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What style suggestions are common for which words are used in hyperlinks? With a purpose of avoiding "More details here " style links that do not provide any information in the link itself, what styles are common/popular/suggested? A good example case (with bold as the potential link): John Q. claims that pigs can fly. John Q. claims that pigs can fly. John Q. claims that pigs can fly. John Q. claims that pigs can fly . John Q. claims that pigs can fly. John Q. claims that pigs can fly. And so on. What advantages or disadvantages are known? <Q> If you think of hyperlinks as text designed to attract attention , then it quickly becomes apparent that you should hyperlink text that could, on its own, be seen as the key point you're trying to take from the text you're linking to. <S> From a user perspective, whenever you're reading text that has underlined text or text in a different colour, it's almost instinctive to scan through these. <S> Therefore, "John Q claims pigs can fly " is likely your best bet. <S> However, there is another point to make, unrelated to writing, and that has to do with the SEO implications of the text itself. <S> If you link with the word claims , this says absolutely nothing to search engines about the text you are linking to. <S> pigs can fly however, indicates quite clearly what the text you're linking to is about, and this adds weight to those keywords for that site to search engines. <S> Admittedly, the advantage of such linking is often in favour of the site you're linking to, not always your own, but when you're interlinking to posts on your own website, this can have an impact on how search engines see your site and content e.g. <S> "In an earlier post, I discussed how pigs can fly , but ..." <A> As noted in Aedia's answer , WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines recommend that the linked text should described the purpose of the link. <S> In your example, I would favour linking the full sentence: John Q. claims that pigs can fly. <S> There are couple of other aspects to consider: Are "inline" links the best way of avoiding links like "More details here "? <S> Where would the user expect a link to go to? <S> Certainly inline links are popular in blogs, but as an alternative you can consider explicitly mentioning the source of the link, at the cost of slightly interrupting the flow of your piece: <S> John Q. claims that pigs can fly (see Flights of Fantasy, Porcine News, Issue 3. ). <S> If you do decide to stick with inline links, users' expectations will be shaped by the consistency with which you link to various sources. <S> Fair warning of potentially undesirable links should be given. <S> For example, your readers may expect links to explicit content, or links to large PDFs, to be flagged, depending on where your content is appearing. <S> You can find a good example of inline linking in BBC sports journalist Phil McNulty's blog . <S> His blog targets a mainstream public audience. <S> He uses long link anchors that describe the content of link destinations, and typically links to other sports journalism articles on the BBC website or from national newspapers. <A> You might use simply the title of the page you're linking to, or part of the title. <S> Another way to evaluate: If the link is read out of context, does it make sense? <S> As @Craig Sefton mentions, this has SEO implications, but it's also what users skimming will notice <S> and it's the way users with screen-reading software will navigate quickly (by jumping to a list of links). <S> For example, John Q. claims that pigs can fly would make sense, or even claims that pigs can fly , but John Q. may be interpreted as something else (a page about John, perhaps). <A> I struggle with this one all the time. <S> A lot depends on context, but in general I'd go for clarity and usability. <S> I wouldn't use the name, as that to me would imply a link referencing the person rather than the claim. <S> So I'd go with either: <S> John Q. claims that pigs can fly . <S> John Q. claims that pigs can fly . <S> Longer links are more user friendly than short, single word links. <S> Unless you have number of links that all fall one after the other, in which case I like to keep the links separated by static words to better distinguish them. <S> If you have too many links to do that, I'd suggest rewriting that section. <A> A link to the name is generally expected to link to the person, not to an article. <S> I generally agree with @Craig Sefton, except that I would make "claims that pigs can fly" the link and not just "pigs can fly". <S> It's a claim (by John Q), not a fact; "pigs can fly" could link to, say, a wikipedia page explaining the idiom. <S> It would also be reasonable style, though perhaps too short for good UI, to just link "claims". <S> In general, think about what is on the other end of the link -- the person? <S> the fact in question? <S> the discussion? <S> Then link accordingly. <S> I can imagine cases where your example would actually have three links -- one for John, one for his claim, and one for airborne pigs.
| A style that conforms to the WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines would ensure the link text describes the purpose of the link.
