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How do you avoid purple prose? I try to watch out for bland, overused adjectives and I keep adverbs to a minimum but -- I hear this phrase a lot and I'm not even sure what it means? <Q> "Purple prose" is overwrought metaphors, melodramatic and clichéd phrasing, and cartoonish actions. <S> She gasped, her snow-white breast heaving, and her emerald eyes filled with tears. <S> "How could you! <S> You vile beast! <S> " she sobbed. <S> "I loved you and you — you used me!" <S> "I never loved you," he announced, cool as a glacier in January. <S> "You were the pleasure of an hour, my dear, and that doesn't include commercial breaks. <S> " <S> Even as he crushed her with his dismissal, she could not help but feel an ache in her throbbing loins to watch him stride across the room like a bored panther. <S> The masculinity rose from his tanned skin in waves, like the scent of the Drakkar Noir she had given him on his last birthday. <S> "I'm leaving you, Neaveh. <S> I've found... someone else." <S> "No, Biff!" <S> Her heart-shaped face contorted with grief and jealousy. <S> "It can't be!" <S> "Don't act so surprised," he sniffed, pulling on his butter-soft leather jacket and slipping on his Ray-Ban sunglasses. <S> "You know I can't be tied down to any one woman. <S> I'm a free spirit. <S> Gone with the wind." <S> "No — please — don't go — I love you!" <S> she cried, but the door closed with the final, echoing thud of a guillotine, cutting her off from love, from light, from warmth, for her reason for existence. <S> She crumpled to the floor, her fiery red hair spilling around her onto the carpet, and wept until she thought her heart might shatter in her chest. <S> In summary, don't do that. <A> I think you're off to a good start by killing the adjectives and adverbs. <S> Overuse of modifiers are the #1 reason I reject a piece of fiction writing. <S> Some thoughts: <S> a specific, active verb is worth <S> adozen adjectives adverbs <S> more oftenshore up weak verbs (ie " <S> he ranquickly across the room" ... <S> howabout " <S> he bolted across the room" orsomething like that <S> I see a lot of beginning writers use adjectives that just aren't very descriptive (cold vs. frigid or red v. burgundy). <S> I also see a lot of beginning writers try to use exotic adjectives just to sound exotic. <A> Adjectives and adverbs often qualify, as Final Draft illustrated, because a weak adjective + noun combo can be replaced by a single, stronger noun, and a weak adverb + verb combo can be replaced by single stronger verb. <S> This principle can be applied to almost anything, not just adjectives and adverbs. <S> Look for vague or overly verbose phrases and try to come up with precise, tighter alternatives. <A> Ok, how about this excerpt from a marketing email from thriftbooks.com Please know that this is no whim of fancy but a sincere desire of the heart that is nearly indescribable. <S> Since the day you lovingly wrote your email address on my login page I have kept it indelibly inscribed in the heart (of my database), never to be shared, as the thought of any other having it nearly kills me with jealousy. <S> Just know that I think of it often and desire your love in return. <S> ... <S> I know you cannot deny the chemistry between us. <S> I can feel you thinking fondly of me, now, as I am constantly thinking of you. <S> Please don't delay in logging onto my website, www.thriftbooks.com, as I fear my heart may explode in the agony of your absence. <S> My fondness for you, if it can be believed, is even deeper now at the end of this letter than it was when I began. <S> Until we connect again... <S> Be Mine. <S> - Thriftbooks.com
| In its broadest sense, I would define purple prose as excessive and imprecise description .
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What is flash fiction? Is it simply defined by its short word count? Or are there other accepted conventions in flash fiction? If it's just the word count, how short is too short? How long is too long? <Q> I have written flash fiction as short as 50 words and seen submissions in the range described by OneMonkey . <S> Flash fiction is largely defined by the word count, but doing flash fiction well is more than just getting the right word count. <S> Imagine telling an entire compelling story in 200 words. <S> That's an extreme compression of the rising action, climax, falling action sequence. <S> Because of the compression, flash fiction often shares characteristics with poetry. <S> In poetry each word often has multiple tasks and each phrase and image has multiple layers of meaning. <S> Flash fiction is the same way. <S> Flash fiction doesn't necessarily carry the same emphasis on the lyrical quality of the writing as poetry, though. <S> Because of the short nature of flash fiction, it is often very well suited to intriguing revelations close to the end of the work. <S> The most compressed part of the piece is usually the falling action, which often is less and less important to a story as the word count decreases. <A> The max word count I've seen for flash fiction is 1000 words but could be as low as 300 words. <S> For it to "count" as flash fiction it has to be a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end and not just an excerpt. <S> There are other sub-categories of flash fiction though: Micro fiction - Anywhere from 50-250 word max depending on the site Drabble - <S> exactly 100 words 69er - Story in exactly 69 words <S> Nanofiction - A story of exactly 55 words <S> Twitfiction - A story in 140 characters or less <A> Zoetrope defines flash as a short piece of between 200-1000 words. <S> That's the only restriction they have on submissions to their flash fiction workshop. <A> I've seen items as short as 50. <S> That seems to be the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. <S> I think there's even a specific contest for pieces of 50 or 51 words. <S> I can't remember the name though.
| Flash fiction is primarily determined by its word count.
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How do you come up with non-fiction story ideas? My biggest problem is that I'm often at a dearth of ideas. I can target a publication or radio show or whatnot once I've got it, but I'm just not good at coming up with them. Tips? <Q> One thing you can try (something I have just started trying), is the "fieldstone" method (cf. <S> Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method ). <S> The analogy goes that when you are building a wall, as you walk in the field if you find a good stone, you put it in your pocket. <S> Writing kind of works the same way <A> One way to start coming up with creative non-fiction stories that are from your own life is by finding lists of journaling questions. <S> For example the author of the blog Live with Flair (who was interviewed not too long ago by NPR) is posting a journaling question at the bottom of her posts daily. <S> These questions can help you think of an event in your own life that you can spin out into a story. <S> Dig through old family letters. <S> I've been amazed at the stories within my own genealogy that sound like they ought to be in a book. <S> For stories that are not from your own life, look at what is currently in the news. <S> Find a story that relates - can you interview people connected with the story or who might have similar stories. <S> Also think of things that are currently catching your interest. <S> Did you recently see a shooting star? <S> Find a story within the astronomy community today. <S> Did you recently watch an awesome sports game? <S> Start there. <S> Read a great book? <A> I have found Google Reader to be a useful source for non-fiction story ideas. <S> I've created an account which is subscribed to a large number of feeds – news feeds, interesting blogs, cutting edge research feeds, and local information/events info. <S> When I lack for inspiration, I'll go through the feeds, and through their recommendation engine, and have a long stream of fairly random potential nudges to my creativity. <A> The most important aspect for creativity is, as others have suggested here, the "raw material" that is critical to coming up with new ideas. <S> Creativity and innovation are not a process of coming up with something completely new out of a vacuum - they occur when our brains combine two ideas together to form a third (our brains our exclusively binary operators). <S> This can occur at any time and is usually a subconscious process that leads to those "Eureka! <S> " moments. <S> I scan about 800 - 1200 articles every day in my RSS reader. <S> So it's critical that in addition to reading A LOT, you have a collection system for your ideas. <S> It's a mindset that I call " Always Be Collecting . <S> " Make sure you have a system in place to collect the raw materials (blog posts, pictures, new articles, presentations, etc...) and (most importantly) to record those ideas as soon as they occur to you. <S> It's also important to write - whether or not you have anything to say. <S> You should be writing at least 300 words per day. <S> It can be meaningless blather that nobody but you will ever read. <S> If you have absolutely nothing to write about, just do a diary-like recount of your previous day with some commentary or forward-looking ideas. <A> You can try to use the Top-down or Bottom-up approaches: <S> Top-down: think about the big picture and worry about details later. <S> For example, you can say that your story is about a lawyer that was offered a great deal of money to lose a case. <S> Now you can refine and think about questions like: what case, how much money, why lose it etc. <S> Those question will lead you further, and will probably help come up with new ideas and plot elements. <S> Bottom-up: come up with one very fine detail, and build up. <S> For example, Mr. Abraham Jonas, a lawyer, finds an anonymous letter on his desk with the words "drop it" and a photo of his wife and children. <S> Now, you can think about his reaction. <S> Does he call the police? <S> his wife? <S> talk with his secretary and ask her who came into his office in his absence? <S> Detailing his actions, you can then come up with more ideas, until the entire plot comes to life. <S> As you can see, each approach has its own pros and cons. <S> One approach lets you think big now and work the details later, while the other lets you focus on one fine element now and worry about the bigger picture later. <S> The best is to combine those approaches. <S> Think about a theme, and work the details to match that theme. <S> But focusing on one approach is probably easier.
| : as you go about your day, you read things, you find something that interests you or bothers you, you take note of it, and over time you will see the idea for the next idea form. See if the storyline of a fiction book can suggest a real-life story that might be out there.
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Where is a good place to find writing prompts? I love using writing prompts to come up with story ideas. I'm looking for good sites that have a lot of good writing prompts. One that updates fairly often would be best. :) <Q> I know Writing Excuses has a writing prompt at end of each weekly show. <S> Usually they are related to the topic of the show as well. <A> I haven't read it myself, but I think this book , The 3 <S> A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kitely, sounds like exactly what you're looking for. <S> It's got very nice reviews - both in terms of score, and the actual description. <S> Here's the first one that sounded like a great match for your question: <S> The exercises also have an additional dimension to them that most don't. <S> Each one is carefully constructed to help you explore a certain aspect of your writing. <S> These aren't meant to be "merely" inspirational--they're designed to teach technique, as well, without reading like a dry instructional book. <S> There are types of exercises in here <S> I really haven't seen anywhere else, particularly in the sections on "Internal Structure" and "Exercises for Stories in Progress", and I think you'll find them inspiring in ways that other books aren't. <S> They'll make you think, work and write in whole new directions. <S> It sounds so tempting, I'm inclined to get a copy myself. :) <A> <A> Not a writing prompt in a traditional sense, but this has worked for me: improv comedy classes. <S> Every time you perform a scene, you're creating a completely new story on the fly. <S> It's a great way to generate ideas. <S> The story grows organically, and you'll get unexpected (i.e. creative) results. <S> It's a fun way to get new ideas for writing. <A> This article describes an interesting system for coming up with infinite writing prompts through Wikipedia. <A> Type Trigger is rather fun - you get a very short prompt (one to three words) and then write up to three hundred words on that prompt. <S> There's a new prompt every hour. <S> It's an energetic little writing exercise. <A> http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=writechallenge Updated every time you click <A> Writing Prompt Websites <S> This is basically a link to an existing list elsewhere. <S> That's because I think the most important aspects of writing prompts are: A variety of compelling topics A sense of community for peer support <S> The definition of each of these will differ for anyone asking this question, so the best answer is a list with diverse topics and diverse peers. <A> This, I think, is a writing prompt tool unlike any other. <S> Whereas most prompts just start you off, this one can assist you with the continuation of your story. <S> It provides multiple ways to get a prompt depending on your mood or goal. <S> Whether you want a complete scenario, a starting scene, a goal, or a character, you just click a button. <S> I recommend reading some of the example stories to get an idea of how people are using it here: <S> Actual Play Reports <S> Here is the home page that has some more information on it: <S> http://www.rpgsolo.com <S> If you get lost there is great documentation in the forum. <A> Instead of finding a source of explicit and structured prompts, I opt to look for randomized inspiration. <S> Every day or two, I do the following: http://www.flickr.com/explore - I browse until I find 3-5 images that strike a chord of interest in me (for any reason). <S> http://live.lmgtfy.com/ <S> - I watch these live search terms with a text editor open and simply choose 5-10 individual words that pop up (again, whatever grabs me that day), writing them down. <S> Almost without fail, when I smash the words up against the images, I get struck with a nugget of a "wouldn't that be interesting... <S> " kind of idea, then I write anywhere from 200-500 words on the topic. <S> These short exercises are always brief and not well fleshed out, and they are often terrible. <S> I write until the core of the idea is laid out, then I stop and file them into a folder with all the rest. <S> But the point isn't to get a winner every time, the point is that much later, when I'm ready to begin writing a new story, I don't need to go looking for prompts or ideas... <S> I have a collection of dozens (or more) ideas that I've already had. <S> All I have to do is browse through them <S> and I always find at least a few that inspire me to explore them further.
| I love The Writer's Book of Matches for fiction writing prompts.
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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 or without the dots? Should it be omitted all together and be stated? ex. "eleven in the morning." <Q> AP Style requires a.m. or p.m. -- <S> lower case, separated by periods. <S> The briefing began at 2:30 p.m. <S> This would be the correct format for anything journalistic (newspaper, magazine, wire service, etc.) <S> In addition, many other publications and websites will ask for things to be written in AP Style. <S> The Chicago Manual of Style agrees, except it allows for a.m. or p.m. to be written in "small caps" font. <S> In that case, the periods are not necessary. <S> In formal non-fiction writing, using normal capital letters is never acceptable, nor is using lower case letters without periods. <S> For unsolicited novel manuscripts, I've never seen submission guidelines that address the issue. <S> You can check with individual publishers, but I don't think that it matters until you are actually working with them, at which time, they'll give you very detailed specifications for everything you send them in the future. <A> On the off chance that this isn't a novel, just be consistent. <S> Some writing (academic, non-fiction, and news, for example) is edited to a style guide, and most style guides will have a preferred way to format times and dates. <S> For fiction, and particularly in dialog, you specifically don't want to come up with a consistent system unless you want everything to seem the same and uninteresting. <S> Characters who are inconsistent in little things like this seem more human and accessible. <S> (For example; As it's now ten o'clock in the evening where I am, I need to get off the web within the hour because I need to get up at five in the a.m.) <A> I guess it depends on how it's being presented. <S> If a character is speaking the time it would be whatever flows naturally. <S> Most of the time people talk about time in relation to now, so three in the afternoon could just be 'three o'clock'. <S> On the other hand, when reading a clock (more so a digital clock) it might work best to be very exact with the time like "8:00 AM" because that is how digital clocks normally read. <S> As for how to write AM/PM? <S> It seems like all caps without the dots is the most common, but most permutations are allowed. <S> Officially they are abbreviations but most people don't use them that way (much like PIN or ATM <S> they are almost words in themselves). <A> The retired colonel would refer to 'dishes done by oh-nine-hundred' and the slacker teenager would say 'dude, around 8-ish'. <S> It seems rare to me in everyday living that we talk about A.M./P.M, but in caps with dots is technically correct. <S> I suppose like the colonel and the teen <S> , there's room in a book for the punctilious and punctual. <S> :) <S> My other thought as it occurs to me about time and this: If you have an omniscient third person narrator telling the reader what time it is (I have no proof or suspicion, just tossing it out) <S> I would re-examine and see if there's a way to put it into a character's voice. <A> Keep it in context. <S> You can use it express draw out the personality of the character, by for example omitting the minutes or, going by the other extreme, give full to the second time in a military sounding notation. <S> If it's not a work of fiction, refer to the locale of your target audience and their preferred format (ie. <S> where you live, what you're writing to and their standards). <S> I don't think there is any particularly wrong way, as long as it flows with the text, but for anything international avoid ambiguities such as the month (ie. <S> write "6th of Jan, 2011", "06-01-2011" which depending on your location may be read as "01-06-2011"). <S> Similarly readers used to the 24-hour system on daily basis can be confused by AM/PM (ie. <S> they swap their meanings).
| If it's for a novel, then I would say your characters should express the time in the most natural way for them to be doing so. There is no need for an additional period if the sentence ends with the time.
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What is the preferred way to type out ellipses? I have seen ellipses written out both with ("Well . . . gosh . . .") and without spaces ("Well...gosh...") between the dots. I've also looked at several different online writing style sites, and found no consensus. Which way do editors of fiction prefer? Or is it more a matter of consistency? <Q> This sentence ... with an ellipsis. <S> This is for journalism and based on what looks proper in that medium. <S> Without any spaces, an ellipsis is considered "one word" by many computer systems and therefore will not be split up properly at the end of a line. <S> The space before and after ensures that there isn't a huge word wrap if both words and the ellipsis were all treated as a single word and dropped together to the next line. <S> No spaces in between the periods ensures that the ellipsis won't get word wrapped in the middle of the punctuation. <S> The Chicago Manual of style says to use three spaced periods. <S> This is based on punctuational accuracy and would be considered the "real" way to use an ellipsis in a grammar bar fight (if there were such a thing.) <S> This sentence . <S> . . <S> with an ellipsis. <S> The most important thing, is that virtually everyone in publishing says do NOT use the special "ellipsis character." <S> Microsoft Word uses it to "auto-correct" your work by default. <S> (While we are at it, you should also not use smart quotes either.) <S> It's all an interesting theoretical discussion, but in the real world of fiction publishing, here is how it breaks down. <S> Your unsolicited manuscript can use ellipsis with or without spaces and it will not matter to the agent or publisher you send it to. <S> Once you are actually working with the publisher, they will give you very specific formatting guidelines for how they want your submissions to be done for everything you send to them. <S> These guidelines will encompass much more than just how to type ellipsis, and they will be the only rules that matter when submitting to that particular publisher. <S> That isn't an omission; they don't care. <A> Speaking as a writer, editor, and typesetter: use three dots, no spaces. <S> The spaces are unattractive and potentially allow the line to break mid-ellipsis. <S> As far as the "high ASCII" character, those occasionally get chewed up in file translation (I just got a file from a client where all the smart double quotes had turned into random accented characters). <S> Three periods together (or four, at the end of a sentence) will never be broken or changed into anything else. <A> There's no generally accepted ruling on this that I know of, and it's the sort of thing easily handled with a search-and-replace during typesetting should your publisher care. <S> Worry about content, not typesetting. <A> There is a "consensus", but you shouldn't care about that. <S> HedgeMage is right, care about content, you can replace the ellipses afterwards, if you need. <S> The difference is, that you normally write ellipses with three dots (...). <S> But there is a special character for ellipses (…). <S> So for every font there is this character, which makes the text easier/more pleasantly to read. <S> But typesetting is not your job. <S> It's much easier to use the three dots while writing instead of searching the special character. <A> None of these answers really helped me until I just looked it up on Wikipedia. <S> In the middle of a sentence, space -dot-space-dot-space-dot-space (3 dots). <S> Ex) Feel the breeze . <S> . . <S> and smell the air. <S> At the end of a sentence, no-space -dot-space-dot-space-dot-space-dot (4 dots). <S> Ex) I can't feel my legs. <S> . . . <S> But I can feel my arms. <S> This is all according to MLA. <S> For APA and everything else, different rules apply.
| AP Style says to treat an ellipse as one word by using 3 periods (dots) with a space on each side. You can look up the manuscript format submission guidelines for individual publishers, but you will find that most of them don't say anything about ellipsis. As far as how an ellipsis comes out when printed in hard copy, that is entirely dictated by the font and typeset used by the printing company, so it doesn't help to look in published books for examples of how to type it into the computer (or on the typewriter :)
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As a non-native English speaker, Is it better to get translated or get copyedited for long texts? My English level is average. I can write fluently and my vocabulary is not too limited. With the thought in mind that the end result must be perfect, is it better for me to write my long text (100 pages) in English and then get copyedited by a native English speaker, or write in French (my native language) and then get translated by a professional? I'm concerned about the quality of translations. Long texts (such as reports, offers, books, etc.) that have been translated into French from English are usually done very poorly. I'm also concerned by my inability to use English correctly, especially with expressions and with typical ways of constructing sentences in particular contexts. <Q> Translation really is an art. <S> I recommend writing in the language where you have the largest vocabulary and where you feel most comfortable. <S> In your case, that would be French. <S> Then a translator can take your words, figure out how to say the same thing in English, and make readers feel exactly the way French readers react to the original. <S> If you wrote in English, though, you might use a word that has a different meaning in that particular context, or use a word you think exists that doesn't, and so on. <S> And then the editor would have to guess at what you actually wanted to say—which isn't playing to anyone's strengths. <S> My advice <S> : write in your strongest language, and then let translators do their magic. <A> My experience with this is two-fold: <S> I did translation work for some time. <S> I come from a family of professional translators (my aunt still being in the business). <S> Working for a company routinely ordering translations from third parties and reading the translated documents. <S> The first concern is financial: translating stuff is way more expensive then editing and the better the translation, the more expensive it may be. <S> The results may also be quite variable. <S> I had experiences with translations from companies with great reputations that ended up absolutely horrendous. <S> If you're unlucky the end result of a translation may be the same thing you would have produced yourself sans the benefit of copyediting from a native english speaker (and you ending up paying a ridiculous fee). <A> Yeah, I'm afraid I'm with Dori on this one, as much as it pains me. <S> I tried my own hand at translating something into French a while back. <S> Then I sent it to a publisher-friend. <S> His reply was kind, but direct: If you had been a professional translator, I'd have said thanks, but <S> no thanks. <S> And that was for something that I was particularly proud of... <S> I know exactly what you mean about translation quality though. <S> I've seen some things translated where the translator completely missed the point of the original. <S> So proof-reading the text afterwards is absolutely essential. <S> Of course, you then have to discuss to work out <S> if the translator has misunderstood your text, or if you've misunderstood their translation. <S> And I don't need to explain to you all about the edge cases where there isn't any direct translation <S> and they have to 'make it up'... <A> I think another aspect here is what you're writing, especially if it's non-fiction. <S> Sometimes the subject matter itself has a "native language". <S> For example I would never even start writing technical, IT-related stuff in my native German language. <S> Most of the time the original English terms are far more common than their translated counterparts which often feel clunky and forced.
| Writing it yourself also has the added benefit of beefing up your experience with a foreign language which never hurts.
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Where are the best places to promote tech books? Where would you recommend a new author of technical books (operating systems, programming, networking, etc) to go to in order to get help in promoting his work? Are there any good reviewing services or other types of promotion services? <Q> I've never heard of any legit reviewing services for tech books. <S> All the proposals I've seen from people who do promotions want to charge an arm and a leg, and still expect you to tell them where to promote your work. <S> Don't bother. <S> Some recommendations, off the top of my head: <S> Let them know what you're doing for promotions as well, as you don't want to blow any deals that they're trying to cut. <S> (and you should know plenty if you're a subject matter expert, right?) and ask them where they get their recommendations. <S> Find the on-topic blogs with the largest number of readers and offer them a free review copy (or copies). <S> Talk to any on-topic user group who'll let you speak. <S> Bring books along for giveaways. <S> Bring along a few more to give to the user group leader afterwards to be given away at future meetings. <S> Find the popular podcasts (if any) in the field, and let them know that you'd like to be a guest on their shows. <S> Find popular on-topic mailing lists and answer questions. <S> Always have info about your book in your sig. <S> But never mention your book in the body of an answer unless the question is about book recommendations. <A> Here is one (probably less traditional) approach, which covers the whole process: http://www.ashmaurya.com/2011/01/meta-principles-i-learned-from-running-lean/ <S> The idea here is to couple audience discovery and promotion to the actual writing of the book in an iterative process. <A> You can also submit to other, similar venues - Reddit, Digg, Slashdot, etc. <S> If you feel like being a bit subversive, you can try Subvert and Profit , a site that sells advertising through social media sites. <A> I’ve never answered a question here before, but felt compelled to do so, if only to counter the rather uninformed opinion of “Dori” regarding AuthorsCast . <S> In the interest of full disclosure, I will state right up front that I am actually the owner and administrator of AuthorsCast. <S> Dori states that AuthorsCast is useful “only if your book is about writing books.” <S> Nothing could be further from the truth -- which would be immediately evident to anyone who has actually listened to any of our content. <S> The fact is, our format is modeled very much after what you might hear in the mainstream media when authors do a book tour. <S> We dedicate a portion of each episode specifically to the book, but we go well beyond that to discuss the book’s topic (and other related topics) in general terms. <S> We also like to have guests talk about their careers, other projects they have done or may be working on ( non -writing ones included), and even will include some personal/lifestyle things about the guest like hobbies, family, and so forth if we think it is of interest to our audience. <S> Our recent interview with Stephen Baker <S> ( Final Jeopardy: <S> Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything ) is a great example of what we do. <S> It’s true that we don’t specifically target any one technological field; however, that is something we consider an advantage for our guests. <S> You can be assured that your book will be exposed to a widely diverging audience, many of whom would be unlikely to ever learn of the existence of a particular book except through us. <S> We are actively seeking interesting and interested authors and books to feature on our show. <S> There is a link in our site's footer at which you may express your interest in appearing as a guest. <S> We don’t take everyone who asks, but we do promise to give every inquiry fair consideration. <A> @Dori To answer your points: <S> The marketing department of my publisher doesn't seem to take any active action in promoting my book. <S> They are letting me do things by myself mostly. <S> No outside the box thinking, special help, etc. <S> They focus mostly on distribution and maybe some deals for some of their series of books with some retailers, but nothing else and nothing truly tailored to each author and/or book. <S> The second & third tip - i already did some stuff on that. <S> What I've discovered is that the effectiveness differs a lot, based on how each blog/site owner has developed his community. <S> Few communities are truly strong. <S> Regarding podcast - i just managed to find a promising one, still a start-up but promising: <S> http://authorscast.com <S> Others might find it useful. <S> Thanks all for sharing your suggestions. :D <A> Contact the local users group of the technology you've written about. <S> Ask them to read and review your book. <S> Repeat for all users groups on this subject at the national level. <S> check Meetup.com for relevant groups. <S> You'll find like-minded people who are likely to help.
| Make sure your publisher's marketing people know that you want to work with them on promotion. Talk to people you know in the target audience I tend to find technical books through recommendations on Hacker News .
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Why are papers printed in a two column format? Is there a reason or is it arbitrary/tradition? <Q> Long lines of text can be hard to read, so doing multiple columns breaks the lines up to something more optimal. <A> It was shown, by experiment, that optimal amount of text for print material is ~60 characters per column. <S> This was calculated by the ratio between font size and leading which were picked by humans as most comfortable to process. <S> Higher amount of characters per column interferes with brain's ability to scan through text easily, much like you need to break text into paragraphs for same reason. <A> Also when writing mathematical equations, there is a tendency to have a lot of free space on the sides. <A> There's long-standing rules of thumb, and now quite good psychological research, to indicate that ease of reading requires limited line length. <S> The rule of thumb is somewhere in the neighborhood to 43 to 60 characters per line, or around ten words per line in English. <S> Newspaper and magazine print is usually around 10 pitch, ie, 10 characters average per inch. <S> Printable space on a page is usually around 6 inches wide in a letter-sixed page, 4.5 inches in a digest, 10-12 inches wide in a newspaper <S> (tabloid vs the other format whatever the hell it's called) and the number columns of print is somewhere around <S> (inches × pitch)/50. <S> (Speaking of references, the wiki page is actually quite good.) <A> My guess would be that it is to counterbalance a cost-saving measure. <S> They needed to have the words be below a certain size so they could fit more of them per page; and in that quantity a single column would just look like a big chunk of text. <S> So the reasons are two-fold; one, they reduce the size of the words to save costs by using fewer pages, and two, they partially offset the visual problems associated with having text that small by breaking it up in a way that's easier on the eyes. <A> The only source available for the 60 characters per line experiment that I could find appears to be from Tomás García Ferrari & Carolina Short done in 2002 . <S> See Test 3 in this document. <A> I think when Keyframe says "optimal amount of text for print material" that this is related to scanning and absorbing key words, but not deeper reading comprehension levels. <S> I know that when I'm reading a novel or a even a non-fiction book I pay closer attention than when I'm reading the newspaper. <S> It might be that ~60 characters per line is optimal for that level of casual reading. <A> Earlier comments characterize 60 characters as being comfortable . <S> I've believed it was to specifically increase reading ease and speed by enabling one to slurp in an entire line. <S> For me, that is comfortable. <S> I tend to shrink the width of HTML windows that have reflowing text, so that I can gobble single lines. <S> I find the width of an eBook line on a mobile device to be good. <A> For technical papers, a two-column format allows figures (e.g. graphs) to be large enough to understand , without taking up nearly as much of the limited page count. <S> And similarly for equations, to pack as much info in a small area (without hurting the readability.)
| Using two columns not only to make text reading more comfortable, but it also allows to make a better use of the space on the page, by reducing the white space on the side of the equations.
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What to do about noun clusters A personal frustration of mine is when I see a cluster of nouns sitting together in a sentence. I usually see these in highly technical emails, but not exclusively. Here is a particularly bad example I received this morning: The Web Product Provider search print Individual Provider Map does not print the listing originally found [...] What are some good strategies for breaking up these nouns while still keeping the language specific and concise? Edit: I should add a little context here as well. This statement isn't supposed to cover a complex topic. It's nothing more complicated than the following: User enters a search term User clicks map button on the list of results User prints the list of results The issue I am trying to tackle is that the user who experienced this problem needs to report enough specifics to be complete, but at the same time, do so in a manner that is easily parsed. There is a trend of using clusters of nouns instead of simple English. (P.S. I'm asking this so that I can become a better writer, not as ammunition — just in case you were thinking it.) Edit #2 : I thought of a few more examples that might paint a better picture of the problem. The operations review evaluation task force is responsible for this task. He doesn't know how to read the aperture adjustment calibration manual. She started the 12-week half-marathon training regimen for beginners. <Q> Two common strategies are: Rearrange words Change nouns to verbs if possible <S> Instead of <S> Web Product Provider : <S> Provider of the web product or The web product provides ... <S> Yes, I've shorten your example sentence, because I do not understand it ;) <A> I think part of the difficulty with the sentence can be corrected by emphasizing the problem being reported: Using the print functionality after doing a search in the Web Product Provider (specifically, attempting to print the Individual Provider Map) <S> results in the wrong listing being printed. <S> Parenthetical statements are not considered ideal; when they can reduce clutter in the core of the sentence, I find them useful. <A> Focus on the verbs (action), not the nouns. <S> Your example: The Web Product Provider search print Individual Provider Map does not print the listing originally found [...] <S> becomes Printing an Individual Provider Map from a Web Product Provider search result list <S> does not print the selected map. <S> You get better mileage using print as a verb instead of a noun. <S> Couple this with the use of abbreviations, <S> and you can shorten this even more to: Printing an IPM from a WPP search result list <S> does not print the selected map. <S> One thing to keep in mind when using abbreviations is to make sure you use the full term followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis on first usage. <S> In your example: We're experiencing a problem with the print Individual Provider Map (IMP) function. <S> Printing an IMP from a Web Product Provider (WPP) search result list does not print the selected map. <S> And, abbreviate jargon when you can. <A> To me, it seems that your examples don't include a sequence of nouns, but nouns that are more than one word. <S> Here are your examples, with added quotes to delimit the nouns: <S> The "Web Product Provider" search "print Individual Provider Map" does not print the listing originally found The "operations review evaluation task force" is responsible for this task. <S> He doesn't know how to read the "aperture adjustment calibration manual". <S> She started the "12-week half-marathon training regimen for beginners". <S> Perhaps I'm missing something (perhaps I'm part of the problem!) <S> but multi-word nouns are nothing new to the English language: time series curriculum vitae remote control <S> Cameron's room toenail clippers <S> I'm not arguing that your original example is well written - since it didn't communicate clearly, it wasn't. <S> Assuming that my parsing of the phrase is correct, I'd rewite it this way: <S> The product provider search on the website does not print the listing originally found when I search for "print Individual Provider Map" <A> The first one was more a problem of rewording - I couldn't figure out how the sentence worked until I looked at the other examples. <S> Quotes on the search string are also necessary - otherwise the active verb is hard to tease out. <S> Rearranged, but just as brief: <S> The Web Product Provider does not print the listing originally found for "print Individual Provider Map". <S> Operations review is responsible for this task. <S> He doesn't know how to read the aperture adjustment manual. <S> (Or: he doesn't know how to adjust the aperture. ) <S> The last one was trickier: I split up the nouns into two groups instead, although it does require an extra phrase: <S> She started the half-marathon training regimen. <S> It ran for 12 weeks and was aimed at beginners. <S> Personally, I find acronyms just as distracting as noun clusters, as you call them - wherever possible, I'd prefer to abbreviate in some other fashion. <A> Howzabout: <S> The Web Product Provider's search result, "Individual Provider Map," does not... <S> If I in fact understood that chunk of jargon correctly. <A> The Web Product Provider search print Individual Provider Map does not print the listing originally found [...] <S> The problem here is not the big words, but rather the sentence itself. <S> Consider if those noun clusters as you call them were abbreviations: <S> The WPP search print <S> IPM does not print the listing originally found [...] <S> It looks less convoluted but the first part still doesn't make much sense. <S> Considering some simple restructuring. <S> If the problem persists however you have the option of using tags such as <abbr> or <acronym <S> > <S> like <S> so <S> : The <acronym <S> title="Web Product Provider">WPP</acronym> search print [...] <S> Similarly you can make the words easier visualization as a single entity, since that's the core of the problem: <S> The Web Product Provider search print <S> Individual Provider Map does not print <S> the listing originally found [...] <S> If dealing with plaintext only, something like this works and is a fairly simple and intuitive: <S> The [Web Product Provider] search print [Individual Provider Map] does not print the listing originally found [...] <S> Depending on situation you could just use some form of quotes.
| When you see a cluster of nouns, ask yourself which one should become a verb. You might just try to eliminate an unnecessary noun or two, where context is sufficient:
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Finding before/after examples where writing has been improved, to learn from I'd like to see a series of example paragraphs, showing before/after a rewrite, to give me specific examples of how writing can be improved. Is there anywhere that shows such things? I once read the biography of James Herriot, where they showed part of the first story he ever wrote, and you could see how poor it was compared to the final version eventually achieved. I found this very intruging, and wondered if I could learn from more examples like that. So many changes cannot be explained easily, or defined by rules, and an example is needed to illustrate how things can be improved. I spotted an example on this website just a moment ago too - the original example paragraph was slightly reworded in one of the answers: nameless-main-character <Q> Two books for you to read: On Writing by Stephen King. <S> Contains an early draft of 1408 along with King's margin notes from when he revised it. <S> I really liked seeing that someone as prolific as King has to re-write as much as he does. <S> Which Lie <S> Did I Tell? <S> by William Goldman. <S> Contains a full screenplay and coverage on that screenplay by industry people. <S> Great look at how others will see your work. <S> And a website: John August maintains a robust library of his work. <S> You can find original spec scripts and compare them to their final shooting counterparts. <S> http://johnaugust.com/library <A> Several blogs demonstrate before/after (or at least detailed line-edits on early drafts). <S> Evil Editor often does it for query letters. <S> Edittorrent covers all sorts of topics, and the archives have lots of before/after examples. <S> Miss Snark no longer blogs, but her archives have many good examples. <S> I find before/after examples most useful on small examples, sentences, paragraphs, maybe a page or two. <S> Beyond that, it's too hard to see the correlation. <A> Orson Scott Card gives a great example of 4 drafts for the opening of Ender's Shadow , explaining as he goes why each draft isn't what he wants. <S> Sounds like exactly what you're looking for - you can read it here. <S> Another excellent resource is Janet Reid's Query Shark . <S> It's a huge trove of critiqued revisions - not of fiction, but of queries to an agent, describing the book. <S> That might not be exactly what you're looking for, but she gives advice and individual critiques on revising sales pitches - which include a fair share of flavor text - for hundreds of queries. <S> If it's revision you'd like to learn, that would be an excellent place to start. <A> This isn't exactly what you're looking for, but Brandon Sanderson's novel Warbreaker was written publicly online. <S> You can look at the older drafts and compare them with the current, published version. <S> It's obviously more than just the writing that changes, though. <S> It's a good read, IMHO. <S> http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Warbreaker/page/20/WARBREAKER-The-Free-Fantasy-Book-Download <A> This is a hard question to answer. <S> I know in my stories many times the only before drafts that were left in existence were the printed out reviewed ones, that were soon trashed. <S> any kind of files kept on the computers were over written with each additional rewrite, so I don't expect there will be many such documents floating out there. <S> Probably the best source of this kind of exampes would be books describing and expanding on what was trying to be done in that excerpt. <S> this book it about trying to craft a stories through teaching you how describe. <S> many times in this book will start out with bad examples then take you through the step to apply a descriptive style to create a new example. <S> Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld --- this book teaches you to craft a scene to fit the over all story feel as well as make this scene's objectives. <S> This can also include participating in peer review groups. <S> site for writers to gather and talk about writing. <S> deviantart --- site for any artist to post there work and get reviews of it. <S> Though there are not many, and they are hard to find. <S> There are sites for writing out there, just take some time and Imagination to find them. <A> If you go through the twelve slush books which Christopher Tolkien assembled from his father's writings (collectively called The History of Middle-Earth), you can see practically line-for-line how JRRTolkien created, edited, and shaped the LOTR trilogy. <S> There are multiple drafts, stories which hopscotch from version A to C and back to B ending up in version D which was typeset as E but then finished by his secretary as C-Prime plus F... <S> At any rate, I can hardly think of a larger example of vivisected prose. <A> Here are some examples listed on my blog . <S> I chose them because I have not seen them talked about very much. <S> These are not entire paragraph edits, but rather examples of clips and phrases that make your writing awkward.
| One of my favorite writing books, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers , shows before/after examples. A couple of good sites I know of: writing.com --- the 2 best I have read are: Description by Monica Wood --- The only last place I can think that will help is by finding sites that have writing by others, many times an out side observer will be able to find problems in others writing the writer will never see.
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Writing your last will and testament Coming from a background where I've only ever seen readings of a last will and testament in movies, what kind of style would be expected of such a document? Some personal stuff and then legalese generated from that, or something more elaborate? In movies the structure is usually very straightforward, with "If something (optional), person X gets Y" style clauses. This is useful for the plot, but to me this seems to cover only the "last will" part of the document. So what constitutes the "testament" part? Are these even separable? <Q> I am a lawyer from California <S> and I can tell you there are very specific requirements to writing a valid Will. <S> If you mess up (and people often do) the whole things winds up in Probate Court and costs a lot of money. <S> And some people don't need a Will. <S> They need a revocable living trust so that their estate can avoid a long and expensive probate court proceeding in the first place. <S> But making this determination is one of the most important reasons that people should consult with an experienced estate planning attorney in their own area in the first place. <S> To leave a lasting fulfilling legacy for your loved ones, don't rely on anything less. <A> As someone before said, it depends on the country you live in. <S> Nevertheless, as far as I can tell after asking some lawyers I know (working in different countries), the common thing is try to make it as unambiguous as possible and get it notarized. <S> Testament and last will are, as far as "a document to legally state what you want to happen with your property when you die" gets, the same thing. <A> What matters is that it's signed as yours. <S> I don't know the legal requirements for having it dated or witnessed. <S> I ran through WillMaker once and it was straightforward plain language.
| I Am Not A Lawyer, but so far as I know, you can make your will as formal or casual as you like.
