar and I'm telling the story from one of the women's POV. Two guys come in and the women are watching/listening to them from a distance. They don't know their names or anything about them.
The two guys have the exact same height and build, so I can't say "the shorter guy" or "the heavier ... | [
{
"answer_id": 44135,
"author": "mario mario",
"author_id": 36522,
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"text": "Well, first thing, how would you differentiate these two people if you met them in real life? Imagine yourself ... | 2019/03/28 | [
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44,143 | I will have to write a story arc where the main characters will be trapped in a town during a siege. What are the key points I should address / display to make the siege interesting for readers?
They are rebelling against the realm, so they are in the underdog position.
Some things I thought of:
* Food and Water sho... | [
{
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"text": "You have a lot to talk about, in theory. A city under siege could last for months, sometimes a year, without reinfor... | 2019/03/28 | [
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44,157 | I'm currently reading a sci-fi book that has over a dozen characters. The author had written dialog for two different characters using the same odd idiom in two separate chapters so far. I cannot see this being intentional, and to me, it is visible and easily detectable by writing software like Scrivener.
I've noticed... | [
{
"answer_id": 44161,
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"text": "It could be that the author is highlighting the similarities between the two. It could be creative provincialism (A U... | 2019/03/28 | [
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44,160 | I'm having trouble describing a fist bump explosion in my story. I can't just say "they did a fist bump explosion," because everyone may not know exactly what that looks like. Googling doesn't really help much. How would you describe a fist bump explosion in order to make it understood without going into huge amounts o... | [
{
"answer_id": 44162,
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"selected": false,
"text": "This would be a great occasion for an extended simile.\nTake the action and characterize the important elements by com... | 2019/03/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44160",
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44,170 | We produce a large HTML documentation set with the conventional two-pane view: expandable table of contents on the left, selected topic on the right. When you select a topic, if it has subtopics -- that is, sub-pages in the table of contents -- the TOC automatically expands to show them. Because our documentation set i... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> This is not based on studies. It is instead just the subjective experience of plainly and painstakingly having t... | 2019/03/29 | [
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44,171 | For a few of my imaginary worlds, my characters write letters to each other. These letters are never intended to be surfaced in the main story, they are my exploration of the characters' feelings and motivation as events unfold around them. I find the letter writing to be hugely useful and helps me to solidify personal... | [
{
"answer_id": 44173,
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"text": "When you mention that characters are illiterate, I picture them in some historical/fantasy setting. In such c... | 2019/03/29 | [
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44,183 | I am looking for verification on what is a plot for a short story.
For example:
A man wants to develop a new rose variety for his girlfriend as a way to propose, but he becomes obsessed with getting the perfect plant and neglects his girlfriend until he almost loses her to a rival.
Or
A young spy comes home from a... | [
{
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"text": "> \n> Do these have conflict and plot or have I missed the mark? I don't\n> quite get the idea of what is plot and... | 2019/03/29 | [
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44,188 | I have written and illustrated a rhyming picturebook (for approx 0-7 year olds) and have it in PDF format which I prepared in InDesign. When I am sending the manuscript off, do I need to worry about adding copyright to the the content first, or should I just send the PDF as is? Should I put a watermark on it, or is thi... | [
{
"answer_id": 44197,
"author": "S. Mitchell",
"author_id": 13409,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "I don't know what country you are in. In the UK, copyright is assumed. However, appending a half-line copyright... | 2019/03/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44188",
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44,189 | As an addendum to [this question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/44188/add-copyright-notice-before-submitting-manuscript?noredirect=1#comment73128_44188), I have written a children's picturebook, and as I understand it, the process of sending off a manuscript and getting it reviewed is expected to take 3-6... | [
{
"answer_id": 44192,
"author": "Rasdashan",
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"text": "From what I have read elsewhere, unless they specifically mention that they accept multiple submissions, it is ve... | 2019/03/29 | [
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44,191 | With the surge of audiobooks popularity and the dramatization of fiction and non-fiction recitations, do authors plan for their books to publish their work as audiobooks too?
Additionally, if an author knows his book will be made into an audiobook, how does this knowledge alter the writing process? Does it affect the ... | [
{
"answer_id": 44198,
"author": "Amadeus",
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"text": "I don't think an author has to plan for an audio book, I would plan on getting published in print first. Trying to ... | 2019/03/29 | [
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44,200 | Can we change the meaning of a well established symbol and use the newly defined symbol in our writing? If so how do we go about doing so?