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What is the correct usage of "P.S." in Emails? I've been wondering this for a while. What is the correct usage of "P.S." in e-mails? Where should and shouldn't it be used? <Q> P.S. in e-mails is used exactly the same as P.S. in normal letters. <S> It is short for the Latin post scriptum , i.e. written after the main script. <S> As such, it is written at the bottom (end) of the main script (main e-mail in this case), and generally contains information which is trivial, or tangental to what was just said. <S> For example, I'm starting my new job on Monday. <S> Really looking forward to it. <S> I'm going to be working as a clothes designer. <S> P.S. <S> Do you still like making clothes? <A> Personally I think P.S. is never really 'appropriate' in emails. <S> The whole point of a post-scriptum is it's something you think of after the main text has already been written. <S> By which time in the old days of pen-and-ink <S> you'd have already written your closing lines, and most likely signed it as well. <S> With electronic writing such as emails, just go back and add the extra text in the main body. <S> Don't insult your reader by subjecting him to badly-organised text just because you can't be bothered to organise it before you click on Send. <A> As FumbleFingers already noted, the post scriptum should appear after the main body of the text, perhaps even after the signature. <S> With that said, I do agree with FumbleFingers that the construct likely has no place in E-mail. <S> I would like to additionally point out that there is another use for P.S. besides adding a new thought to the correspondence: I have often seen P.S. used in E-mails to incite a new thread of conversation that is tangent to the main topic. <S> While I think that might be a legitimate use in other forms of correspondence, it is generally considered bad <S> netiquette when used in E-mail. <S> Although the rule was not written in the original RFC , it is generally considered bad form to change the topic of an E-mail thread; topics should be changed by sending a separate E-mail, thus starting a new thread. <S> With that said, in rare cases I think the P.S. construct might be acceptable if used like a footnote, i.e. , to provide some additional clarification on something from the main body of text that is likely unnecessary, and would otherwise hamper the flow of the main text. <A> I recently used PS and here is an example: <S> To: JohnCC: <S> Many people including executives Subject: How to build a wall <S> Hi John, Attached document explains how to build a wall... <S> 1. <S> 2. <S> 3. <S> 4. <S> I have also added details on how to get funding... 1. <S> 2. <S> 3. <S> Thanks, Tom <S> PS: I didn't have permissions to add this information to your online document and therefore I have created a separate document. <S> Please feel free to copy/paste this information to your online document. <S> The main topic of the email is how to build the wall and how to get funding. <S> Why it's not added to the online doc <S> is trivial and most recipients of the email would not care. <S> Therefore, I don't think it needs to be in the main body of the email. <A> Writers should be careful when if at all using PS at the end of an email. <S> As previously stated PS was used in pen and ink letters when the writer forgot to include something in the body of the letter - the only option was to try and squeeze it in in between lines or else rewrite the whole thing. <S> It is so easy to just add anything ommitted to an appropriate part of the main body of the email. <S> Only the sender will know it wasn't included in the first draft. <S> Be aware if using PS as the receiving person may not see the PS as the email when open may only fit up to the signature at the bottom of the screen - the reader may not in this case get any inclination that they need to scroll further down because something (which the sender may feel is crucial) was ommitted from the body of the email. <S> This recently happened to me and the PS was a crucial piece of information which I completely missed casuing the sender to get upset and annoyed as they felt that I deliberately chose to ignore it. <S> Alternatively as a part-time cynic I may say that maybe the sender deliberately added it as a PS so that I wouldn't pick it up <A> Using "P.S." decreases your signal-to-noise ratio and degrades your ability to communicate clearly. <S> P.S. may be appropriate when using set ink or stone, however, in modern times, <S> it is archaic and inexcusable as you can easily move text around. <S> As such, PS should never be used in an email. <S> (unless you do not care about communicating clearly) By using PS in an email, you have demonstrated a failure to ask: What is the point of this email? <S> What type of response do I want from it? <S> If your intention was to find out if someone still enjoyed making clothes,then your first sentence should have been: "Do you still enjoy making clothes?" <S> If it wasn't the most pressing issue in the email, than it should have been tied closely to the sentence that was. <S> Otherwise, if you were just curious, say so: <S> "I'm curious, do you still enjoy making clothes?" <S> Refs: http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993 <S> http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324735104578117193149868504 <S> https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/9226/using-p-s-in-a-formal-email# <A>
| P.S could be used when you are trying to convey something which is not appropriate to the subject mentioned and still needed to be included to the same mail.