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Rules and resources for scientific writing The writing style in scientific papers in the natural sciences, e.g. chemistry and biology, seems very different from many other kinds of writing. There are usually severe restrictions on the length of the papers which calls for a compact and efficient writing style. How can I learn to condense my writing without making it inaccessible? Are there specific rules for writing scientific content? Any good resources for learning about scientifc writing? <Q> One exercise that I’ve found helpful is rewriting (sections of) papers I’ve read. <S> A paper is badly written? <S> Rewrite a few paragraphs! <S> It’s easier <S> at first than improving on your own prose, since you’re not emotionally attached to the bad version; but then whatever experience you gain from it, you’re primed to apply to your own writing later. <S> A paper is beautifully written? <S> Rewrite a few paragraphs! <S> Your version probably won’t come out as good as the original; and analysing why it falls short can help you pick out what good qualities are lacking in your current style. <A> Some people think, that scientific writing is uninspiring and boring, so be careful, which rules you follow. <S> But I assume that the suggestions for making text more terse, do also apply for scientific writing. <S> Eliminate filler words, be more precise, etc. <S> As example I deleted some words of your first sentence: <S> The writing style in papers in the natural sciences, e.g. chemistry and biology, seems different from other kinds of writing. <S> Did the meaning change? <S> Did you lose anything essential? <S> Two or three words in each sentence can sum-up to pages over the whole manuscript. <S> But don't remove too much. <S> The writing style in natural sciences seems different from others. <S> Too terse could puzzle people. <S> Also read scientific papers and learn from other authors. <S> If they get published, they did something right. <S> Yes, maybe they got published despite their writing style, but the more you read, the more you learn. <A> It gives almost step by step instructions for writing and publishing a research paper, as well as advice on other scientific writing formats, including proposals. <A> Being concise in your writing isn't limited to scientific writing: It's always good, as Einstein said, to be as simple as possible, but not simpler. <S> I read a book by literary agent Noah Lukeman titled "The First Five Pages" that presented common shortfalls of manuscripts that he reviewed. <S> There was one chapter called "Adjectives and Adverbs" that had in interesting exercise that helped me a lot. <S> The exercise involved removing every adjective and adverb from the first page of my manuscript and listing them on a separate page and just see if it seemed like there were too many. <S> The next step was to examine the words themselves and see if any of them were commonplace or cliché. <S> Also see if any are repetitive. <S> When I did this, I found quite a few improvements on the first page of my book that really tightened up my writing. <S> I wrote a blog post titled " 5 Lessons from 'The First Five Pages' " if you're interested. <S> I would also highly recommend "The Elements of Story" by Francis Flaherty. <S> He presents 50 recommendations on writing non-fiction. <S> It's the most valuable book I've ever read about writing.
| One of the classic books for scientific writing is Dey's "How to write and publish a scientific paper" .
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What disciplines/habits are used to stay focussed on one novel over a long period of time? One of my biggest issues is staying focused on a single novel. My imagination is always creating new and wonderful ideas. I write a few chapters on this story, a few on that story, but never finish one. What disciplines / habits can I put into place to stay focused and finish a single novel? <Q> 1) <S> So, don't. <S> Keep several books going at once. <S> What's stopping you? <S> Maybe you need to switch gears often to keep yourself fresh. <S> 2) Write short stories. <S> Easier to finish in a bite. <S> 3) Write an outline of your novel. <S> When you get bored working on IIA3d, move to IVE12c. <S> Jump around within the book and write scenes. <A> I have the same problem. <S> This allowed me to get them out of my head and store them off somewhere for a while. <S> I usually have at least two, and usually three, projects going at any given time. <S> Once I finish one, I will go back to my story pile and choose whichever one strikes my fancy the most. <S> I find that by doing this, I am usually concentrating on the two or three most interesting ideas at all times. <S> Also, I will select one of those ongoing works as the primary, and it is usually a full length book. <S> The one or two side projects are usually novellas or short stories. <S> If I know I'm going to have an extended amount of time, I will work on the longer work. <S> If I am limited for time, then I will focus on one of the shorter works. <A> The only one I know of is "write fast". <S> But then I'm not known for my ability to do big writing projects either.
| What I did to handle it was to start writing down an outline or synopsis of the new story ideas as they came to me.
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How do I find a suitable copywriter? I am in the process of creating a web application. I will need some copy written for various pages in the site and some of the marketing marketing material. I am contemplating hiring a copywriter to handle these task for me. What is the best way to find one? Also, since I am a programmer, what are some good attributes to look for when trying to find someone? <Q> Another site that offers writing and editing choices is textbroker.com. <S> Editors are rated, as are writers, and they are matched according to compatible levels. <S> I am an editor and have looked into textbroker but, because of my other work, have not yet chosen to participate in their service. <A> There are many "markets" with copywriters out there. <S> www.Guru.com is the one I know with the best choices. <S> It has rating systems, so you can know how reliable they are. <S> Usually, they will provide access to previous work, so you will be able to tell if you like how they work. <S> If they are reliable and you like their style... <S> well, that's all you need. <A> I would say start with people you know. <S> Other than that, I've heard good things about mediabistro.com <A> there are so many aspects you have to look on before hire a copywriter because on them , your whole project or business is depended. <S> So before hiring a please check:1.His/her past writing posts.2Results of previous campaign.3.compare his/her fee with some other copywriters in the market.4.Mode of his working. <S> These are some important keys, on which you must take care of. <S> copywriter
| Always good to get a personal recommendation from someone you trust.
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Strunk and White vs "Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace" by Williams and Colomb I'd like to improve my writing and have been considering getting either The Elements of Style by Strunk and White or Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace by Williams and Colomb. What are their relative strengths and weaknesses? Why might one be better for me than the other? I'm a graduate student in engineering, but also like writing in general. Thus, I want to improve my writing specifically in technical settings, but also in general. I'm considering these two books because I've heard good things about both and because they're supposed to be short and to the point. Knowing myself, even they might be pushing the boundaries of what I'll actually get through if I find reading them to be tedious. <Q> It's not a "vs" thing. <S> Get them both. <S> Learn from both. <S> Edit: <S> I've only read Strunk & White. <S> Planning to read Williams. <S> There's a very simple reason why you would get them both and learn from them both. <S> The 50th Anniversary Edition of Strunk & White is $12 on Amazon ( link ). <S> The 3rd Edition of Williams is $15 on Amazon ( link ). <S> Both of them are bestsellers and you can just read the Amazon comments (but also google them to see how many people have been influenced by both). <S> So obviously, what is contained in both books is widely held as wisdom. <S> Learn from them both. <S> Edit (2): <S> There are already two answers here, one for what Strunk is (technical focus), and what Williams is (people focus). <S> At least, that's my reading of what Dale is saying about Williams. <A> I highly recommend Williams and Colomb's Style . <S> Throughout the book they focus heavily on three ideas: <S> What do readers expect? <S> What choices can writers make? <S> How do the writer's choices affect the reader's expectations? <S> For example, where other books might admonish not to use passive voice, Style describes the effects of passive voice, and through examples demonstrates where you might want those effects, and where you might not. <S> I've applied two ideas in particular. <S> First, begin a sentence with familiar information, and place new information at the end. <S> Beginning with familiar information connects with readers and orients them to the topic of the sentence. <S> Once oriented, the reader can make better sense of the new information, and relate it to what has come before. <S> Writing sentences this way increases cohesion and narrative flow. <S> Second, the end of a clause or sentence or paragraph is the "power position. <S> " Readers tend to read the words in those positions with a little extra emphasis. <S> So identify the information that you want the reader to emphasize, and shift that information to the end. <S> For several years I bought each new edition as it came out, partly to see what new ideas Williams and Colomb offered, but mostly as a refresher. <A> The Elements of Style is fundamental and applies to all forms of writing. <S> I'm not familiar with Style: <S> The Basics of Clarity and Grace , so I'm unable to comment on it. <S> Since your interest lies with writing in a technical setting, I suggest you also look at some style guides for technical writing. <S> Jean Weber has a fairly comprehensive list of books related to technical writing on her blog, Technical Editors' Eyrie . <S> See her list of Technical editing and style guides . <S> UPDATE : <S> Based on a couple comments on the original question, I recommend checking out Sin and Syntax if you're disinclined to use The Elements of Style . <S> I read it a year or so back <S> and I've found it more useful than Elements . <S> I keep them side-by-side on my desk, along with The Chicago Manual of Style . <A> The same will not be true of Basics of Clarity and Grace. <S> However, Basics of Clarity and Grace is a much better book to use as a way to actually LEARN grammar. <S> I find Elements of Style more useful as a reference. <S> In short, as a reference get Elements of Style (and the Chicago Manual) as a learning tool, get Basics of Clarity and Grace.
| Again, I highly recommend Style . Get them both (if you can afford it). If you cite Elements of Style in a grammar battle with an editor, you win (unless he can counter with Chicago Manual of Style.)
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Where can I find sales numbers for books? I'm a writer, working on a non-fiction book proposal. Finding public, free sales numbers for comparable titles is nearly impossible. BookScan is a subscriber service run by Nielsen. "Above the Treeline" is a subscriber service that collects sales data from some independent book sellers. But I'm looking for reliable services that I could tap into. Any suggestions? <Q> Ingram is the largest book distributor in the business. <S> You can call their automated stock check number at (800) 937-0995. <S> Enter a book's ISBN, and you'll get back its current sales data. <S> Both of the above are free services. <S> Edited to update: titlez is down, unfortunately. <S> You can purchase an account at http://www.ranktracer.com/ (currently $9/year for a single product or $30/month unlimited) to track Amazon SKU sales on a going-forward basis, but cannot get historical data before your subscription started. <A> In my experience, as a general rule-of-thumb, if you look at the number of reviews a book has on Amazon and multiply by 100, you'll be in the ballpark of their sales on Amazon. <S> Some books might be double or quadruple this, and others might be half or less, but it gives you a general idea of whether you're talking about a book that sold 1,000 copies, 10,000 copies or 100,000 copies. <S> Indie-published genre novels on Amazon might account for 90% of that title's total sales (in other words <S> Amazon sales divided by Amazon and non-Amazon sales), whereas a traditionally published book's sales on Amazon might account for 30-50% of that title's total sales. <A> In my experience, you're not likely to find much of anything useful without paying. <S> The Association of American Publishers has some statistics for free ( 2009 Preliminary Estimates ), but you'll have to buy the report to get anything meaningful. <S> Is it worth $1250? <S> Probably not in your case. <S> Sales figures for the publishing industry just aren't readily available. <S> Slushpile.net ran an interesting post in 2007 on the matter, "More on Book Sales" . <S> I can't provide a reason for the lack of availability. <S> You might try developing a list of similar titles and then seeing if the publishers of those titles would share at least print-run statistics. <A> I found new book sales, rankings, and reviews tracking service. <S> It tracks all your book data from Amazon (Apple books, google books, Smashwords as well) and puts them into one chart in the app. <S> Everything is so synoptical. <S> They are planning to add the category analyzer as well. <S> It saved quite a lot of my time. <S> And their support is very nice too, very quick in response, polite, willing and open to suggestions. <S> The whole BookCore app is for free and there is a demo version on their site as well – which does not require any registration. <S> You can just give it a try. <S> Really saves a lot of time and effort. <S> Hopefully, it is going to be as helpful for you as it is for me. <S> The website is https://bookcore.net/ <S> Have a good day <A> nowhere Nielsen BookScan, only covers 75% of retail printed book sales. <S> They don't have the remaining 25%, they don't have ebook sales, and they don't have non-retail sales such as direct sales. <S> Nielsen BookScan provides an estimate , not accurate numbers. <S> And it is the best service out there. <S> Only the publisher knows how much they have actually sold.
| You can also get Amazon's historical data by signing up for an account at TitleZ and selecting the books you want to track.
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How important is typing speed to a successful writing career? How important is it for a writer to be fast when using a keyboard? <Q> Being able to touch type is essential, in my opinion. <S> I don't think I could keep my train of thought if I was constantly scanning the keyboard for the next letter. <A> Typing <S> Well is more important than typing Fast . <S> That is, you need to be able to type the words as they form in your mind, as you think them, without thinking about the actual typing. <S> Bruce is correct. <S> If you can touch-type, you are mostly there. <A> In my case, the answer was: not very important at all. <S> I'm the author of 40 books and hundreds of magazine articles. <S> I've made a living as a writer since about 1990. <S> I never learned to touch type well; my typing speed is about 30 wpm now. <S> As my writing needs and output increased, I turned to voice recognition using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which also saved me from a nasty bout of RSI. <S> Almost anyone can talk way faster than they can type. <S> Dragon is not a perfect solution by any means, but it's really good once you learn its quirks. <S> You must learn to use it effectively, and it's way better on Windows than on the Mac (ironically, for me, since I write mostly about the Mac and Apple products). <S> I use Dragon to compose first drafts of book and article manuscripts. <S> I usually then edit by typing. <S> Things like email I usually type, unless I know in advance that it's going to be a long message, in which case I'll shift to voice recognition. <S> I also tend to write short pieces like this answer by typing. <A> See Dean Wesley Smith's recent article about writing speed: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=3204 <S> As Smith says, "I don’t type faster with my little four-finger typing, I just write more hours than most... <S> I am considered a fast writer because I spend more hours writing. <S> Nothing more." <A> The answer depends upon what type of work you are getting into. <S> Just because you can type fast, doesn't mean you can write well . <S> But writing fast does have the added benefits of allowing you to quickly lay down a rough draft, tweak the hell out of it, clean it up during editing, and publish the final piece. <S> Also, if you are going to be writing for a fast-paced publication that requires you to submit a certain amount of articles per day, you would help yourself by being able to type faster. <S> Seeing as I write for both (I've previously written for Mashable, CMSWire, and others), I have managed to find a good blend. <S> I can usually write 700 - 1,000 words in a rough draft in the span of 30 or so minutes (assuming I don't need to break out of my flow to do research/fact checking). <S> But it could require an hour or two of editing and fact checking to make this blob of text into something presentable. <S> For more long-form content like editorials and essays, however, I usually take my time and pay more attention to the flow of the article. <S> It is especially important because you have to keep the reader engaged and captivate his/her attention for a longer timespan (which is critical for the plentiful amount of readers that have ADHD in my industry). <S> In the latter case, writing speed isn't as important. <S> Creating a story that people will want to read is critical, though, and even when I can pump out an impressive 125 <S> + words per minute, little of that helps with the basics of crafting a well-written article. <S> It might help get ideas out of my head faster, giving me more time to rearrange things and produce a better product, but that can only take you but so far. <S> But you are a writer, right? <S> You are always looking for ways to improve your writing. <S> Improving your writing speed can improve your writing. <S> So take it slow for now; build up your writing speed over time . <S> TL;DR: <S> Writing speed helps immensely in certain situations, but crafting a well-written product, in the end, requires creativity and dedication — something writing speed can't compensate for. <A> I don't think that FAST typing is important, but I do think it's important to know how to type. <S> Not to be able to touch-type is a handicap, not just in writing but in the job market overall. <S> With the internet it's easy to learn to type or get better at typing--there are LOTS of sites for typing help. <S> Typing qualifies as a communication skill; writing is all about communication; why not have as many skills at your command as possible? <S> Even if your typing aint great, it is better than not being able to type at all. <S> But as far as whether being a fast typist makes one a better writer--no. <S> Not in my opinion. <A> Think about how fast you need to type in order to hit your word count goals: if you can write a thousand words in an hour, then you'll have no trouble writing things quickly (only fifty hours to complete <S> NaNoWriMo, for example). <S> But a thousand words an hour is less than seventeen words a minute - you don't need touch typing to reach that pace. <A> Typing fast has zero impact on your writing career. <S> One can create clear, captivating and concise text at 12 WPM or 120. <S> As you type more you'll naturally speed up of course, but unless you find you can't piece together a sentence because you're too busy typing it's nothing to focus on. <A> ... (this may be begging a down-vote, but...) <S> Irrelevant. <S> For the majority of history we've had writers who didn't have access to keyboards. <S> I'm loath to think that the great writers from two-hundred years ago were worse writers because of this. <S> They may have been more prolific <S> had they been able to write faster, but that has nothing to do with the quality of their work.
| It is important to be able to type fast enough to focus on the writing and not the keyboard.
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Where is a good place to find beta readers? Beta readers are important to perfecting a novel/novella/short story. They give you a fresh set of eyes, offer opinions, and can be a great moral boost. But where can you find good beta readers? Are there any sites that writers can use to find beta readers that have a reputation for having skilled beta readers? Anyone can read a book and offer their opinions, but a good beta reader knows the difference between two different styles and something that really is bad. <Q> That's a hard one, because it really depends on the community you are working with in your writing. <S> If you are already working with a writers group then you already have group of beta readers right there, just stand up and ask. <S> If you're not part of an existing writers group it might get a bit tricky. <S> There are always the on-line writers groups, places like critters.org. <S> They are built around the idea of doing beta work, but the good ones have rules and you usually can't just sign up and ask for a beta read. <S> With Critters it takes a few weeks to be established and a few more weeks to get your story through the pipe, so it could be a couple of months before you get your feedback. <S> You can also look for a local writers group. <S> Meetup.com is a good place to start for that, but once again you really need to become a part of the group before you can really ask them to beta. <S> Of course there is also the choice of asking family, but they might be over inclined to give you positive feedback and gloss over the problems. <S> In fact, you should probably always be open to beta reading something in return. <S> That way one story trade solves two problems. <S> There are also some oddball ways to find beta readers. <S> The downside is that but they are mostly looking for fanfiction, though some are open for original work. <S> If you're doing a fan work that might be a worth while place to start. <S> And you never know, just asking this question here <S> might get you a few offers to read. <A> Check out scribophile.com . <S> You have to build up your karma enough (by critiquing) in order to post your work for others to critique. <S> But they guarantee results: Friends and family will always say your writing is great, even if it isn't. <S> Other writing sites are full of people who only tell you "I like it" and nothing else. <S> We're different: we guarantee at least 3 solid critiques on each work you post, and often more. <S> I haven't tried it myself yet, because my latest work isn't quite done yet, but I am hoping to start critiquing soon and build up my karma for when I'm ready. <A> I will offer an acquaintance who I already know likes to read a small amount of money to read and critique a work for me--not talking about lots of $$$, maybe $10 USD to read and comment on a short story under 50,000 words. <S> If a person is getting some sort of reward for reading and commenting, <S> he/she will usually stick with it even if they are not enthralled by your writing. <A> I generally have a few close friends read my work. <S> Over the years I've collected three or four people who actually give good feedback instead of just praise or incompetent gibberish. <S> I also have my mother read my stuff occasionally. <S> (She's an English major, and gives hard criticism.) <S> You might try putting an ad in Craigslist or a college paper for critical readers. <A> Wattpad's a really good place! <S> I use it (sadly haven't for some time), and it gives a chance for people to comment on your work as <S> you go along. <S> Another is in real life. <S> Just ask people to read it, and give an honest opinion. <S> (Make sure you can take criticism well and ask them to write down what's wrong) <S> Any other place you want to. <S> If you're able to, you've found a place.
| I've been apart of a few fangroups that have open lists for beta readers. On the other hand a good friend, preferably one who is also a writer, can be a good source of beta work, but if they are also a writer you should be willing to beta read in return.
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Where can I find a good vocabulary list? I'd like to expand my vocabulary and already do several of the things recommended in the Tips for expanding my vocabulary question. In addition to that, I've been spending some time with a flashcard-like program I wrote and am looking for good lists of vocabulary words. Here's what constitutes a "good vocabulary list" in my eyes: The words are actually used and useful (you might run across them if you read much) It preferably does not include words that any high school graduate should know I've been using the 1062 Vocabulary Words list, which is the best I've found looking around online. However, I often run across words that aren't in it (e.g. asperity, cavil, debonair, frock, limpid, maudlin, persiflage, ribald, vitriolic, etc). Where else can I find good lists? <Q> The Phrontistery (another good word) is a good site for vocabulary. <S> The fellow who keeps it claims to have come across all of these words in his own reading, but omits ones that he considers needlessly obscure, specialised, etc.. <S> He lays out his criteria on the first page. <S> Notice that you have to click at the letters at the top or bottom to go to a list. <S> It took me a few minutes to find where the words were the first time I was there for some reason... <S> The rest of the site is just as interesting, and if you ever need to know something about numerical prefixes... <S> Look no further is all I'll say. <S> O.o I can also say that I've come across a fair number of these myself, more than once. <S> Some of them I haven't, but I wish I had. <S> Link! <S> http://phrontistery.info/ihlstart.html <A> Ok, you might say that my answer is a wee bit off-topic because I'm not recommending a list-- <S> well, <S> I SORT OF am, but <S> my first and best recommendation is that reading news articles of interest by paid journalists (not bloggers!) <S> along with fiction by highly literary writers (ex, Nabokov, Fowles, etc) will do more to help you gain vocabulary than messing with flash cards. <S> Reading words in context will help your vocabulary much more than flash cards and learning things by rote. <S> I do have a list to recommend, however, before you dismiss my advice as unhelpful: The "worthless word of the day" list: <S> http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd/disclaim.htm <S> These words are not "worthless" by any means (although some are quite archaic), but quite unusual. <S> You can subscribe <S> and they send you a new "worthless word" every day. <A> Not exactly a word list, but Vocabulary.com can handle word lists (which its users create and share) and its dictionary is quite good. <S> Its approach to word lists isn't the conventional flash-cards type <S> but I liked it, have had success using it for several month now, and can recommend it if for nothing but the fact that they always present the words in context before telling you the definition(asking you about it, which they often do before resorting to the definition).
| I like to recommend two favorite fantasy/sci fi writers Stephen Donaldson (Thomas Covenant books) and Jack Vance (The Demon Princes) to those who wish to develop vocabulary; both these fiction writers, though their writing is very clear and direct, use tons of complex and unusual words in rigorously technical style.
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Verb tense for technical document titles I'm writing a technical manual about creating database systems, and wondered what is the best verb tense for title names. My ideas are: Continuous ( -ing ) form: (e.g. "Creating a Cluster", "Creating a Database", ...) Descriptive form: (e.g. "Cluster creation", "Database creation", ...) Imperative form (e.g. "Create a Cluster", "Create a Database", ...) Any other ideas? Which would be best for title names? <Q> -ing. <S> I am a tech writer, and this is typically how we word titles of sections that focus on how to accomplish a task. <A> As a long-time technical writer, I agree that the gerundive (continuous) form is most common in titles. <S> That is IBM style (at least it was while I was there). <S> What is more difficult to fathom is that the present tense (and imperative) should be used whenever possible in the text. <S> "First, prepare your storage medium. <S> To get the most from your hard drive, polish the disk surface to a gleam using a mildly abrasive cleanser. <S> " <S> You would not say: "First you will prepare your storage medium." <S> Nor would you use the continuous form in the text: " <S> Polishing your hard disk with a mildly abrasive cleaner is a way of getting the most from your hard drive. <S> " <S> Avoid passive construction if you possibly can. <S> Finally, there are occasions to use past tense, but they are rare. <S> (Please recognize my quoted examples as pure flights of fancy. <S> I know what Vim would do to a hard drive. :-) ) <A> I like "Create a Cluster. <S> " If I'm actually RTFM, I'm usually looking for instructions on how to do something. <S> Well, what do I want to do? <S> I want to Create a Cluster — <S> so that's what I'm going to look for. <S> (That said, I don't mind the -ing form either.) <S> "Cluster creation" seems unnecessarily passive to me. <A> The choice between Continuous/Progressive form and Imperative form is one of style. <S> Choose one form and use it consistently. <S> In my experience, I've heard plenty of strongly held opinions about which is correct, but seen no convincing evidence that it makes any difference. <S> I can't back this up, but if you have a significant audience of non-native English speakers, the Imperative form might be better as it uses the more familiar form of the verb. <S> Someone with localization experience could give you guidance on this. <S> Another issue to consider is context. <S> What kind of documentation are you writing? <S> In this kind of doc you're typically organizing content by task, so the task should lead the title. <S> For example, you might have chapters/pages/sections like this: <S> Create a Database <S> Manage a Database Delete a Database <S> If the content is reference material, you may want to organize by subject, so you'd do this instead: Databases <S> Clusters <S> Load <S> Balancing <S> Within the Databases chapter you'd probably have sections on creating and deleting. <S> (Note that Load Balancing here is a gerund form, which is different from the Continuous/Progressive form.) <S> Looping back to the beginning, these are style issues that should be documented and followed consistently. <S> Users are far more confused by inconsistency in style and usage than even arbitrary usage if followed consistently. <S> So you want to choose terms and forms and then use them all the time. <S> To many users these are all different: <S> Start the database <S> Launch the DBMS <S> Start a db instance. <S> Write down your style choices. <S> You will forget. <S> If you work with other people, they will need to know so your work is consistent. <S> If you don't want to make these decisions on your own, that's OK. <S> Other people have been down this road before and already created style guides. <S> Something like the AP style guide, for example, will take you a long way. <A> It's often a matter of house style, if you are working with a publisher, and the style can vary within the same publisher, depending on the series. <S> I've written many books for Peachpit Press, and they have two popular series with different styles. <S> For example, imagine you were writing a book on PowerPoint (as I have). <S> In their Visual QuickStart Guide series, I wrote "Creating a Slide." <S> In their Visual QuickProject series, the task was "Create a Slide. <S> " Both series of books are step-by-step instructions, and I found that either form works. <S> The Imperative tends to take up a bit less space in the header, which was important in the QuickProject series design. <S> I'm more comfortable with the Continuous form (perhaps because I've written many more Visual QuickStart Guides). <S> I think that it's friendlier and invites the reader to follow along with you; I'm personally a bit put off by the Imperative form. <S> The Continuous form was also the one required by the Dummies books that I did. <A> In general, use imperative constructions in conceptual or informational topics for both the title and the headings. <S> Describe what the user wants to do in the user’s language. <S> For material that does not describe a task, use a noun phrase, not a gerund phrase, a prepositional phrase, or a clause. <S> (4th edition, p. 134-135) They give as examples "Find a File" for the former and "Error Messages and Their Meanings" for the latter. <S> My group has decided that gerunds are acceptable for conceptual sections (for example, "Monitoring Performance"), though many conceptual topics call for noun phrases. <S> So we use a mix. <S> We have found that the imperative style only works for fine-grained tasks: <S> "Create Keytab File" but not "Configure Kerberos" (the latter being a large task calling for the user to make decisions). <A> Continuous form (-ing) in chapter/section titles acts refreshingly on me. <S> So I prefer it. <A> I am not aware of any formal guidelines, but here is my subjective take: <S> Continuous: <S> Seems less formal, like what I would expect from an online FAQ/guide. <S> Descriptive: <S> This seems formal, like what would be required in a dry document, e.g. a government software requirements document. <S> Imperative: <S> Also informal, like continuous. <S> Seems more suited to step-by-step instructions, since it's telling the reader what to do. <S> I would choose the appropriate one based on the target audience for the document.
| If it's proscriptive, how-to content such as a getting started guide, the Continuous or Imperative forms will be most appropriate. The Microsoft Style Guide says it depends on usage:
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Are there good tips on being a better *creative* writer? I'm a student at Case , and while we of course have an English department, it seems the only kind of writing classes/courses available are for learning to be either a "literary" writer, or a "scholarly" writer. I'm not interested in either of those alternatives -- I'd like to write something that's simply entertaining. The best resource I have yet to find is the LiveJournal of Jim Butcher , which goes over practical fiction construction in some detail (it helps that he's my favorite author :P ). I'm interested in any tips for getting started, perhaps classes or anything, which might be helpful in writing entertainment. Not saying I want to be an author someday -- Programmin' is my trade. But I'd like to have a nontechnical hobby too :) <Q> Read more Write more <S> I also strongly recommend National Novel Writing Month . <S> Not only will it give you a boost of confidence to finish, showing you that you actually are capable of writing something resembling a novel, but it should also give you a nice (very) rough draft that you can either burn and use for inspiration on #2, or spend some time crafting into something readable. <S> Find someone who doesn't know you to read your work and give feedback. <S> A local writing group is great if you can find one, otherwise you can find them online. <S> Check out some writers' blogs - John Scalzi <S> has a good one where he often talks about the act of writing, and I'm sure there are plenty more. <A> The Writing Excuses podcast. <S> These guys cover topics related to composing good narrative fiction. <S> It is by far one of the best resources that I've found. <A> Sure there are :) <S> Here's some resources I've found to be extremely helpful: Orson Scott Card's Character and Viewpoint is one of the best creative writing books I've read. <S> He talks about character creation and "interrogating" you character for detail and color; about coming up with story concepts with "why," "how," and "what might go wrong" questions; about how and when to convey "boring" detail, and lots of other great stuff. <S> It's the most insightful and inspiring books on writing that I've had the pleasure to come across; I really cannot recommend it highly enough. <S> Jim Van Pelt teaches creative writing, and he's got a great blog over at LiveJournal. <S> He's particularly good at simple exercises for constructing plots - like his plot daisies or his seven-sentence stories . <S> Very worthwhile. <S> Mette Ivie Harrison has great advice on what makes stories work, about strong romantic relationships, and about the importance of dedication and persistence. <S> You can read her column at IGMS , and/or her LiveJournal (where she also gives a unique take on some other interesting subjects). <S> She writes about writing in a frank, practical, down-to-earth manner which I find both refreshing and helpful. <S> Also, there's a cool site addressing all kinds of questions about fiction-writing right over here :P <A> The Lester Dent Pulp Paper Master Plot! <S> It would be pulpy hyperbole to say that this is the very essence of entertaining and exciting genre fiction; but there's nothing wrong with a bit of pulp. <S> It's a short piece that reads like being constantly punched in the face. <S> That's because there's a lot to it. <S> It's a "how" piece of writing but the depth is contained in the "why". <A> Now you have a style you can learn from, ranging from how descriptions are done to dialogue style and character development. <S> This gives you something to aim at. <S> Also keep an eye out for things about your favourite authors you always thought could have been done better. <S> These give you something to distinguish your writing from others. <A> Creativity is in small things. <S> In 37 plays, Shakespeare didn't have one original plot. <S> Orwell said, "Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print." <S> He was talking about avoiding clichés <S> but it's my -- <S> okay, unsupported -- theory that creativity is just the radical avoidance of cliché. <A> Playing table-top role-playing games is great way to work out those creativity <S> muscles <S> If you're not familiar with role-playing games, have a look here . <S> I really recommend this hobby as a way to enhance your creativity and writing skills (yes, it can do that to!). <A> I would say that if you're a coder by trade, then creative writing is very similar to creating a complex piece of code. <S> If you woke up tomorrow morning and decided to write a word processor in go (or some other random language you didn't know) <S> It is unlikely that you're first few iterations would be anything to do with the word processor you want to write. <S> It would be small test pieces to help you understand how the language worked. <S> Then once you had a decent grasp of how the language fitted together, you'd probably start planning the structure of the program, perhaps using the various source control and methodologies that are available. <S> So when you start writing a story use the same methodology you would use to write code. <S> Pull out your favourite agile management tool (etc) and start creating a plan just as you would a piece of software. <S> So decide what the overall purpose (plan) of the story is, what does it need to convey from beginning to end. <S> Then break that down into smaller pieces, maybe using a beginning / middle / end layout. <S> It is as much about understanding your approach and process as it is about sitting down and writing. <S> If you're a coder you already have a very strong set of methodologies that you should be extremely familiar with. <S> This is head and shoulders above what most writers can bring to their first pieces. <S> Mostly though, take your time, get to know yourself, and your own style, use the tools you have available (I actually store most of my writing in Github - it is a fantastic resource for managing creative writing) <S> In time your confidence with this new language will develop and it will all compile a little more frequently!
| You need to look at what you like to read and read what you would like to write, preferably from several authors.
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How To Avoid Using Cliches In Storylines? How is it possible to avoid cliches in storylines that you are writing? Obviously, there are external sources of influences as you read more and more. It would be possible that we are subconsciously and unaware that we are crafting a story that bears similar resemblance to a story that we particularly like. <Q> Layered, nuanced characters and depth of story will help you avoid cliches. <S> Look, we're all writing a lot of the same stuff. <S> Good guys, bad guys, boy meets girl, she gets kidnapped, blah blah blah. <S> Cliche's arise when: 1) the characters behave in a certain way without the proper background.2) <S> They only behave this certain way Hank, the grizzled veteran cop who is a drunk and is just waiting to get his twenty years <S> so he can retire... <S> that is right out of the cliche book. <S> But, if your story outlines why Hank is the way he is, and also gives him more dimension, then Hank is no longer a cliche. <S> Hank becomes a real character. <S> Making Hank a drunk cop is great, but maybe he's into racquetball or model trains or something. <S> Nobody in life is just one way. <S> Your characters shouldn't be either. <S> If you can make Hank's recreational racquetball somehow figure into the story so that Hank can overcome his obstacles and save the day, well, good times! <S> On the flip side, you can't go giving every character extensive background intros and laundry lists of interests. <S> This is the art , finding the middle ground between shallow characters and boring your reader to death. <S> The best do it so well that you don't even notice. <S> The worst, well, I'm sure you can think of some examples. <A> Cliche characters lack depth. <S> Come up with strong motivations, fears, desires, etc... and think about the implications to the character's behavior due to these factors. <S> Don't write the perfect "good guy" or the purely evil "bad guy. <S> " <S> Make them interesting. <S> Give the character an unusual trait/history, and make it important to the story. <S> Cliche themes shift with the zeitgeist. <S> Vampire movies/stories have become cliche, thanks to Twilight. <S> Zombies are cliche as well. <S> If you're going to write for one of these genres and want to avoid being cliche, approach the story from a fresh angle. <S> Sean of the Dead <S> (zombie/rom-com) and Zombieland <S> (zombie/coming-of-age) are examples. <S> Keep in mind that cliche stories can be successful. <S> See Avatar . <S> It's Dances with Wolves set in space, with fairly shallow characters and a predictable ending. <S> There's a good podcast by the Writing Excuses <S> guys on avoiding cliches . <A> Don't try to avoid clichés just for the sake of avoiding them - no matter how original you think your idea is, some reader somewhere will see it coming from a mile away. <S> Instead, try to make people give a darn . <S> My favourite example of this is in video game design: you can have a character <S> X asking players deliver an item Y to location Z. <S> The player may initially go "yawn, it's a bloody FedEx quest. <S> " There's two major schools of design here: Make the video game full of boring delivery quests where nothing of interest happens (you get points while having boring old time! <S> Whee!) or make a few delivery quests where interesting things take place, and the player can see that you didn't just rev up the automatic quest generation wizard built in the game editor. <S> It's still a FedEx quest, but people actually had fun playing it, so they won't really complain. <S> Mission accomplished. <S> So, if your fascinating plotline is mercilessly picked apart by nitpickers in TVTropes, that's not a bad thing <S> - it happens to everyone and every story. <S> The bad thing is when all of the readers yawn in unison and join the aforementioned TVTropes <S> nitpickery because they know all about your story without even reading it . <A> Find a good editor, and when you hand over the manuscript, let the editor know that this is a particular issue for you, and ask the editor to keep an eye out for it. <S> " <S> There's a reason you can't really "proofread yourself. <S> " It's very hard to see your own biases. <A> TV Tropes <S> is a good resource for looking up clichés in literature as well as other media. <A> What's interesting is the way some writers use clichés to their advantage. <S> It happens more in television than other forms -- and it happens in ensemble cast <S> shows more than other television. <S> If there will be depth added in later episodes, the audience needs to get through the first hour (the pilot) without a huge amount of background. <S> Clichés become a sort of shorthand for introducing characters and even plot elements. <S> The spoiled rich girl may have deeper layers to her, but in the early part of the story she's only needed as a comic annoyance when paired against the hero. <S> She may come off as a cliché at first, to be given depth when her part of the story comes along. <S> Hank, the drunk burn-out cop mentioned by gmoore, may not become a "real character" until the reader has accepted him as a cliché and moved on. <S> The most skillful writer will introduce a quirk or two for every character so that even secondary characters never seem like clichés. <A> A renowned songwriter and artist from my country, Juan Luis Guerra, states he listens continuously to all the music on the media; he says it helps him avoid doing the same thing everyone else is doing. <S> The extrapolated advice seems to be: Read a lot, aware of what you're doing. <S> When you write, you'll know what to avoid.
| As has been said, depth and variety can turn a cliché into something engaging. If you don't read the clichés and get to know them, you won't know to avoid them. If you know that you read a lot of one writer, mention that writer to the editor and say "I like this person, but I want to make sure I'm not unduly influenced.