It am not talking about using a symbol in the context of its antithesis. That still relies on the original meaning. In such cases playing symbols in juxtaposition to their opposite... | [
{
"answer_id": 44201,
"author": "Karan Desai",
"author_id": 22084,
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"text": "Short Answer \n\n**It Depends on your world.**\n\nLong Answer:\n\nIf your world supposedly is a battle between ... | 2019/03/30 | [
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44,203 | Many writers eventually come to a point in their writing where they don't know what to write. They have a certain status or state of affairs that the narration has reached and another state that they need to get to in order to continue their story to the end they have envisioned (or just to get the characters out of a ... | [
{
"answer_id": 44204,
"author": "Summer",
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"text": "I couldn't disagree more!\n-------------------------\n\nI almost argued in the comments but restrained myself becaus... | 2019/03/30 | [
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44,211 | Suppose A is a famous historical character with a known history of emotional attachment with a particular set of people. If I would want to write a fictional story about character A that might involve distortion of the actual incidents of her/his life, will it be okay?
How much is too much while handling a fiction pl... | [
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"text": "Is it okay? Well, it's likely legal (if the person is long dead anyway, and probably even if they're alive). You can do... | 2019/03/30 | [
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44,218 | I have four poetry books and two nonfiction books I have self-published but now I have removed them from the web so I can traditionally publish them. Is there anything I need to do? Can I keep using the ISBNs or do I have to change my titles to separate from the old ISBNS. I am just all confused on this matter. | [
{
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"text": "**Do nothing.**\n\nWhen you create a contract with a traditional publisher, they will tell you what to do. Almost certa... | 2019/03/30 | [
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44,223 | ```
Words words words. ...Words words words words.
```
Would having an ellipses right after a period like this be correct? If not, how would I incorporate them in? Would it be more like this?:
```
Words words words... Words words words words.
```
I feel like if it were formatted like above, it would feel like ther... | [
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"text": "**Do nothing.**\n\nWhen you create a contract with a traditional publisher, they will tell you what to do. Almost certa... | 2019/03/31 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44223",
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44,227 | I’m starting to write a fiction novel. A friend of mine works in publishing and she thinks the plot for my book is great but I’m not sure how to start.
I know a lot of the details and I’ve thought up everything in my head but I don’t know how to change my thoughts into words.
I’ve always wanted to write and I did a fe... | [
{
"answer_id": 44228,
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"text": "What I do is get to know my characters well, my MC in particular, create a situation and see what happens. I writ... | 2019/03/31 | [
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44,236 | In novels, when the PoV follows a particular character, is pretty common that we get to hear his/her thoughts. Sometimes, those thoughts take the form of questions that the character ask himself:
>
> *What does that mean?* Bodii pondered.
>
>
>
Of course another way to do this is to cut the internal dialogue ent... | [
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"text": "What I do is get to know my characters well, my MC in particular, create a situation and see what happens. I writ... | 2019/03/31 | [
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44,248 | Essentially, I want to change:
>
> Managing a lot of people is a very difficult problem
>
>
>
to:
Lot of people, difficult problem
I understand that when you shorten a title, it will become more vague, but sometimes, I feel like when you shorten it too much the meaning becomes too uncertain or difficult to gues... | [
{
"answer_id": 44249,
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"selected": false,
"text": "Your first title is a complete sentence, which is unusual. Your second title completely drops the concept of mana... | 2019/04/01 | [
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44,254 | The ["not like other girls"](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotLikeOtherGirls) trope is pretty common in young adult fiction, arguably misogynistic, and usually applied to a female protagonist or love interest. Attempts to make a female character strong and unique can very easily end up in this territory, ... | [
{
"answer_id": 44255,
"author": "Amadeus",
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"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "Embrace the opposite of the trope. \n\nIs there some reason Supergirl cannot love talking fashion, and own ten pair... | 2019/04/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44254",
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44,267 | My MC is in a dark line of work. He is an assassin. He is also someone with lines he does not cross. He has been duped or coerced to do things he would not, but still holds to some standards.
I want my gentleman assassin to be dark, conflicted and dangerous without being mad dog killer, psycho or (worse yet) fading in... | [
{
"answer_id": 44269,
"author": "Henry Taylor",
"author_id": 11221,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Start with an assassin, a person who kills.\nThen delete everything you don't want him to be.\nHe is not a mad... | 2019/04/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44267",
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44,271 | Sure, ***I*** understand the characters, but that's because I've been thinking about them.
But how do I transfer that knowledge to the reader without taking the time and space to flesh them out further??