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Does my story structure for an ensemble zombie story sound effective? I'm working on a novel about the psychological struggle of 7 characters. It's got an ensemble cast, where every character has the same importance. I've got a structure for this that sounds good to me, but seems different than most novel structures I'm familiar with; I want to know if my structure sounds workable and effective. The premise is that a group of 6 travel to one city which is rumored to be safe from zombies.It isn't,and there another person saves them. Here is the catch: I want to distance myself from horror and delve into the minds of these people, who now have the time to form more intricate relationships. In the second part of the book, each character is broken, and each takes it in a different way. Here's the structure I'm working with: In the first part of the book (which I've already written), the interactions are shallow with some spikes that show how they feel one for another,but in a world where you constantly run you don't even have the time to develop something more complex. In the second part (still unwritten), I want to analyze each character in one chapter. Each chapter destroys one character with a dramatic event,they discover or get past they're fears,only realising that the war for survival is not over,and so each having parts in all individual stories.The idea is that one dramatic story shakes the character completely,gives them a new enemy so to speak,a new reason to live.That conflict(which is the key part of my vision) should slowly change each chapter,and only after the final climax everybody should really know themselves. My concern with this structure is that it may be confusing to readers. This structure has each chapter focusing on a different character, with the other characters developing more slowly in that chapter. Will readers "get" what I'm trying to do with this structure? Will they be able to follow along with so many characters, developing at such uneven paces? Are there improvements you'd suggest to my story structure, or perhaps a different structure entirely? Here is an example of a single character arc ,of the first character to transform. John was always a drone,doing what others say. In his focus chapter, he is living with Elise(another survivor,not from the main cast,who is dying).She tells him not to go for help,because she wants the last moments of her life to be with a human.He is stubborn and against his principles tries to do something to save her,only to miss out on the last hours of her life.He is shocked and destroyed,but the best word would be lost.He is left with no path,and he must forge another.this is how his chapter ends. Chapter 2: While another character is tested,John realizes that he must serve,but not only one.he decides that he will do nothing until that special person appears. Chapter 3: the struggle doesn't go away,he just can't live alone even if he wants,so he decides to help them from the shadows.He is discovered at the end Chapter 4: the main character of this chapter becomes that hero he wishes for,so he begins to serve again without question Chapter 5: He is reminded of his loss,so he goes berserk killing zombies,becoming again just a soulless weapon. Chapter 6: again the circumstances make him struggle,he starts to feel again for another women,but he can't erase the pain from his hearth,and the fear that it will happen again. Chapter 7: the last one.A lot happens here,but in the end he realizes that everyone has a place in this world.He accepts his but without a women to live,just in his memory maybe,and the story ends... This model would apply to all 7 characters: each character would have the center position in their own focus chapter, and developing gradually along their character arc in the other chapters. Again, my question is whether this structure sounds feasible, clear, and effective. EDIT A) Each chapter has one person as the protagonist, but there are some bonus chapters. For example, after John's and Lily's chapters (first and second) there would be another one that focuses totally on the group and how the previous chapters affected them. This should be filled with conflict and written in a way to make people want to read further. B) The second way is that the first time John plays the major role, but each chapter loses the significance of the protagonist a bit. In the second, John and Lily are the stars, in the third even Lucy has a bigger part (while others have minor parts, of course). Until the sixth chapter, where only one character gets left out a bit. And in the final chapter of course, everybody has the same role and every resolution is played out. What do you think about these two possibilities? Thank you for helping me be a little bit better! <Q> I've got a lot to say in response to this, but I won't get around to it in the next 24 hours. <S> Until then: The Jane Austen Book Club has a structure <S> extremely similar to what you're describing. <S> (Other ensemble casts I can think of are more typical of series, but this book is an exception, methinks.) <S> There's a roleplaying game which revolves precisely around the structure you're interested in, called Primetime Adventures . <S> It's exactly what you've described: parallel story arcs for an ensemble cast, intertwining and interacting, with each character getting the spotlight at a different point. <S> The book discusses this structure enough (particularly pointing out its strengths and advantages) <S> that I think you'll find it valuable even without any interest in the roleplaying game itself. <S> I'll expand on this when I have time, but my nutshell reaction is: the structure itself is great, but cramming even small developments for all 7 characters into each and every chapter sounds very dense and difficult to pull off. <S> I'd leave myself more leeway if I were you: more than 7 chapters if you need 'em; not having every character develop in every chapter. <S> Also, figure out where the climax goes in this structure. <S> If it's during a single