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Why does an author need an editor? I'm firmly in the camp of "your novel needs an editor, and that editor better not be yourself." But recently I was asked why that was, and I couldn't articulate an answer that was passable. Young novelists often underestimate their need for an editor, so frame your answer in such a way as to convince one of them. <Q> Because you can't see your own mistakes. <S> You know, in your head, what you want your story to accomplish. <S> You know who you want to end up with whom. <S> You know who you want to punish, and who you want to see succeed. <S> You know which characters you like and which are your villains. <S> But the challenge is writing your story so that anyone else who reads it sees the same things you do, without having you there to explain it. <S> You need to get everything out of your head onto the page, and convincingly. <S> A good editor will help you to shape what's on the page so that it guides the reader to see what you want the reader to see. <S> A good editor will also point out where you made the heroine a wimp, the love-interest so perfect that he clearly leapt fully-formed from the brow of Tiger Beat, the villain into Snidely Whiplash, and how the final twist can be seen a mile off. <S> Without an editor, you won't necessarily see those things are there, or you won't think they need fixing. <S> The editor is there to bring out the best in your work. <A> Here are my reasons: <S> As the author, you are too close to the material. <S> Writing which may seem clear in your mind could be confusing to the audience. <S> Small mistakes in grammar and poorly-worded sections need a second set of eyes to be discovered. <S> Advise the novice writer <S> to re-read some of their writing after setting it aside for a month or more. <S> I find that when I do this, the mistakes jump out at me. <S> Using an editor will speed up this process. <S> Getting feedback from someone else might give you new ideas. <S> If all else fails, tell them to try it out and see if it's beneficial. <S> (And if they don't find a benefit, it is unlikely that they will be successful as writers.) <A> Writers can't help but fall in love with their own writing. <S> As we know, love is blind; therefore, an editor is the cool head that is needed to make the tough decisions. <S> Apart from grammatical mistakes, An editor will make recommendationsas to where the text can be pruned. <S> An editor will pick up oninconsistencies in argument or plot,and fallacies of logic. <S> An editor knows when to rein in awriter who has galloped out ofcontrol, especially in indulging in prose that is too flowery or turgid. <S> An editor can do this because he or she is an impartial and experienced observer of prose. <S> For example, an editor would almost certainly tell me to rewrite the words in bold. <A> Let me ask a question right back: Why does an author need/want to show some friends or workshop members the work he's done? <S> It's not required, sure. <S> But somehow everybody does it anyway. <S> And they listen to what the friends have to say. <S> Because they want and need constructive feedback. <S> Well, an editor does the same. <S> Except he's more thorough; devoted (by your contract) to your book; he's got a lot more professional experience than your friends do; and so on, and so forth. <S> In this sense, an editor is awesome. <S> What a lot of people have trouble with is with that advice coming from a position of authority . <S> The editor doesn't merely advise <S> - he can make huge decisions about the book. <S> Starting with whether or not to purchase it. <S> In the immediate sense - the author doesn't need an editor in authority. <S> Pretty much by definition, if the editor can't convince the author to make a certain change, then forcing the author to make that change can't be in the author's direct benefit <S> (I'm assuming the author has a decent idea of what's good for him; few authors will confess they don't). <S> The editor's authority comes from the publisher, and that's who he's truly serving: <S> the publisher is the one who needs editors to find new authors, to bring the best out of manuscripts, to assure new novels are salable and appropriate to the line, etc. . <S> The author doesn't need most of that; not directly. <S> The author just needs the system to exist. <S> The author doesn't want an editor to set him in competition with a thousand other MSs - but indirectly he does need him to do that, because otherwise nobody publishes anything. <S> The editor serves as the publisher's sieve, its gate-keeper, its gem-cutter. <S> Does that serve the writers being kept out or shaved off? <S> Not directly - but it upholds the quality of the entire industry, without which nobody would have anything at all. <A> Just another (abbreviated) way of saying what some have already said here... <S> You can't un-know what you know. <S> Writers often leave out details and exposition that they fail to recognize as important. <A> Here is a great example of how an editor can upgrade the writer's work. <S> The author of this article shares the draft of one of his novel chapters, and shows how the editor commented on it in order to refine and improve it. <S> A great read, even if you're not into Fantasy and Role-playing. <A> You'll never learn or grow as a writer if you don't get feedback on it. <S> Editors are critical but caring . <S> A good editor will care about the work as much as you do, but view it objectively and can therefore pick up on character inconsistencies, plot holes, grammatical errors, structural problems and all kinds of other issues that it's much more difficult to pick up on in your own writing. <S> To me, the writer is the chef and the editor is the one who puts it on the plate so that it looks the best that it can be for the consumer/reader.
| An editor will point out areas oftext that could be rewritten toimprove flow and cohesion. Most writers will benefit from having their work edited, no matter how good a writer they are.
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Should one blog in a few languages? Greetings. I've been blogging for a while now and I do it in Russian. But, some of my English-speaking... AHEM "Internet-friends" are unable to read my personal blog, 'cause they're just not familiar with my native language. When I do a post or two, and share it with my Facebook account, they're often comment the pictures, but not the posts itself. So I thought about starting to blog in English, which could help few of my goals: To learn English better: the grammar, the rules, words-construction and so on To share my life with my English-speaking Internet-friends To improve my communication and translation skills But I don't know, if I ever should start doing this because I don't know if my pals will be interested in reading what I write, not just looking the pictures. And if I should start doing the copy of my blog, should I do it on the same blogging service provider or should I switch to some other platform, which is more popular? What platform could it be? Currently, I use Livejournal and I like it. <Q> Ultimately, this is going to be a personal choice for you. <S> There are a couple things you could think about when making your decision: Do you have the time to write two blogs? <S> Are you proficient enough in English to write a blog with minimal errors where native speakers won't have many problems understanding you? <S> Is it worth the effort you'll need to put into it? <S> Is it worth two hours of work (just a guess) for three readers? <S> If you answered yes to these questions, then go right ahead. <S> It probably would help you improve your own language skills in the long run. <S> As for which provider, I've used both Blogger and WordPress <S> and I've enjoyed them both. <A> I have the same problem, Hebrew being my native language. <S> I chose to blog in English, because by blogging in Hebrew I limit my audience to those who can read the language. <S> I believe that by using English you will address a larger audience. <S> Writing two copies of the same blog entry will probably tax you to the point in which you will drop one language, or stop blogging at all. <S> Judging from the only English writing sample of you I have (your question), you already have good writing skills in English, so that should not be a problem! <A> If you have enough cyber-friends who don't read Russian who have commented on your non-English blog, then yes, do one in English. <S> If nothing else it will improve your facility with the language. <S> I like Blogger, but if you're comfortable with LiveJournal, stick with that. <A> I use the Wibiya toolbar (http://www.wibiya.com/), which allows for a user to translate a page. <A> Writing a full translation will approximately double the time you spend creating each post, so as other answers have said, you'll need to consider the cost versus benefit. <S> However, thee's another approach you could take: keep writing in your native language and provide a summary in the other language. <S> Writing a paragraph or two in your non-native language will be easier, and in that summary you can offer to answer questions or translate parts if people ask . <S> Somebody who, for example, wants to know what you said about the third photo you posted can ask and you can answer, but you don't have to translate the detailed explanations of the other five pre-emptively. <S> And if, over time, you're getting more engagement from English speakers and want to expand what you include in your summary, you can do that. <S> You're using LiveJournal, which has the "lj-cut" tag that you can use for this purpose. <S> Add your English text and put it behind a cut labelled "English summary"; those who want it can easily click through, and those who are reading in your native language won't have to skip past it. <S> I would put this cut at the beginning, because people who don't read your native language might not scan to the end to see the link. <S> (If, like many people, you've moved to Dreamwidth since asking this question, they have the same feature and, further, expanding or collapsing a cut can be done in place without a new page-load.) <A> I’ve blogged in English and Spanish in the past <S> and I can give you some experiences I collected along the way: <S> Blogging on different languages is time consuming. <S> Expect to add an additional 2 hours to your blog post. <S> Do not write in Russian and then translate to English. <S> That way you make sure you have enough knowledge to write the post on all languages and that you actually do. <S> If you do it the opposite way you’ll end up with lots of post not getting translated. <S> Choose a platform that supports multi language in posts. <S> I’ve used with success both Wordpress and Drupal. <S> Both have the ability to chose the language for the post as a drop down flag and automatically detect the language based on browser configuration. <S> Chose a platform that makes translating easy. <S> It should allow you to see current translation state of all your posts and allow you to refer to the original test when you are translating it. <S> Finally, posting in English is always a boost in readership reach not only limited to your Facebook friends. <S> You’ll get more readers (assuming quality content not centred around local topics) coming from google. <S> English is the de facto language of the internet. <S> You should expect a huge extra reach by posting in English as compared to, for example, translating to Spanish or German. <S> The reason comes from the fact that English is either the main language or a second language for almost everybody. <S> In addition,blogging in English (not translating to English but actually blogging IN that language) is an excellent way of learning the language. <S> In time it will force you to think in English and use English expressions, it will help you understand where your limitations are and, by virtue of wanting to use a particular expression, it will develop your vocabulary and understanding of the language. <S> Specially, it will develop the complexity of the phrases you’re able to use as opposed to your fluency (which is improved better by consuming spoken material like radio or movies).
| Write in English and then translate to Russian.
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What does "Exposition and Ammunition – back story" mean in screenwriting? I am just starting my first screen writing class and I got an assignment that says: Exposition and Ammunition – back story. I have been searching online but I don't get it. Can someone explain it for me please? <Q> "Turn exposition into ammunition" is shorthand for a writing technique. <S> A quick Google turns up this article: http://michellelipton.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/mckee-on-exposition/ <S> Money quote: “ <S> Convert exposition to ammunition … <S> when [the] story is thick with conflict, the characters need all the ammunition they can get. <S> As a result, the writer has little trouble dramatising exposition and facts flow naturally and invisibly into the action … when stories lack conflict, the writer is forced into ‘table dusting’.” <S> What your assignment means is to take the backstory of your character, break it down into individual items (known as "beats") and use each item in dialogue. <S> Create some kind of conflict between the characters so that the backstory of A is brought up, and use the items either for B to attack A, A to defend against B, the reverse, or both. <S> For example: B'Elanna's mother is <S> Klingon and her father is human. <S> Her parents fought increasingly during their marriage, to the point where her father gave up on her fractious mother and left. <S> B'Elanna blames her mother's Klingon-ness for driving her father away, so she tries to repress her own Klingon instincts. <S> Tom loves B'Elanna, Klingon-ness and all, and thinks her Klingon heritage is cool. <S> He can't understand why she won't join him in bat'telh fights or drink bloodwine. <S> So you open with the two of them having an argument about why B'Elanna will spar with Tom using any other kind of martial arts or weaponry, but not the bat'telh (the curved Klingon sword). <S> She makes lots of excuses, Tom keeps pushing, and eventually she starts shouting at him that if he loves Klingon culture so much he can go be one. <S> He doesn't understand this, he shouts something back, and through the course of the fight he gets her to explain what happened to her parents and why she feels the way she does. <S> The backstory (exposition) of B'Elanna's family is now ammunition for their conflict. <S> (Source: Star Trek: Voyager 's "Lineage") <A> Exposition: <S> "As all members of the scientific community know," Dr. Bigpipe said clenching his big pipe between his teeth. <S> " <S> The F'zargh of Multath V has a unique means of camouflage. <S> It is able to assume the shape of small household items and then, surreptitiously worm its mind control tendrils into the basal ganglia and from there it's Goodnight Vienna!" <S> Audience: snore <S> Ammunition: <S> "As all members of the scientific community know," Dr. Bigpipe said clenching his big pipe between his teeth. " <S> The F'Zargh..." Bigpipe faltered to a stop, his skin suddenly pale, his eyes glazed. <S> The pipe clenched between his purpling lips suddenly shivered and squeaked, it seemed to suck inwards invading the doughty professor's mouth. <S> "Well, well," a strange slithering voice emerged from between Bigpipe's lips. <S> His face had taken on a menacing cast, an inhuman sneer played at the corner of his mouth. <S> " <S> Looks like you chumps are about to get a lesson in F'zargh pathology 101, straight from the parasite's tendrils, so to speak." <S> The transformed professor of xenobiology, leaped towards them snarling, teeth bared. <S> The crew of the Starship Redoubtable had no choice but to draw their flaz-gaz heat pistols and join in battle with their friend and mentor. <S> Audience: paid for whole seat, only needed edge <S> EDIT: <S> So, in case I'm not being clear enough, you could explain someone's back story by just telling people what it is <S> but it's better for the back story to come out through action. <S> SF has a real problem with people constantly explaining stuff so the "Exposition/Ammunition" thing is easier to explain with an SF example. <S> It basically means show excitingly instead of explaining dully. <A> Drama is conflict, while exposition are facts. <S> All stories have facts, but the facts themselves are not the storytelling. <S> Sometimes I use this analogy. <S> If storytelling is motion, facts are the brakes. <S> Hit the brakes too often and the whole thing grinds to a halt. <S> This creates one of the big dilemmas of storytelling. <S> How many facts can safely be provided (or how can they be conveyed) without disrupting the story itself? <S> The principle of exposition in ammunition (facts in drama), is a strategy for safely providing factual information without disrupting or pausing the storytelling. <S> If two characters are old friends, inform the audience by having the characters argue. <S> If their insults suggest an intimate knowledge of each other, than the audience catches their established relationship without the author explicitly informing them. <S> The advantage of this approach is to merge fact and storytelling together. <S> This avoids the 5 pages of story. <S> Pause. <S> 2 pages of information. <S> Pause. <S> 7 pages of storytelling... <S> You get the idea. <S> Not sure what your teacher meant by backstory in this context save that authors often struggle to convey the facts of a character's backstory through exposition - often leading to the dreaded prologue or flashback both of which tend to become story-stopping, data-dumps. <A> The best answer to backstory I have ever come across I found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html <S> ; in essence it is to do with the loss of a state of perfection and it is deep and involved. <S> Most stories reference it. <S> Goto the site - it does a much better job of explaining it than I can. <A> Sometimes, the exposition starts with a trigger or as Robert McKay likes to call it, an inciting incident. <S> This is the ammunition for the resolution of the story - who wins, who loses, who gets get killed, and the dramatic action and complications to follow.
| Most exposition is a setup for the rising action or when the protagonist or villain pulls the trigger, and then the action starts.
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Unquestionable Taboos and Self-censorship In the community/nation/country I am to be living, mentioning some themes is the best way to be ostracised for life (or for a very long time). Talking about not being published or read, not being mentioned, completely ignored. Is someone experiencing similar dilemma - choosing between self-censorship (and confessing non-irrelevant level of cowardice/sense of caution) and de-facto social suicide (but being daring and honest)? (From those considering themselves anonymous enough, I'd welcome more specific examples of any unchallengeable taboos. Thanks.) Edited: The question is: how to deal with the following dilemma write and trying to publish -> social suicide (loss of friends, literary agent - if any, publisher, job, probably own family - I didn't try that). No formal charges or persecution. staying silent -> long-lasting unbearable pain and (later) a bitter taste of being coward Both results are bad. How to choose? How to avoid or minimise unwanted consequences? (If I was a courageous man, I'd not be trying to write my thoughts down. That's the truth.) Edited, again: How can author conceal her/his identity while displaying the work? (Fame, money, copyright and other stuff is irrelevant for her/him.) <Q> Publish online. <S> Start an anonymous blog, and if you're really worried about your name getting out, see what you can do about uploading from public computers. <S> Granted, that doesn't guarantee it will be read, and considering you're going to want to distance yourself from it, it probably won't be read by very many people. <S> But it will be out there. <S> And maybe you can publicize it anonymously on websites and forums that would go for the sort of thing you wrote. <S> I should say, though, that this kind of sounds like the sort of thing that you're writing for a very specific and very small audience. <S> Consider who you really want to read this, and <S> if it's just a handful of people that you personally know, consider writing it with the end-goal in mind of only showing it to those people. <A> Publish under a pseudonym. <S> In addition, you might want to consider targeting a market other than your own community. <S> If your country does not approve of literature on certain topics, it may be difficult to find an audience willing to read your work. <S> Aim for foreign markets. <A> Recode as science fiction. <S> Dune was about the battles over a large deserted area in which were the largest (in fact sole) deposits of a resource vital to the transportation logistics of an entire civilisation. <S> There are many people who love that series that still don't get the relevance. <S> In fact almost everything that could be considered science fiction is really just lateral social commentary. <S> Science is humanity's method for measuring reality and our tool for attempting to change it to suit ourselves. <S> Whatever issues are prevalent can be extrapolated, placed into a futuristic or imaginary setting and discussed at length. <S> Often, the people you are trying to reach with your communication will receive, decode, understand what you're trying ot say. <S> People who would silence you if you spoke directly will not even know that you spoke. <S> Just stay away from children's fantasy cf. <S> The Pope first condemning Harry Potter and then supporting it in preference to His Dark Materials. <S> Adult oriented science fiction can dramatise your message, deliver it in an exciting form to open minded individuals and hide itself from those who would seek to suppress commentary. <S> DISCLAIMER: <S> I'm not in a position to have to resort to these tactics. <S> I speak as someone who has observed the effect only. <A> In Israel (where I live in), I cannot think of any "unchallangeable taboos" (other than Pedophelia or something along those lines) that will prevent me from writing. <S> If I wanted to write something while making sure I will not suffer any consequences, I will probably be using a different name, avoiding any issues with my locality. <S> Nobody has to know you wrote it, <S> at least not until it's a best-seller :-) <A> In Germany, hate speech (particularly Nazism), and the production of pro-hate materials is illegal. <S> In many areas of the world (especially Africa and the Middle East), pro-homosexual or pro-LGBT sentiment is heavily frowned upon or outright illegal. <A> I just want to recommend a really amazing book that addresses this fear (among every other kind of fear writers feel throughout the entire process from blank page to published work): <S> The Courage to Write: <S> How Writers Transcend Fear
| If you really don't care about personal rewards and only want the work to be out there, the internet is a good outlet.
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Keeping track of multiple plot lines How do you track several plot lines woven together? I usually run 2 or 3 plot-lines in parallel, so I detail those plots each in a separate document. But as the book goes on, it is sometimes difficult to make sure all those "threads" are woven together nicely because I have to manage 2-3 mini-books instead of one. Any advice? I try not to rely on memory alone, because I tend to forget things I don't write down. <Q> I'm a visual person. <S> I have a large whiteboard which I used to draw graphs, flowcharts, etc... <S> If you're limited on room, like I am, take a picture of your drawing before you erase it and keep it as a digital file. <A> Notecards or post-its with chapter or scene summaries are a big help. <S> You can lay them out on the floor or pin them up on the wall to get a visual of your various sub-plots. <S> I personally prefer to write parallel storylines in-place, in roughly the order <S> I want them in for the final book, rather than trying to write one subplot all the way through, then another, and so on. <S> This keeps everything fresher in my mind and helps with pacing, as I explained in this answer . <A> This might sound a bit odd, but have you considered using project management software? <S> The problem of managing parallel story lines is a lot like managing task dependencies in a large project, and dependency tracking, timeline shifting and so forth are what PM software is designed for. <A> J. K. Rowling used an interesting tool. <S> There is an image of this on the internet at http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/73653 . <S> (Google J K Rowling Plot Spreadsheet.) <S> She made a huge paper chart, which you could implement in an excel file if you were so inclined. <S> Each row of the table is a single month. <S> (You could use a week or a day as needed.) <S> She had a column for each character (e.g. Ron, Hermione, etc.). <S> In each cell of the table, she recorded what the character was doing at that point in time. <S> It occurred to me that a chart like this could contain far more detail than is actually presented in the book. <S> You could fill in the chart first, and then choose which details to include in your narrative and which to leave out. <S> For instance, Hermione appears out of the blue with some polyjuice potion at one point. <S> Rowling chose not to include the process by which she decided to do this, found the recipe, overcame obstacles to making the potion, etc. <S> On the other hand, Rowling had to giver her enough time to go through that process, so the potion appears late in the school year. <S> You can work out plausible time lines this way. <A> It sounds like you need to create and manage a timeline. <S> Something you might consider is using a spreadsheet to keep track of the activity on each sub-plot. <S> Each row is a different sub-plot or the primary plot, and each row is a pre-determined time period. <S> If you story take place over the course of a few days, then each row becomes a single day. <S> Track what is happening in each sub-plot on any given day <S> and then you can see where they start to intermingle. <A> "storYboard" software lets you add plot lines (which are called strands). <S> Then you see it organized by day and by strand. <S> This feature is available even in the free version. <S> (sorry if this post repeats.)
| I know others who create more of a flowchart for their plots, and there is plenty of free flowchart software online that can help you with that. You could also try the technique displayed in a lot of police investigation shows: note cards and/or pictures taped to a wall with colored thread to show the connections between the characters/events.
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Writing a math exercise book I am in the process of compiling a collection of exercises in Linear Algebra, (freshman course). This is mainly just a series of examples, with a short theoretical introduction to each chapter with a few broad ideas of the concepts used in the problems. My audience are students that prefers to learn from reading an example, and looking at previous tests/exams rather than reading the theory. Are there any good tips about what a reader might prefer: Should the solutions appear directly after the problem statement, or in the end of the book? Would a reader like references to other literature, or is that just annoying? Any other tips and suggestions? <Q> I think you could combine both approaches (directly after and end of book):Directly under give the shorthand solution (just the bottom line of the answer) and at the end of the book give a more complete solution (the full solution). <S> This way, the studends can make sure they have come to the right solution immediately. <S> If they didn't, they can refer to the end of the book to review the complete solution. <A> For the others, give a short answer (like final solution: <S> x = 20) below the question, so students can check if they got the right answer, but put the complete solution at the end. <S> Put reference only if its useful- to an undergraduate. <S> My whole Degree course was full of references to books that were written for Ph.D. students, and that the Professors loved, but were completely useless to me as they were too advanced. <S> If you must, put in references to simple books in the Appendix, with a short note on why they were useful. <S> But yeah, in most cases its just annoying: " <S> Look at me, I read all these journals to write this book, <S> Im so smart". <S> Get Feedback from actual students. <S> Have them sitting in front of you trying to solve the problems. <S> If they do them at home, they might just skim through them, or be polite and say they loved the book, when they didnt. <S> So have them in front of you, and see how they progress. <S> Are they actually getting better when working through the problems, so that they are finding the later problems easier? <A> I was always very good at math and I enjoyed it quite a bit <S> (math competitions, state awards, etc.. etc..) <S> but I always found Math textbooks to be almost completely useless. <S> The problem was that aside from giving sample problems, they didn't help me understand the problem. <S> The lecture did that and the book was just a massive homework assignment. <S> So, I'd say that the chapters should show explanations. <S> Detailed walkthroughs of the lecture material. <S> Problems with the steps explicated and answered. <S> If I have a sheet of homework, I want to be able open the textbook and have it help me, not have it give me more homework.
| Solve the first 1 or 2 problems completely right in front of the question, so the student gets an idea of what to do.
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How can I write poems in an attractable manner? I have written several poems, but only very few won prices. Those poems impressed people very much, so I want you to share your thoughts, what are the key things I have to focus on or I have to keep in my mind, when I write poems. When I wrote short love poems, five or six lines long, then people love them very much. But sometimes those kinds of poems also become unlikeable, and that's why I shot this question. <Q> There's a saying I heard in a writing workshop: <S> If you don't know what you want tosay or how you want to say it, writea novel. <S> If you know what you want to say, butnot how you want to say it, write ashort story. <S> This means that whatever your subject, you should find precisely the right words to convey your meaning. <S> Remove everything which doesn't belong. <S> (I might also add that in my humble opinion, I wouldn't write poetry to win a prize, but your mileage may vary, of course.) <A> It sounds like you're asking how to write poetry that people will like, which is not an easy question to answer. <S> Writing is a form of communication, so of course you're going to want other people to read what you write and enjoy it, or at least react to it. <S> But you need to start by writing poetry that you like. <S> Trying to guess at what other people are going to like and write based on that is an inexact science at best <S> and it doesn't guarantee that anyone will like your poetry. <S> I could tell you "people like kittens, so you should write poems about kittens" or "people like rhyming poems," but not all people like those things. <S> Even if the majority of people did like rhyming poems about kittens, if it's not something you care about, you'll have a tough time convincing anyone else to care about what you've written. <S> One of my writing teachers encouraged us to read poetry aloud, both our own and peoms by other writers. <S> I've heard poetry described as music for the speaking voice. <S> The sound and rhythm of the words in a poem is important. <S> If you're not good at hearing how a poem will sound in your head, try reading your work aloud to get a sense of how it sounds. <S> Your readers should be able to get the rhythm of your poem just by reading it, since you're not going to be there to tell them how it should sound. <S> The way a poem sounds is even more important when you're writing free verse, since you don't have a structure to adhere to <S> and it's completely up to you to figure out a meter and words whose sound and meaning will both compliment what you're trying to say. <A> First off, don't worry about what other people will like when writing a poem. <S> It does not matter, write about what makes you happy. <S> I write poems to let out my feelings and thoughts, things that I think and want other people to hear. <S> I write things that to me are a lot easier written down than said aloud. <S> I don't worry about whether someone will like it or not <S> and I think you shouldn't either. <S> You can try, but you won't be able to get everyone to like a poem. <S> Everyone has different likes and interests. <S> Don't worry so much about what other people want to hear and what they like and whether they like it or not, what really matters is if you yourself like the poem. <S> If that poem speaks to you and makes you feel like you just acomplished something, then I suggest you be glad. <S> Keep writing, because it's your thoughts and feelings, your words that you took and wrote down into a beautiful way. <S> Poems are a great way to say what you need to say. <S> To say things that your heart tells you to, but your mind won't let you speak them. <S> So forget what other people think of your poems. <S> Yes, it's great hearing <S> people say they like or love your poems, it gives you the courage to continue writing. <S> But what really matters is what you think of your poems. <S> Remember that. <A> Most important of all, when you write, mean it; mean what you write, and how you write it as well. <S> Learn about all the factors you can that influence the writing, such as assonance and consonance; learn the best way to use punctuation, the way it's usually used and interpret it. <S> Learn what you use, what those things do, and then use them for your own purpose. <S> Not doing so may result in your poetry being harder to interpret and relate to, and so less attractive.
| If you know what you want to say, andexactly how you want to say it, writea poem.
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How should dialog be formatted? Is there any "official" rule that I should keep in mind when formatting character dialog?Line breaks, placement of quotes, mixing dialog with action descriptions etc. For example, I want to build a sentence like: "Look Jones, this will be yours someday" and describe the speaker point to some building during the word "this". How would you format such a sentence? "Look Jones," Dan pointed at the castle, "this will be yours someday" "Look Jones, this" Dan pointed at the castle "will be yours someday" etc. As you can see, I have problems with comma placement, quote placement and general formatting. Advice? <Q> First, commas indicate pauses, so put them where a speaker or reader would naturally pause. <S> "Look, Jones," That one is important, because there's always a bit of a pause between a command and a name. <S> Second, imagine how your speakers are moving physically. <S> Does Dan just point briefly? <S> Does he only mean the castle will belong to Jones? <S> Does he make a sweeping gesture to take in the castle, the grounds, the cliff, and the sea? <S> When does he point? <S> Gestures mean pauses, for dramatic effect. <S> A short pause is a comma, while a longer pause can be indicated by a period or an m-dash. <S> If you want to emphasize the castle (as opposed to the cliff, the sea, the horses, or the knights behind them), use italics. <S> (I'm changing "Dan" to "he" only so there's no confusion about starting a new sentence.) <S> "Look, Jones." He pointed at the castle. <S> "This will be yours someday. <S> " <S> "Look, Jones. <S> This — " He pointed at the castle. " — will be yours someday. <S> " <S> "Look, Jones." <S> He pointed at the castle. <S> " <S> This will be yours someday. <S> " <S> I sometimes trip over the m-dashes, but generally speaking, you end your quoted material with the m-dash, put your interrupter narration in the middle as a complete sentence , and then pick up the quoted material with an m-dash and a lowercase letter, not a new sentence. <S> Third, to answer your question more specifically, to use commas around interrupter narration: <S> The narration itself, without the quoted material, should not be acomplete sentence. <S> The quoted material should continue a sentence. <S> "Look, Jones," said Dan, pointing at the castle, "and you'll see what I was speaking of before. <S> This will be yours someday." <S> If the quoted material starts a new sentence, then end your sentence at the end of the interrupter narration. <S> "Look, Jones," said Dan, pointing at the castle. <S> "This will be yours someday." <A> Go sit at the bookstore and see how everyone does it. <S> I'd also recommend reading Stephen King's "On Writing" since he covers tips on writing good dialog. <A> One possible correction: <S> "I've come to offer you a gift." <S> He paused and, sensing that she wasn't going to say anything, continued. <S> "Your money and position back. <S> " <S> You need a period at the end of the first quotation. <S> Otherwise, it reads as if he paused those words, which doesn't make sense. <S> An alternative: ... continued, "Your money and position back." <S> If I were writing this without a pause, I might write it with a colon (though colons seem kinda awkward in casual dialogue): <S> "I've come to offer you a gift: <S> Your money and position back. <S> " <S> I don't see a good way to stuff both the colon and the pause into the paragraph. <S> This doesn't seem right: <S> "I've come to offer you a gift:" He paused and, sensing that she wasn't going to say anything, continued, "Your money and position back." <A> That's totally up to you, every writer is different, blablabla... <S> Honestly, if you are interested in formatting , pick up some novels <S> , there are different styles, choose one. <S> But your problem looks more like "guiding the reader" or "building tension". <S> See, you want to emphasize "this", not "look around Jones". <S> So you should say "this" and point to the castle. <S> I vote for number 2. <A> You should buy "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. <S> " It's one of the best dialogue books for both fiction and non-fiction. <S> See http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299858506&sr=8-1
| The best way to learn who to properly write and format dialog is to read. There are exceptions to every "rule" and reading a lot of different books will help you learn what works and what doesn't work.
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Character with extreme manners My objective is Victorian-style tea-drinking "upper class" lady characters. (It's more of a writing challenge.) Does anyone have any useful resources or tips for creating such a character? Personality-wise everything is pretty intuitive, however the language is a little out of my reach. Namely the structure of the sentences and phrases, and ticks related to showing manners with language. The vocabulary is also its own separate headache—things like replacing certain bad words with more elegant equally-bad words, to name just the easy to grasp problems. I've tried to find a style guide, or just a intuitive way of emulating the patterns in the language; however searching for things such as manners and etiquette yielded little to nothing. So how does one go about creating such a character? <Q> Personalities might be easy for someone along those lines, but motivations will actually be a bit harder. <S> It sounds like what you want to write falls into the category of a novel of manners . <S> Not only do you need to understand how they act and talk, you need to understand why. <S> You might want to read up on examples telling you what is and what isn't proper. <S> For more modern ideas, The Preppy Handbook, The Official Filthy Rich Handbook, Class: <A> Read P.G. <S> Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories, particularly Aunt Agatha. <A> Get specific. <S> There are many, many regional differences in speech. <S> Are they British? <S> If so where from specifically? <S> Even though you are talking future times, I would say that researching this in a slightly more narrow fashion will be helpful. <S> I love this link on TV Tropes: Verbal Tics . <S> The real life section is a gold mine. <S> The sort of vague "Victorian-style" direction that you've given, without time and specific place is going to trip you up tremendously. <S> The more specific you get with that, the more likely you are to have something to hold on to and the ability to research it. <S> I feel as though Dickens is a great place to start, because his characters are simply littered with verbal tics. <S> I would also look at Gilbert and Sullivan a bit. <S> And Charley's Aunt a play, which at the time, was a huge hit, though it is not well known today. <S> Here's a link to whole play as well as the wiki summary . <S> The Dowager Countess on the Downton Abbey is of the Victorian Era--so as acidic as she can get, she's still very much a woman of that time. <S> And she's British.
| A Guide Through the American Status System, or True Prep might give you some great details. I'd also read The Importance of Being Earnest from Oscar Wilde.
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When should a chapter end? When writing a novel, when should I end a chapter? Note that I'm not talking about chapter word-count (that topic was discussed here ). I'm interested to know when should I end my chapters conceptually. Is there a rule of thumb? Examples will be appreciated. <Q> The last line or lines should have some reason for being there. <S> They can: be suspenseful ("What are you doinghere?") <S> be funny <S> ("Tinkerty-tonk," I said,and I meant it to sting.) <S> close a scene <S> (She slammed the doorbehind her, hard enough to make theglass rattle in the windowpanes.) <S> bring resolution to an arc of anysize <S> (He held John's eyes for a longmoment, then leaned over and kissedhim full on the mouth.) <S> but don't end mid-thought or mid-scene arbitrarily. <A> Follow the standard plot arc: conflict, rising action, and resolution. <S> This is often used to describe plots across a whole novel, but it is equally applicable to a single scene. <S> Each scene needs a conflict of some kind, and the action in that scene will flow from this conflict. <S> When the conflict is resolved (temporarily or permanently), the scene is over. <S> There is often only a single scene per chapter, but you might put several scenes in the same chapter if they are closely related, or if they illustrate some larger arc of conflict and resolution. <S> Alternately, some authors choose to end a chapter right before the resolution. <S> When done well, this can add suspense and keep the reader flipping pages. <A> I would say at the point where you estimate your reader will get to the full stop, curse your name, curse your family's name, swear under their breath and, wearily ignoring the clock telling them they have to be up in four and a half hours for work, mumble: " <S> Go on then, just one more chapter." <S> before looking across to the beginning of the next chapter. <A> In a recent Writing Excuses podcast , Mary Robinette Kowal suggests that chapters are about pacing. <S> This resonated with me (and with Howard Tayler, as you'll hear in the podcast). <S> When I think about pacing, I think about answering the reader's questions and provoking new questions. <S> There are various levels of story question (beat, scene, chapter) depending on the significance of the question to the overall story goal. <S> So a good place to end a chapter is with an event that creates a significant shift in the reader's questions. <S> This doesn't mean cliffhangers, necessarily, but some significant shift. <S> Here are some ways to shift the reader's questions: <S> Raise a new question. <S> Introduce a new puzzle or mystery. <S> Introduce a new character with conflicting goals. <S> Create a conflict with an ally. <S> Answer a question in a way that raises a new question. <S> Reveal information. <S> Show that the problem is more complex <S> that was apparent. <S> Eliminate, undermine, or thwart the MC's most promising option. <S> Increase the significance of a question that's already on the reader's mind. <S> Raise the stakes. <S> Shorten the deadline. <A> Remember the guideline about every "scene" has to contribute to the overall story you're trying to tell. <S> Any chapter that doesn't further the overall story in some way should be cut. <S> This means that every chapter has a little part of the story to tell. <S> I disagree about keeping them all a standard length. <S> Just like every scene in a movie can be a different length, every chapter in a book can be a different length. <S> Short chapters can just add a detail or two, but important scenes will have more to say and may take longer to say it. <A> This is what I used when we starting building a writing software:1. <S> The concept of chapter is only used to split the book for the benefit of the reader.2. <S> When you write your book you split the book in scenes (the smallest unit) with a location, POV, MRU structure.3. <S> Every scenes is on average 900 words. <S> At the end you might split it in chapter to have an equal number of scenes per chapter and also according to the meaning that a group of scenes have.
| And as soon as the chapter has told its part of the story, it should end.
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Finding the 'voice' of a character This is a very general question that I want to throw out there just to get some insight into different approaches used. I have my own, but am intrigued to know what others might try. I'm wondering what processes you might go through in order to develop a unique 'voice' for a character? I'm concerned specifically with applying this to stage plays, although any insight into character voice development for novels or other I would also be interested in hearing about. Thanks in advance <Q> I do it by interviewing my characters. <S> The main idea is to probe and challenge the character, then follow the character's energy. <S> Sometimes the emotion is subtle, and other times it’s big and obvious. <S> Ask my next question based on that emotion. <S> Here's a slightly expanded explanation, with example interviews: <S> http://dalewriting.dale.emery.name/2008/09/interviews/ <S> In most of these interviews, I was surprised to find my image of the characters changing. <S> Each one left me with a clear sense of the character's voice. <S> I also found the numerous character exercises in Will Dunne's The Dramatic Writer's Companion enormously helpful. <S> They're not the usual laundry list of boring questions about characters. <S> Dunne's exercises help you dig into the characters' beliefs and attitudes about things that matter in people's lives, things that generate conflict, story, and personality. <A> Having a series of common dilemmas handy allows you to specify how character x differs from character y <S> e.g. <S> The character you are developing was really hungry last night but short on cash. <S> They went to the refrigerator and found a slice of pie belonging to their flatmate. <S> What do they do? <S> If they eat it do they scarf it quickly stood by the fridge terrified of being caught? <S> Or do they eat it sensibly? <S> Do they even get a kick out of the act of theft? <S> It's the next day <S> , their flatmate discovers that their pie slice is missing. <S> They ask loudly who stole their pie. <S> How does character x react? <S> Do they admit to their crime? <S> If so how do they explain their actions to their angered flatmate? <S> Do they make a concrete promise to replace the missing pie? <S> Do they intend to follow through if they do? <S> The purpose in running the character through these simple diagnostic actions is to find out whether the character would cheat. <S> And if they would cheat how they would deal with the situation. <S> Cheating is something human beings are attuned to be interested in and to consider carefully. <S> A psychological experiment called the Wason Selection test shows how human beings find it easier to deal with logic tests when they are contextualised as being about people cheating or betraying social norms than when they are presented as dry facts. <S> People are built to think about cheating and cheaters. <S> So to find the measure of a person, or aid yourself in considering their character it is likely to help if you think about how they would cheat, whether they would cheat and how they would react if they were caught. <A> Every human being strives to establish a place in the world, to be seen and accepted in a certain way. <S> Their voice, the way they react to each situation, is developed in an attempt to establish and maintain that place. <S> Their way of speaking, their vocabulary, their boldness or timidity, is shaped by the place they wish to claim and maintain. <S> What they say in a given situation is shaped by the attempt to maintain that position in that situation. <S> No matter the situation, what we say and do is and attempt to maintain our position, to be seen and treated the way we wish to be seen and treated. <S> In other words, we are all attempting to establish our character in the eyes of our peers. <S> That is the character's voice: how they maintain, or attempt to maintain, their position in society. <S> Some people, of course, are bad at it, lacking the ability to read the social cues that tell them how people are reacting to them. <S> Other people are unable to attain the position they seek and become hostile to others for not granting them that position. <S> For both these groups, it is still about position. <S> What we mean when we say that a character acts "out of character" is that they act inconsistently with their usual attempt to establish their position in the group. <S> It often seems easy to resolve a scene by having a character say something, or refrain from speaking, but if their normal attempt to establish their position in the group would result in them saying something else, or speaking rather than remaining silent (or vice versa) <S> it will ring true. <S> Seeing every conversation as a jockeying or social position, therefore, and clearly understanding how each character wants to be accepted by the group, should lead you to their voice.
| Ask a question that invites the character to tell me something new Listen for emotional intensity in the answer.