The standard answer is "stereotypes", because stereotypes are broad generalizations about humans, and without the ... | [
{
"answer_id": 44272,
"author": "SC for reinstatement of Monica",
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"text": "You don't need much visible fleshing out, IMO. It's all in the details.\n\nTake the 'wild pa... | 2019/04/02 | [
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44,276 | I think this is an important fact to have in mind for authors who are trying to decide whether or not to put their books in the KDP select program. If the vast majority of US ebook customers are on kindle unlimited, then it makes it more advantageous for authors to put their books there. | [
{
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"selected": true,
"text": "Amazon doesn't reveal stats like this.\n\nHowever, in 2017, [The Written Word Media](https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/20... | 2019/04/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/44276",
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44,294 | I want to refer to the timeframe of Sompor 2019 in the Northern hemisphere. However, the writing is intended for a global audience, and when it is Sompor in the Northern hemisphere it will be Winter in the southern hemisphere.
Is there terminology I can use that refers to that period of time in both hemispheres? | [
{
"answer_id": 44295,
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"text": "There are a few simple ways to do that. \n\n1. ‘The second season of the year’. It feels a tad uncomfortable ... | 2019/04/02 | [
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44,297 | I have two characters, the male being sort of a jerk, but lightening up later in the story, and the female is...very hateful. But a person who read the first chapter asked me if they were going to get together. I mean, I planned that for way later, but I want to be able to hide that better. How do I go about making the... | [
{
"answer_id": 44299,
"author": "Rasdashan",
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"selected": false,
"text": "It is possible that this reader is one of thse who likes to pair characters in relationships that need not even b... | 2019/04/02 | [
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44,304 | My first question on the site was [How do I stop using 'the' to start sentences so much?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/41728/33442) , [One of the answers](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/41737/33442) said:
>
> I would suggest reading more English poetry to pick up some techniques.
>
>
>
I commented ask... | [
{
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"text": "I noticed you said in the comment to that answer that you are not a fan of poetry. Perhaps the main characteristi... | 2019/04/02 | [
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44,309 | The fanfic I'm writing is so that I may get into the swing of literature. A test story if you might like in the Mass Effect Universe. Please prepare for a long text because there's a lot of trivia here.
Now what I need is in this hypothetical scenario; humanity is a techno-organic race and is one of the few in history... | [
{
"answer_id": 44310,
"author": "Rasdashan",
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"selected": false,
"text": "We can’t tell you what or how to write as the process is unique to each of us. That said, you need to decide a fe... | 2019/04/03 | [
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44,317 | I decided to give a try to the snowflake method. The idea is that you gradually expand the story from a blurb into a full draft. This question stems from the character-characterization step, but it applies in general to the understanding of a character.
I am at the point in which I need to clarify an abstract goal and... | [
{
"answer_id": 44320,
"author": "Liquid",
"author_id": 25517,
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"text": "I never used the snowflake method myself, even if I gave it a look sometime ago. \n\nThe problem with your abstract a... | 2019/04/03 | [
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44,319 | Sometimes in the process of writing dialogue, I wish to insert a joke in the exchange. I could copy an existing joke, or I could come up with one. The latter option seems preferable if I could tie the new joke with the on-going dialogue.
Of course, one could simply be creative, without any technique, and come up with ... | [
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"text": "According to [Comedy Writing Secrets by Mel Helitzer](https://amzn.to/2IckeEr), there are two main reason people l... | 2019/04/03 | [
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44,326 | Like most kids, I went through the All Poetry Must Rhyme phase.
Then a little later in school, rhyme was less essential (especially in English, a less rhyme-compatible language than many other Romance ones) -- it was all about CelerFZ and Structured Forms.
But I know there's more than that. Some people focus on crys... | [
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"text": "[As I suggested in response to the question you cite](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/29092/what-makes... | 2019/04/03 | [
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44,327 | **Is poetry always a solo endeavor?**
TV scriptwriting is classically done in a Writer's Room, where the show-runner outlines the main plot/character beats for a season, they and senior writers break out those elements into individual shows, then one or two writers create the draft, then collaboratively more jokes are... | [
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"text": "It depends on the kind of collaboration you mean, but usually no. \n\n**Poetry - worth reading - is a solitary ve... | 2019/04/03 | [
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44,328 | (I searched combined tags for publishing & poetry, and only found a few older questions, detailed below.)
So - Spring 2019 - **where do poets publish now?** Is it all self-publish, have the few magazines mentioned in the past gone away, are any new markets appearing? Are anthologies the best new thing?
If suggesting ... | [
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"text": "I ran a search on **Submission Grinder**, Poetry, Paid.\n\n<https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com... | 2019/04/03 | [
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44,334 | This is about a father who returns after a particularly long journey. Typically, he's not available very often anyway, but he deeply cares about his daughter. He also fails at behaving like a father should, because of two things: guilt for something he had to do and his duty, which prevents him from being a good father... | [
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"text": "I ran a search on **Submission Grinder**, Poetry, Paid.\n\n<https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com... | 2019/04/03 | [
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