character's focus chapter - might that unbalance your structure, making that character more important and significant? <A> I think the structure will work, and I personally would find it interesting to read. <S> Depending on how you structure the first half I wouldn't have to much trouble with one chapter focusing on a given character at a time. <S> If you already have a single point of view for each chapter, having one chapter staying with a single character wouldn't be a problem. <S> On the other hand if you often change POVs with scenes having a chapter with one character might be a bit jarring, but if the story is compelling it wouldn't be a major issue. <S> That being said, of the two styles you offered <S> I like the first one best. <S> Have one or two focus chapters and then seeing how those changes affect the whole group would work well. <S> It would allow you to keep engaged with the whole ensemble. <S> The real trick will be keeping the flow of the story going, making one focus chapter lead into another in a way to keep the reader engaged. <S> Like in your example <S> A above, the events in John's and Lily's chapters could lead into something that the whole group has to deal with. <S> The results of those events then pushing another character into their focus chapter. <S> Just make sure that the climax of the story is part of the ensemble story, possibly touching back on all the focus chapters to show that they wouldn't have been able to survive with out these events. <S> That way all of the focus work then leads feeds back into the end of the story and make the whole tale stronger. <A> " <S> Ensemble" is the correct word. <S> Would the first and last chapters star everyone? <S> (everyone who's still alive, that is.) <A> This is exactly the kind of story that I enjoy, and would love to create someday. <S> That said, "ensemble" stories are often difficult to follow. <S> Since change of character is so frequent, change of voice is a must. <S> I have read many stories in this vein that failed at establishing a unique voice for the characters, and thus were taxing to read. <S> At the same time, this seems to be a favorite style of William Gibson - he often has several concurrent but separate plot lines toward the beginning of his books, which then merge toward the end. <S> It can be a very effective tool for establishing a large world, and evoking feelings of loneliness, which should fit your theme quite well. <S> Similarly, when characters finally join forces, it often comes with a feeling of relief and joy.
| If each character has enough development, I think that sounds fine, and interesting.
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About using authentic historical name for teenager material I am writing a (short) story set in Ancient Egypt, and the intended audience are junior high-senior high school students in the US. I am trying to use authentic Ancient Egyptian names for the character, I can find a lot here . But my colleague warned that using foreign, difficult names like "Amenhotep" will be unattractive to teenagers in my target audience. I disagreed because I think authenticity and exoticism is part of the attraction of a story, but I am wondering if perhaps my colleague's advice has a valid point. Do you think using authentic, difficult name will be hard to attract teenagers? Is authenticity important when writing for non-adult audience? Which one is more important in this case, using reader-friendly names or authenticity? Do successful reading material for my audience normally use authentic or easy names? <Q> From what I remember from my teenage years (yes, it was some time away :) ), I would never have been turned off by hard to pronounce foreign names. . <S> Besides, almost everyone has seen The Mummy( the movie, not the woman who gives them pocket money ;) ), and wont find Egyptian names weird What I would find weird is, names like: David Tucker, Great king of Egypt, fighting Mary Sue, the beautiful Queen of Sudan, while John Doe, the evil wizard plans to kill both. <S> Dont underestimate you audiences intelligence. <S> Your readers will love you for it. <A> There is probably no reason why you can't aim for both authenticity and easy to pronounce. <S> The example you gave is not actually difficult. <S> It has recognizable characters, and reads well. <S> The issue arises when you have strange accented characters, names that have no vowels, strange character combinations, and so on. <S> In these cases, any reader stops dead in their tracks. <S> Example: Xkff'tppz. <S> Useless name. <S> Also, don't underestimate your audience. <S> You could also consider shortened versions to make it easier e.g. Amen. <A> Don't dumb down. <S> A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a dictionary for? <S> If you're that concerned, add a list of character names with pronunciations at the beginning or end of the story. <S> (If you have a sprawling list of characters, like LOTR or Game of Thrones, a one- or two-sentence bio won't hurt either.) <A> I am a teenager and a writer. <S> If the teens don't connect with the culture they won't understand what makes the story the way it is. <S> Don't be afraid to use hard names, we like trying to figure them out! <A> As for the hard names there are some stops that can be addressed to make foreign names more familiar pronunciation (when introducing a character you should explain how to pronounce in some way, footnotes, making it a part of a story, etc..) <S> context (although we don't operate with meanings of every name we do have historical context for the common names, this can be addressed easily in the story e.g. explaining how someone came to their name)
| Exotic, historically and culturally accurate names sometimes make or break the story. The sort of teenager who is attracted to a book about ancient Egypt is the sort of teenager who will not be turned off by foreign names. They can speak English, so Amen-ho-tep shouldn't provide any difficult challenge to your audience. If you jeopardize your authenticity you jeopardize the trust between reader and writer.