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What's a good program for tracking submissions? What's a good program or technique for tracking submissions? I need something that'll keep track of who I've submitted to, when, if they've replied, and preferably tell me how long it's been out. Any suggestions? Preferably something that I don't need an internet connection to use. (IE, not a website.) <Q> Have you tried a plain ol' spreadsheet? <A> I like Duotrope's online submission tracker: http://duotrope.com/ <S> As a bonus, they also have a large, searchable database of markets, categorized in a variety of ways. <S> Or maybe they're a market database, and the tracker is a bonus. <S> Either way, I like 'em. <S> Alas, it's an online service. <A> It's far from perfect, but I'd like to share my notes about submission tracking in case they help you to decide how you would like to track your submission. <S> p.s. <S> this same question is being asked in a few places on here: <S> What's a good program for tracking submissions? <S> How do you track submissions to publishers/markets?
| I use a database that I built using Filemaker Pro.
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Getting emotional while writing, good or bad? Once in a while I get really emotional when writing. Writing about love, jealousy or even thinking about a simple scene in which a father plays with his child can get some strong emotional responses from me. I usually stop writing then, fearing that all that emotional clutter might effect my writing and turn it into something different than originally intended. What do you say? Should I stop writing when getting too emotional or should I use that emotional response somehow? If you have experienced the same reaction that I speak or, feel free to share. <Q> Write. <S> Let the emotion flow. <S> If the emotion clutters the writing, or takes it in a direction you don't want, you can fix it later, when you can look at it with a cooler view. <S> But even if you choose not to keep the stuff written in the heat of emotion, save it somewhere. <S> There's energy in there for you. <S> It may be useful on another project. <A> The reader is going to supply their own emotion. <S> If you've strung everything together correctly. <S> But writing with 'feeling' is a slippery idea for the ages. <S> Certainly there must be some emotion driving the writer to write the words. <S> The fact that a thing was written is sometimes enough. <S> But sentimentality is the cheap knockoff that often ends up as a substitute. <S> There is where the reader feels boxed out, defrauded from feeling, as you, the writer carry on about your incredibly harrowing near-death experience. <S> Surely it should be exciting <S> but it's not. <S> Why is that? <S> I've written things all weepy, and sometimes they came off charged with a certain something, but often upon re-reading, it often turned out to be sappy fluff (to the reader). <S> However I've written other things immediately following some kind of rejection. <S> Rejected by a lover, by society, by friends, by America, by the public, and these were often the stories or poems that had a lasting quality. <S> Beethoven wrote once that it was his ability to suppress his sensitivity and compassion that permitted him to compose incredible music. <S> There might be truth to this. <S> But remember, the reader is approaching the story from their own perspective. <S> They'll find emotion if the writer has provided the space to do it. <S> Writing with emotion and writing with sentiment are two different directions. <S> Being able to identify one from the other is a skill that comes with time. <S> And comes with endless writing and rewriting. <S> I am not hardly any good at it. <S> But I could tell you authors who are. <S> Sherwood Anderson, William Burroughs, Italo Calvino. <S> I wouldn't fret over 'am I writing with feeling or not?' <S> If you're writing, you're engaged in the phenomenon. <S> Feelings will inform what you choose to write about. <S> What details you show us, what angle the story takes. <S> Poetry is a better form for experimenting with emotions. <S> But the novel has to have it. <S> You'll know if it bores you. <S> You should be able to read it over and over. <S> A hundred times and never tire of it. <S> There is feeling in the words. <A> It is important to consider the purpose of the writing being undertaken. <S> Mostly writing is a pursuit that benefits from focus, craft and discipline. <S> An overwrought writer is no more competent than an overwrought builder, or an overwrought lawyer or whatever. <S> Just because what you are doing is constructing something that is supposed to draw an emotional response from others does not mean to say that you should be too moved by it yourself. <S> Stephen King talks about being confident that the section he has just written will "get" a reader e.g. moves the reader to be frightened or tense. <S> My mother was so disturbed by Pet Sematary that she kept her copy in the freezer and sold the book as soon as she'd finished reading it(!) <S> If Mr. King had been similarly affected by the novel as he wrote it then it would never have seen the light of day. <S> Also, just because you are moved by something as you write it does not guarantee it will be as powerful for the reader. <S> I have only ever been moved by parts of my own story when reading them back years later and having forgotten what exactly I wrote. <S> I can quite distinctly separate out the craftsman who wrote the story and the reader who gets hit by the emotion carried in the work much later. <S> So, if you are seeking to write in order to inspire an emotional experience for a third party it is vital to separate the business of being the communcator from being the reader. <S> If your purpose is to deal with something by writing about it in the first instance then experiencing emotion as you write is perfectly valid.
| Having said all that writing itself can be a therapeutic and cathartic act.
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How does one go *back* to editing an older piece? I have a longer work that took me a lot of effort to get through, and the moment I finished it, my life went crazy. That was about 6 months ago, and in the intervening time I haven't been able to pick it back up. The story is complete, and if I may be so bold, the writing itself is solid. But it's still unpolished: I need to add a few scenes, develop a character or two more deeply than I initially did, maybe a bit more. But I can't focus on the story any more. My mind tells me "it's done," and refuses now to revisit it. Has anyone else been in this situation before? How do you make old material feel fresh enough to work on again? <Q> Hand it off. <S> Find a good editor or beta reader and get someone else's take on it. <S> Reading someone else's comments and suggestions may be enough to unstick your mental block and allow you to see how it could be improved. <A> It doesn't have to be in-depth. <S> It could be a significant other or a critique group. <S> Make it clear you want to know what <S> didn't work for them. <S> (You might have to couch this in terms like "did you get bored or confused anywhere?") <S> Hopefully they'll have a few comments that can give you a few places to focus on. <S> If you already have an outline sitting around, set it aside. <S> Read each chapter or section and then write out a summary. <S> Consolidating the story into its basic elements can help you see what's extraneous and what's missing. <A> I agree with the two other answers <S> but I'm also throwing out the idea that you, after re-examining the work carefully, leave it as it is. <S> When I work on something I often leave many half-themes and subtle suggestions about characters open to wide intepretation by deciding to not follow a tangent or a peripheral concept to its end; this often (and usually inadvertently) adds an enigmatic depth and pads out the main ideas I work with. <S> I use non-linear structure models when writing so this may not be workable for your piece <S> but I felt that it would be useful to bear in mind that you have the choice; I always follow my gut when it comes to editing, if it reads well <S> and you have something telling you "it's done" then maybe its fine as it is (but <S> make inaction your last resort, seek critique and a fresh examination of your work)
| Have someone else critique the piece. Another trick that I've found works well is to use the full piece to write an outline.
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Please help me improve this sentence... In a first-person narrative, I’d like to use the following sentence: It took me nearly a decade to write this script, and now I’d pitch it to the top producer in Hollywood. I’m not following strict grammar rules here (for starters, I should use “It had taken me”), but I’m going for a tone that is both informal and immediate. Assume this sentence appears in a novel written in first person (narrated like a memoir), so the speaker talks about something she expected to do at that specific point in time. How could I improve this sentence with these goals in mind? <Q> You could try <S> It took me nearly a decade to write this script, and now I was about to pitch it to the top producer in Hollywood. <A> I think you could also make it more immediate and informal by getting rid of "decade" - "It took me ten years to write this script, and now..." <S> The length of time and the role of expectation also suggests the sentence could be made more immediate by expressing something internal, or psychological. <S> Is the speaker expressing frustration? <S> "It took me ten fucking years to write this damn thing, and I was ready to shove it down the throat of the first producer I saw... <S> " Excitement? " <S> Ten years of hard work, and I was finally rewarded with a meeting at Hollywood's top studio." <S> Note that you're doing that anyway: getting excited about going to the "top producer" adds a shade of naivete to the speaker's voice. <S> The biggest confusion comes in the second part of the sentence, where the the modal "would" introduces another temporal element. " <S> Would" indicating imperfective structure (an ongoing action, brought from the past to the present) is different from the conditional. <S> So you could either be saying: <S> "It took me a decade to write this script; now, [after I finished] I would [shop it around]." <S> or <S> It's the "now" working with the "would" that does it. <S> Short answer: I think it'd be more clear if the temporal perspective were firmly established by the grammar; since it's memoir, you could just stay in the past. <A> There are probably an infinite number of ways to rewrite this sentence: After spending nearly a decade working on this script, I could finally start pitching it to the top producers in Hollywood. <S> It had taken nearly a decade to perfect the script, but now it was ready to be pitched to the top producers in Hollywood. <S> I spent nearly a decade working on this script, now I can finally start pitching it to the top producers in Hollywood. <S> I would definitely try and eliminate using "was. <S> " Writing the sentence without using "was" tends to make it stronger and flow better. <A> I've spent a decade of my life writing this script, now it will pay off. <S> Hollywood I'm coming. <S> (or: Hollywood is waiting.) <S> Edit : past tense I spent a decade of my life writing this script, it was time to pay off. <S> Hollywood was waiting. <A> Ten years of windup. <S> Today was the pitch. <S> I was going to throw Hollywood a curve ball like they'd never seen. <A> I’m not following strict grammar rules here <S> (for starters, I should use “It had taken me”), but I’m going for a tone that is both informal and immediate. <S> There's absolutely nothing in the grammar of English that would compel you to use the past perfect in this example, Jen.
| "It took me a decade to write this script; [conditional upon its completion], I'd pitch it to the top producer in Hollywood."
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Are there any free programs for screen writers Screenwriting has a very strict format that Microsoft Word cannot fully match. Are there any good screenwriting word processors out there that are free? <Q> One of my friends <S> and I decided to write short plays last summer <S> and this was the program I used <S> and I loved it. <S> I found it very easy to use and figure out <S> and I had never really written plays before then. <S> http://www.celtx.com/index.html <A> I'm not sure if you're interested in writing in the "cloud" by using online browser based software, but if you are, here are some of the top free online solutions: http://scripped.com/ http://www.scriptbuddy.com/ Google "Plotbot" <S> (I'm limited to only two hyperlinks it seems) <S> The benefits of using online writing tools is that you won't lose your work to computer theft or malfunction... <S> almost every keystroke is automatically saved as you write. <S> The corollary is that you aren't tied to any particular computer...you can login to ANY internet <S> enabled computer to access your screenplays...and some of them (for an extra monthly fee in most cases) will allow you to collaborate in real time with other writers if you grant them access. <A> Since no one else has suggested it, I would suggest LaTeX for this. <S> You probably haven't heard of it. <S> (Hipster pose; TeX is over 35 years old and is guaranteed to be bug-free , where the current bounty for any bug is $327.68 , <S> that is, 2^15 cents.) <S> Simply put, LaTeX is a way to create content that allows the writer to forget about format. <S> This separation of content from presentation helps me focus on the actual creative process itself, rather than worry about how it will look. <S> There are infinitely many 'looks' LaTeX can take on, and a great many are already made. <S> For example, there is a 'template' for writing professional-grade screenplays ( and another! ). <S> Here is a link (PDF) to <S> what becomes of a work written with screenplay , and a small inline sample of the finished product: LaTeX produces the most beautiful documents and is easy to work with and control. <S> Should you ever need help, there are mounds of experts in LaTeX. <S> (If you don't believe me, head on over to TeX.SX . <S> I can tell you from personal experience that these are the most personable people I've ever encountered on the SE Network, and they are always happy to help you.) <S> Best of all? <S> LaTeX is absolutely free . <S> I feel like I've done a poor job of advertisement, but I would challenge you to look into it and explore for yourself. <S> TeX.SX is a great place to start (in my biased opinion) <S> - look around for examples of what (La)TeX can do (and for why I keep 'switching' from TeX to LaTeX! XD). <A> Any text editor can be made completely functional using a Markdown-like syntax called Fountain (info at fountain.io), which is similar to the formatting standard used here on *Exchange. <S> The simple markup language was designed by a team including Stu Maschwitz (who made Han Solo step on Jabba's tail in Star Wars for crying out loud) and John August, screenwriter of Go, Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, Titan A.E., Charlie and Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. <S> Long story short, it was designed by people in the industry for people in the industry. <S> The comparison of the raw text and the resulting PDF output of the screenplay for Big Fish on the Fountain website shows how it works. <A> It's distraction free, can be used in ANY text editor you want and has the BIG advantage of separating formatting from content. <S> In my case, I just created my own class to have the final document formatted as I want. <S> Another huge advantage is that, since it's plain text, you may threat it as computer code and use repositories to track reviews and share your writing efforts with editors and other writers. <S> http://github.com is great if you want to write something public, and bitbucket.org offers private hosting if you want to keep it private. <S> It's all a matter to understand how it works. <S> The big disadvantage is that you will have to spend some time to learn the basics but, in my opinion, it's worth.
| Somebody already suggests but I'm really satisfied with Latex. For a non-spam answer: I highly recommend Celtx.
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Simple way/techniques of arranging all the ideas and scenes in a plot? Sometimes, I get confused as I add more and more ideas and scenes in a plot, is there any way of arranging these? <Q> Buy a bunch of 3x5 cards and write plot elements on them, then organize them into a line or a tree or some other visual representation that makes sense to you. <S> Play around with orders: put everything chronologically, then put it how you intend to tell it. <S> When doing this, you can also decide what not to tell by removing cards and seeing if the action still makes sense. <S> You can use highlighters to color-code different cards: either by character or by importance or by storyline, or whatever criteria you feel is necessary. <S> Keep in mind, not everything that happens needs to be known to the reader. <S> It might make things easier to write if you can figure out how to decide what they won't see. <S> Certainly make cards for every event that happens, but remember that just because you made a card does not mean you have to write about it in the story. <A> I highly recommend using Scrivener. <S> It's an amazing Mac program that now has a Windows beta version. <S> It takes Turnips' flash card idea and lets you do that in the program. <S> You can also write the scenes and rearrange and add scenes as you need to. <A> You could try using a simple spreadsheet. <S> Use the rows to represent characters or events and the columns to represent time frames or locations. <S> This will not only help you to develop a consistent timeline, but also to make sure that you don't have any characters showing up in two locations at the same time. <A> I've used various methods. <S> Right now I'm using the "Windows" based POST-IT notes and have created a "story board" using their memoboard. <S> I also copy the data to a flash drive to use on others PCs.
| You can put each of the elements into place to get a visual representation of your story flow.
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What's the indent rule of poetry? I've seen people indent their poems like below: Writing on wall It was just plane writing on wall I must have taken it a serious call She was on and off repeating same thing There was hidden message through something There may be long wait All dependants on fate How can one think and rate? It is difficult to state Or I've seen some like this: Writing on wall It was just plane writing on wall __I must have taken it a serious call She was on and off repeating same thing __There was hidden message through something There may be long wait __All dependants on fate How can one think and rate? __It is difficult to state Is there other possibilities? When should I use which? <Q> Because a poem is more compact than prose, indentation (and line breaks, spacing, leading, and anything else you can think of) can add additional meaning to the poem. <S> So unlike prose, go ahead and indent however <S> you like... as long as there's a reason for it. <S> In your second example, if the poet likes the idea of pairing the couplets visually, that's the reason for the indent. <S> In John Smithers's excellent example, you can see how breaks and indentations create a much different poem than the plain straightforward verse in your first example. <S> Neither is wrong. <S> They are just expressing slightly different things. <A> It's poetry. <S> So it is totally up to the poet how to indent the poem. <S> It was just plane writing on wallI <S> must have taken it a serious call <S> If he thinks that's the way it should be, then that's the correct indenting. <A> A short answer: The rule is there is no rule. <S> Now, saying some useful stuff: Unless you want to fit some "standard", the indentation, as most of the punctuation, is yours. <S> Emily Dickinson was heavily criticized for her use of punctuation in her time, although she's widely appreciated nowadays. <S> So, a bit on the standards: every now and then a group of people say "Hey! <S> What if we write poetry that conforms to this and that rule?" <S> And start writing poetry that fits together, and can be recognized as similar. <S> They may or may not include indentation as part of the requirements for the poems to "belong" in the movement (or to be acknowledged by the group). <S> Other such requirements may be case rules (such as starting every verse with upper-case), punctuation rules, or even require a refrain (or lack of one). <S> A particular such rule I've used consists in repeating the same phrase at the end of every stanza. <S> As far as I can see, you aren't trying to "fit". <S> So write it as it flows best, as it feels best. <A> Let us generalise what you call 'indenting' as 'positioning text' in a poem. <S> Some observations: A visual 'movement' of the text can be a hint to the specific meter of the poem, hence strengthening what could be not so blatant to the reader. <S> Moreover, while most of western/middle-eastern tradition produces poetry working on sound, meaning and rhythm (aforementioned meter), the cultures whose writing is based on ideograms rely more heavily on how and where to place signs; in poetry this sometimes is essential. <S> Think about Japanese haikus, as well as how text is interwoven with images in classic Chinese poetry. <S> Maybe it is not 'indenting', but <S> for sure it is 'placing' following the author's needs. <S> Last <S> but not least, in more experimental poetry, often text is developed not in a linear fashion (i.e. pear shaped poems, Oulipo automatic poetry and so on). <A> In my poems, I sometimes use indentation to indicate a slight pause in the recitation -- more than a line break, less than a new stanza. <S> And I <S> second @Lauren's suggestion to "indent however <S> you like... as long as there's a reason for it."
| The obvious is that there is no rule, apart the ones set by the poet.
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How to achieve a dark and nostalgic feeling/setting in a novel? I don't want to scare the reader, but I would like to produce a dark and nostalgic feeling. Pretty much the feeling that gives you this video (both image and music). The setting of my novel is a psychiatric clinic (always at night). Any suggestions? <Q> Place emphasis on uncomfortable things. <S> Depending on the level of realism you're aiming at, you might want to imagine some upsetting situations that "could" happen, and let the people "see" them. <S> Also, make sure to give a long space to angsty thoughts, and only a fleeting space to happy thoughts or situations. <S> If you're ever going to talk from the perspective of someone in there, you may want to use particular techniques according to whether they are right or wrong in the head. <S> It is very easy to portray bleakness through the eyes of a crazy person, as well as sadness through the eyes of a sane person dealing with insane people. <S> Ask them what they think to know what works best. <A> Focus on descriptions. <S> Describe the setting vividly so that the reader feels like they're there. <S> If you were in a psychiatric ward at night, what would you be scared of? <S> Try and put those things into your novel. <S> Humans are naturally fearful and cautious creatures. <S> You can easily prey upon those natural fears to make the novel seem dark. <S> If you'd really like to scare the reader, don't be too specific. <S> What their imaginations add to fill in the blanks can often be more terrifying than anything you can write. <A> I simply believe that there is no technique to follow to achieve the goal you say you're aiming for, provided that you really want to convey such an emotion. <S> The mere fact of thinking about a 'how to' shows that it is likely that your approach to the story could appear as too deterministic and cold, hence very likely not to produce the expected result. <S> Even in genre / 'pop' literature (quite silly distinction, btw), some areas are best left coming freely to your writing rather than issued by some rules. <S> There are some otherwise very dry list / descriptions of mundane infos in gifted writers (i.e. David Forster Wallace comes now to my mind) that convey precisely nostalgia, the sense of how time is past etc ... while other less gifted writers induce boredom at best, hilarity at worst, while trying to be 'intense'. <S> Sincerity above all, as well as reading a lot of good literary examples can make wonders, while precooked schemes tend to fail. <S> PS <S> I do not see precisely the connection between fear and nostalgia, but scaring the reader is a higly commendable task, really difficult to achieve ! :-)
| Try several techniques, read out loud and read to others.
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Simplicity is fundamental in design. How about in writing a novel? I'm a web designer. The first rule in design is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). How about writing a novel? Is simplicity fundamental or just an option? <Q> In my experience, clarity is most highly valued in genre writing. <S> Plot is often very important in genre writing. <S> Genre writers often try to keep their writing structurally simple, to the point where the reader can forget that they're parsing words and focus on the story. <S> Literary writing (as ambiguous as that term is) tends to be less obsessed with simplicity or clarity. <S> A significant percentage of "literary" work is at least partly an experiment in language. <S> When you begin using language in new and strange ways, you're purposely making the text harder to read, but you're doing it to achieve a specific effect. <S> There's nothing strictly wrong with either approach, and there are even works out there that employ both techniques. <S> Hemingway is the classic example of simplicity to the point of sparseness, but he uses that structural simplicity to achieve profound effects. <S> Joyce employed dense, challenging prose, and he is greatly admired for the layered complexity of his work. <S> Some readers enjoy a variety of styles, others love one and hate the other. <S> Your personal style may lead you in one direction or the other. <S> You might go back and forth between projects, and certain plots or characters may cry out for a particular approach. <S> Don't be afraid to experiment. <S> Writing multiple drafts of the same story, in different styles, can often be a helpful exercise. <A> I think the core of the novel has to be simple <S> - In general, I believe in the rule that you should be able to explain the basic premise of your story in one sentence. <S> But I think you can build onto that core with as many complications and elaborations as you can come up with, as long as you (and your readers) don't lose sight of the core idea. <A> People return to certain genres/sub-genres because (and these exist in the first place because) people enjoy having certain specific emotions evoked. <S> Like Sci-Fi/Fantasy = Wonderment and Immersement. <S> Crime/Mystery = <S> that feeling that the reader can "figure it out first," or "see it coming." <S> So readers of certain "popular fiction" genres generally expect (and enjoy) a high complexity of plot: Crime/Detective/Mystery (in a labyrinth / plot twist kind of way) <S> Historical Fiction / Fantasy / Science fiction (in its breadth of scope, vision, and often multiple POVs / plots weaving together) <S> And the expectation is often for less complexity of plot (as the focus is elsewhere) in: Action-adventure / Western (more about fun and suspenseful <S> , heroic moments) Horror (more about setting up terrifying, suspenseful situations) <S> Romance (the complexity is in the play between different inter-personal relationships) Inspirational (which is more about hitting heart strings with "universal" experiences) <S> But these are, of course, not hard-fast rules. <S> And as for literary fiction, the umbrella is just too large to really have any solid answer one way or the other.
| From a purely plot standpoint, it is also relatively dependent on the genre you're writing. The answer to this depends a lot on what you're setting out to achieve. So, to answer your final question: yes, simplicity is an option, not a requirement.
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Meretricious - A bit too fancy? I have a character that I want to sound very intelligent, well educated, someone who always uses the correct words with no unnecessary filler. I have found the word 'meretricious' which has the perfect definition I'm after but I wonder if it's just 'a bit too much' - maybe too obvious that I've used a thesaurus and would result in unrealistic dialog. Does it seem sensible? if not - what alternatives would one recommend? Gaudy and brazen don't have quite the effect I want to reveal this guy's inner workings. <Q> It depends who will use the word. <S> If it's one character talking or thinking about another, it's a great word, and will help to characterize both characters in one swell foop. <S> It will also trigger many readers to react in ways that enhance what you're trying to say. <S> Readers who understand the word will get the intent. <S> Readers who have to look up the word will experience meretriciousness. <S> Readers who don't know what the word means, but choose to keep reading without looking it up, will at least know that one character is using such an awfully big word to describe another, which will give them approximately the right meaning anyway. <S> On the other hand, if the narrator utters the word, and the narrator is not a character, that doesn't characterize the characters, it characterizes the author, and to some extent the author's relationship to the reader. <S> It says that either you expect your readers to know what the word means, or you intend to use words whether or not the readers understand. <S> If that's what you want, go for it. <S> If not, then show the character being meretricious, and the consequences of that (in the way other characters react), and let readers come to their own conclusions. <A> Are you saying your character is describing someone as meretricious? <S> If that's the word he would use, by all means use it. <S> I have absolutely no problem making the reader work a little to expand his/her vocabulary. <S> I have actually learned words from stopping and looking something up ("gravid" meaning pregnant and "guerdon" meaning gift are the two which leap to mind, both from Anne McCaffrey). <S> If it's the right word, use it. <S> The difference between the right word and the almost right word is really a large matter — it's the difference between a lightning bug and the lightning. <S> — Mark Twain <A> If your readers won't know what it means right away, don't use it. <S> Readers should be able to read through your books without having to stop and look words up. <S> If they have to stop, it throws them out of the story. <S> You want reading to be a smooth process in which the reader is completely absorbed in the story. <S> As for getting advice on other words to use, that'd be more suited for the English. <S> SE rather than the Writers. <S> SE <A> To whom is your character speaking? <S> You want your character to use "the correct words" - <S> I'd say the most correct words are the ones that will convey the most meaning to the listener. <S> If your character is talking to someone with less education, I think the smart thing for your character to do would be to use a word that will be understood by the listener.
| So if your character is talking to someone else who's well-educated and has a large vocabulary, I think this could be the right word.
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Know any metaphors about women that...? ... are very skilled in getting men to like them, men really easily fall in love with them, but they (the women) are not interested in anything more than a sexual relationship? <Q> Are you trying to make the women look good, or bad? <S> Like, are they deliberately hurting the men who fall for them, or have they been honest about their intentions and just can't help it if men don't believe them? <S> Helen of Troy springs to mind, but maybe also Pandora, the Sirens, most of the women in the Odyssey, etc. <S> The Greeks weren't big fans of independent women. <S> Or something more modern, although maybe overused - the black widow spider (lures males into her web, mates, kills them). <S> If you're looking for a more positive perspective...could you pull something out of nature? <S> Anything that can be pleasant but that ultimately follows its own path should work, right? <S> Like, the warmth of the sun that lasts only a while before it fades to night, the cold moon that men stare at and dream about but can't control... <S> that sort of thing? <S> Good luck with it. <A> From "Gone With the Wind": Melanie: That's not fair. <S> The men naturally flock to her. <S> Scarlett's just high spirited and vivacious. <S> Sue Ellen: Men may flirt with a girl like that <S> but they don't marry them. <A> What about "Lady vamp" or - better - "succuba" (not "succubus")? <S> "Succubian lady vamp"?
| If you're looking for a negative metaphor, I think the Greeks could probably help.
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Is the idea of single-sourced documentation dead? Is the idea of single-sourced documentation dead? <Q> I do not know, why it should be dead. <S> Writing and updating several sources with the same content is tedious, error-prone and will cost a lot of money. <S> The idea is to separate content and design. <S> You write the content one time and you generate with different designs/formats websites, PDFs, books, eBooks, whatever. <S> The main approach is to store the content with its meta-information (e.g. paragraph begins here, paragraph ends there) into an XML file, the design information into a different file (style sheet) and let a computer program combining them. <S> (You will have different style sheets for different formats.) <S> DocBook is a semantic markup language designed exactly for this purpose. <S> You use it to define the content and the logical structure and generate the final product (book, webpage, ...) with different style sheets. <A> There are new standards under revision right now. <S> Darwin Information Type Architecture 1.2 , for instance, was so anxiously expected that the OASIS team voluntarily leaked the working specification for users to implement, August 2010.Every single, serious, content site is based on single-sourcing: Newspapers, radios, TV stations. <S> Not to mention the bulk of government agencies. <S> Checkout the OASIS site and XML.org . <S> You will find plenty of action there. <A> Single sourcing is definitely not dead. <S> Its best application is within some kind of content management system so that the content not only has a variety of output options, but can be remixed and recycled for other uses. <S> As another answer pointed out, you must separate content from formatting for single-sourcing and content management to work. <S> Software developers have been using a similar model for ages. <S> If you're going to be doing the same procedure in multiple places, use a function call instead of rewriting the code every time. <S> Put your especially useful functions into a module that you can use in other programs. <S> Keep your source code in a source control repository so you can revert if needed, and prevent conflicting edits to the same bit of code.
| Joining John Smithers, single-sourcing is not only not dead , but increasingly vivid.
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Software for analyzing a manuscript? I would like to get a better picture of a manuscript I've written, especially in regards to word usage patterns and potentially overused terms. I'm curious whether anyone can recommend a document analysis tool. Specifically, is there a program that takes a Microsoft Word document and produces a spreadsheet of all the words contained in the document and the number of times the word appears? e.g. cat 23 said 15 jumped 12 dog 7 <Q> The writing program yWriter has this function. <S> It allows you to create multiple scenes and rearrange them easily. <S> It will also analyze those scenes or the entire document for word usage, word goal, etc. <A> This isn't precisely what you're looking for, but it's interesting: http://www.wordle.net/ <A> Bing search for word frequency gets these two promising programs. <S> Not for Word documents, but that's not a huge problem since you can save as text or copy-paste. <S> http://wordfrequencycounter.com/ <S> Another: <S> http://www.primitivezone.com/primitive-word-counter.html <S> I'm actually writing a writing app for Windows now. <S> It'd be pretty easy to add frequency in as a tool... <S> Hmm. <A> Scrivener, a program by literature and latte, will help with this. <S> This is just one of the features--it's super-advanced and a complete lifesaver for anyone writing anything. <S> I use it for scripts and novels, and sometimes just for its organization and fullscreen for my papers. <S> It's amazing. <S> Free trial lasts a while, but it's always in beta <S> so you can usually get it w/o paying :) <S> scrivener: www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html
| yWriter is basically a downgraded version of Scrivener for Windows.
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Using the real world in writing To what extent can you use locations, businesses, etc. from the real world in fiction? I know someone cannot copyright a city, but what about a particular location in the city that's private. Can I talk about the Denver Convention Center and use the actual building layout in a novel? Can I use a particular business, say Hacienda Colorado, in a book? <Q> Use of trademarked names in fiction does not violate intellectual property laws. <S> There are a couple of things to be wary of nonetheless. <S> Be careful with the light in which you depict real businesses. <S> As explained here , if you have a character die from a bad hamburger at Burger King or hurt himself because of a defective pair of Reeboks, then prepare for a libel suit. <S> Similarly, as discussed here , don't turn a trademarked brand name into a verb or a non-proper noun (which lawyers call trademark dilution ). <S> In other words, don't have characters " hoovering the living room," "drinking a coke ," or " googling their names." <S> Instead, make sure they're "vacuuming the living room with Hoover's wonderful appliance," "enjoying a Coca-Cola," or "performing a search on their names using that awesome Google." <S> Or better yet, stick to vacuum cleaner , soft drink , and search engine . :) <A> In fiction writing, it is common place to use real life businesses and location. <S> It's also becoming common place to include a section in books that tells the reader who owns the trademark to those businesses. <S> If you don't acknowledge trademarks, you can open yourself to lawsuits from businesses who are trying to protect their trademarks. <S> If a business doesn't protect their trademark, they can lose it. <S> Also, if you're using real life businesses or people - be very careful what you say. <S> If you say negative things about them or untrue things, you can open yourself up to libel lawsuits as well. <S> (The bigger the company, the bigger the legal department they have.) <A> Another technique, specifically for fiction, not mentioned above is to create a fake brand from the ground up. <S> A perfect example is Toy Story's "Pizza Planet. <S> " It clearly paints a picture reminiscent of Chuck E. Cheese and Showbiz Pizza and just kid-laden arcades in general. <S> But it does so by creating something unique, rather than just changing/genericizing the name of something that already exists. <S> Though, if it is a rather different / hodgepodge concept, it may take up a lot of page-time (as Pizza Planet did) fleshing out its intricacies. <S> So make sure its importance in the story is directly proportionate to its complexity/difference from what the reader is familiar with. <A> I think it is recommended to check for Trademarked and Copywrited names. <S> don't forget to also look at the site of the business you are looking at. <S> For example, NASA doesn't allow the usage of their logo and names unless something is sponsored. <S> Trademarked names are O.K. to be used, as long as you don't say anything bad about them. <S> Good luck on writing your novel! <A> Your question made me (yes, Google is in my brain, twisting my neuronal arm) think of Google Street View ("a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from positions along many streets in the world" - Wikipedia). <S> My point is that the images here blur out things like people's faces, number plates and views into people's bathrooms. <S> This is to ensure that things (and people) are not too personally identifiable (and so that pervs and peepers don't have it too easy). <S> On the other hand, businesses can pay Google to walk around their business premises taking panoramic photographs as they go. <S> I would suggest that you follow the same model for your novel. <S> Perhaps even take a look on Google Street View for the locations and businesses you want to use and see what has been exposed. <S> If they are that keen on letting Google in, then they might even pay you to write about them. <S> But not, as others have rightly pointed out, if you say bad things about them. <S> Good luck with your novel. <S> Robert. <A> Basically the rule of thumb is... <S> product placement is OK. <S> if you write, "Bob pulled out his gold iPhone X and made the call. <S> " <S> you are ok. <S> But having your character use a specific Brand SomeXYZ phone as a fragmentation grenade or an incendiary device is not.
| As long as the portrayal is innocuous, and brand names are capitalized and not "genericized," there is no harm and no need for any kind of acknowledgment.
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Why is "It was a dark and stormy night.." not a good opening? Also, why has it spawned an award for bad writing? <Q> It's an unsubtle cheat. <S> (That doesn't necessarily mean it's not good. <S> Bear with me.) <S> The author wants to get across that Really Important Things are Happening. <S> He wants to hook you with the beginning of his book. <S> How does he manage to impart the tremendous significance the reader should be seeing right from the start? <S> Answer: by giving a dramatic, atmospheric, visual. <S> That'll be enough to give readers a striking opening, to get across that Big Stuff Is Happening. <S> It's a cheat, in this case, because the visual really has nothing to do with the story. <S> It's powerful, but irrelevant - the author is invoking the visual just to draw you in, not because it fits the story or is actually significant. <S> And it's unsubtle because he hits you over the head with it. <S> "It was a dark and stormy night" - that's just a hair away from writing <S> "It was a dramatic, suspenseful night," which I think you'll agree would be absurd. <S> The author's trying to tell you the story is significant, and doing so quite bluntly, instead of actually demonstrating its interest and significance. <S> Now, in moderation, those would be legitimate cheats. <S> You can definitely get away with that kind of stuff; often it's to your advantage, as long as the reader doesn't notice outright what you've done. <S> The difficulty is, "Dark and stormy night" is both such an egregious example, and so oft-quoted and overused, that it completely loses its effectiveness on the one hand, and calls fatal attention to its flaws on the other. <S> Others have responded regarding the contest. <S> I don't think that the tiny snippet is the inspiration for the contest; the full paragraph and Bulwer-Lytton's prose in general are to blame for that. <A> The opening sentence is bad for a number of reasons. <S> First, aren't all nights dark? <S> Why say that? <S> But it is not so bad that a good writer couldn't have recovered from it and gone on to write a good book. <S> This author did not, however. <S> His works are regarded by most critics as terrible. <S> Pretty much no one but a grad student in English reads a novel like Paul Clifford today. <S> The contest you refer to is the Bulwer-Lytton contest. <S> The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (BLFC) is a tongue-in-cheek contest that takes place annually and is sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. <S> Entrants are invited "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels" – that is, deliberately bad. <S> According to the official rules, the prize for winning the contest is "a pittance", 1 or $250.[2] <S> The contest was started in 1982 by Professor Scott E. Rice of the English Department at San Jose State University and is named for English novelist and playwright Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, author of the much-quoted first line <S> "It was a dark and stormy night". <S> This opening, from the 1830 novel Paul Clifford, continues floridly: <S> "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." <S> Anything that is so universally mocked you would probably be wise to avoid, unless you are entering such a contest yourself. <A> Although the traditional pointer is to Edward Bulwer-Lytton's purple prose, it may be better known in Britain as a school playground story for the unimaginative which starts something like <S> It was a dark and stormy night and the Captain said to the Mate, "Tell us a story, Mate. <S> " <S> So the Mate began, "It was a dark and stormy night and the Captain said to the Mate, 'Tell us a story, Mate.' <S> So the Mate began, 'It was a dark and stormy night ... <S> but sadly I do not have enough space here to finish it. <A> It's the opening of the novel Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, which has become a textbook example of purple prose, an overly extravagant writing style. <S> Wikipedia: It was a dark and stormy night <S> The phrase is used repeatedly by Snoopy in his efforts to start a novel, and the final result is naturally an example of purple prose. <A> One problem is that the sentence is heavy-handed and melodramatic. <S> The dark is a metaphor. <S> The storm is a metaphor. <S> Yeah, <S> yeah <S> , we get it. <S> We're in for a dark and stormy story. <S> Madeleine L'Engle begins A Wrinke in Time with <S> It was a dark and stormy night. <S> I haven't read it, but I suspect she uses the sentence playfully, deliberately tapping into its long association with heavy-handed melodrama. <A> It gives you no sense of character or urgency or anything. <S> In my opinion, it is just not intriguing to start a story with the weather. <A> "It was a dark and stormy night" in itself isn't particularly purple, but the material that follows is. <S> This, I guess, is why this opening became a sort of shorthand reference to overwrought romantic prose.
| It's both a cliche (because a stormy night is an effective image) and a useless one (as opposed to cliches which have true power because their core idea is so significant).