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Is there any tool which points out the common mistakes in a piece of writing? It will point out mistakes like: Use of bad constructs. Use of repeated words. etc. (On a side note: if you happen to be a C programmer, I am looking for lint for writing). <Q> No, since writing is a very subjective thing, and many rules rarely work in real life. <S> Thats why I always turn off the grammar check in Ms Word, as it blindly tries to apply some "rules" to everything I write. <S> Like this article says: Sadly, writing tutors tend to ignore this moderation, and simply red-circle everything that looks like a passive, just as Microsoft Word's grammar checker underlines every passive in wavy green to signal that you should try to get rid of it. <S> That overinterpretation is part of the damage that Strunk and White have unintentionally done. <S> You are better off allowing other human beings, rather than computers, to critique your work. <S> You can post small snippets here on Writers exchange(subject to these rules), while websites like Critters allow you to post longer works for critique. <A> Things like Lint and FxCop (for .Net) are able be more prescriptive because there are fewer rules in the languages they deal with than in English. <S> Writing is a far more subjective endeavor than development. <S> A compiler can only deal with its finite set of rules, but a reader can interpret a much wider range of styles. <A> For the German language something like that exists. <S> The text processor Papyrus Autor does that by following the marking rules from Andreas Eschbach. <S> But if you write in German or not, you do need that tool, you can make the checks by hand. <S> Yes, it is more cumbersome, so <S> what. <S> Who said writing is easy? <S> If you are interested in the rules, I summarized them in this answer: Marking steps by Andreas Eschbach . <S> Keep in mind that a marking does not mean, you have to get rid of it. <S> They are just indicators. <S> There are good reasons to kill stuff, there are good reasons to leave it as it is. <S> Rule Number One: Think for yourself. <A> Aside from the grammar checker in MS Word, I can't really think of any. <S> There just isn't a good substitute for another person to read your work and critique/edit for you.
| Most word processors will pick up things like repeated words, misspellings, and some grammar issues (e.g. sentence fragments; the wrong form of there), but beyond that, they aren't going to be able to catch much else.
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A more specific type of "nervous laughter" A handful of my friends have an odd trait where they say something and immediately laugh after it in an attempt to judge its success. The topic is usually a rant along the lines of, "These people have no idea what they are talking about." An example: My teacher said to make my art darker but when I made it dark he complained that it was too dark. *Laugher* The emotion is very much a nervous laughter but I want to describe it so that it is separate from the nervous laughter present when someone makes a mistake or is embarrassed. This is more of an "am I right?" action looking for positive feedback to confirm their suspicions. In the example above, my friend was frustrated by the perceived conflicting direction given by the teacher and was looking for support. The laughter is a constant participant in this behavior. <Q> A quick example: <S> "My teach said to make my art darker, <S> but when I made it dark, he complained <S> it was too dark." <S> Jim laughed, glancing at the faces around him. <S> " <S> Damned if you do, damned if you don't <S> , right?" <S> In fact, the example you gave already suggests incredulous laughter. <S> This sort of approach will lead to much better writing. <A> The first word I thought of was titter , which describes a nervous, self-conscious laugh. <S> I associate it particularly with judgment, but something like sniggering might be closer to what you are looking for. <S> Sniggering is more derisive than tittering, and I think the following laughter is aimed at the subject of the rant, to see if others will join in on the mockery. <A> "My teacher said to make my art darker- <S> but when I made it dark... he complained that it was too dark " he said, before observing our reactions with a gauging, anxious laugh.
| You are probably better off letting the context, dialogue and action reveal the type of laughter.