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"multiple personalities" for character development in writing? How can I train myself to think in "multiple personalities" so I can use these personalities for character development in writing? <Q> Quick side note: <S> Role Playing Games such as Dungeons and Dragons helped me out with this. <S> Playing make believe, too. <S> Now the answer: <S> You need what many call a brief, although stating "brief" is just the name, being a rather longish document. <S> In a character's brief, you write down their characteristics. <S> A good thing to do is write down their traits (easily angered, quick to laugh, spontaneous), then when writing a scene, look back at these traits and check for incongruousness. <S> You might find, or not. <S> In any case, you don't have to "think" in multiple personalities. <S> You give the characters traits. <S> They take life and you follow them and their actions. <S> Write what you think first, then check back on the character's traits and edit the scene. <S> You might have written the character as slow to anger in a scene, but given it (at the moment of fleshing out) a quick temper. <S> You need to change accordingly, unless the character is growing out of their quick temper; in that case, you should take note appropriately in the place you have those traits written down. " <S> She starts learning how to control her temper in this and that scenes". <S> This helps a lot to keep track of character believability, and also with character development. <A> One technique, as suggested by the author David Mitchell (who is known for his 1st person prose) is to write a whole bunch of autobiographical letters from your characters to you, the author. <S> You won't use these letters verbatim in your writing, but even if your character is narrated in the third person they will be valuable as a tool for getting in the mind of your character. <S> Not only will you explore your character's bio (which is the traditional way of character exploration), but by writing the letters in the first person you'll also explore their language use, which in turn helps you understand their mentality and perspective on the world. <S> I've used this technique and can vouch for it. <S> It's pretty effective, though requires a bit more time investment than the traditional character brief. <A> I particularly like the Myers-Briggs version - there's one available here <S> that works for me. <S> The test itself can be helpful, as you have to really think about your characters in order to answer some of the questions, but the summary at the end is what I like the best. <S> It classifies each character as one of sixteen personality types, and then reflects on how people of that type get along with others, view themselves and the world, etc. <S> It's not foolproof, but I find it helpful, and it's kind of fun, too! <A> Base the characters off amalgamations of people you know well. <S> Or people that you have spent enough time with to know how they would react in various different situations. <S> Also make an effort to really pay attention to people. <S> Rather than engaging yourself in conversations, observe them, noting: what people are saying and not saying how they're saying what they're saying how they react to other people's opinions how they respond to others how they gesture <S> etc <S> Being an extreme introvert, this is how I have (sadly) always engaged in conversations. <S> But I've suggested it as a writing exercise before and have heard good results. <A> I had same problem. <S> My main character is affected of sort of DID (dissociative identity disorder). <S> I made my way in a different path than other answerers. <S> 1) Will be all of them dominate or you will have one main personality and other will be something like voices in your head? <S> 2) Will your other personalities take control of a "body" and its actions? <S> These questions must be answered first, i think, because it is pin point task for you to write about it. <S> I personally tried to make other personalities by myself. <S> It is akward, different. <S> Imagine yourself that you have in head two other people and everything you do, every decission you make you consult with other people and their vote is same weighted as yours. <S> I consulted this with psychologist and read books about DID to have enough information about this. <S> Now i have main character with about 5 different personalities of him and in writing <S> it looks like he is speaking not about him, but about them in himself. <S> It is fun, but you need to be sure, when different personality will affect your characters actions. <S> Hope this will help. <A> I would go the other way round: any tried 'multiple personality' voice, which really does not resonate on paper once written, should be at least strongly questioned when revising your text. <S> Only those passing this test are likely to work for the reader; the same applies to the relevant characters. <S> Moreover, to keep a proper balance in narration perspective, among characters and their voices, it helps to stick to the simple rule of using the third person whenever possible, as in Franzen ten 'serious rules': <S> Write in the third person unless a really distinctive first-person voice offers itself irresistibly. <A> In Wattpad, I add a chapter, then enter my character's names and points-of-view. <S> I select a charater's name and then write what I imagine the character saying in response to another character or situation. <S> For example: <S> CHARACTER A: "I HATE YOU!" <S> CHARACTER B: <S> "Then hate me! <S> No one cares!" <S> It's that simple!
| I've sometimes taken online personality tests, answering the questions as my characters would.
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Little did he know In the movie "Stranger Than Fiction" the professor of literature makes quite a big deal about the phrase "little did he know." I've written papers on "Little did he know." I've taught classes on "Little did he know." I once gave an entire seminar based upon "Little did he know." Is this phrase as relevant and studied in writing as it is implied in that movie? <Q> While it's true that the phrase has no great significance, it does have connotations associated with slightly old fashioned fairy-tale style narration, such as you might find in Alice and Wonderland, Pooh Bear, Grimm's Fairy Tales, etc. <S> You probably wouldn't use the phrase in regular writing unless you were making a deliberate ironic nod in this direction, which is what the narration style in Stranger than Fiction does. <S> The comment about once giving an entire seminar on this phrase is a lighthearted joke at the expense of English Lit academics who have a reputation for massivily overanalysing the smallest aspects of litrature and writing. <A> Whenever you write "little did (s)he know" in fiction, you're probably writing too much from the omniscient author perspective, rather than from the character's perspective. <S> This may indicate a violation of the "show, don't tell" rule. <A> This device is extremely useful as a way to build tension and to manipulate the reader's emotions, and therefore very important in literature. <S> The most easily recognizable form of Sophoclean irony is the horror movie in which the audience sees the killer hide in the attic, and then later the cheerleader and the quarterback sneak up to attic for a little extracurricular activity. <S> The characters think they are going to get lucky. <S> The audience know they <S> they are going to get julienned. <S> Another example that springs to mind is from the Downton Abbey precursor Upstairs Downstairs in which we see beloved characters boarding a ship for America and in the final (season ending) <S> shot, the camera pans round to the name of the ship: RMS Titanic. <S> So, the professor is giving lectures and entire seminars on Sophoclean irony, and yes, it is a big deal. <S> Using the phrase "little did he know" is simply a way of simplifying a complex idea for an audience who mostly has no interest in literary theory. <S> (Ironically, a case of the character knowing more than the reader does.) <A> We all change. <S> When we look back, the phrase applies. <S> One a change in awareness or perception happens, we look back on our unawares self, "little did we know."
| The phrase is being used here to refer to what is commonly called either Sophoclean irony or Dramatic irony, a literary device in which the reader knows something that the character does not -- something which is going to have a material effect on the character's future.
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Put text between section and subsection headings? Are there rules about whether or not to put text between section and subsection headings (in scholarly works)? 1 section heading text / no text here? 1.1 subsection heading more text 1.2 subsection heading ... <Q> If it makes sense, by all means put text there. <S> It’s not strange at all. <S> Neither is not having text there and just starting a subsection immediately. <A> If the heading is comprehensible on its own, then don't bother. <S> Example: 1.1 has introductory text; 1.2 does not. <S> 1. <S> Star Trek <S> Star Trek was a television show which originally aired from 1966 to 1969. <S> It struggled in the ratings and was eventually canceled despite a small but ferociously loyal fanbase. <S> Years of repeats and syndication proved that the concept had legs, and four sequel series have aired to date. <S> 1.1 <S> Star Trek: <S> The Original Series Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry and pitched as "Wagon Train to the Stars. <S> " It starred William Shatner as the charismatic Captain James T. Kirk. <S> Leonard Nimoy as the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock, and DeForrest Kelley <S> as the cantankerous Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. <S> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy <S> nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. <S> 1.2 Star Trek: The Next Generation. <S> After years of anticipation, several movies, and a failed "Star Trek II" series, Star Trek finally returned to the (syndicated) small screen. <S> Led by Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart, a diverse ensemble cast including LeVar Burton from "Roots" once again walked the decks of the Enterprise . <S> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy <S> nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. <A> In all but one book (an economics book from 1956), each chapter and section begins with some text that introduces the topic and sets the stage for what follows. <S> So it's not against the rules to start a section with a subsection, but it's unusual.
| If you feel like the section needs an introduction, go ahead and put a little text there. A quick check of a dozen nonfiction books from my bookshelf suggests that it's unusual to start a section with a subsection.
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How could this paragraph of writing be improved I wrote this but it really doesn't read nicely. How could the following paragraph be improved? With the increasing green movement, subsidies for energy produced by solar panels installed on households and the possibility of a carbon tax will mean that a wider range of households will be able to invest in solar power technology and that heavy polluters may have little choice but to cover their buildings in cheap organic solar power technology. <Q> The three key points for me are: "increasing green movement" doesn't make sense to me. <S> It sounds like "green" is moving around more. <S> Also, it's not clear what exactly they're responsible for. <S> Split the long sentence up into two or more sentences. <S> The subsidy has made it cheaper and encourages adoption, but the penalty (tax) affects heavy polluters, so make that distinction clearer. <S> A possible suggestion: <S> The growth of the green movement has meant the introduction of a number of measures to encourage household investment in solar power. <S> In particular, subsidies for energy produced by solar panels installed on households have made it more affordable, and the possibility of a carbon tax means that heavy polluters may have little choice but to cover their buildings in cheap organic solar power technology. <A> It is very difficult to read and understand that four-lines sentence. <S> Second, how can an imminent carbon tax increase someone's ability to spend more money? <S> It deserves more specific explanation. <A> My revision isn't great, but I think it make things clearer by splitting the effects of subsidies and taxes into separate sentences: The increasing green movement will create subsidies for energy produced by solar panels installed on households, and may lead to a carbon tax. <S> The subsidies will allow a wider range of households to invest in solar power technology. <S> The tax would leave heavy polluters little choice but to cover their buildings in cheap, organic solar power technology. <S> There are a few things I don't understand: <S> Did you mean that the green movement will lead to subsides for the energy produced by solar panels? <S> Or that it will lead to subsides for installing solar panels? <S> Why would the tax lead polluters to choose solar power technology that is organic ? <S> Perhaps these questions are answered elsewhere in the article. <A> I don't know that polluters wrapping their buildings in cheap solar has a place in this paragraph; and there's more solar stuff than just panels. <S> But, as the OP makes clear, homeowners must invest in solar for two reasons: more subsidies <S> more carbon taxes <S> So is this a possibility? <S> The increasing acceptance that we must finally go green means a growing carbon tax on polluters and their customers and, at the same time, greater subsidies for home solar. <S> No homeowner can refuse ever-cheaper solar technology in the face of these tidal forces. <S> -- pete
| First, I'd break it into more sentences.
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What's your favorite keyboard? After using a Logitech Internet Pro keyboard for the past several years, as well as an Acer OEM keyboard occasionally, I'm seriously thinking about getting a new keyboard. I write upwards of 7,000 words a week, and I'd like something that just feels really good to type on. I typically prefer low profile keyboards when I've used them, and definitely want something with thinner keys than the Internet Pro. I had considered getting the Apple Wireless keyboard so I could use it with my iPad, but seems odd to get it considering I use a Windows 7 PC most of the time and don't own a Mac. With that in mind, what is your favorite keyboard and why? I'd really like to know what keyboards other writers love. Hopefully that'll help me make a better decision. I'd rather not spend too much on one, but sometimes quality is worth paying for. I just want to make sure I'm getting something I'll use for a long time for the price! <Q> I prefer a buckling-spring keyboard like the old IBM Model M or the ones made by Clicky Keyboards . <S> I only wish I could find that feature in a more ergonomic layout. <S> Buckling-spring keys provide better tactile feedback than bubble keyboards, and I find that causes me to type faster and more lightly (rather than mashing the keys), easing strain on my hands and wrists. <A> My keyboard has to be hard (I want to feel typing) and heavy (not to fly away when I cough). <S> It is enough. <A> I had terrible tendonitis in both arms for a while, and I had to get a mega-customizable ergo keyboard. <S> http://www.comfortkeyboard.com/ <S> They are not cheap, but I didn't have to get CTS surgery either. <S> :) <S> You can rotate each of the three pieces to the point where you can almost type vertically. <S> It takes a while to get used to, and most of my coworkers couldn't figure out how to use the thing (which is a bonus if you don't like other people touching your keyboard). <A> I was skeptical at first, but was surprised at how comfortable it actually was after I bought it. <S> It has a fairly simple layout, and I find that I can reach all the important keys with ease. <S> What I really like about it, though, is the way it feels when I type. <S> The keyboard does not slide around (as some do) and each key press is smooth. <S> I do not have to strain my fingers to press down on a key either, unlike some of the OEM keyboards that tend to favour the clickety, typewriter-ish feel. <S> When it comes to choosing the "right" keyboard, I think it's a personal choice. <S> Like choosing a musical instrument or a car. <S> You have to try out different types then choose the one that complements you. <A> I use a Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite2 . <S> Though it's not cheap, I have many reasons why: <S> Small: it's half the size of a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper Fewer Keys: they've "hidden" nearly half of the normal amount of keys (many of which are useless 99.9% of the time) behind a Fn + Key combination. <S> Solid / Deep Contact: it's almost impossible to strike adjacent keys on accident, as is so common with shallow striking keyboards. <S> Cross Platform: I use an Ubuntu machine at work and a Mac at home, and it saves me even the slightest bit of mental stress to use the same keyboard with the same key mapping. <S> Durable: It's extremely durable USB: <S> x2 ports easily accessible on the back. <S> With a very long cord, this is great for desktop machines. <S> Pleasing sound: <S> the loud but beautiful sound of the keys constantly reminds me that I am very serious about the writing I am doing.
| I use a Microsoft ComfortCurve keyboard at work.
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"...and the fire from the stove engulfed him" or "jumped on him" or "covered him" or "devoured him" or what? Which verb should I use here? He opened the stove and the fire from the stove [engulfed/jumped on/covered/devoured] him. "Help! Help!" - he shouted at once. "I'm on fire!" <Q> How big is this stove? <S> I'm not asking idly. <S> " <S> Engulfed" means (as noted by others) "completely surrounded. <S> " <S> If a fire engulfs someone, he is surrounded, head to foot, in flames. <S> How can he be yelling that he's on fire if he's burning everywhere? <S> And how can he be swallowed by fire if it's just a cooking fire from something burning in an oven? <S> (I assume "oven," as you don't open a stove. <S> A stove is a rangetop of freestanding burners.) <S> Maybe your problem is that it's not that he is on fire. <S> It's one or a few body parts which are burning. <S> so howzabout this: <S> He opened the oven to check on the [food/dish]. <S> Flames roared out, catching him full in the face. <S> He shrieked and batted at his burning hair and skin with the oven mitts. <S> Hot grease ran down the gloves to his thin sleeves, where it started to smoke. " <S> Help! <S> I'm on fire!" <S> he shouted. <A> I would say either engulfed him , if you want to imply that he was completely surrounded with flames, or jumped on him or jumped toward him . <S> But, most importantly, I would talk about “ the flames ” rather than “ the fire ”. <A> It depends on what you want to say/imply. <S> "Jumped on" is an odd one, because it implies that it only affected a particular part of his body. <S> It doesn't sound severe, either. <S> "Covered" is similar to engulfed, but isn't as strong. <S> "Devoured" also has a similar connotation to engulfed, but is probably stronger, and it also implies that he was "eaten" by the flames (which raises questions as to how he is still able to shout for help). <S> Therefore, I'd use "engulfed". <A> Flames are commonly said to leap out in this context. <S> You don't need a word to specify exactly how the flames actually interacted with the person because your narrative continues with him saying (in no uncertain terms) that he has also been set ablaze.
| "Engulfed" implies the fire completely surrounded him.
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What is a good OCR program? I keep a writing journal that I enjoy writing in. I also have a lot of old journal with writing that I'd love to digitize but am too lazy to retype. What is a good, accurate, OCR program that would let me scan my writings and would then convert it to a word document? <Q> If you're using a PC, one program you may already have that's quite good at OCR <S> is Microsoft OneNote . <S> Just import a scanned image, right-click and select <S> Edit Alt Text . <S> You can then copy the OCRed text to any program you want. <S> It's not as good as a professional, dedicated OCR program, but it's quite good for quick and cheap conversion. <A> I think that ABBY FineReader is the best one I ever met. <A> It is maybe not considered OCR. <S> But you could consider using crowd sourcing for this task. <S> There are two websites that facilitate this. <S> There are Amazon's Mechanical Turk or <S> vWorker.com . <S> In the first you pay pennies to let anonymous workers do small fractions of your text. <S> At vworker you could just upload all the work and let the workers decide what they want to get paid. <A> I use Adobe Acrobat Pro . <S> I will warn you, though, that it's expensive. <S> I'm a translator and often receive documents from clients that are either un-tagged, image-only PDFs or paper documents. <S> One thing I like about Adobe's OCR is that it will recognize many source languages (which may not be useful to the OP, but may be useful to someone reading this answer later). <A> If I understand your request- there isn't one. <S> If you are talking about hand-writing and not something created by a typewriter or a computer print out the best you'll be able to do <S> is scan it as a graphic object with a scanner. <S> If you are talking about output from a printer or typewriter it will depend on the font to some degree. <S> Some OCR better that others. <A> If you are looking for something free and decent try MeOCR Image to Text Converter <S> It works better than the other free ones I've tried like FreeOCR and SimpleOCR <S> and it gives you formatted output that can be edited easily. <S> The other ones just give you the text but its not formatted <S> it makes me waste a lot of time reformatting also its pretty simple to use. <S> Anyway that's my 2 cents worth hope it helps. <A> My five-year-old HP scanject 5400c came bundled with OCR software that's as good as any I've seen. <S> Are you sure your scanner doesn't have something similar? <A> Try Xiosis Scribe 2011 . <S> It is a word processor with an OCR feature. <S> Its easy to use and supports OCR for multiple languages.
| If you have printed output ABBY Finereader does a good job but will require clean-up/editing.
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Trying to indicate that the frequency is annoying I am trying to state that a particular question is not annoying, but its frequency is. I have come up with the below sentence, but I feel like it could be worded better. It is an annoying question only in the frequency in which it is asked. <Q> The question itself isn't annoying, but it is being asked too often. <S> I believe this is clearer, and I hope a bit nicer -- assuming that's the effect you're going for. :) <A> While the question initially seemed pleasant enough, somewhere around the 127th utterance <S> it took a nasty turn towards annoying. <S> The question was reminiscent of a top 40 pop song. <S> The lighthearted head nod <S> it inspired at first disintegrated all too quickly into the self-inficted banging of one's head into a concrete wall. <S> (This wall, like most concrete walls, features nooks and crannies seemingly straight from a Thomas's English Muffin. <S> Or are they all nooks? <S> All crannies? <S> After all, who can really tell the difference between nooks and crannies?) <S> The characteristics of that question's aging are more comparable to milk than to wine. <S> While mostly agreeable in the beginning, it soured over time and failed to develop the delicious subtleties and complex notes of intellectual flavor that embroider deeper interrogatives much like ivy on the walls of an august New England academic building. <S> The question did not bother me - at least not the first hundred times. <A> Try <S> The question is annoying only because of the frequency of its use. <S> Always try to avoid awkward phrasing or complicated grammar structures; most readers won't get it. <A> The question itself was not unreasonable, but was asked too often. <A> The answer is no. <S> Quit asking me. <A> The question itself is not annoying but the rate of it is. <S> This is an alternative, it might sound to harsh in your context though. <A> Could there be some way to use indirection? <S> The narrator in "For Esmé -- With Love and Squalor <S> " tells of his training in April 1944: " <S> Rainy days, I generally sat in a dry place and read a book, often just an axe length away from a ping-pong table. <S> " <S> If we could write like that we wouldn't be on StackOVerflow. <S> But you know what I mean. <S> -- pete <A> If the annoyance attaches to the frequency of asking , rather than the question itself , OP started wrongly in the original version by placing annoying immediately before question . <S> Put it next to the annoying thing... <S> The annoying frequency with which this question is asked... <S> (if you've got more to say about it) <S> ... <S> or if you just want a simple statement, identify the annoying thing first <S> so your gripe target is clear... <S> The frequency which which this question is asked is annoying. <S> I will also just point out that it's "frequency with which " something happens, not " in which " . <A> I would just keep it simple, something like:
| It's an annoying question only because of how often it is asked.
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When *should* I use passive voice? Is there ever a good time to use passive voice in nonfiction? <Q> You can effectively use passive voice when the action is more important than the actor. <S> For example, if you were writing about the effect of pollutants on a river, you might introduce the facts in the passive voice, because in terms of the effects, it doesn't MATTER who did the action: "The pollutants were released into the lake in 1979. <S> Significant amounts were detected in the last test of the area, in 2010." <S> If this was an expose on the SOURCE of the pollutants, maybe you would want to avoid the passive voice, and say: "Company X, Company Z, and Farmer B released the pollutants into the lake in 1979. <S> While the govnerment said that it was all cleaned up immediately, independent labs detected significant amounts in the area in 2010." <S> Or there's <S> the old "John Smith found the body on the courthouse steps," vs. " <S> The body was found on the courthouse steps." <S> If John Smith is just a passerby, he's not really important to the story, and it's distracting to have him in there. <S> I think there's also a tradition of using passive voice in lab reports, to make things seem less personal. <S> "I turned the burner on" vs " <S> The burner was turned on." <S> Again, I guess it's trying to de-emphasize the importance of the actor. <S> It doesn't matter WHO turned the burner on; the important thing is the act. <A> The best analogy I can come up with is "cold and impersonal". <S> So it's probably best used when writing reports. <S> But, like Kate said , if you need to place emphasis on the actor(s) involved, then it is better to use the active voice. <S> Then it becomes more a case of " They did it" instead of " Something happened". <A> I've struggled with this in my technical writing. <S> When I read a technical article entirely in the passive voice, it feels like the writers are either: a) <S> just doing what everyone else does, or b) trying to sound more authoritative than they are. <S> In either case, it certainly comes across as dry. <S> On the other hand, if I'm writing a paper on something I alone did, it sounds egotistical to say, "I examined the data and found...". <S> I much prefer "We examined the data and found..." if it's a team effort, or "When we look at the data..." using "we" to refer to myself and my readers. <S> Still wrestling with that one...
| I agree with Kate , it is best used when you are trying to illustrate something where the actors are less important than the action being performed.
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Where can I find paying markets for flash fiction? I've written a great deal of flash fiction, < 1000 word stories. I know I can send them out to literary journals and online literary journals, but are there paying markets for this sort of thing? <Q> There are very few, if any, paying markets for Flash Fiction. <S> There's not really a large market for readers of flash fiction, so it's not worth the investment for most places to pay for them. <S> A lot of authors usually only write flash fiction with the intent to give it away for free. <S> It's a marketing tool. <S> It gets the author's name out there and can get them readers for their paying fiction. <A> Not necessarily disagreeing with @Ralph's answer, but if you're interested in genre fiction you might want to search at Ralan's or Duotrope . <S> (For example, Daily SF pays 8c a word for flash.) <S> Many markets have upper limits but not necessarily lower limits for word counts. <A> Fewer for mainstream. <S> And when I say "paying," that can mean as little as $10. <S> However, look around and you'll find plenty of markets. <S> Here's Absolute Write's list, but it's not all inclusive. <A> I'm not familiar with markets that specialize in flash fiction, though these may exist. <S> However, if you feel you've got a worthwhile, marketable story, I think most venues are happy to consider flash fiction submissions. <S> So if there's a market that would be appropriate for a story "if it were longer," it might be appropriate as-is, as well. <S> I've seen stories that could be described as flash fiction in, say, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. <S> Flash fiction has a certain advantage in that it's short, and can be used as a sort of "filler," making it easier to juggle page count and not incurring much cost to bring aboard. <S> On the other hand, as Ralph touched upon, many readers find flash fiction unsatisfying and uninteresting, and there may be a certain glut because (presumably) it's easy to churn out a lot of mediocre flash. <S> My guess would be that in total, if it's very good you can probably sell it (eventually), and if it isn't then you probably can't. <S> Just like pretty much any story :) <A> In my experience with self-publishing e-books, I have found that a lot of authors will use flash fiction or short stories as freebies to encourage people to buy their longer works. <S> I also know several people who will sell their self-published flash fiction and short stories at a very low price, and then sell larger collections as the real breadwinners.
| There are quite a few paying markets for speculative flash fiction.
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Should I write an abstract for a formal essay? Should I write an abstract for a formal essay? I've heard from different sources that I should, although my instructor didn't specify. And if I should, where are some resources that I could use to write an abstract correctly? Edit: I am writing in MLA format <Q> I wouldn't try to guess on this one, and I wouldn't trust the opinions of people on the internet, unless for some reason you can't get your information from the most logical source - your instructor! <S> Is there some reason you can't ask him/her for clarification on the expectations of the assignment? <S> You need to know if you even need an abstract, and if you do, you need to ask for clarification on the format. <S> If for some reason you can't communicate with your teacher, you could probably get a more accurate answer here if you told us your level and field of study, and maybe your general location - academic traditions vary. <A> Does your academic institution follow a style guide? <S> If so, it's probably APA or MLA. <S> Check with either of those. <S> Purdue University has an excellent Online Writing Lab (OWL) , which you should explore for definitive answers to questions like these. <A> I think you're being over-paranoid. <S> If there are no actual requirements specified, then choose a solution that you think feels right-- <S> essentially you want some kind of "introduction" that summarises the purpose of what you're writing and the main thrust of your discussion/results. <S> An "abstract" is usually associated with a paper/thesis in a fairly standard format (e.g. introduction-methodology-results-discussion-conclusion or variants thereof) and will usually try to summarise elements of all of these sections (or at least as far as the results). <S> Its purpose is broadly to allow the reader to decide if the article is truly going to talk about the matter that they're interested in. <S> But depending on the context, an abstract could be a 150-word paragraph at the beginning of a journal article or a 1000-word submission to a conference etc. <S> There's no single 'correct template'. <S> There's also no mystery-- you can look at the abstract of practically any recently-published journal article free on the Internet, so why not just have a look at some actual examples? <A> It is very important to make this clear in the initial sentence or two of the abstract as people want to know immediately what the essay is about. <S> An abstract is usually no more than 250 words. <S> It is important to keep the word count in mind when writing an abstract. <S> Include Information on Methods and Results - Part of the abstract should briefly mention the methods and results that pertain to your topic. <S> At the close of the abstract it is important to briefly mention how results affect the initial problem that was mentioned in the opening of the abstract. <S> Review and Update the Abstract. <A> If no abstract is specified and you go to the trouble of writing a 200-250 word abstract, then you're not going to do yourself a disservice <A> It is common practice to include a summary/abstract at the beginning of your document especially if it is going to be for academic purposes. <S> Almost all peer review journal articles have them.
| The abstract should have an opening that identifies that particular subject matter and how the research that you have done will provide a solution.
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How many pages would my manuscript be in paperback? 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? <Q> The standard font that I've seen in my experience has been Times New Roman 12pt with 1.5 spacing. <S> Honestly, there is no way to calculate how many pages your book will be until the publisher does all of their unique formatting and prints the book. <S> Books are printed in all different sizes - some large, some small. <S> Publishers also use different margin sizes- some like 1 inch all around, others like 1 inch on the sides and .5 in the headers. <S> It varies from publisher to publisher. <S> Some publishers also use different fonts. <S> Even Fox Cutter's estimate is 250 words per page isn't useful. <S> If you have a lot of dialog, you may have pages with a lot less than 250 words on them. <S> If you're a wordy writer, you may have pages with a lot more than that. <S> Even the complexity of the words you use affects how many words are on a page. <S> You 50,000 word manuscript may be half the page length of another authors 50,000 word manuscript. <S> The short answer: <S> Don't worry about page length. <S> Worry about word length. <S> That doesn't change no matter how the book is formatted. <A> Here's a screen shot of the statistics for a project I'm currently working on: You can see that this is a little less than 400 words per page in paperback. <S> But don't forget that publishers employ different font sizes and leading depending on how long a book is in words. <S> They'll pad out a short manuscript with large type and more leading, but lengthy manuscripts will correspondingly be compressed. <S> I presume what I have here is an average of some kind. <S> Edit <S> Here is the manual's explanation of how it calculates paperback pages: Pages by paperback uses an industry standard formula (for English language publishing) of taking the average number of words per page and multiplying it by the average number of characters per word (five including a space, for six total), the product of which is then used to divide against the total character count of the project. <S> By example, a book with 720,000 characters with an estimate set to 250 words per page will produce a result of 720000 / 2506 = 480. <S> [Emphasis added.] <S> So far Scrivener has been a Mac-only application A Windows version is supposedly going to be available this year. <S> You can try out the beta here: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivenerforwindows/ <A> That being said you can usually assume about 250 words per a printed page. <S> This means that a 75,000 word novel would be around 300 pages. <S> Even so, that's not a very good calculation. <S> For example, a YA novel might use a larger font size to increase readability leaving only 200 words on the page. <S> On the other hand, a modern fantasy novel might have a much smaller font and tighter margins <S> then you expect to cram 400 words on a page. <S> At one point in time My roommate collected the Shadownrun tie in novels. <S> All the books are about the same page count, but the layout varies depending on the length of the story. <S> In fact one of the books has a tremendous amount of padding all over the page to expand a much shorter story to the correct page count. <S> So, the long and short of it is that your layout and printed page count probably have very little to do with each other. <S> I would recommend the word count trick from above to get a fairly close idea, but even that can be wildly inaccurate. <A> You have some good answers already, so I'm tossing this out as an alternative method. <S> Another way to figure out the number of pages is to use something like CreateSpace , or perhaps Lulu.com , which offer tools for formatting a Word document into a print-ready PDF file. <S> Here is CreateSpace's Word template page . <S> You can download them and then copy and paste your text onto it. <S> This will give you properly formatted Word documents which can be converted to PDF, rendering the correct page count. <S> You might find something similar at Lulu or other POD services. <S> That's going to give you the page count you're looking for. <S> But, any other web site or service - and some can be tried for free - will be able to translate your manuscript from Word to PDF. <S> The problem is generally getting the line spacing and trim size (the dimensions of the book) right. <S> To do that, you have to know the trim size, the interior margins, the gutter (or space between pages for binding), etc. <S> It's easier, IMO, just to use a pre-designed template. <S> Once you've got a Word document and have converted it to a PDF, the page count you get (when using the CreateSpace templates, for example), will provide you the page count for the manuscript. <S> Hope that helps some!
| That's really hard to say, books are usually measured by word count and not page count. Different books and publishers have different layouts for their pages. The software I use, Scrivener, offers "Project Statistics" which list words, characters, and estimates how many paperback pages (and printed pages) the manuscript will generate.
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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? <Q> The best writers are also avid readers. <S> Reading helps you learn grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, world building, characterization, and so much more. <S> You should read as many books as you can - both good books and bad. <S> By reading good books you're able to see what works. <S> You'll see deep characters and learn techniques to make your own characters deep. <S> You'll learn how to write well and keep your readers engaged. <S> By reading bad books, you'll learn what doesn't work. <S> You'll see what flat characters are like. <S> You'll learn what loses a readers attention and what confuses them. <S> You'll see bad grammar and sentence structure. <S> The basic message: Read. <S> A lot. <S> Whatever you can get your hands on. <S> Whether you read a book a day or a book a week, just read. <A> Don't be put off by their genres. <S> Reading is very important, but don't ever forget to spend time doing deliberate practice writing. <S> Do short pieces that focus on setting, descriptions, dialog, &etc. <S> Set limits like 100/10,000 words, or imitate someone who has a distinctive style like Tom Clancy. <A> I'm not sure whether you're looking for how-to-write books or just books in general. <S> Based on your writing in this short question, I'm going to say that I think it's a bit early for how-to books, and recommend that you just read a lot of anything you can find in English and work on getting the general vibe down. <S> After you've done that for a while, it may be time to start writing and working on refinement. <S> If you feel that you're already at the point for how-to books, it would help if you'd let us know what type of writing you want to do. <S> The rules are different depending on whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction, etc. <A> The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. <A> Read anything by Orwell, anything Nabokov. <S> If you like something just a little down-market from there, Martin Cruz Smith and Scott Turow both write thrillers but with lovely use of language and characterization. <S> It doesn't matter how ridiculous a lie is if it's your only chance of escape. <S> It doesn't matter how obvious the truth is if the truth is that you'll never escape. <S> -- Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park <A> When I read some interesting passage in a book, I'll sometimes pull out the notepad and copy it down. <S> Gives my fingers good habits. <S> Also, writing longhand on plain paper makes it seem too informal to matter much <S> so the self-critic is dismissive <S> and I can write more freely. <A> In addition to reading voraciously as has already been suggested (especially, but not only, in the genre/field you want to write) you might want to check out Stein on Writing by Sol Stein. <S> It's the best book I've seen that discusses the writing craft, and contains sections on both fiction and non-fiction.
| The easiest way to improve your writing skills is to read, and read a lot. If you are looking at how-to books, both Stephen King and Orson Scott Card have some excellent books on the subject.
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How credible is wikipedia? I understand that this question relates more to wikipedia than it does writing but... If I was going to use wikipedia for a source for a research project (for example) would the information be correct? I know that anyone can go on there and edit it, but the Internet has other invalid information that isn't on wikipedia. I'm thinking that over time as an article matures on wikipedia, it would have gone through a large amount of edits and be correct, but I could be wrong. The reason I want to use wikipedia is because all of the information is consolidated in one place with references. I do believe that I should use google to search my information (which I do) and might come off as "lazy". This question may be closed because it is off-topic as well. <Q> Is this for academic research? <S> If so, the problem isn't that it's Wikipedia, the problem is that it's an ENCYCLOPEDIA. <S> The founder of Wikipedia himself has been quoted saying : that he gets about 10 e-mail messages a week from students who complain that Wikipedia has gotten them into academic hot water. <S> “They say, ‘Please help me. <S> I got an F on my paper because I cited Wikipedia’” and the information turned out to be wrong, he says. <S> But he said he has no sympathy for their plight, noting that he thinks to himself: “For God sake, you’re in college; don’t cite the encyclopedia.” <S> If you're in university, use Wikipedia to get a general idea, and then do some damn research . <S> If you don't know how to do real research, ask the librarians at your school to help. <S> You may even have to open a book or two. <S> Shocking, but true. <A> Do /not/ <S> ever, under any circumstances use Wikipedia as a source for an academic paper. <S> Because it can be edited by anyone and there is nothing validating Wikipedia's articles, they're highly unreliable and not acceptable in any professional or academic circles. <S> Internet sources in general are frowned upon unless they come from professional or academic sources - colleges, academic journals, government studies, etc. <S> That's not to say Wikipedia is entirely useless. <S> It's a great starting point. <S> It can give you a great overview of a topic and help you get a basis for your paper/project/whatever. <S> And the best part? <S> Lots of it is sourced, so you don't have to go find information for yourself. <S> If you want to say That George Washington did not return to military life until the outbreak of the revolution in 1775, that's fine. <S> But instead of citing Wikipedia, click on the source and cite the source that Wikipedia uses. <A> From my own experience Wikipedia is very credible. <S> In 2005 already it has been compared to Encyclopedia Brittanica <S> I am always amazed when people start complaining about the quality of Wikipedia. <S> The idea behind wikipedia is that it is managed by the community. <S> If you find an error, just correct it. <S> The success of wikipedia lies in the fact that people do edit. <S> Regarding using wikipedia as an original source. <S> Don't! <S> That is to stop reading and cite. <S> A well written wikipedia article contains various citations to resources to backup the assumptions. <S> Use these references. <S> There is an example where a scientific journal even requires its authors to also submit their content to Wikipedia (http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081216/full/news.2008.1312.html). <S> My general recipe to find proper reference and get a brief introduction into a novel topic is: Read the Wikipedia article on the topic Follow references of this Wikipedia article and read these articles. <S> Once I have some understanding on the topic I use a scientific literature search engine to fine additional references. <S> Scholar is just one of these services, but depending on the topic there is Pubmed , ACM , and many others Browse social networks on citations like CiteULike and Connotea <S> So the main message would be <S> just my 2cts <S> EDITThis might be an interesting read on this topic: http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1000941 <A> I think most of the answers here are missing something important. <S> It is not about credibility (Wikipedia is as credible as most sources, which is to say that it contains a certain number of errors and omissions, just like everything else). <S> It is about traceability. <S> What matters when you cite a source in an academic paper is that you provide tracability for your assertions. <S> Everything is supposed to be traceable back to the original research so that if someone has doubts about the assertions in support of your conclusions, they can trace it back to your original sources. <S> But Wikipedia, by its own rules, is not a source of original research. <S> Every assertion in Wikipedia is itself supposed to be traceable back to the original research. <S> So citing Wikipedia has no traceability value. <S> It does not get the scholar any nearer to the original source of the information that you are asserting in support of your conclusions. <S> That is why it is not appropriate to cite Wikipedia in an academic paper. <S> Outside of the academic world, there are generally no such traceability requirements and so citing wikipedia as a convenient source of additional information on a topic makes perfect sense.
| yes, Wikipedia is credible, but like with the scientific literature don't take one source for granted and look for alternatives
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What's a clear way to simulate web text in a story? My novel includes excerpts of things like text from websites, tweets, and internet chats. I'm using Courier for the main novel font. Does switching to a san serif font make sense to represent the web stuff? It doesn't look good. Can you think of better ways to handle this? <Q> If it was pretty short, I might single space it, too, but <S> if it's longer, I think I'd keep it double spaced. <S> And I'd be consistent with that, so <S> if you have ANY longer bits that you're going to want double spaced, I'd double space them all. <A> Web fonts are all over the place these days; I wouldn't stress that. <S> As Kate S. said, block indent. <S> I think you'll get a lot of mileage out of recognizable formatting and context hints, also: <S> To: <S> Lynn From:Erik Subject: <S> Blah blah blah <S> This is a recognizable email format. <S> Block-indented, it would be crystal-clear. <S> Thanks, Erik ErikRobson RT @Lynn <S> If I use Twitter, I can tell right away that this is a tweet. <S> (7 minutes ago) <S> Actual web site text is just... text. <S> Usually nothing interesting about that. <S> And, of course, forum posts have their own distinctive formatting, which varies across forum software. <S> I would also second Robusto's comment - not specifically for bad spelling and shortening, but it's worth noticing how people write across media. <S> I've seen people who are perfectly capable writers but resort to shorthand and zero-punctuation when doing what they consider to be informal writing. <S> Based on the online community, there are micro-dialects that community members use to fit in and identify each other. <S> That's the sort of detail that I would be looking for from any Internet excerpts in a novel. <S> Good luck! <A> Definitely avoid sans-serif fronts in print, except perhaps for headings. <S> Indentation is probably the best idea, as others have suggested. <S> If you want to differentiate even more from other text, then perhaps try changing the font like this. <S> Since your manuscript is written in Courier, then choose a serif font like Times New Roman for the emails, newspaper clippings, website etc. <S> That way, the change is quite noticeable, but not so distracting as to be unpleasant. <S> I wouldn't recommend using italics if they're long texts, because it could be tedious to read, plus you have the problem that, if you decide to use italics for a character's unspoken inner thoughts/thinking process, the reader may think you're referencing a quote from an email. <A> I am preferring to italicise "external sources" as thoughts, inner voices, memories, fragments from newspapers, books, letters, ... etc. <S> I think it'd fit well to web fragments, too.
| I'd be inclined to just do a block indent for the web text.