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Is it really so "impossible" to get published by a traditional publisher? I was an avid reader in my early years (as in hard copy - books), and I still am (just now via computer)... and I never got wind of such difficulties in publishing, until now.Is it like going up against a proverbial dragon dressed in nothing but a helmet? If it is, I'm not that interested. Anyway - the question. Is it really all that difficult to get published by traditional means? In 2011? Or is all of the negativity just done to scare off potential competition? <Q> I think it's just negativity. <S> People ask "What's the secret to getting published", as if there was some secret sauce! <S> While it's true there are thousands of potential authors, it's also true that: a. <S> Most of them <S> (I've heard figures like 90%) never finish their 1st draft. <S> b. Of those who do <S> , a huge percentage are unpublishable - either their grammar is bad, they don't correct all the spelling mistakes, they can't write dialogue, or more simply, they can't write at all. <S> I can't remember where I read this, but this quote stayed with me: If you want to get published, write something that is publishable first. <S> Then worry about other things. <A> Computers and the internet have opened up writing tools to a wider audience than ever before. <S> This means that where a publisher used to have a steady stream of manuscripts showing up from unknowns, they now have a veritable tsunami. <S> If nothing else, the physical process of typing up, editing, proofreading (and copying) <S> your manuscript before paying postage costs just to put it into an editor's hands, used to keep the flow of new stuff down to a reasonable level. <S> These days, everyone has a printer and FedEx office nearby, and e-mail costs almost nothing. <S> So you not only have to compete with the current economic conditions (the downturn in general, and the rapidly changing world of publishing), you also have to compete with every other person out there who can now write their novel and get it out the door. <S> If you really want to do it, persevere - keep writing, keep submitting — and make sure you follow any relevant guidelines! <A> Sometimes, it is a pleasant reading, how to attract and keep reader's attention, comparing this to a some sort of thought transference or even magic. <S> But it has nothing in common with being published in "standard way". <S> Reader is not a writer's customer , definitely. <S> Reader is a bookseller's customer. <S> Bookseller is a publisher's customer. <S> And publisher is a writer's customer. <S> Reader is not purchasing quality product, reader will pay for well-marketed product. <S> Publishers and booksellers do marketing, they state what is worth paying for. <S> This is an open secret and we have to repeat it - again and again - till we are blue in the face. <S> (With all respect, It makes me wonder if Mr. King's novels would be so successfull without the barrage of marketers.) <S> So we need to decide for either we want to write to earn our daily bread (and - possibly - become rich and famous) or wheter there is an inner urge making us to write. <S> At least, when this decision is made, we should be set free from an - maybe - existential dilemma. <S> Want to being published? <S> Be nice to publishers. <S> Being infamous and "controversial person" would help. <S> Want to being read decades after your death? <S> Forget about making money by writing. <S> Mrs. Rowling, Mr. King or Mr. Brown are just exceptions proving the rule. <S> (They are still alive, I guess.) <S> So that's it. <A> It's not impossible <S> it's just getting more and more difficult. <S> Why? <S> Competition mostly - there's too many others out there all wanting to do the same thing. <S> Competition raises standards, creative writing quality improves and you're already competing in an over-saturated market. <S> There's already a huge number of very high quality books in the market why would a publisher want to invest substantial sums of money into a unknown author? <S> Any new author a publisher would be interested in would need to put in an awful lot of time and effort in writing their first manuscript at a very high level. <S> Not only that will need to have done extensive and authorative research into their chosen subject. <S> Not many people have the time, effort, motivation or ability to be able to do that. <S> For someone prepared to put that kind of work in and be prepared for an awful lot of rejection afterwards but is willing to <S> doggedly persevere there's no reason why they wouldn't ultimately be successful. <S> You can now see what you're up against. <S> The time input v return is going to be very much in the negative in the early days. <S> But hope springs eternal – it's not impossible. <A> Publishers are like any other business in that they are looking for the next big product that will make them money. <S> They very seldom take risks on new writers because they will have an easier time selling writers who are already known. <S> If you have published short stories or other works that might help you to be recognized, you would likely have a much better chance. <S> Personally, I gave up on trying to go through "traditional" publishers and chose to self-publish. <S> Rather than go through all the explanations of why, I would suggest you visit the web site of an author named Joe Konrath. <S> He presents many arguments in favor of self-publishing. <S> http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
| In short, you can get published , but the sheer volume of competition is making it harder and harder. While it is not "impossible", I would venture to suggest that it is "improbable".