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What's the best practice for displaying a personal website url in a resume? Like most veteran coders in the IT industry, I have an out-of-date website that I use to link to different activities I'm involved with online, like Twitter and Stack Overflow. Up until now, I haven't gotten around to working the address into my resume, but now is as good a time as any. So what is the best practice for an IT worker to display a website in their resume? Is it better for the eyes to center the url at the top? Should it be above or below a horizontal rule? Should it be close to, perhaps above or below an email address? What's the most common, acceptable way for a personal website to be include in a resume? <Q> It depends on the purpose of including that URL in the first place. <S> If it is an example of work you did for a particular employer, then then that block of your employment section makes sense. <S> If it is for a portfolio site, maybe front and center, under your name, at the top of the resume. <S> I would not use a horizontal rule on a resume. <A> My resume has, centered up top in the header: my name | email | phone. <S> If I were going to put in my URL, I would add another pipe and put it in, probably omitting the http:// Alternatively, I sometimes put it in my cover letter/intro email if I feel it's relevant. <S> E.g.: <S> Regards,First LastPhoneURL <A> I'm thinking about doing it with <S> my name aligned (justified?) <S> to the top left corner <S> my website <S> minus <S> http:// <S> aligned to the top right corner <S> remaining contact information below this aligned to one side or the other in left, right, left sequence. <S> Feel free to upvote or downvote my answer so that I can get a feeling for whether or not this is generally a good idea.
| If it is a "here's more info about me" site, I'd say put it with your name, address, and email.
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Write a resume objective that expresses my desire to hone and sharpen my skills I wish to convey to prospective employers that I not only want to use my skills, but hone and sharpen them as well. Does the below paragraph do justice to it? Do you have any suggestions? Does the paragraph sound boastful? To obtain a position and work environment, that will not only enable me to use my strong organizational skills, educational background, and ability to work well with people, but sharpen them as well. <Q> Evaluating resume stuff in a vacuum is really hard. <S> That being said, a couple of thoughts: <S> In general, I think you're approaching the problem incorrectly. <S> You're trying to write an Objective statement. <S> Everyone knows you're looking for a job, otherwise you wouldn't be submitting your resume, so re-stating this is redundant. <S> Your style is overly stiff; you're trying too hard. <S> Believe it or not, you're talking to a person, so talk to them . <S> You wouldn't use your sentence in a conversation, so don't use it in your resume, either. <S> Don't mention your educational background. <S> They'll see it further down anyway. <S> At best it's redundant. <S> At worst, it's orthogonal. <S> What you don't need is someone thinking "I don't see what a degree in Economics has to do with making widgets...? <S> " before they even talk to you. <S> I would try to say something meaningful about myself rather than trying to say what I think an employer might want to hear. <S> Without knowing more about you or the work you're looking for, I can't be more specific. <S> I don't use Objective statements anymore, but here's an example that served me well in the past: <S> I like working with smart, motivated people doing interesting work. <S> People in mediocre work cultures think this is a meaningless platitude, so they'll call me out on it during an interview which is an excellent conversation starter. <S> Indeed that's the whole point: to start a meaningful dialog . <S> OTOH, companies with strong cultures understand what you're talking immediately. <S> In this case it's a signalling mechanism: <S> I'm one of you . <A> Objective statements are generally old school these days. <S> I'd eliminate it altogether. <S> If you think its important, you can simply state the objective title at the top of the resume (i.e. MARKETING ANALYST). <S> After that, I would focus on highlighting what you bring to the table. <A> A sentence fragment is fine, as complete sentences usually aren't necessary on résumés. <S> How about: <S> To use and continue developing my organizational skills, education, and ability to work well with people. <S> This is a résumé. <S> You use it to look for a job. <S> So it's redundant in a way to say you want to "obtain a position. <S> " I changed "sharpen" to "continue developing" because you don't "sharpen" your education or your ability to work well with people. <S> That metaphor only works with "skills." <S> Having made the suggestion, though, I would also suggest thinking about whether you really need to state an objective . <S> I am no career counselor, but I do follow several career blogs. <S> The latest in conventional wisdom says career objective statements aren't necessary and, at worst, they can pigeonhole you. <S> Your objective is so generic that, while it might not pigeonhole you, it's not saying a whole lot either. <S> Is it really adding anything to your résumé? <A> As usual, simple is better, and this is a bit wordy. <S> Are 'position' and 'work environment' so different that they need to be expressed separately? <S> I'm not sure on that one. <S> But in terms of the rest, I think the same meaning would be conveyed by: To obtain a position and work environment that will enable me to use and sharpen my strong organizational skills, education, and ability to work well with people. <A> Your objective is too self-centered - provide benefits to your prospective employer: <S> To use and develop my strong organizational and interpersonal skills for mutual benefit in a challenging and stimulating environment. <A> Use the limited space in your resume to summarize your experience and qualities in two or three short paragraphs, then follow the general reverse-chronological format for experience, education and skills. <S> I also concur with Mary Aho, about simply stating your name and the job title at the top of your resume. <S> I can't say this is the right way for everyone, but it's worked well for me. <S> The cover letter is your opportunity to explain why they should bother looking at your resume. <S> Your cover letter can be more conversational in tone than your resume, but avoid inappropriate informality, txt-speak, etc. <S> Use a spell checker and have an English-savvy person read through it before sending. <S> My cover letter goes more or less like this: Para 1: Please consider my resume for (job opening). <S> I have (years of experience or educational qualification) as a (job title). <S> Para 2: <S> My recent work experience includes (highlights of your history relevant to the type of business, paraphrased to match the requirements from the ad). <S> Para 3: <S> (Related experience, relevant but not necessarily specific to requirements). <S> Para 4: <S> My goal is to add value to your company by delivering (your work products) that ensure your customers' success. <S> I'm mature and dependable (or whatever other positive EEOC-appropriate descriptors you can honestly use), with a strong work ethic and a dedication to customer satisfaction. <S> Para 5 <S> : <S> I currently live in (where I live), but am willing to relocate for the right opportunity (only include this if it's true). <S> I'd like to talk with you further about the position, and show you how I can contribute to your success. <S> (work samples, if applicable) <S> Professional references are available on request. <S> Para 6: <S> You may contact me by (email, phone, mobile). <S> I'm looking forward to hearing from you. <S> Closing: <S> Best regards, (your name) <S> Attachments: Resume, samples, if applicable. <S> I wish you success in your job search. <A> I seek a position in which I can use and strengthen: <S> My proven technical ability, organizational aptitude, and social skills; ... ... <S> Could that work?
| I recommend leaving the "objective" off the resume, and saving it for your cover letter. Its common (though not always used) to start with a summary paragraph that highlights how amazing you are and your accomplishments and a few highlight reel bullets below that before then going into the traditional Chronological or Functional formats.
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What makes a good action scene? Action, in any storytelling medium, is the relationship between build up and pay off. While cinema may emphasize the payoff (pyrotechnics play well to theater-going crowds) it seems that the written word has the best potential for getting the most from the build-up, especially because an author can let readers inside a character's head. What elements are most universally conducive to a great action scene (regardless of medium or genre)? How might they be used differently in scriptwriting vs. writing a novel? <Q> The pacing of the writing must match the pacing of the scene. <S> For a love scene, you need avid and languorous description. <S> In an action scene, you need short, almost breathless wording. <S> Here's how I would re-write Nick's example: James ran down the hill. <S> The enemy were in this valley, somewhere. <S> Where, dammit? <S> He flicked his rifle, left, right, left again. <S> Noise and smoke and dense forest made it hard to see. <S> Shots rang out. <S> Two men beside him dropped, crying and streaming blood. <S> His yell "Medic!" was drowned by the sudden buzzing overhead. <S> Everything went white. <S> See? <S> Short sentences, mostly monosyllabic and disyllabic words. <S> If this were a movie, they'd use very short shots, lots of close-up and obstructed views. <S> Try for the same effect with words. <A> Like you said, there's areas in an action scene which can totally isolate themselves for a short period from the rest of the scene to emphasise things like shock, awe, pain, victory and such. <S> Off the cuff example: James ran down the hill into the valley where the enemy troops had been spotted. <S> His rifle flicked left and right to find enemy targets. <S> The noise, smoke and the dense forest made it difficult for him and his soldiers to see properly, and bolts of light rained down from bombers overhead. <S> Their large hulls blocked the sunlight to and fro, increasing the confusion. <S> Firing off some shots into the forest, masses of gunfire returned, striking two soldiers off to his right. <S> As he was about to yell, "Medic!" <S> when he heard a buzzing sound from above. <S> In an instant his vision went white and his ears ringed loud. <S> He felt himself hit the tree next to him and fell to the ground, blind and deaf. <S> Minutes seemed to pass as he struggled to regain his senses. <S> It was as if he was in a bubble, watching blurred shapes rush over head and shout muffled words at an unknown enemy. <S> Yelling came from in front of him <S> but it was muffled <S> and he couldn't see who it was. <S> ... <A> I think a main feature to action is suspense; so, you can let the reader/viewer know what's happening, but almost hold back in a certain way. <S> Thus, during the down fall, you can expand on what happened during the action scene. <S> And with that it will become more memorable and vivid. <S> An example would be: <S> In some movies they show short flashes of the storyline, and then expand on them, and show the full outlook; and even sometimes share other point of views. <A> Use extremely short sentences. <S> Emphasise seemingly irrelevant details (carefully). <S> A feldgrau uniform in the door. <S> Triggrer pulled. <S> Serves you right, Fritz. <S> Reload. <S> Another potato masher lands the concrete floor. <S> Bloody patches on its handle. <S> Run. <S> ... etc.
| I think another aspect of a good action scene is to not overload the reader/viewer with too much at once.
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What is the Priority in an Action/Adventure Novel: Dialogues or Conflict? I am currently working on a novel and I was having some trouble finding the best solution for this question. I understand that both dialogues and conflicts are needed in a good proportion to cook a bestseller. But I would like to experiment on my work. Will be much appreciated if you can throw some light on this. Thank you. <Q> The two are not mutually exclusive in an action adventure novel. <S> If you think that conflict in a purely physical sense eliminates the need for dialogue, you're limiting yourself. <S> Dialogue very often creates conflict. <S> Without it, you'd just be describing a bunch of events that happen. <S> Consider the film Ronin, for example. <S> While not a novel, the principle is still the same. <S> It's the terse dialogue in the film that helps set up some of the most memorable conflicts between the characters (for example, Robert De Nero and Sean Bean). <S> Without dialogue, you have no idea of who people are, or why they do what they do. <S> You are essentially ignoring characterisation. <S> Too often, novels and films focus on the action element to the detriment of their characters. <S> (You'll also find that a LOT of action is being used in the hopes of obscuring the fact that the characters are weak). <S> Don't avoid dialogue in the hopes that it makes it more of an action story. <S> On the other hand, make sure your dialogue is relevant in creating conflict. <A> I'm not sure you should be thinking of them as mutually exclusive. <S> Good dialogue will add to the conflict, not take away from it. <S> If the characters aren't talking about something important, the conversation probably has no place in your book; if the characters ARE talking about something important, you can use their emotions and their word choices to add to the sense of urgency, and to make us care about the characters so that we care about the outcome of whatever crisis you're putting them through. <S> Maybe you meant to contrast dialogue with narrative? <S> I think THAT can be a more difficult balancing act, but dialogue and conflict work together really well. <A> An action/adventure novel requires both to be compelling, but they need to flow together in whatever proportion you're currently writing them in. <S> Your story may need a breather and so you position your characters in a relaxed, personal situation, such as having a drink at a bar. <S> Perhaps your characters have just met and one is a naturally curious person and begins to question the other. <S> This is where your dialog needs to take preference. <S> This doesn't mean you can't cut straight to action, but for a "satisfying" period, you need to allow your characters to open up and talk about things, such as their history, their goals for "the mission" (for example), perhaps even talking about issues they have regarding the events in the story. <S> This not only lets the other character but lets the reader in on things in an implicit way. <S> You want to describe some of the back story to the reader? <S> Use a dialog scene. <S> Often an easy way to end the dialog scene is to introduce an event that interrupts them, leaving some dialog behind to be able to expand on later. <S> Have the characters "skim the surface" then be pulled away to action, then later on when you need to give your readers a break, bring them back. <S> Perhaps a companion wanted to know more about why the protagonist thinks they shouldn't be going on the mission or soemthing. <S> A novel with only action or only dialog can get boring. <S> Action needs to be relevant just as much as dialog needs to be when used in your story. <A> Your best bet is to examine the novels you like, and analyze their construction. <S> Rather than worrying about what the genre as a whole does, hone in on what resonates with you.
| You need a mixture of both, whether it's a dialog scene, an action scene, or an action scene with intermittent dialog to keep the character's "in the scene".
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How could I share my lyrics? I've been writing lyrics for quite sometime now (at-least five years). Although there have been several of those moments when I've thought I'd have an act for music making.. I'm just not sure I'll ever get around to it, or be good enough.. I'd like to know how I could share my lyrics I've written, and whether I should give them away, or try to sell them? <Q> Regarding selling your lyrics, this is apparently not how the music industry works. <S> I came across this interesting article written by an Emmy-nominated song writer, which warns against the idea of selling your lyrics: http://www.songmd.com/selling-songs-selling-lyrics.shtml <S> There are smarmy scumbags in every business who will gladly tell you what you want to hear for a price, so if someone offers you a contract for the purpose of selling lyrics, tear it up. <S> Immediately. <S> It might feel good for a day or so to be “wanted”, it might feel great to have someone finally “like” something you’ve created, but it will feel awful forever when you realize you’ve been taken by a shark. <S> Buying lyrics and selling lyrics is never, ever done in the real music business. <S> Marketing lyrics is just like marketing songs: you write a lyric, you find a composer to set it to music, you record the song professionally and competitively, then you set out to market the finished song, which includes pitching your work to music publishers and A & R people at record labels, who, in turn, pitch your songs to singers and bands looking for hits in your genre. <S> When your songs are recorded, you receive quarterly royalties for each copy sold, as well as performance royalties from countries all over the world based on the number of times <S> your songs are performed for profit on radio stations, online, in commercials, in movies, and TV shows. <S> As for sharing your lyrics, there seem to be a number of forums on-line geared towards this purpose. <S> An example would be something like http://deepundergroundpoetry.com/ <S> There are probably many others out there (just Google for something like "share lyrics poetry" or something similar). <S> I personally wouldn't recommend giving your lyrics away, as they're yours. <S> You never know when you may want to use something you've written down, and you also never know what someone may do with your lyrics. <S> If you're thinking of sharing, and want other people to use your work, but to still control it to a degree, consider attaching some "copyleft" to it, perhaps something like a Creative Commons license: http://www.creativecommons.org <A> Whether to give away or sell your work depends on your resources and the goals you have for your work. <S> Here is how I would approach the situation <S> were I in your place: <S> This helps your work gain exposure, and gives something to the community, without sacrificing ownership of your work. <S> With a by-sa (attribution, share-alike) license , others may use your work in any way that they like <S> but if they use it to create another work (say, they record a performance that uses your lyrics), they must release it under the same terms you did -- AND give you credit in a manner you have specified. <S> This way, every use of your work gains you exposure, and you can in turn use, for example, the melody someone else wrote to go with your lyrics (just give them credit). <S> Additionally, you still own your work , so if someone would like to use it on different terms (like a company wishing to use it in a product they will not release under Creative Commons) <S> they must receive specific permission from you (and, if you like, payment of some kind that you negotiate). <S> If you are against any use of your work for profit without specific permission/payment, you can instead opt for the by-sa-nc (attribution, share-alike, non-commercial) license . <S> This is similar to the by-sa license above, except that any for-profit use requires specific permission from you. <S> Once it's released, I'd promote the heck out of it. <S> The Creative Commons site and your friends here at writers. <S> SE can offer great tips on specifics. <S> Just do whatever you can to become more visible. <S> This can lead to paid licensing of your existing work, commissions to do new work, opportunities to market non-cc-licensed work, or just a beer from an appreciative user of your stuff every now and again. <S> Either way, in my humble opinion, getting it out there is better than keeping it in a drawer. <A> If you're looking for a place to share lyrics, I've created a platform that's just for that. <S> http://www.rappad.co <S> It also helps you in the creative process of writing lyrics online - it's a pretty neat tool that has a great community behind it.
| I'd release my best work under a Creative Commons by-sa or by-sa-nc license. Selling lyrics is never done in the legitimate music business.
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An alternative to saying 'users' when describing features I'm creating some copy describing new web-app features for a number of different audiences (users, managers of sections of the site, owners of sub-sites which use our platform etc.). I'm finding myself using 'users' constantly: "Users will now be able to..." "...opens up the creation of $feature to users..." "...excited to see the creative ways our users will..." I'm getting sick of the word. It feels ugly to me, and a bit jargony, and sort of unfriendly. Any good alternatives? In some cases I can replace 'users' with 'you'. But for two of these pieces, I'm addressing audiences who wont be using the features themselves, so the second person wont be appropriate. <Q> Have you considered (re)using Personas? <S> A well defined persona can make it much clearer to talk about features as you remove a "layer of abstraction", making it easier for non-technical readers to understand. <S> Your examples might change (with a little introduced context) from ... <S> "Users will now be able to..." "...opens up the creation of $feature to users..." "... <S> excited to see the creative ways our users will..." ... to ... <S> "Debbie from the Helpdesk will now be able to ..." "... opens up the creating of Incidents to Tony the Help Desk Manager. <S> " "... exciting to see the creative ways that Julie Homeowner will ..." <A> Users are usually categorized by their role, so you could write: "Managers will now be able to..." <S> Also, some processes use a hypothetical first person to write about features, such as: " <S> As a manager I should be able to..." <A> Typically, a user is probably the best generic term since it is an accepted convention. <S> However, depending on the context, look at using more specific words. <S> For example, use the word "developer" when talking about something that is likely to be used by that particular group. <S> When features overlap in usage with different groups you can then say, "developers and partners can then ...". <S> Being more specific about who you are addressing will make your text more meaningful and personal. <A> Lately, I've been favoring the term "you" because, after all, the doc is addressed to the reader, to YOU , no question. <S> I've used employed <S> written hidden behind the third-person "users," I think, because I haven't had the writing balls to address the target of the writing directly. <S> For me, it takes courage to speak confidently and directly and sometimes forcefully to YOU <S> but when I read something that's addressed to <S> ME <S> I'm happy and satisfied. <S> There is no way I can misunderstand the writing. <S> Second-person writing doesn't equivocate, it's not wishy-washy or queasy-squeezy or spongey. <S> Compare two versions that aim to instruct: <S> The actor should speak the speech as I pronounced it to him, trippingly on the tongue. <S> But if the actor should mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief thetown crier spoke my lines. <S> Nor should the actor saw the air too much with his hand,thus ... <S> Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. <S> But if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. <S> Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand ... <S> Second-person writing is strong and direct . <S> There's no missing the meaning behind YOU . <A> Well, you could say "visitors" but honestly I think it's better to stick to one name for users, namely "users", else <S> a reader will certainly get somewhat confused: <S> "My God, he was talking about 'users' before, and now I read 'visitors'. <S> Is there a difference? <S> Certainly the words are different and can mean different things, but is there a real difference? <S> " <S> "Users", consistently, gets my vote. <S> Yes, you might be uncomfortable with its repeated use, but in this case clarity trumps stylistic nicety. <A> Depending upon the type of web application the follow may all be useable: Users, visitors, people, customers, associates, managers, professionals, developers, readers, advertisers, subscribers, employees, members, teammates. <S> Think of generic third-person ways to describe the people who would be using it and sprinkle those in. <S> Keep in mind that users is probably the best overall generic word to use here, so it should be the most frequently used descriptor. <A> people those using $feature one (instead of "you") we <A> You can then refer to the system in the third person. <S> The problem occurs often in the unix system admin world that you need to create user accounts for different purposes. <S> For example instead of using "root" you may need to create a separate system account (for example, appuser ) to own certain processes but that nevertheless does not have root level rights to the entire system. <S> Developers often refer to these types of accounts as users as well just to confuse things. <A> Talk to the user, rather than about the user. <S> Unless "the User" is someone other than the person reading your work. <S> I think users appreciate it more when it seems like the writer understands their problems and wants to help them be successful. <S> There's also the possibility of confusion if you talk about "the user" -- with potential safety implications: <S> Exactly who is supposed to do what, when? <A> When dealing with company people, I like to use colleague, associate, employee, coworker, etc. <S> When dealing with customers, I like to say, customers, clients, vendors, prospective customer, etc. <S> For business writing, I feel it's very important to establish the relationship context of the interaction. <S> I might say something like this: "When a database administrator performs the nightly backup, the customer will either see delayed data or be alerted that the system is unavailable for maintenance. " <S> If it's a manual for the end user, I say "You": If you need to save at this point, click the "Save" on the upper right.
| Consider using "partners" as the term you use for the audiences you mention. I came across some advice on technical writing that said you should talk about users - that is, real people by using "you".
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How can I create my own deadline? I'm very responsible when I'm writing a tech book or article under contract. I have a deadline, my editor is expecting my work, and I turn it in on time. Sometimes I put it off a bit, but I pride myself on making deadlines, and I will do whatever is necessary to do so. But without this external motivation, when I'm writing for myself, I don't have the same urgency. It's too easy for me to tell myself that I'll do it later. What I need is a deadline for my novel, or parts of my novel. How can I simulate that same sense of urgency in a way I can take seriously? Just promising myself isn't good enough. <Q> I suffer from this all the time. <S> My wife says I always write better to a deadline, but I struggle to figure out how to set deadlines and stick them. <S> Some ideas I've been thinking about: <S> Get someone you know to set a deadline for you, and behave as if you're writing for them. <S> You may win something, you may not, but it will help condition you to write towards a deadline. <S> Write stories for people you know based on dates <S> e.g. you want a story ready for Christmas, a gift for someone's birthday. <S> Write with the purpose of submitting to a magazine for a particular issue. <S> If you're prepared to spend the money, find some creative writing courses and do them, not with the objective of getting the qualification, but more because they are geared towards enforcing some discipline to meet deadlines for submitted work. <S> Of course, no-one except yourself can commit to a deadline, and enforce the discipline to meet that deadline (trust me, I know), but hopefully this could help! <A> Or tell it only your first draft readers. <S> They will expect your work to be finished then. <S> They will nag. <S> You have a deadline. <A> If you need the heart attack feeling of an approaching deadline to turn in good work how about setting interim deadlines, in effect multiple mini heart attacks? <S> Failing that you can give yourself a daily reminder (or nag) by going to habitforge and set up a daily email reminder. <S> This will ask you if you did what you said you'd do by answering only yes or no. <S> So maybe you need to set a goal of writing 10 minutes a day, every day. <S> Set this up and track it in habitforge. <S> Most people don't like answering no <S> so you get some automatic extrinsic motivation.
| Find writing competitions on-line and write towards meeting that deadline. Tell your friends, family, spouse that you will finish your novel in October, 15th (or whatever).
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Is a novel less credible if the dialogues are too perfect? I always find myself trying to make dialogues perfect. For example, the perfect advice, the perfect punch line, the perfect joke or irony. OR maybe if the characters talk continuously without stopping, without making coherent phrases or having breaks. I wonder if the reader feels that the story is kind of fake if every dialogue is really too perfect. Example 1: "So you are a kind of super hero? she asked. "Maybe." he said, after putting on his glassed, his leather jacket, and getting on his motorbike. Example 2: "So you are a kind of super hero? she asked. "I'm — not very sure," he said, "I'm not sure if I can save anyone." Any thoughts? <Q> Your two examples are from very different people. <S> The first guy is confident, mocking, and ironic. <S> The second guy is insecure, nervous, and looking for validation. <S> So as iajrz points out, it depends on your characters. <S> Would that particular character always have le mot juste on the tip of his tongue, or does he suffer from <S> l'esprit de l'escalier like most people? <S> As long as you're consistent, whichever one you pick is fine. <S> I would caution that if all your characters speak perfectly all the time, unless you're doing it that way on purpose and tipping your hand to the reader about it somehow (for example, if you were writing about a kind of utopia where everyone was trained to speak beautifully), I think it will start to sound fake. <S> If you feel like you can't tell, mention it to your beta readers when you hand off your first draft that it's a weakness <S> and you would like them to be on the lookout for it. <A> I find this question strange. <S> I don't quite see how that could ever detract from your novel. <S> If the dialogue is perfect because it's what you, the author, wants to say, then that's a big problem. <S> Don't put your words in the character's mouth, because it will never ring true, and that's when the reader smells a fake. <A> People should talk as people talk. <S> If the flow is in character with, well, your character, then it's ok, it won't be less credible. <S> But if, say, a street though is talking like a Duke... <S> well, that'd not happen in real life, would it? <S> It can be always perfect for a character that is that kind of person; it would add to the story, let people know about the characters. <S> It can be occasionally perfect for someone who has the right level of education, the right personality. <S> Could be mock perfection, or ironic perfection. <A> I think allowing your characters to share these perfect quips would be helpful. <S> Personally, I love when characters can dish it out as well as take it. <S> I don't feel like it's unreal. <S> If anything, it makes more sense for witty people to hang out with other witty people. <S> You start to develop chemistry. <S> If you have just one character who gets all the good lines, I think you'll have to work to make sure that people are going to really LIKE that character or s <S> /he is going to get annoying. <S> Realize that the story world is not real world. <S> We don't want to read how people really talk. <S> We want something more. <S> Hyper-reality. <S> Otherwise we'd just go talk to our neighbors. <A> Dialog is a shortcut for conveying details about your story. <S> For example: "I felt like my arms were going to fall off because I was carrying those heavy grocery bags.", said Alice as she flopped down onto the sofa. <S> I could have gone with something like this instead: Alice started to pick up the bags that the clerk had filled with her groceries. <S> This store is becoming so familiar these days - teenagers always seem to be hungry - but this beats getting dinner from some fast food place almost every night. <S> Walking home, Alice went through her To-Do list - start dinner, get the mail, pay some bills tonight. <S> Although Spring just started it warmed up very quickly, making everyone sluggish. <S> Everyone except for those that ran their air conditioner at home. <S> Electricity costs so much these days, plus the groceries are adding up too. <S> The sun was a little closer to the rooftops by the time Alice reached home. <S> She heard the TV as she walked in, Bob is probably playing another game instead of doing his homework. <S> Her arms ached as she sat down next to Bob. <S> She was glad to see Bob - he's becoming a young man. <S> Staring at Bob playing his game on TV, smiling a little as she drifted off to sleep. <S> Dialog is absent from the sample, yet it conveys a richer experience. <S> Think about the world or scene you are trying to create and try to draw the reader in by telling the story as opposed to 'the facts' through dialog. <S> In terms of perfection when you use dialog, try to describe your character's typical traits in two or three words and drive their dialog and personality based on those words. <S> For example, your character could be a 'born detective' <S> so she could question everything, get easily distracted, and have a messy workspace. <S> Your character's dialog would be more consistent without being boring because readers might be able to identify your character without you having to flag their dialog with the character's name. <S> Good luck with your story.
| If the dialogue is the perfect thing for the character - in other words, if that character was a living, breathing person, and this is 100% exactly what they would say - then you've achieved something most writers would kill for.
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New digital ways of presenting a novel in 2011? The traditional way of presenting a novel is in a book. I know about e-books too. Do you know another digital ways of presenting a novel? For instance, a blog, a twitter novel or something like the mixture of a website and a novel. Having links and images in some places or something like that? (Something that could have also a bit of web design). <Q> There are many different ways of presenting books. <S> Blogs have been used to present work. <S> For example, The Orwell Diaries presented complete pages of George Orwell's work for each day in his diary. <S> Twitter can present work one sentence at a time, or snippets with links to longer work elsewhere. <S> See ReadWriteWeb for some info. <S> For tips on how to write a Twitter novel, see this article . <S> For example, see CommentPress for Wordpress <S> (examples here ). <S> MediaWiki (and other Wiki software) can be used for open collaborative works. <S> At WikiBooks , for example, they're generating collaborative text books. <S> We are Smarter than Me was written as a collaborative effort, too. <S> The recent book, Visit from the Goon Squad, which won a Pulitzer Prize, had sections written as Power Point presentations . <S> The classic Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy style of books have found a good place on-line, as it makes this style quite easy to follow. <S> Here is a list of some of these. <S> There is also The Sophie Project , which is specialist software for reading, writing, and distributing complex networked multimedia documents. <A> I'm a digital novelist myself, so I believe I can answer your question. <S> In fact, strange that you should be asking about links and images - I talked about them in my blog because I am a believer of novels empowered by digital technology. <S> Check them out , I'm sure you will find them enlightening in your search for answers/inspirations. <S> Also, a rather famous digital novel that you can check out: Inanimate Alice . <S> It's a YA novel though, don't know if it's to your liking. <A> I know a couple of people who have decided to serialize their books. <S> One has produced several novels as podcasts and releases a different chapter every week. <S> He has thousands of subscribers to his sight. <S> In fact, he started out with just the podcasts and then decided to self-publish his stories as e-books, and he is doing quite well with them. <S> Another guy is posting a different chapter each week on his blog. <S> Visitors can come weekly to check out the next chapter to keep up with the story. <S> Once he has posted about half the chapters, he will give site visitors the option of purchasing the e-book so that they can find out sooner how it all ends. <S> Of course, he will also continue to post a new chapter each week until the entire book is online. <A> You could contact Fablelane and have your story published there. <S> They will chunk it up in pieces, and allow the community to branch the story into alternative outcomes and choices, or build upon the story.
| Blogs can also be used to create interactive books that allow individuals to comment on individual sections, chapters, sentences etc. My opinion is that the best way of digitally presenting a novel is through the browser - browsers these days are becoming very competent, and one can create an entire site (with a little web design of course) devoted to a story, so that when a visitor visits the site, he is transported to a fictional world built by the author.
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Can I ePublish my out-of-print history book? Can I assume that the rights to my history book Frontier Theatre (Sono Nis 1983) reverted wholly back to me when the book went out of print around 1992? The contract was a standard pre-digital royalty book contract. People can access my book piecemeal via Amazon and Google books or whatever, by paying (much to my disdain, as I am getting zero remuneration for what has become a standard academic reference work). Can I "Kindle" the book myself? Should I approach the existing online re-publishers? <Q> The thing is: Not all publishers wrote their contracts to revert the rights back to the author just because the book went out of print! <S> The fact that they were doing nothing with the book does not necessarily mean that the rights revert to you. <S> You need to have your lawyer look over your contract. <S> If they don't have one either, then you'll need to work out with them whether the rights reverted or not. <S> It's possible they completely do not care, and thus may be willing to say 'yep, all yours!', but you won't know till you ask. <S> If you can't get hold of the contract one way or another, then proceeding without getting the publisher to say it's yours is risky - they could suddenly (and stupidly) decide to hassle you. <A> Your best bet is to contact your publisher and ask. <S> I'm in a similar situation. <S> I contacted my publisher and am awaiting an answer. <A> There's an old saying: it's easier to ask forgiveness than seek permission. <S> A book you wrote has been out of print for nigh 20 years? <S> What are the odds the publisher, if it even exists and even if it found out and even if they did in fact retain the rights, would care whether you put the book online? <S> And in the unlikely case they do <S> , they'll send you a C&D <S> (cease and desist) letter, which you will obey promptly and politely.
| If you can't get hold of your contract (you lost your copy, for instance), then you might have to go back to the original publisher (or better, your agent if you had one) to ask for a copy.
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Will my readers feel like they are reading a children's storybook if there are illustrations in my novel? I'm writing a novel. I also have good drawing skills. I would like to add illustrations of the setting, locations, and characters. I may include 8 or 10 illustrations (the novel is approximately 200 pages long). I have never seen a novel with illustrations. I wonder if readers will feel like they are reading a children's storybook if I include them? <Q> On two points: Why do you think your novel should have illustrations, when most don't? <S> Do they add anything more to your story than similar illustrations <S> would to other books in your genre? <S> If not, then whatever considerations apply to illustrations in most books, probably apply to yours as well. <S> While "good drawing skills" are great to have, even if a publisher is persuaded he does want to include illustrations, that by no means implies that he wants yours specifically. <S> Illustrations will be a huge element of book design and presentation, and it's generally very important to the publisher that he keep complete control over that. <S> If you're self-publishing, then neither of the above apply, and I see no reason why illustrations shouldn't be a colorful addition to your work. <S> But the same considerations the publisher might have should still be considered: you want to make sure your illustrations are really appealing and look professional enough to include in your book, and that they're inserted well into the overall design and layout. <S> If not-so-great artwork is inserted in a careless manner, that might make the whole book seem very shoddy. <A> Jurassic Park , Flatland , Cryptonomicon , Dead or Alive , and <S> The Last Oracle (at least) all have illustrations in them that do not detract from the story - and in many ways may enhance it. <A> No, people won't feel like its a children's book. <S> As other people said, it is relatively common in adult literature. <S> But know that it is unlikely to actually happen unless you are well-established. <S> It increases the cost of printing tremendously, since images have a much higher printing quality necessary to "look good" than words do. <S> Typically only with "guaranteed successes" like Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings do publishers take the risk of including decent illustrations. <S> If it is not possible, an alternative is posting them in full glory on your web page as an extra, and referencing the page in the book. <S> Invested fans will seek out that material. <A> They do exist, although they are a rarity. <S> You need to ask yourself if the illustrations serve a purpose beyond that of letting you use your artistic skills. <S> Will they distract or add? <A> I've seen novels with illustrations. <S> But I wouldn't care too much about it, because I'm sure your publisher will tell you, if he thinks it is a good idea. <S> If you want to self-publish, I would include them. <S> I see no harm and you can use it as unique selling proposition. <S> ;) <A> I love it when a book I'm reading has illustrations, but I'd trust my publisher on this. <A> Have you read The Little Prince ? <S> The book is in the public domain in Canada and you can read it here -- <S> it lots of hand drawn pictures and is considered to be among the top 100 books of the 20th century. <A> I can see that, in the context of a night in an art museam, pictures of items or interest would be useful and informative. <S> If they help and enhance the story, then use them. <S> If not, then don't - use your artistic skills in other books. <S> The biggest danger is using illustrations because you can, rather than because they help. <A> No. Case in point: K. Vonnegut - Breakfast of champions.
| If they are a positive part of the novel, then use them - it makes it slightly unusual, but in apositive way, and not a childish way. I don't think you need to worry about "seeming like a kid's book," I think you need to worry about making a professional submission.
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How to attract the average reader to an "intellectual" novel? For instance, If I write a novel which has the following: “The universe goes through a gradual transition from one condition, to a different condition, without any abrupt changes.” After reading the inscription, Maru closed her eyes, and tried to imagine that for while. “Things in the universe are ever-changing. They have been undergoing a continuous change for billions and billions of years, and they will keep like this forever. What once was an plant or an animal will transform in something else in the future.” Icaro said. In cases like this, should I simplify the words so that a 10 years old kid can understand the novel? Should I give practical examples? Or connect that idea to the characters? <Q> I guess there's different schools of thought on it, but for me, I'd say you should worry about attracting readers after you've written the novel the way you think it should be written. <S> What are the demands of the plot? <S> What do you characters need to do, or understand? <S> You can fine-tune as needed, and tweak areas where your betas get confused, but if you try to write a book based on what you think some poorly-defined 'average reader' wants, you'll likely end up with an unoriginal mess. <S> In my opinion. <A> "Intellectual" often means a labyrinth of language. <S> (Try reading any doctoral dissertation.) <S> Try this instead: <S> “The universe changes gradually, from one condition to another, without any abrupt changes.” <S> Same concept, same meaning, but more fun to read. <S> If you want poetic imagery, you could use something specific that nails down the same concept. <S> I think your original text, while hardly difficult, is needlessly complex, almost as if it were trying to sound sophisticated by using big words. <S> Using simpler language can fool a reader into reading something. <S> By the time they realize the concepts are complex and (hopefully) interesting, they're hooked. <S> Just because you're using simpler words doesn't make the concepts themselves simple. <A> The average person can understand what you wrote. <S> The average reader is smarter than the average person. <A> How? <S> By not trying... you seem to be asking "Should I make an 'intellectual' novel attractive to an [ill-defined/undefined] average reader by making it less intellectual". <S> But that's "dumbing down" and not "attracting". <S> Me, I always say: write it the way it has to be written. <S> Let your characters speak the way they'd speak if they were real people (for some in-universe definition of real, of course ;-)). <S> If one of your characters is a university professor who's notorious for being hard to understand even for his peers (intellectually), then <S> ... write him that way. <S> But maybe add someone who's able to translate <S> ;-) <S> Do <S> not try <S> , do never try to make your novel/story attractive to everybody . <S> Because that way madness (and failure or mediocrity (if there's a difference)) lies. <A> IMHO, the average reader is not reading a novel to be intellectually stimulated on that level - they are reading to be entertained. <S> Roping readers into following complex, "intellectual" concepts works best as an underlying theme subtly explored through the plot and environment, not directly through thinly-veiled pseudo-philosophical exposition of any sort. <S> That way, those that are inclined towards abstract thought and dissection of the authors intent can do so, while those just wanting a good read are more likely to get it. <A> You attract readers with a clear, immediately understandable hook, something like this: <S> "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." <S> Did that get your attention? <S> It's the first sentence in Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. <S> Tolstoy definitely achieved that goal! <S> Your relationship with a reader is very intimate and will know that you are writing at the level that you think a 10-year old might understand. <S> Focus on the essence of your idea first, and its meaning will come out on its own. <S> Don't be afraid to write, edit, and rewrite - and write for yourself, not for an unseen reader.
| Tell the story in the best way you can, using the words that work best for you, and THEN worry about who's going to be reading it. Like a good ad that's selling something, your goal should be to give the reader a reason to read the next line. You're in no danger of losing people intellectually, at least not with that passage.