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No English degree, what are my chances on successfully publishing a novel? I don't have an English or Writing-related degree in any way. As of right now, I have no degree, but what I mean is that I'm not even pursuing a degree in writing. How does this hurt my chances? Do publishers tend to ignore writers without related degrees? What can I do to increase my chances if I don't get a degree? Should I be worried? <Q> Write something amazing. <S> Make sure an editor looks over it for mistakes. <S> If it's really good, nobody will care if you're a second-grade dropout or have a Ph.D. in teaching underwater basket-weaving to aardvarks. <A> Do you like to read books? <S> When was the last time you said "Oh My God! <S> This writer is totally cool, but you know what, Im going to put him back on the self, coz, you know, he doesnt have a degree in English?" <S> Exactly, never. <S> Just like having a degree in physical education is not required for winning the Olympics, having a degree in English is not required for writing a successful book. <S> Writing, like sports, is a very practical thing. <S> Sure, you may go for coaching, ask for help on how to improve your weaknesses, but at the end of the day its not your bookish knowledge, but your practical experience that saves the day. <S> So practice a lot. <S> Finally, looking at this survey : By far, the two most popular choices were conventions and writers groups, both of which were reported by more than half of our novelists. <S> The least popular choice? <S> The graduate degree in English/Writing. <A> No, nobody in the publishing business cares if you have a degree. <S> In fact, in the eyes of some agents and editors, having a degree in a writing-related field might actually be a drawback. <S> It's hard to convince some people that their writing needs work when it has already been validated by a college degree. <S> Now, I wouldn't say this is a widely-held belief or anything, and in any case, life experience tends to knock any sense of entitlement out of college graduates eventually, but certainly there are plenty of successful writers who do not have any formal training in writing. <S> Readers tend to buy books without regard for whether the author has an English or journalism degree. <S> This makes publishers tend to care little as well. <S> In the end, your book will be judged by publishers primarily based on whether they think they can sell it and/or whether it is good. <A> Whether you have a degree in writing / journalism or not makes no difference. <S> Alistair McLean was in the navy(or army) before he started writing thrillers(many of which were made into movies). <S> J.K. Rowling was living on welfare before Harry Potter <S> Ian Fleming was in MI6 before James Bond <S> Amish Tripathi was in the Financial services before he wrote the Shiva Trilogy <S> Hugh Howey, the successful self-published and self made author did not have any degree in writing. <S> Chetan Bhagat is an Engineering Degree holder from one of the most prestigious Engineering institutions in India. <S> And so on ...... <A> But... I'd like to suggest that an education in writing provides people with the basic principles of good storytelling, gives experience with soliciting and receiving criticism, and helps them form friendships with other writers. <S> These things don't directly get you published, but they can help you be a (better) writer. <S> And programs that require a finished manuscript as a thesis provide a pretty high level of motivation to finish the thing. <S> (I don't have a writing degree, but I've gotten all those things from other sources.) <A> Depends on how you define success. <S> If you want to monetarily recoup your efforts, you'd be better off investing in a high risk investment vehicle such as bitcoin or IBM. <S> If you are truly talented at writing, you still need a lot of luck and skill to rise above the enormous amount of noise. <S> For commercial success, you need to determine who is your marketable audience and write to them. <S> The style and subject matter must be compelling. <S> Why would a stranger read your novel? <S> It really helps to be famous, beautiful or have an amazing backstory. <A> keep trying and it will work out! <S> write your best. <S> I don't have an english degree and I am in the process of working with a publisher. <A> As in anything,if you truly have a passion for story telling or creative truth, this is the main ingredient for "going for it" because even if you aren't able to make a living,your doing what makes you happy and that in itself is enjoying the journey! <S> And that is never a failure!!
| As others have said, there is no direct correlation between having a degree and getting published.