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What are the ingredients for a good book review? I've recently started writing book reviews. I am doing this for numerous reasons, most importantly perhaps is to be able to express in a clear and concise manner. English is not my first language and I do feel that I often struggle to convey my meaning. Writing reviews turned out to be a lot harder than I thought so I am hoping that the Writers community would have some tips and pointers. So what are the ingredients for a good book review? I try and structure my reviews like this: Why did I read this book? Who is the main character and what are they like? A brief introduction of the story, and what challenges are the main character facing next My analysis of the book, the plot, world building, dialog, characters (examples not all of them usually in one review) My recommendation Anything I have left out? Anything that should not be in there?Any other tips you may have! <Q> Your list is pretty good, but it's missing something a bit fundamental. <S> Most reviewers tend to think that they're trying to help someone make up their mind whether or not to buy a book based on the what they think of the book's contents. <S> This is only half the equation. <S> What a reviewer also needs to do is show that their opinion is worth a damn. <S> Who cares if you didn't like the book? <S> Lots of people like and dislike books, so why should I care what you have to say? <S> If the reviewer has similar tastes to mine, it's a sure bet <S> I'll be a lot more interested in what they have to say. <S> So, these are some of the questions you need to answer for the reader: <S> What other work can you compare this book to that I may have read? <S> How does this book stand in relation to its genre? <S> Is the author established enough that I may have read some of his previous work, and if so, how does this book compare to those other works? <S> If the book is derivative, unoriginal, or isn't good, what would you recommend as being similar, but far superior? <S> All of these give me hints and clues as to what your preferences and tastes are, which in turn helps me decide whether your opinion actually matters. <S> That's the trick of a good review. <A> Distinguish between a review and a critique. <S> A review is meant for people who haven't read the book, and is largely intended to help them form their opinion of it; a critique is a discussion of the book which assumes the reader is familiar with the book (or, at least, is willing to read significant spoilers, because he's interested in the critique). <S> If it's a review, a major component should be introducing the piece to the reader. <S> Let him know what it's about (no spoilers!), tone, theme, why it might (or might not) be interesting. <S> I usually make an effort to leave the introduction largely unbiased in either direction - I think that helps readers be able to judge both the book and my review in proper context and on their own merit. <S> It also helps ground them - if they don't know what I'm talking about, it'll be hard for them to understand my opinion and comments! <S> Back up what you're saying whenever you can. <S> Don't hesitate to quote passages that demonstrate the parts you adored, hated, or found problematic. <S> Look for passages that you feel will give an accurate representation of the piece. <S> Give details - <S> not "Character A is a complete airhead," but rather, "Character A is portrayed as being obsessed with clothing and cars, and he shows no empathy when Character B is in trouble - coming across like a complete airhead." <S> Consider what the author was trying to achieve. <S> If the author was aiming for a blockbuster thriller, then complaining that the characters were dull and superficial is legitimate criticism, but might be missing the point. <S> It's fine to mention faults that the author might have accepted willingly - but do devote some attention to the goals the author was actually aiming for. <S> Again, this also helps readers with different tastes than you figure out where their tastes diverge from your own. <S> Hope <S> this is helpful :) <A> You're reviewing fiction, which I rarely touch. <S> IMO, more subjective; in addition, I prefer to keep my tastes in recreational reading private. <S> +1 here: <S> someone I can identify with in terms of likes and dislikes Tell me why it is that you responded / <S> reacted the way you did. <S> "The book wasn't about the parrot in the title, but the dysfunctional family that never figured out how to take care of the parrot they thought they needed to have. <S> " <S> "I found it strange that the author insists on systems, yet punishes wait staff for not living up to his uncommunicated expectations by leaving a tiny or no tip." <S> "This book exclusively addresses 'breed-standard' photography, and every dog in the pictures has a string of letters in front of its formal name. <S> No mutts allowed." <S> Readers can chose to agree or disagree with the # of my stars, but it's clear why I selected the # I did. <S> Most of all? <S> Keep at it. <S> I almost always disregard the reviews of people who have written fewer than one page of reviews in Amazon. <S> I'll pay much more attention to someone who has > 100.
| A successful review is one that demonstrates to me that the writer is an authority that I should pay attention to and, perhaps more importantly, someone I can identify with in terms of likes and dislikes.
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Does this feel like natural English? Although I'm pretty confident in my English, I'm not a native English speaker. I need to write a short introduction for a symposium; I'd like to know if you think this paragraph feels like 'natural' English: The following paper showcases the various ways through which modern information technologies can be used to spread environmental awareness and teach the general public about the importance of conservationism, as well as present one of the many ways new technologies aid envoronmentalists in gaining a better understanding of the natural world. <Q> The verb "present" should agree in number with the subject ("paper"). <S> I would also put a more definitive break after conservationism, either a semicolon or a period and a new sentence: <S> The following paper showcases the various ways through which modern information technologies can be used to spread environmental awareness and teach the general public about the importance of conservationism ; it also presents <S> one of the many ways new technologies aid envoronmentalists in gaining a better understanding of the natural world. <A> I heartily second @Cos Callis's suggestions. <S> But I am more heartless than he, more savage; I would cut further. <S> He suggests: The following paper showcases the ways through which modern information technology spreads awareness to the general public of the importance of conservationism. <S> This technology is but one of the many ways environmentalists gain a better understanding of the natural world. <S> To take just the first sentence: This <S> The following paper shows cases the ways through which how modern information technology helps spreads awareness to the general <S> the public of learn the importance of conservation ism . <S> Gives us; This paper shows how information technology helps the public learn the importance of conservation. <S> But that's not good: "helps the public learn?" <S> Ewwww! <S> So: This paper shows how information technology helps teach the importance of conservation. <S> And now for the second sentence: <S> This t Technology is but one of the many ways environmentalists gain a better understanding of the natural world. <S> we learn about the world. <S> Technology is but one way we learn about the world. <S> And that's enough blood and Gore for today :-) <A> Yes, it feels like natural English to me (native English speaker). <S> If I may suggest a change, it would be to break it into more sentences. <A> It sounds natural, it is good grammar. <S> It is fine the way it is.... <S> but... (you knew that was coming) <S> I am a big fan of "short and to the point", with that preface here is how I would rework it. <S> Feel free to take all, none or any bit of my opinion. <S> Depending on your meaning the sentence fragment: ... <S> modern information technologies <S> can... <S> might be better phrased: modern information technology can Information Technology is a singularfield of study or occupation. <S> Information technologies are an everchanging collection of knowledge,opinions and paradigms. <S> it continues: spread environmental awareness and teach the general public about the importance of conservationism <S> spread environmental awareness <S> teach the general public about the importance of conservationism <S> What is the difference? <S> (what do you mean it to be?) <S> maybe (IMHO) spread awareness to general public of the importance of conservationism. <S> would be more concise? <S> (also, break on the period...start a new sentence.) <S> ,as well as This is good sign that you have a run on. <S> After the period try This technology (or these technologies) are but one of the many ways environmentalists gain a better understanding of the natural world.(note: <S> when you say "as well as present one of the many ways new technologies" "one" does not agree with the plural "technologies".) <S> The following paper showcases the ways through which modern information technology spreads awareness to the general public of the importance of conservationism. <S> This technology is but one of the many ways environmentalists gain a better understanding of the natural world. <A> It's (almost) grammatically correct, but it doesn't seem "natural" to me at all. <S> It seems artificially passive and impersonal. <S> Who uses the technologies to spread awareness and teach the public? <S> The only two actors in the sentence are "this paper" and "new technologies." <S> Where are the people? <S> That said, scholarly publications often seem to prefer a passive, impersonal style, which lends an appearance of objectivity. <S> I think that style is slowly becoming less common, even in scholarly writing, but it may be exactly appropriate for this symposium. <A> In my opinion The following paper showcases the various ways through which modern information technologies can be used to spread environmental awareness and teach the general public about the importance of conservationism, as well as present one of the many ways new technologies aid environmentalists in gaining a better understanding of the natural world. <S> should be <S> This paper shows ways modern information technology helps spread awareness of the environment and the importance of conservation to the public, along with one way environmentalists use technology to better understand the natural world.
| It feels like natural academic English to me.
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What Types of Jobs can a Writer find? as you all realize the term 'Writer' is very broad and general. So my quick question is: I'm trying to help my young aspiring writer friend find a job in PA, but the term writer is really general. What kind of jobs can a writer apply to, really? There are jobs in journalism, sure, but even that is too broad. I mean, even in a job application adding 'Writer' seems too broad for a recruiting agency to take seriously. What do you all think? <Q> My short answer - your friend can find any sort of job s <S> /he is interested in and qualified for. <S> Your friend can work at a coffee shop or a law firm, be a ditch digger or a surgeon, and still be a writer. <S> S <S> /he might not write for a living, and at first that seems unfortunate, but the further I go with my own writing, the more convinced I am that writing works best for me as an avocation <S> ; I suspect this may be true for others, as well. <S> There are millions of people out there who want to write, and a significant number of those people are talented and intelligent enough to do it very well. <S> Most of the employers with jobs in which writing is a major component are fully aware of this glut of talent -- so they don't pay a lot, and the jobs are not easy to get. <S> There's freelancing, which works for some people, but it sounds like your friend is looking for something more stable? <S> If your friend is at the stage where s/ <S> he is defining their skill set as generally as 'writer', I'm guessing it's not a very developed/educated set of skills, and that means that there are a lot of people further up the queue toward the few jobs there are. <S> So, yeah, this may sound a bit bleak, but as I said, I'm coming to believe that for all but a very few, writing is better as a hobby. <S> I spend my day at work in a job I enjoy but don't love, and I come home BURNING to write. <S> I use the emotions and experiences that I had through my day in the world, and that I've gathered from a lifetime of working a variety of non-writing jobs, and I pour all of that into my stories and characters. <S> I'm sure others can give you more specific recommendations, but these are my thoughts based on what I read in your question. <A> I work in IT and we often need skilled writers to help with documentation and promotional material. <S> Pretty much every company I worked for has had at least one Technical Writer and most more than one. <A> If they'd like to work with fiction, there are tons of jobs you can get. <S> You can go the standard author job and write books for a living. <S> Or you can work in editing, as a literary agent, or any number of publishing jobs. <S> If they'd like to work in the corporate world, big businesses are always looking for writers. <S> These are the people that write company wide memos, come up with slogans, do company newsletters, etc. <S> There are thousands of magazines a person can work for writing articles. <S> Magazines are always looking for writers and editors. <S> You can also work in the technology field. <S> Companies are looking for people to write manuals, FAQ pages, About Us pages, and a bunch more. <S> The point is, if your friend wants to work with writing for a living, there are plenty of job opportunities out there, you just have to find one you like and go for it. <A> Your friend should play up their ability to write in a specific style. <S> While some people are good at prose, others may be good at PR, ad copy, summarizing, etc. <S> Even if it's not the kind of writing they want to do, they should figure out what kind of writing <S> they're good at and push that heavily in applications. <S> For example, the ability to translate complex and jargon-filled topics into plain, easy-to-understand English is very important in technical fields. <S> Science writers are essentially journalists who make science available to the masses, and they have to be able to take very complex topics and boil them down into something simple. <S> If your friend has a passion for that, then that may be an avenue worth pursuing.
| For those who want to work with writing there are plenty of job opportunities out there. They could write on any subject that interests them - birds, hiking, fishing, cars, sports, etc. It makes sense to find a job that involves things you enjoy.
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How to explain something mid sentence I'm writing a review for a fiction book and I'm using a lot of terminology that is specific to the book and I feel that it has to be given some context and explanation. Otherwise any reader would be left in the dark. I have so far tried this: Laurent and Phil had to go see the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church , and warn him of a conspiracy to steal his hat. I just inserted it between commas after the word I wanted to explain was used. Is that the correct way to do it? If it is are there other good techniques you can use to vary your style a bit? <Q> I think this construction is fine, but you're right, <S> if you overuse it you may find that your writing seems monotonous. <S> I would first work on cutting as much of the extraneous information as possible. <S> Reviews aren't summaries -- they generally include a brief synopsis (leaving out the ending, of course), but especially in a book with a convoluted plot or complicated setting, I think less is more. <S> I personally don't like it when book reviews reveal much more than the blurb on the back of the book does. <S> So maybe you don't need as much information as you think. <S> eg. <S> The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and is based in a heavily defended fortress of faith, the Vatican. <S> Satan assigns Laurent and Phil the task of stealing the Pope's jewel-encrusted ceremonial hat. <A> There are three ways to insert an aside mid-sentence like this: <S> Commas: "Laurent and Phil had to go see the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, and warn him..." <S> Em or En Dashes <S> ( NOT the same as a hyphen ): <S> "Laurent and Phil had to go see the Pope — the leader of the Catholic Church — and warn him..." <S> Parenthetical aside: "Laurent and Phil had to go see the Pope (the leader of the Catholic Church) and warn him..." <S> Some people will argue that one of these is best for a particular situation, but they are largely interchangeable, so you can usually just use the one that feels best to you. <A> What you have done is fine. <S> You can also change the order, and provide the explanation first. <S> Example: ... had to go see the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, and warn ... <S> Alternatively, you can also use hyphens. <S> Example: ... had to go see the Pope - the head of the Catholic Church - and warn ... <A> For the record, this is called the appositive http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.htm <A> Or perhaps even: "The Pope is the head of the Church and Lauren and Phil trembled when they were sent to see him." <S> I hope this example is fictitious <S> and you don't feel you have to tell your readers about the Pope.
| If you DO need it all, I'd suggest mixing the structure up with a few sentences that are just background information, and also including a bit more information in your main clauses.
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Which goes first: summary, background or justification? I am trying to write a long expository piece and cannot figure out which information should come first. Here are three candidates: A summary /abstract lists the main points, without necessarily explaining what they mean. Pros: gets the main information out rapidly if you already understand context. Cons: Unintelligible if reader doesn't already know background information. Background information explains the key prerequisite terms and facts, which are necessay for understanding a conclusion or summary. Pros: if the reader reads this first, then s/he will definitely be able to understand the summary and conclusions when they arrive. Cons: it will take a long time to read through the background in order to get to the conclusions. Justification states a challenging situation, explains why someone should care about reading the document or looking for a solution. Pros: reader understands why it's worth reading the document, frames subsequent content Cons: makes the reader have to read through the justification (which s/he may already know) in order to get down the solution/conclusions summary. Which do you think should come first, or in what order? Is there any other information that would be more valuable to introduce the document? Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thank you! <Q> Your three scenarios were great; apply the same thoughtful analysis to determining the requirements of your audience, then I think you'll answer your own question. <S> Here are some example audience requirements, illustrated from the reader's point of view: Which of these grant applications should I recommend to the committee for approval? <S> Which of these feature article proposals is likely to entice readers to buy the magazine? <S> If I follow the steps on this help page, will I complete the task successfully, get the boss off my back, and get back to what I'd rather be doing? <S> Is this the right pharmaceutical to prescribe to my patients? <S> If in doubt, be the proposed audience for your work, see what else is out there, and evaluate how well it meets your needs. <A> If it is a lengthy piece, than keep in mind that presenting the structure of the document in some sort of table of contents and then writing sections in such a way that they can be read out of order can minimize your problem. <S> Otherwise, here are my two cents on writing expository piece: summary has to go at the beginning <S> (if you are going to include it at all; don't reveal too much though), background and justification are both part of introduction <S> (establish the interest and trust), main part is where you present and elaborate your main points ( <S> discoveries that you bring to the reader), conclusion recapitulates main points and draws main conclusions Of course, <S> the nature and intrinsic structure of the content can justify almost any deviation from the proposed frame. <A> Thanks for the important insight, I hadn't thought to explicitly consider the audience. <S> Here is my speculation: <S> Business readers (my actual audience in this case) care about justification ("why should I care?") <S> first, then summary ("get to the point!"), then background. <S> Academic readers traditionally put a summary/abstract first, and then background/justification. <S> Usually the justification is that there was a hole or flaw in existing knowledge, so the background is the justification, and vice versa. <S> I can't think of an example off the top of my head that really wants pure background information first, unless it's a sort of combined entertainment-education where the piece is interesting because it's leading the reader down an intellectual journey without revealing the destination ahead of time. <S> Intellectual mysteries/adventures or whatnot. <S> That's what I've got so far. <S> Thanks for your help! <A> All of the above, and none of the above.
| You need to capture the reader's attention, summarize why this had to be written, and give them a reason to keep reading.
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What's a good title to a presentations' table of contents? This is a professional presentation, I'm looking for a good title for the ToC page (some humor allowed). What I have so far is "What am I going to talk about", which frankly kind of sucks.Your suggestions? <Q> Off the top of my head: <S> Why You Might Want To Leave Now Instead Of <S> What You Wanted to Hear About, I Am Going To Talk About All The Things I'm Going To Try To Tell You If You'll Just Be Quiet <S> The Stuff Standing Between You And Lunch <S> Because I Have The Remote <S> A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... <S> Table of Contents, If You're Lucky EDIT <S> I got some more: <S> I Swear This Won't Be A Boring <S> As It Looks A <S> Moose Bit My Sister <S> "Now is the table of our discontent." <S> Shut Up And Pay Attention <A> I like this advice that I heard long ago: <S> Tell 'em what you're gonna' tell 'em. <S> Tell 'em. <S> Tell <S> 'em what you told 'em. <S> Adjourn. <S> EDIT moved from a comment and added to this answer at the suggestion of @Neil Fein: <S> It's a professional presentation, you're a professional, so act like one. <S> The best opening, imo, is "what I'm going to talk about. <S> " Anything else looks like you're apologizing for stealing their valuable time; if that were true, they wouldn't be in the audience. <S> If you try for humor, it had better be sure-fire and guaranteed to bring a laugh, otherwise you will look as foolish, inept, and unprofessional as every other presenter who ever tried the exact same thing. <S> Just imo. <A> At the start of your presentation, show This is going to be legen - wait for it <S> , wait for it ... <S> and at the end, instead of "THE END" , put DARY! <A> You could go old "school" and stick with "Objectives". <A> Today's menu. <S> Obstacle course. <S> Things to come. <S> Bad ideas. <S> The sheet of music. <S> (The last one would support a snarky intro, "just so we're all on the same sheet of..." <S> Also, consider not having a TOC. <S> Just jump right in. <S> If you want a header slide to your deck, pull out three to five key concepts and just show those. <S> The art of presentations now is leaning toward very bare, stripped down slides that support your talk, but do not detail it. <S> Hard to describe, but when you see it done well, you know it. <A> Consider removing the ToC page. <S> I never use them any more, and nobody misses them. <A> Menu egg and bacon egg sausage and bacon egg and spam egg bacon and spam egg bacon sausage and spam spam bacon sausage and spam spam egg spam spam bacon and spam <S> spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam <S> Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam Conclusion <A> 1) <S> The next 30 minutes .... <S> (or whatever is the duration of your presentation) <S> 2) <S> This discussion is about ... <A> I use "Agenda" as the second slide in my presentations. <S> First is the session title with my name, title, etc. <S> I don't read the agenda, and the name is self-explanatory. <S> Just mention this is what will be covered <S> and I talk about housekeeping, but this works well. <S> I have also at times used this same slide multiple times in the presentation at the beginning of each section, highlighting the area that is being covered. <A> It really depends on the context of your presentation, but here are some quick, general suggestions: The Lowdown <S> The Down n' Dirty <S> The Nitty Gritty <S> The Play by Play <S> The Deets
| I'm Going To Talk About The Following
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Can I use "We" to refer to me and the reader? I am writing my thesis and in many cases I want to take the reader through an example. For example: Besides the advanced composition rules, it is also important to have a set of basic rules to help in controlling some of the elements of the frame. For example, I may want to have a river across the diagonal of the frame yet I want some animals near the river to be in the top-left corner of the frame. I can use the diagonal dominance rule on the river to assure that it is shown diagonally but the other advanced rules cannot be of any use for placing the animal in the top-left corner of the frame. For this, I have implemented the following basic composition rules and found them to be enough for most applications: As you can see, I am talking the reader through an example to help distinguish how basic composition rules are also important. So which is better to use here, "I" or "We" meaning I and the reader? Or actually, is the second case even understood in English writing or it will be understood as there are many authors, or the author is showing off? I don't feel comfortable with "I" because it gives a personal feeling to the statement. In other words, how am I important here? So it is some experiment that I have done so that I must say I. <Q> I think the answer for this is going to depend on your audience. <S> "I" and "We" are both first person, and the use of first person is usually considered more casual, and not suited for formal writing in many academic fields. <S> But I think this rule is relaxing, and your instructor may or may not want you to follow it. <S> I'd check. <S> Assuming you're allowed to use first person, my personal preference would be to use "I". <S> "We" is more vague - who are "we", exactly, and why are you speaking for us? <S> You could also re-write this passage in third person: "For example, the artist may want to have a river across the diagonal of the frame and also to to have some animals near the river in the top-left corner of the frame. <S> The diagonal dominance rule would apply to the river, but the other advanced rules cannot be of any use..." <S> In this case, I think the example you gave sounds like a personal reflection, while the rewrite sounds more like a statement of universal truths. <S> Which effect are you going for? <A> The "I" in your example quote clearly refers to you, the author, and does not include the reader. <S> Replacing "I" with "we" does indicate you are referring to both you and the reader. <S> However, you have to be cautious, because the context could change. <S> For example, you could reach a point where you need to refer to you and someone else other than the reader, in which case using "we" could confuse the issue. <S> Personally, if you are addressing the reader, and you want to take the reader through an example, I would consider using "you" directly instead of "we". <S> Remember: the example is for the benefit of the reader, and not yourself. <S> Therefore, use "you" and "I" so that there is no ambiguity. <S> An example rework of what you've given: <S> Besides the advanced composition rules, it is also important to have a set of basic rules to help in controlling some of the elements of the frame. <S> For example, you may want to have a river across the diagonal of the frame, yet also want some animals near the river to be in the top-left corner of the frame. <S> You can use the diagonal dominance rule on the river to assure that it is shown diagonally, but the other advanced rules cannot be of any use for placing the animal in the top-left corner of the frame. <S> For this, you should implement the following basic composition rules, which I found to be enough for most applications: <A> You may want to ask your thesis adviser about this specific case. <S> "We" can be completely acceptable in formal documentation, e.g. business communication. <S> Whether "we" is acceptable in a document that is both formal and academic probably depends upon your department and the ultimate destination of the thesis. <S> (E.g. my undergrad sociology thesis probably would not have cared.) <A> I always use 'we' in academic writing to avoid the over-personal 'I'. <S> In this context, 'we' stands for 'us, the people that conducted this research and are writing this paper'. <S> There are many examples of this use in published papers, frequently with just one author.
| "We" can also be acceptable in informal problem solving, e.g. it's frequently used during academic lectures while explaining an example, as I expect you're mirroring in the writing. The answer is going to depend on context, and the consistency of your usage.
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Is it a Good or Bad thing to use 'I' Regularly in Magazine Articles? Do readers want to read articles where the author refers to themselves and their experiences, or would they prefer the author to leave themselves out of the article? When I say 'readers' I'm specifically talking about women reading high end magazines. Thank you,Tara <Q> Is the topic one on which you have special experience, or is it a piece you've researched? <S> Is the article a column or editorial, or just a regular piece? <S> If I'm reading an article written by a woman I'm familiar with, I'd be fine with "I". <S> (eg. <S> if Angelina Jolie decided to explain her decision to adopt, "I" would be good). <S> If the person who wrote the article is recounting a unique adventure, I'd expect "I". <S> (eg. <S> if the article is about a woman's solo crossing of the Sahara, I'd expect first person). <S> Otherwise, I'd want third person. <S> If the article is designed to inform me, I want to hear from the experts, not from the person who has put the experts' opinions together. <S> I'd also recommend that you check the style used by the magazine to which you're submitting - what has everyone else done? <A> It's going to heavily depend on the topic you're writing on and the magazine you're writing for. <S> If the article is one of personal experience - your experience raising an autistic child, your fight against cancer, etc. <S> - then you would use "I" in the article. <S> If the article is primarily a research or academic type article - new diabetes medication, a literary analysis of Twilight, a weight loss place, etc - then you would write the piece in third person. <S> This doesn't just apply to magazine writing but also for writing school essays, news articles, and the like. <S> But if you're ever in doubt whether you should write the piece in first person or third, contact the editor of the magazine/newspaper/whatever and ask for clarification. <S> They'd much rather answer your question <S> than have you write it wrong and either waste their time rejecting it or asking for a rewrite. <A> I would ask your editor, different magazines will have different guidelines on this kind of thing and what one magazine will love another will hate. <A> Ask your editor. <S> Some publications have style guidelines for these things.
| If the article is an editorial or column in which writers are expected to express their opinion, I'd expect "I".
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Quoting text from a country with different internationalization I'm writing my doctoral dissertation here in the United States, and quoting some text from an English-language paper written in Germany. In Germany, the convention for writing numbers is to use a comma as the decimal separator ( 3,5 meters ), but in the United States, the convention is to use a period as the decimal separator ( 3.5 meters ). Is it appropriate to reformat the numbers to the American convention when I quote this paper, or is it more appropriate to leave it as-is? <Q> In academic writing, following style guides is particularly important for citations and notes. <S> Are you editing to APA style or another style guide? <S> I'd absolutely check that first and do as the style guide instructs. <S> Your department may also have a style guide for you to follow. <S> (I don't have a copy of APA <S> or I'd check.) <S> Barring any such guidance: If you're quoting verbatim , I would leave the quotes as-is, keeping it clear that the quoted material's source clear, unless it causes confusion . <S> If this happens more than once, you can leave a note explaining the difference if you feel it's needed. <S> If you're paraphrasing, use the U.S. convention. <S> Disclaimer: I've not worked on academic papers, and don't know APA well, so get another opinion on that last part. <A> I've been thinking about it, and I think if you're only doing this a couple times, I'd recommend that you just not quote the original directly. <S> It's a total cheat, and if you can find a better answer, I'd love to hear it, but... <S> Instead of: <S> German researchers found that only "3,5 percent of the world's population knew how to quote these numbers correctly". <S> (Schmidt 74) <S> I'd say: German researchers found that 3.5 percent of people world-wide knew the correct format for translating numerical quotations. <S> (Schmidt 74) <S> I know there are times when direct quotations are absolutely necessary, but hopefully this isn't one of them? <A> As it says above generally you should stick to the style guide you have been given. <S> If this gives no guidelines then seek clarification from your evaluator, mentor, tutor etc. <S> If they have no idea then maybe you could suggest a popular method of substituting your own words into a quotation, the use of square brackets <S> e.g. <S> "Because of his internal conflict, his sanity is questioned." <S> ~A.Quote <S> becomes " <S> Because of [Hamlet's] internal conflict, his sanity is questioned." <S> ~A.Quote <S> In your example: 3,5 meters ~original is substituted with: [3.5] meters ~altered to increase context and clear cultural confusion. <A> How about adding [sic], meaning "intentionally so written," to indicate that you are quoting something which is written "incorrectly"? <S> "3,5 meters [sic]" <A> Alternatively, if the dissertation is for an English audience and you feel uncomfortable using the German numerical conventions, convert them and footnote the first usage explaining that to your audience. <S> Either way you've covered the bases. <S> You could also preface your first quote with the explanation, or explain your decision in a foreword. <S> One explanation is enough, however. <S> The quotations will get tedious if you call out each usage. <S> Whatever you do, it would be a good idea to run the idea by your advisor.
| If the original paper is in English but uses the German convention for decimals, and you are going to hold to that convention in the quoted material, I would put a footnote by the first use to explain you are doing so, then simply quote as is.
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Is P.S. (Post Script) still useful in the age of email? "Post script is usually written when a writer forgets to write something on the main body of the letter and wants to add on to what he had written on the letter." But in this age of email and word processors, why would anyone want to use P.S.? Is its usage still relevant and any particular reason for it? <Q> I usually use it purposely to add something related to the email, but that I don't want to mix with the rest, likely to let the reader to focus more easily on the part of the email <S> I think it's more important; I like to use it like a sort of "side note", placed after the written text (lit. <S> latin "post scriptum" can be translated as "after the written (text)") <A> The postscript is indeed of limited use, but it might still be useful when one has something else to say, but doesn't want to compose the email all over again. <S> People still do compose letters from time to time, and send them on paper. <S> I do it <S> maybe once a year, <S> and I can see it coming up where I have something to add, but don't want to print the letter again. <S> There may well come a time where people don't know what "P.S." means, just as some people don't realize that "R.S.V.P." means to reply soonest, please . <S> Love, Neil. <A> It seems perfectly acceptable to include a PS in a body of an email for various reasons. <S> The two I can think of are: if youre in a hurry <S> and you just thought of something, and if the postscript is not somewhat unrelated to the body of the email <A> P.S. is also useful for literary/cultural impact. <S> It sets off a small sentence from the rest of the epistle, giving it more kick and import. <S> (Using "P.S., I love you" can be particularly effective, as it's become somewhat of a meme due to being featured in song(s) and other media in English.) <A> I would not include a post script in the body of an email because post means afterwards, so if inserted into the body, it's no longer "post". <S> As one responder previously mentioned, a post script is an added thought, often of some short comment entirely different, or as a brief comment that contributes to what has been said, but gives a short insight or some other contribution to what has been written. <S> I use post scripts in hand-written letters frequently, but since emails are generally shorter and more succinct, I have less need to use them in that format. <A> I believe there is no use of PS in emails. <S> If an unrelated sentence needs to be written down, it could simply become seperate paragraph. <S> This somehow reminds me the page flipping animation used when reading e-books, which, for me, is at least as meaningless.
| I find that with emails, I insert additional thoughts in parenthesis or in between dashes just as in letter writing, but because of the shorter nature of my emails, I rarely use post scripts. P.S., It also might be useful if one is mimicking an old-style letter format.
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What are some strategies for developing basic writing skills? Beginning Writing (again) I have a friend who is going back to college after a decade, and is quickly finding out that his/her writing skills are not up to snuff. He/she writes in a style suited more for Facebook than business or academia. What are some strategies they should follow to start developing basic writing skills? I don't know that throwing them a copy of On Writing Well is the best way to get them started. Edit: Adding to the question, any useful resources on organizing thoughts/brainstorming/mindmapping/outlining in advance of writing?? <Q> In my experience, revising teaches more about good writing than anything else. <S> Most people who are not experienced writers are putting so much effort and attention into getting something down on paper that they have no mental RAM left for phrasing and style. <S> After a while, he or she should start to catch things him/herself. <S> It's not easy on the ego, so be sure your friend wants it, but it is effective. <S> You could start be helping to make sure the grammar and spelling are reasonably good, then as fewer of those fixes are needed, also make sure all content is in place and well organized, then as those fixes are less often needed start working on concision and style. <S> This way your friend is less likely to be overwhelmed by how much needs fixing. <A> One of the best ways to learn is to learn from example. <S> Get your friend to read some examples of well-written essays, paying particular attention to the language used, and construction of arguments, etc. <S> Perhaps he/she can ask her teacher for some past examples from the course itself, or better yet, see what advice they can give related directly to the course. <S> Other than that, reading a few basic primers on academic writing would definitely help. <S> Check to see if the college doesn't have some publications on writing it recommends to students, too. <S> They may even offer a course to help cover the basics. <A> Reading good writing is great for learning to write (what a sentence!). <S> Reading BAD writing is even better for learning to write. <S> Give your friend some examples of terrible writing and ask them what makes it terrible. <S> Writing is like book design--the better it is, the less you notice it. <S> By reading something that is well-written, we're more likely to get caught up in the content than the structure. <S> Critiquing something poorly-written supercharges our analysis engines. <S> The more practiced we are at analyzing the work of others, the better we'll be at analyzing our own work. <A> Two things will help: writing and reading. <S> Your friend should start writing about whatever comes to mind, and do that on a regular basis. <S> The writing should remain private, to alleviate the anxiety that might arise if he anticipates that someone might read it later. <S> Start with a pencil and paper - or a book. <S> I suggest a pencil because it's slower than a pen and needs a level of attention that writing with a pen does not need. <S> Slow down, consider your thoughts, and then take the time to actually write them out by hand <S> goes a long way. <S> Read a lot too <S> : news, magazines, books (modern and the classics) - get a feel for what you like <S> and, more importantly, why you like it . <S> I usually have my writing book next to the book I'm reading and have a written conversation with the author, the characters, or simply just write about whatever I'm reading. <S> Later, once your friend is more comfortable writing, have him write articles like opinions, reviews, a short story, or even directions for using a coffee maker - something that he knows someone else will read and edit. <S> And, like it says on the bottle: later, rinse, repeat! <S> Good luck! <A> For me, the best way to improve my writing is to edit and re-edit, over and over, without mercy, deleting superfluous junk and beefing up weak ideas. <S> I usually end up with a paper that's about half as long as I started with. <S> There's no doubt about it: <S> the way to learn to write is to write.
| Instead of worrying about your friend's writing per se, offer to act as a sounding board to help by reading what your friend has written and offering suggested edits. Write about what you read.
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Do I need to write a bibliography? I made a program and wrote a paper on how it works. I do not quote anything, I just talk about my program. Do I still need to write a bibliography? <Q> I don't understand the question. <S> How COULD you write a bibliography if you didn't read anything? <S> Or...did you read something, and just not quote it? <S> If you consulted a resource but didn't quote from it, you need to be sure whether you're working in a field that requires a 'Works Cited' page, or a field that requires a 'Bibliography'. <S> Generally, as the names suggest, a Works Cited page only lists those works you actually cite, while a bibliography traditionally lists all the works you consulted . <S> So... If you didn't do any reading for this assignment, obviously you don't need either; If you did some reading but didn't include anything that requires a citation, then you should check whether you're expected to create a full bibliography (list whatever you read) or just a Works Cited (don't list anything, since you didn't cite anything). <A> If it's useful to the reader, you might refer to written descriptions of: data structures or algorithms you used (if they're unusual or important) <S> the overall structure or architecture of your system the problem your system helps users to solve your development process and practices <S> And if you refer to such descriptions, you might make a bibliography of them. <S> If there aren't any written descriptions of those things, or you don't think it would be helpful to cite them, you don't need a bibliography. <A> Your paper is a description of the program that you wrote. <S> The program is your production. <S> If an algorithm you chose to implement is controversial, you might want to cite an article or two. <S> And if you decided to implement one algorithm over another, and the reasons for your choice aren't obvious, then I think it's an excellent idea to justify your choice with citations.
| If you realized a process in a new, efficient way, then it would be good to mention some of the background in a citation.
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Does this convey that I recommend the anthology I'm reviewing? Here's a snipped-up version of a review of an anthology I wrote a while back ( full original review here ). Most of the stories were pretty good, a few were superb, and there were a few poor ones. For an anthology, I consider that to be nothing short of spectacular, but some tepid responses gave me the sense that maybe that bottom-line recommendation was less than clear - more "some stories are good and some are bad" than "like most anthologies, some stories are better than others, but there's some good stuff and great stuff and it's worth your time." I'm leaving in more of the criticism than the praise, because if it seems overly harsh, I want to know that. I'm also cutting out all proper names, since I don't want this question to come up on searches for the actual anthology or its author. Let's begin by saying that this is a strong, solid collection. Almost every story in the anthology is, at very least, an enjoyable read, and many of them do a lot more than that. Let me focus on the stories I found particularly fascinating. The strong trio that, IMHO, form the backbone of the anthology are [Story 1] [10-word description], [Story 2], [10-word description], and [Story 3], [10-word description]. Each of these stories is superb. [Story 1] effortlessly submerses us in a different age and a different mindset. [Story 2] combines a very neat science-fictional premise with human pain and hurt; couching it all in the familiar geeksome pastime of collecting makes for a powerful and unusual story. And [Story 3] conveys perfectly the uncertainty and desperation of its characters, while bringing them to life - in addition to a stunning conclusion which is sure to leave readers gasping for breath. One thing this trio of stories has in common is that they are firmly rooted in an element that is firmly mundane - yet unfamiliar, lesser-known. [Elaboration on this point.] The other crucial element of these stories that I'd like to touch upon is: suspense. You're doing it right. [Elaboration on this point.] The rest of the stories may not reach the mark set by [three awesome stories] but many of them have intriguing premises and interesting ideas. Many of these stories are of the simple, one-note variety - but they're interesting, unfamiliar notes. [Examples.] The remaining stories are mostly solid, well-written tales involving familiar tropes; most of these are on the enjoyable-but-forgettable side, but I particularly enjoyed [Story 4] for its creatively odd choice of details and plot twists. The anthology is not flawless - [Story A] which shuffles back and forth between three unrelated characters, and [Story B named after a poem] which is constructed around the titular poem, both felt to me to be subjugating content to structure, and I didn't much care for the experiment. [Story C] on the other hand, was far too deep in familiar territory - when the novice travellers find their first transportation is the Hindenburg right before it crashes, it's not difficult to guess the pattern, yet the protagonists take forever to realize what's going on. Particularly aggravating was [Story D] which read as generic escapist juvenile urban fantasy. You know - the kind where the teenage boy is allowed to be obsessive and stalkerish because, oh-so-conveniently, his rival is actually a troll, and all the other characters are similarly Color-Coded For Your Convenience , forming a big, self-congratulatory mess. Clearly not a story meant to be given much thought. In summary, [Book Name] is a fine and worthy single-author anthology, from an author certainly worth keeping track of. Only a few stories here are absolute must-reads, but a few of those and a full house of enjoyable, creative stories makes for a very pleasant collection indeed. Thanks much! <Q> Well, I do find it a little conflicting in terms of your praise. <S> You seem to switch between enjoyable and forgettable. <S> The impression I get from what you've written is that you're firmly in the middle. <S> Words like "fine", "enjoyable" and "pleasant" are fairly mild in terms of their praise, in my opinion, and signify that the anthology is, on the whole, just average. <S> It's like saying something is "nice", or "decent". <S> It just doesn't excite me, nor does it convey to me that you found the anthology exciting or worth the time and effort. <S> Compare that to when you used the word "superb", which made me pay attention to those particular stories. <S> I wanted to overlook the others in comparison. <S> Also, just to point out: in your question, you state " <S> For an anthology, I consider that to be nothing short of spectacular", yet that certainly is not the impression you give in your piece. <S> In fact, you don't say anything of the sort. <S> You come across as sitting on the fence, and hedging your bets, almost as if you're being non-committal. <S> If you had started by saying that "This is a spectacular anthology for the fact that the majority of stories excellent, solid and well-told", it would utterly change the tone. <S> And one other point: be careful of the pink elephant. <S> Don't put negatives in my head. <S> For example: The rest of the stories may not reach the mark set by [three awesome stories] but many of them have intriguing premises and interesting ideas. <S> Many of these stories are of the simple, one-note variety - but <S> they're interesting, unfamiliar notes. <S> The problem with the language you've used here is that you've put it in my head that: <S> The majority of the stories are not as good as the other three <S> The majority of stories are simple, one-note stories <S> It doesn't matter that you qualify your statements afterwards <S> , you've made me think of those two facts, and that's what I'll remember. <A> My reaction to the review was: "There are three good stories, four bad ones, and a bunch of OK ones." <S> I'm not sure how many stories the collection contains, but if only three of the bunch are noteworthy, I might not think it worth the cost (in dollars or energy) to read. <S> The rocky part really starts in the 6th paragraph. <S> The first two sentences are set up as [negative words] but [good words]. <S> Putting the negative stuff first weights it more heavily in my mind that they positive words. <S> The real message is the third sentence: "The remaining stories are mostly solid, well-written tales involving familiar tropes". <S> I think this sentence is an example of the tone you're looking for. <S> It starts positive and explains the shortcomings with gentler vocabulary. <S> As a person generally unfamiliar with the content of anthologies, three good stories in the whole bunch doesn't seem very appealing. <S> If three out of x is actually a spectacularly high number, mention that in the review. <A> Your thoughts and reactions are the important things. <S> Yet you camouflage them: <S> "Let's begin by saying that this is a strong, solid collection. <S> Almost every story in the anthology is, at very least, an enjoyable read, and many of them do a lot more than that. <S> Let me focus on the stories I found particularly fascinating." <S> May I suggest? <S> " Let's begin by saying that t <S> This is a strong, solid collection. <S> and many of them do a lot <S> Many are much more. <S> than that . <S> Let me focus on the stories I found particularly fascinating. " <S> More than half your words are distracting ornament, imo, and weaken your message. <S> The para reads like your first timid draft. <S> You're convinced about this anthology; please let me hear your conviction.
| Almost every story in the anthology is , at very least, an enjoyable read.
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Least possible editing effort if a text is for multiple media? I want to write a text with some basic styles and images. I plan to use it on a blog, maybe later in a wiki. And there should be a pdf version. I am writing about a software. So there will be screenshots, code blocks and some inline styling. I want to have the least possible styling/markup effort. Any tips or good tools? I guess what I am looking for is a tool that does the style converting for me so I don't have to do the job. <Q> Any single-sourcing scheme is going to require some up-front setup in exchange for easier generation of multiple formats later. <S> This Wikipedia page provides a starting point for process and tools. <A> I highly recommend learning TeX and LaTeX. TeX is the typesetting system created by Donald Knuth . <S> TeX can be converted to HTML, PDF, and countless other formats with ease. <S> Personally, I use LaTeX, which is a bunch of macros and extensions to TeX that let you avoid a lot of work by combining a group of commands commonly used together into one. <S> To learn TeX and LaTeX, I'd start by visiting the TeX User Group and trying one of their excellent tutorials. <S> I highly recommend A First LaTeX Document and <S> The Not So Short Introduction <S> To LaTeX2e in particular. <S> Also, Mr. Knuth himself wrote The TeXbook , which is the first part of his Computers and Typesetting set. <S> Don't forget to ask lots of questions at Stack Exchange's own TeX and LaTeX site . <A> I would suggest Markdown . <S> It may be a bit geeky (I'm a programmer/designer.), but it's what I write everything in now. <S> It's a minimal syntax markup that you write in plain text, and then can convert it to HTML, and others. <S> It's often used by bloggers, since a lot of the blogging software out there will let you write in Markdown, and then the blog system will convert it to the correct HTML to display on one's blog. <S> Mr. Gruber created this, and here's the syntax page: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax <S> It's so good. <S> Export to many formats from Markdown. <S> It can "compile" your plaintext work in Markdown into other formats. <S> Additional references: <S> A link to the Scrivener forums all about Markdown (and it's varient called Multimarkdown). <S> http://icetothebrim.com/2010/mac-blog-workflow-scrivener-markdown-textmate/ <A> I'd like to suggest Google Docs. <S> It's a simple, usable word processor which allows you to "Download As" several formats (ODT, PDF, RTF, Text, Word, and HTML (zipped)). <S> The only oddity is in the content licensing. <S> Essentially, you're granting Google rights to redistribute your work free of royalties "for the sole purpose of enabling Google to provide you with the Service in accordance with the Google Docs Privacy Policy.". <S> You do, however, maintain copyright. <S> (See Google Docs Additional Terms ).
| You'd need an editor that understands Markdown and can convert it to other things (HTML/PDF), and I use Scrivener .
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how many books by new authors get published every year? I have heard figures like 100,000 - 250,000 books are published every year, but this probably includes already established authors. Are there any numbers for how many 1st time authors books are published every year (not including self publishing) ? Edit: 1st time author means- 1st time ever published under any name, in any format( paper or ebook), self published or otherwise. <Q> The closest statistics I could find were from Bowker Info about how many books are published each year from 2002-2010. <S> It breaks the information down by category. <A> Warning: <S> Sources links aren't English. <S> After some research, I have found this site which approximately said <S> In France [...] <S> classical edition have its constraints and can publish only between 500 and 1 000 new authors per year. <S> It's not an official number, but it could make a good start point. <S> In the same time, around 69 000 books are published each year in France (according to registration of copyright, here ). <S> If we keep the same percentage, for 250 000 books published each year, between 1 800 and 3 600 are books from new authors . <S> I know they're is a lot of weaknesses in my calculation: the first number come from a marketing announcement and doesn't include self-publishing when the second one include them, so the true number is probably higher. <A> I've seen this question asked on other sites and the answer is always, <S> No one has any good statistics on that. <S> Some ballpark thinking: As we do have reasonably reliable statistics that about 300,000 new titles are published each year, <S> that's clearly the upper bound. <S> Assuming that most authors publish more than one book -- and clearly there are some out there who churn them out -- <S> most of those 300,000 are probably not by new authors. <S> So the number of new authors each year is likely in the tens of thousands.
| I have not seen any statistics on how many new authors enter the market each year.
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How Do you Stave Off Boredom While Writing? I have about 20 half-finish novels sitting on my computer, in my filing cabinet, or under my bed. The story with each is the same - I start out with a full head of steam and great ideas, but about midway through I get bored. I've told the story about a million times in my head, but it moves faster up there than I can write or type (admittedly, I can type pretty fast, too). By the time a story's been through its thousandth re-telling, I get tired of listening to the characters and jotting down notes about their lives. I get bored with the story, shelve it, and move on to something else. The problem with this trend is that it's disillusioned me to writing anything new. I'll carve time out of my day for writing, but I just can seem to get started. A voice in my head mocks me, reminding me "it will just end up like last time, forgotten in some envelope under the bed." So I give up, let a story mold and rot in my head, and go for a run instead. So, what is the best way to keep myself interested in my own story while my fingers struggle to catch up to my brain? What's the best way to prevent boredom from killing a novel-in progress? How can I preempt this negative creative trend before it evolves into perpetual writer's block? <Q> Some possibilities: Start to write before you've told the story in your head a million times, and perhaps even before you've told it once. <S> Begin writing each scene before you know how the scene turns out. <S> When you start to become bored, ask yourself, "What else might happen here? <S> " Find a twist you hadn't thought of, and write that. <S> Keep multiple writing projects in progress. <S> When you get bored on one, switch to another. <S> For a while, write shorter stories that you can finish before boredom overwhelms you. <S> Though you've told the story a million times, you haven't yet seen a single reader react to it. <S> So join a local writing group. <A> I can totally relate to this. <S> I have five published novels, NOW, but it took me years to get around to writing the first one. <S> I went through the same thing you did. <S> I thought I wanted to write, but it turned out that I mostly wanted to have written . <S> For me, the solution lay in getting immediate feedback on my writing. <S> You need to find an audience that will read quickly and appreciatively. <S> It depends on what genre you want to write in, I suppose, but you might want to consider fan fiction. <S> Not as an ultimate destination, just as a way to get yourself over the first hump. <S> Find a fandom <S> you're interested in, write something, post it, get some feedback, write something else, and then something else, and then invite a few fandom friends to read your original novel in progress. <S> Post regularly - <S> once a week? <S> a couple times a week? <S> every day? <S> and use the feedback as the incentive to keep writing. <S> You could try to do the same thing without the fandom element, but I think it's really hard to get an audience for original work by an unknown author. <S> The beauty of fandom is the built-in audience! <A> If your fingers are too slow, start telling your stories out loud. <S> Let the computer do the typing. <S> Talk until you don't want to talk anymore, and then review. <S> If you get bored with one, start a new file or tape and work on another story. <A> I am experiencing unpleasant feelings when - e. g. - writing documentation or a business text. <S> But it is not the boredom, rather hopelessness. <S> When discovering a story, I notice one important part of it, first. <S> Stage set, situation, attitude of an character. <S> It takes from seconds to weeks, to see the contours of whole story. <S> During this time, I am not writing. <S> Then, I am starting to run for I need to have the raw story finished before something pulls me away. <S> Like the Blitzkrieg tactics: when hit a resistance (cannot find the right word or sentence) just bypass it and keep running at any cost. <S> When the raw story is finished, it can be put aside, even for months. <S> It will not decompose nor decay. <S> So ask yourself: <S> How are you finding your stories and plots? <S> What inspires you? <S> Why do you need to write them down? <S> Do your stories really deserve to be written down? <S> Do you believe in them enough? <S> What have the moments you first realise the boredom in common? <A> If all your stories started at chapter one and ended in the middle, then try writing the last chapter first. <S> Then the chapter before the last. <S> You also can jump to the first chapter in between. <S> From last to first or jumping between end and beginning, but not your normal order. <S> Afraid of a incoherent story? <S> So what, keep writing. <S> Till now you haven't a story at all. <S> Learn to write faster or give Lauren's tape recorder a chance. <S> Silence your censor. <S> That's this ugly voice mocking you. <S> Imagine a virtual gun and shoot him in the head. <S> Yell at him, he shall shut up. <S> Write pages after pages "Shut the f ck up, shut the f ck up, shut the f*ck up (with an "u" instead of the star). <S> Kick him, curse him, whatever. <S> If you still have trouble silencing him, there is a hardcore way to do it. <S> That will either give him an opportunity to mock you more ("burn this shit like the other ones") or it'll have a healthy "Phoenix out of the ashes" effect. <S> That's up to you. <S> Good luck. <A> Late comer to the party <S> but... how about swapping stories? <S> I usually have two or three ideas for stories - often completely different genres and all. <S> One month, I can be totally obsessed over one of them and then the inspiration just disappears. <S> The inspiration can then hold on for one or six months before I need to swap to a different story. <S> The break between the novels also helps me to get some distance from story and characters. <S> That makes it easier, once I come back, to spot scenes and chapters that need improving (or throwing away) as well as to see the characters in new, refreshing and inspiring ways. <S> Added bonus: no story is abandoned. <S> It's just waiting in the backburner.
| When that happens, I turn to another story. I think the writer's group idea is solid, but unless you find one that meets a LOT, it might not be quick enough for you. Begin writing the story before you know what happens. Buy a tape recorder, or Dragon Dictation (for PC, Mac, or iGadget). Take the stuff under your bed and burn it.
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Is this description of my small productivity application clear enough? I wrote a small productivity application, Tomate . Since I'm not a native English speaker, I'm afraid the description of the project may not be clear enough for potential users. Can you help me improve it? Like many of us, I suffer from attention and procrastination problems, especially when in front of a computer. How can one focus on the mundane task at hand when the appeal of the Internet is just two clicks away? I started a quest for tools and ideas to help me concentrate (I know, I know...). I found a very good book, unfortunately written in French: "Comment ne pas tout remettre au lendemain", by Bruno Koelz. It turns out the diagnosis is as follows: the hardest part of not procrastinating is getting to work, by which I mean staying concentrated long enough to really get into the problem. Once this stage is passed, you usually enter a state of flow and continuing to work is a lot easier and more rewarding. For this reason, I wrote a very small applet that allows me to pass a contract with myself: by clicking the icon, I commit to fully concentrate on a given problem for no less than 10 minutes. The icon becomes red for ten minutes, after which it turns green. I am then free to either continue working or do something else. The duration is voluntarily small because no matter how boring the task is, ten minutes is always doable. Knowing I have an escape, it is easier to commit. Since tweaking productivity application parameters is a great way to waste time, the applet has absolutely no configuration options, dialogs, logs, etc. I tried to make it as simple as possible and to avoid including any feature that is not absolutely necessary to accomplish the goal. Why "Tomate"? Tomate is the French word for tomato, or "Pomodoro" in Italian, which is the name of a similar and popular technique. The Pomodoro technique consists in working in sets of 25 minutes, with mandatory breaks between the chunks. I feel my method is more efficient, because it is a waste to take breaks when you're concentrated and don't need them. About the code: the applet is written in Python 2 and PyGTK. It is only tested on linux, but it should work on other platforms as well. Feedback welcome! <Q> Your use of English is very good, yet your arrangement could be better. <S> The sentence near the end thatstarts "Why "Tomate"? <S> Tomate is theFrench... <S> " should be closer to thebeginning, if not at thebeginning. <S> Avoid using genericterms like "one" when referring to apotential user <S> (you do this in thebeginning - "How can one focus... <S> ").You use the word "you" later, whichis more personal and is actually thepreferred way of writing for adescription like this. <S> I would exclude "It turns outthe diagnosis is as follows:" - it'stoo formal. <S> You have a really good sentence later on "Knowing I have anescape, it is easier to commit." <S> -try to reverse the sentence, likethis " It is easier to commitknowing <S> I have an escape" - it gets to the point sooner in a less formalway. <S> You could even use thatsentence as your app's tag line (onesentence description). <A> Sounds perfectly clear to me. <S> I think your English is quite good. <A> What you have here is a story. <S> I think the writing is good. <S> The text is ideal for an about page. <S> However, I think your true goal is getting people to use the application. <S> Sorry if I am making a bad assumption. <S> To influence people online you need to get to the point immediately. <S> And you need to talk to them about them , not about yourself. <S> Look at the number of times you use the word 'I' in your story. <S> Ideally, you describe what problem your app solves, then the main reason how your particular app solves it (and how it is different from similar apps). <S> Then offer a sentence or two about yourself and why you built the app and who the app is for. <S> Then dive into your story, though if your app is free you should offer the download button right away and then dive into your story and offer your download button again at the end. <S> Example: <S> The Real Reason <S> You Do Not Get Things <S> Done - And The Three Second Simple Fix <S> You fail because you do not start tasks and stayed focused on them. <S> So you never finish anything. <S> My free app, Tomate, makes you accountable to the most important person in the world: you . <S> It works in just seconds: [Download button] [Full story] [Download button] <A> Very clear, but in very many words: "Like many of us, I suffer from attention and procrastination problems, especially when in front of a computer. <S> How can one focus on the mundane task at hand when the appeal of the Internet is just two clicks away?" <S> My atention wanders after the first ten words: <S> will this guy ever get to the point? <S> Are you a procrastinator? <S> Me too, especially in front of a computer. <S> Who wants the daily slog with the Internet just a couple of clicks away? <S> My two cents worth.
| Start with one or two sentences about why the person reading this right now needs to stop and download and try your application immediately.
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How to cite an entire paragraph? How to cite an entire paragraph taken from a book? Is it just writing the paragraph as a separate one and adding (Author, Year) in the end? Will it not imply that only the last sentence in the paragraph is written by that reference? <Q> When citing large blocks of text like a paragraph, you're probably better off indenting the paragraph, and introducing the text. <S> For example: <S> As How to Indent notes (Billy Bob, 2011): It's better to indent long pieces of text, because then it makes clear that you're quoting a lengthy piece of work. <S> By introducing it with a sentence, you also make clear exactly what you are referencing. <S> Edit: <S> As noted in the comments, different style guides will have different rules regarding this, as none of them agree on how block indentation should be done. <S> For example, MLA states that text of more than four lines should be indented, while Chicago rules recommend indentation with 8 or more lines, or at least 100 words or more, and APA put the cut-off at around 40 words or more. <S> While the original question didn't mention a particular style guide, you should always check your guide for its rules regarding block indentation first. <A> I know this has an accepted answer, but it's from Billy Bob. <S> The APA Guide has the following to say: <S> This avoids awkwardness and redundancy. <S> And as to indenting, this is what it says: If the quotation has more than 40 words, use a block quotation. <S> Begin the quotation on a new line and indent a half-inch from the left margin. <S> Double-space the entire quotation, and at the end of the quotation, provide citation information after the final punctuation mark. <S> I hope this helps! <A> Are you quoting it directly, or paraphrasing? <S> I guess you wouldn't bother asking if you were using a direct quote, since that seems crystal-clear - the citation would obviously apply to all the material inside the quotation marks or indented quotation. <S> So you must be paraphrasing... <S> but then you're talking about the last sentence being written by the other author...? <S> I'm not clear on this. <S> But, yes, in general, you only want to cite once per adopted passage. <S> But also, in general, you don't want to paraphrase an entire paragraph from another author. <S> You can take the author's idea and attribute it, but are you borrowing the structure of the paragraph, as well? <S> Again, I'm not quite clear what you're trying to do.
| When writing an entire paragraph about a single study, introduce that paragraph by stating that you will refer to the same study throughout the paragraph, then cite the reference.
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Do books have to be written in sequence? So can we write the interesting action bits first, then add in the in between stuff, that maybe needed to understand the story or characters, but isnt so exciting by itself? For example the interesting scene maybe a scene where the hero fights ninjas and sharks(or ninjas on sharks ;-) ) , but there might have been a earlier scene where the hero talked to his informers to find the villains lair. So can we write the action scene first, then go back and write the other parts? <Q> To expand on Craig's suggestion, go ahead and write the exciting scenes if that's what keeps you motivated, so long as you're willing to "kill your darling" later on. <S> Self-editing is one of the hardest parts of writing. <S> You have to be able to jettison even the most beloved turn of phrase, paragraph, scene, chapter, plot twist, character if it doesn't serve the story. <S> (My solution to this is to keep the original in a slush file. <S> That way I can go back and savor it as often as I like without having it clutter up the main work.) <S> So you have your scene where the hero shoots the ninjas on sharks in Chapter 47, and later on, while writing Chapter 10, you decide that the hero has fallen in love with one of the ninjas and couldn't kill him. <S> So you stash your original "Ch47/Shoot everything" version somewhere, and either edit the copy or use the original as a guide to rewrite Chapter 47 <S> so it now falls in line with your backstory. <S> The most important thing is that you have to be willing to let go of what you wrote, no matter how fabulous it is. <S> You must be able to rewrite and/or edit. <S> Like Craig, I generally find it easier to write more or less in sequence so that I don't have to rewrite the fabulous chapter to accommodate the previous amazing chapters, but sometimes I get hit by a bolt of lightning and the out-of-sequence scene bursts fully-formed from my forehead, and I am geased to get to a keyboard and capture it before it evaporates. <S> Don't discount the power of inspiration. <S> Just be aware that you may have to tweak or discard it later. <A> I always just write interesting parts (in sequence) and develop them until the whole thing makes sense without the boring parts ;) <S> Or at least I try to... <A> No, Several times I've gotten an idea for the last page of a story, NOT the climax and I build backwards from there. <S> Sometimes I get a climax or the key problem setup scene first. <S> However there is something to be said to rewriting your whole story all over again from the beginning once it is complete. <S> This is a good way to turn a collection of scenes into a coherent story by glueing it all together. <A> You can write the book in any way you choose, as long as it works for you. <S> However, you should always keep in mind that books are good because of their characters, not just because of the "exciting" scene. <S> So, while you can write down elements of your book in any order you want, you should have a very good idea of who your characters are, regardless. <S> It's worth mentioning that you may create more work for yourself later on down the line by writing things out of sequence. <S> Very often characters take on a life on their own as you write, so you could find yourself jumping back to an earlier scene, writing something that "works", but which could invalidate or ruin everything else you wrote. <S> To pick a random example, maybe the hero is fighting the Ninjas on sharks, and doesn't hesitate to shoot them all to pieces. <S> However, when you jump to an earlier bit, you decide it's a great idea for the character to fall in love with one of the killer Ninjas, or perhaps make one of the sharks his pet that he had raised for many years before it got stolen and trained into a hero-killing machine. <S> Suddenly, your action scene might not make sense, because the character would be completely conflicted in wantonly killing his lover Ninja and/or his favourite pet shark. <S> Or perhaps you suddenly realise that there's no way the evil mastermind will have Ninjas on sharks, he'd have Ninjas on leopards. <S> Either way, you likely have to start planning some major re-writes of your later scenes. <S> I personally wouldn't consider writing a novel or short story in the way you describe. <S> You could force yourself down a particular train of thought, and ignore other, better ideas and solutions that come up in order to stick to what you've already done. <A> But if you don't, No. <S> Sequence a only in writing <S> (sometimes you have to go back and revise <S> ) option the not writer has is. <S> Hard can be that process. <S> It's the same with sentences and paragraphs as it is with books. <S> Sometimes, the end is the most important and needs to be written (or fleshed out) first. <S> There is only one writing rule: keep writing. <A> You can write however you want to. <A> There is nothing wrong with writing out of sequence. <S> However, it might be beneficial to have an outline that you can follow so that you know where the connections are going to be made. <S> If you identify specific actions in each chapter, you can write them in any order you please.
| It's often the case that the best ideas for what happens next unfold as you write, and if you've already "written ahead", you may well be boxing in your creativity.
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Do you have to be good at grammar to get published? I am not very good at grammar. Is there someone who would go through and correct your grammatical mistakes, even if you are not good at grammar? Who would this person be? <Q> The problem is that there are so many people out there trying to get published who ARE good at grammar. <S> If an editor is looking at your manuscript and at an MS with an equally good story, characterization, writing style, etc., but with better grammar, the editor is going to chose the story with better grammar. <S> So before submission, you could try to find an editor to fix the issues for you, but you'd be VERY lucky to find anyone willing to do it for free, and you might find that some of the corrections affect the style of writing you wanted. <S> It's not impossible to be selected for publication even if a lot of work is needed to make your MS publishable, but everything else about your work will have to be that much better in order to make up for the grammar deficit. <A> Yes, you should be good at grammar to expect to get published. <S> It's highly unlikely you will get your foot in the door if your manuscript has basic grammatical errors from the outset, because this will detract from your overall story. <S> From a business perspective, poor grammar can also mean it may cost someone more money to publish your book, because it would need a lot more editing compared to someone who has taken the time edit their own work, and fix the grammar as best as possible. <S> Edit: <A> The title of the person you'd be looking for is a copy editor. <S> And you'd have to pay them to beat your manuscript into shape. <S> You could go to a site like elance, but you're going to get what you pay for, TBH. <A> Let me be harsh but direct: I very sincerely doubt that someone who's not good at grammar is a good writer. <S> Not because grammar is somehow an ineluctable part of good writing -- it isn't -- <S> but because good writing is writing that rings true in the reader's ear, and good grammar is good because it rings true. <S> Let me give you an (admittedly contrived) example: <S> Not knowing anyone there, the party was boring. <S> Hearing that, the grammarian will shriek “Dangling participle! <S> Dangling participle!” <S> like a car alarm going off. <S> That's not, by itself, important. <S> What is important is that the reader, hearing that, will say, “What? <S> Huh? <S> ‘Knowing’ ... ‘party’ ... <S> I doan get it. <S> I wonder what’s on ESPN ...” <S> The writer who dangles a lot of participles is going to get a lot of his readers watching Sports Center, because reading bad writing is a chore <S> and it’s more fun to watch TV. <S> The grammarian -- even that inner grammarian who complains not only about real mistakes like misplaced modifiers and subject-verb disagreement but also about split infinitives and sentences beginning with conjunctions -- <S> that guy who sits on your shoulder and tries to suck the fun out of writing is really your early-warning system. <S> When he says this-or-that is ungrammatical, what you should hear is, people may not read it. <S> And he may be wrong, but he may be right. <A> I think that grammar is important, but more because you may have trouble expressing yourself in the way you intended without it. <S> Books are full of characters with poor or unusual grammar, but that should be a conscious choice. <S> Picasso may have created simple, abstract works - but he had a thorough mastery of craft first.
| Forgot to add that, obviously, you yourself could pay someone to edit the work for you, but you definitely need your manuscript at a reasonable standard to expect to get published.
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Does this microfiction provide a slightly surreal sense when describing an ordinary scene? In this short story I'm trying to describe an unexceptional scene in an exciting and compelling way. I want to make a common ritual seem strange and a bit surreal. Does this paragraph accomplish these goals? What could be done to improve it? The Great Books Program The desert sun lay shattered andabstract on a shimmering pond and thedry morning air spoke of anoppressively hot day to come. Slipperyand speckled fish darted to the soundsof Beethoven’s Fifth symphony whichplayed at high volume directly intoBuck's two ears. All around him, tensof college students diffused casuallythrough the golden cobblestonecourtyard between the tall dormitorybuilding and the forty-eight stairswhich led up to Patton Hall. Somestudents walked alone absorbed bythoughts or squinting at the brightrock or rubbing sleep from tired eyes,others skipped in pairs and talkedloudly about the day's news, parties,school work and other diversions. Eachhad a copy of Homer, Joyce and theBible cradled with affection or tuckedstudiously under each arm. Buck shuthis eyes behind his dark sunglasses toexorcise the pain from his pulsatingforehead. When he opened them, a fishhad paused for a moment as though tolook up at Buck through a criticaleye. Buck's left hand pressed asmoking cigarette to his lips and Buckinhaled deeply. Moments before thecold ichthyic stare would haveshattered the sense of sereneisolation that the morning brings, thefish slipped away into a blur ofcolorful pulsating streaks as ifdisappointed in what it saw. Buck tooka sip of the bitter coffee which heheld in his right hand, stomped outwhat remained of his cigarette, pickedup his books which lay at his feet andwalked off slowly toward the fiery sunwith the supernatural ecstasy ofBeethoven's strings and horns playingloudly in both ears. Thanks a lot! ( My blog where I originally posted it ) <Q> First impression: too many adverbs and descriptions, and too much detail. <S> As Stephen King notes, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." <S> A few lines in, and I wanted to skip ahead. <S> What's important to the story? <S> The music he's listening to? <S> Forty-eight steps? <S> The people walking around? <S> The pond? <S> The fish? <S> The coffee? <S> The cigarette? <S> Everything is "shattered", "shiny", "dry", "loudly", "darted", "slippery", and so on. <S> There is too much going on here, and everything becomes a bit "noisy". <S> In fact, what you've written can almost be described as " purple prose ". <S> It's also largely meaningless: <S> lots going on, but the majority tells me nothing of the character or the story. <S> You don't have to describe absolutely everything. <S> Focus on what's important. <A> First, I would break it up into more paragraphs. <S> That enhances readability. <S> Second, using the adverb abstract is strange, but you do not gain surrealism doing so. <S> You kicked me out of the story before I reached the first full stop (period, if you are an American). <S> Talking about the story: There is none! <S> justkt pointed that out already. <S> Overusing adjectives/adverbs will bring you nowhere. <S> If you want it to be surreal, describe the scene from an LSD viewpoint (yeah, the drug). <S> Assuming the protagonist has a terrible headache and needs to go to the bathroom fetching some aspirin, you could write: "He was walking through honey and it sounded pink." <S> Well, I wouldn't use pink , but you get the idea. <A> College student (is Buck a student?) <S> smoking a cigarette in public unpunished and enjoying Beethoven's music sounds quite strange and surreal to me. <S> Since the paragraph doesn't explain why students were carrying those books I am not able to decide wheter <S> it was for their interest of classic literature or for those books <S> were just from a required reading list. <S> It is good <S> but what unexceptional can I see? <A> Where's the conflict in this piece? <S> I see it as a piece of descriptive writing, perhaps a study in describing a scene, but I don't get a sense of movement and plot. <S> Even flash fiction should have some sort of movement. <S> Use them judiciously in an unexpected way so that a word like "shattered" really shatters the reader's sense of what should be and makes him or her sit up and take note. <S> The words you've freed up can be used to provide movement towards a conclusion. <S> Flash fiction is often best at providing an unexpected conclusion, so you may want to go for something that provides an O. Henry-like twist without being over-the-top.
| To give a sense of the surreal cut out most of your adjectives and adverbs.
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Is it easy to change genre? I read somewhere that one should choose ones genre carefully, as it is hard to change later. Although there are exceptions, most writers, even established ones, find it hard to change genre, and have to use a pen name if they want to. Is this really true? Does one really get stuck in whatever genre you chose for your first book? <Q> It is true, to a degree, that it's difficult. <S> The central "problem", if you can call it that, is that when you become published, and start building an audience, both your audience and your publisher begin to expect you to do things in a similar vein as what you've done before because it's easier to market work to an established audience. <S> If your first novel was a science fiction story, and suddenly you write a historical Victorian romance novel, you can see how the marketability of your book would suddenly be difficult, since it would be almost as if you're getting published again for the first time. <S> You also wouldn't want to alienate your existing audience who see your name, and read your book, expecting the same. <S> That's not to say it can't be done. <S> For example, Iain Banks wrote three or four novels before he published his science fiction work <S> Consider Phlebas under the name Iain M. Banks. <S> Providing a clear delineation between your different genres in this fashion can be useful, because it provides clear markers to readers that "this is this", and "this is that". <A> While it is true that in the past it was hard to change genres, I believe that in the present it is much easier and more widely accepted. <S> In the past, publishers had to figure out a game plan for how to promote their authors. <S> It was a lot easier for them to do this if they could target a specific audience and go after them. <S> They discouraged authors from crossing over into other genres because they were concerned with alienating the original fan base or confusing new fans. <S> Today, especially with the new prevalence of self-published e-books, it is much easier for an author to get away with this, especially if you are the one doing the promoting. <S> Most promotion done by self-published authors is done through social media, and it is a lot easier to find and identify a target audience for a specific genre. <S> One a fan finds you, they will continue to look for more work in the genres they prefer, but if you write well enough they are more willing to consider looking at other work as well. <A> According to my experience, genre emerges from story. <S> The bad news is that many attempts to follow genre are ending as total failure to write a viable story. <S> For instance, sir Golding's "Lord of Flies" can be considered as soft sci-fi, post apocalyptic fiction, psychological thriller or (as officially stated) allegory. <S> However, his "Spire", "Pincher Martin" or "The Inheritors" do are not suitable for most of genres mentioned above. <S> Homer's Illias and Odyssey can be considerd as historical fiction or even fantasy genres.
| Once you become "established", it is possible to use your status to explore other avenues.
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Mixing topics in a blog I was reading this Jakob Nielsen Alertbox about the top 10 weblog design mistakes. Mistake #8 was: Mixing Topics If you publish on many different topics, you're less likely to attract a loyal audience of high-value users. Busy people might visit a blog to read an entry about a topic that interests them. They're unlikely to return, however, if their target topic appears only sporadically among a massive range of postings on other topics. The only people who read everything are those with too much time on their hands (a low-value demographic). The more focused your content, the more focused your readers. That, again, makes you more influential within your niche. Specialized sites rule the Web, so aim tightly. This is especially important if you're in the business-to-business (B2B) sector. If you have the urge to speak out on, say, both American foreign policy and the business strategy of Internet telephony, establish two blogs. You can always interlink them when appropriate. It makes sense but I'm assuming this is only meant as a guideline and not a hard and fast rule. My question is: Is mixing topics ever the right thing to do? And if so, when? Do you know any blogs that managed to pull it off? <Q> It depends on what your blog is trying to achieve. <S> I agree with this much of your quote: readers come back most consistently to a blog that is focused, that offers one thing consistently. <S> The reason is that, the more you switch around the key element of your blog posts, the less likely each individual post is to be enjoyed by a regular reader. <S> But two important provisos to that <S> : The consistent element isn't necessarily a topic. <S> Some people have great voice or wit or style, and <S> that's what keeps readers interested - and coming back. <S> Or they're just really great at continually finding new interesting things. <S> Or, they've achieved celebrity status and have fans for whom the fact that that person is writing it is the element that interests them. <S> Scalzi's Whatever is a good example, with probably a mix of all the above. <S> And secondly, some mixture can be excellent - <S> it gives you a specialty. <S> For example, writer blogs are a dime a dozen, but some writers stand out because they write about writing and one or two other things. <S> So Jim Van Pelt blogs about writing and about teaching, and Mette Harrison blogs about writing and running marathons. <S> I'd probably never go looking for blogs on education or marathons - but reading about writing and those things gives the blog character and uniqueness - <S> and I follow those blogs devoutly. <S> So in summary, the advice not to overscatter yourself is quite correct - <S> a key of publicizing anything is to choose your target audience, and then target 'em like heck. <S> But that doesn't mean no variety at all - it just means to keep your target audience constantly in mind. <A> I agree that narrowly focused blogs will attract a wider audience, however I don't think it's because broadly focused blogs require more mental RAM (at least in these days of tagging and RSS feeds). <S> A blog that covers a wide range of topics is mostly interesting to people at the intersection of all, or at least most, of those interests. <S> For example, I've stopped reading tech blogs that were overtly Christian in a way that disturbed me, or business blogs that were very authoritarian and closed-source oriented when it came to technology. <S> One blog that mixes topics well is that of Eric S. Raymond , where you'll find martial arts, social commentary, open source software, tech sector analysis (currently a preoccupation with the smartphone market), libertarian politics, science fiction, and a whole lot more. <S> Despite the author's total failure to use tagging to allow readers to cherry-pick content of interest, this blog works well. <S> There is a lot of crossover in these interests, the writing is of unusually high quality for a blog, and is internally consistent. <S> Is mixing topics the "right thing to do"? <S> I tend to use mine as a dumping ground for any thoughts i want to document, especially things I want to be able to refer others to, rather than explaining repeatedly. <S> Mixed content works fine there. <S> If you are trying to write a profitable blog, gain visibility in a particular niche, or raise awareness of some issue/cause, then a more focused approach would probably work better. <A> The core may be politics, but there are a lot of other ideas covered as well. <S> Smaller business blogs would benefit from focus. <S> Once you get a decent steady readership, you could try widening the topics and see how readers respond, and use that as a guide to whether or how you should expand.
| It depends a lot on the goals the blog aims to achieve. Andrew Sullivan's Dish (fka The Daily Dish) is about as mixed-topic a professional blog as I can imagine, and it does staggeringly well.
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How to write a 1st person story with a 3rd person narrator without confusing the reader? I am writing a story in the 3rd person and I would like to switch the narrator for one of the main characters half way through so that the reader can read how he perceives the story. Does anybody have any suggestions on how this can be done without confusing the reader about who the narrator is? <Q> Some options to consider: <S> As Shan suggests , try linking the previous chapter/segment that's written in the third person to the one that's in the first person. <S> If switching to the first person is something you want to do regularly, establish a switch in viewpoint early on, so that the reader knows that you plan on doing this switch on occasion. <S> By establishing this convention early, it makes it much easier for the reader to follow the story, especially if the first person narration is always from one particular character. <S> If you are only going to switch narration to first person this once (and then switch back to third person), then I would say you should question whether or not it's actually necessary to use this switch. <S> Changes in narration should have fairly strong justifications for doing so, so you should ask what you achieve from the switch, and whether or not you could achieve the same from the style you've been using. <S> If you're doing third-person semi-omniscient narration, then there is no reason why you cannot show how that character perceives the story by sticking with that narration style, rather than switching to first person. <S> Update: <S> For example, maybe you showed that the character has a wooden leg, and so you could open the first-person narration with the character saying something like, <S> "My wooden leg was chafing horribly." <S> Or maybe he suffers from hay-fever, so you could have him moaning about that <S> ... use anything that is unique to that particular character that the reader should already know. <A> I'm not quite sure why you think a switch is necessary. <S> Or exactly what kind of switch you're proposing. <S> The title of your question mentions switching from 3rd to 1st, but then the text of your question is more about POV characters, and you can have different POV characters without switching from third to first. <S> Given that you're mentioning a narrator as if there's an independent voice, I assume that most of the story is written in omniscient third? <S> It's quite possible to 'zoom in' from omniscient to close third (see the Harry Potter stories for an example of someone doing this quite effectively), and you can zoom in to different characters at different times. <S> If you want to make it clear that you're zooming in on someone new, I think the best way to do that is to zoom back out for a little omniscient narration, and then zoom in on your new target. <S> A VERY rough example: <S> Jane carefully returned the goblet to the table. <S> There was obviously more going on here than she was aware of, and she didn't want to take any chances until she had it all figured out. <S> [close third POV, zoomed on Jane] <S> She wasn't the only one looking for more information, although her intentions were certainly more innocent than those of others. <S> While Jane was handling antiques and old ladies, her nemesis was still dealing with Banshees and Necromancers. <S> [omniscient third - and also, total drivel!] <S> "Get the corpses into the boxes, now!" <S> Dorfman was not a patient man, and one more iteration of the idea that the dead were in no hurry was going to be enough to make him start adding new corpses to the waiting pile. <S> [close third POV, zoomed on Dorfman] <S> This example is a bit heavy-handed (the modern equivalent of 'meanwhile, back at the ranch'), but hopefully it gives you the idea, and as I said, you can find more subtle examples in Harry Potter and elsewhere. <S> Is this what you're asking, though? <S> It's a way to switch POV characters, but it doesn't switch to first person. <S> I just don't think it's generally necessary to make that sort of change... <A> I assume you want to move from 3rd to 1st person. <S> Is this correct? <S> You could have an incident in the 3rd person, like the hero goes to a bank to check his balance and later meet his girlfriend Suzy. <S> Briefly have the hero making plans about this in the 3rd person: <S> "He was thinking of going to the bank, so he could withdraw some money to take his girlfriend out to that fancy 5 star hotel." <S> Then you could switch to 1st person in the next chapter: <S> "I walked into the bank. <S> It wasnt too busy, which was great, as it meant I could spend more time with Suzy later" This way the reader will know you are talking about the same character, you have just moved from 3rd to 1st person.
| Another option you could try is to use some trait/feature of the character to immediately indicate who is speaking in the first person.
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