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Formatting blog posts like the pros I am new to writing. I have seen Jeff Atwood's blog and I am really impressed how he writes. I have seen a similar manner on wordpress docs too. I am still confused with some issues while writing. Here they are, I understand that important point should be made bold but I find that there are many important points that should be made bold. What content should be blockquoted? When to use code sample except code snippets? Please help me out. Thanks <Q> They will stand out without beingoverwhelming. <S> Blockquote is used to quote a bigblock of text, as opposed to quotingone or two sentences. <S> You don't. <A> On bolding: Assume that on a casual browse, the reader's eye will always leap first to headers, and to words in bold. <S> They'll help him understand the structure of your piece, and the most important bits. <S> Here's a simple example - the bolded opening lines give structure, and a few key concepts are bolded to stand out immediately. <S> Drinking MegaPop is bad for your health. <S> Its ingredients include cyanide, pesticide, cidercide and patricide. <S> Drinking MegaPop is bad for the environment. <S> Every year, thousands of adorable bunnies are killed by MegaPop executives, and used as fuel for their ozone-depletion devices. <S> Scientists with exceptionally big foreheads contend that merely by placing a blanket ban on all production of MegaPop, they expect that garbage production in the United States would drop by 170% and every citizen would get a free Smokey the Bear lapel pin. <S> Drinking MegaPop is bad for international politics. <S> The League of Foreigners Who Don't Like Us have cited the bitter breath caused by MegaPop as their #1 reason for disliking us. <S> MegaPop has been shown to cause leaders to make irrational, unwise decisions (such as consuming more MegaPop). <S> Remember: a nation that drinks MegaPop is a nation that cannot be trusted. <S> Don't let us be that nation. <S> On blockquotes: Blockquotes are generally used for presenting quotes from other work; a quote that's more than a line or two should be blockquoted because that clearly differentiates it from the main flow of the text, from your blog post addressing the reader. <S> Blockquotes are similarly appropriate for other snippets that disrupt the main flow of your writing. <S> The example I gave above for bolding is blockquoted; that makes it very clear that that section is different from the rest of the text. <S> It makes it very clear where the example begins and where it ends. <S> So: examples, long asides, imaginary scenes ("Oh, yeah! <S> I could totally imagine Agent Scully meeting Captain Picard! <S> It'd probably go something like this:...") and other such diversions can be blockquoted, particularly if they make the structure more clear. <S> On code snippets: only for code, or examples of computer input/output, copy-pasting from a shell command line, etc.. <S> It's basically a blockquote formatted specially for code (which would, as per above explanation, be a disruption of the main, prose-written flow of the post). <A> If you find that you need to bold too many points this suggests that either the content you have is very dry (equally important and factual where you can not put much emphasis) <S> you have not thought through what to emphasize (and why) and what are really your main points that need emphasis (in the context of the text) <S> Blockquote can be used whenever you quote text (What Lauren says is true, it works better on longer, paragraph size quotes, but it should not be a problem for shorter ones, too - what is ugly is when you have many blockquotes of very short lines with too little regular text in between) Code <S> block only for blocks of code. <S> There is also `code formatting`, which produces inline code formatting .
| If you have that many importantpoints, make them a bulleted list instead of making them bold.
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How should this ‘be going to’ be revised? I don't know if I can ask about this in this site. But anyway I'll give it a shot. (This question is a spin-off from EL&U.) Here is a skit from a radio English conversation program, dealing with American English. A: guest B: front desk clerk C: A's wife (at the front desk of a hotel) A: I have a reservation for a room under the name of Hal Lloyd. B: I can't seem to pull up your reservation. Do you have a confirmation number? A: It's 7228. B: Here it is. We don't have any more standard rooms available. I'm going to put you in our deluxe room with a kitchenette. A: That's fine with us. (in the deluxe room) A: The room is decorated very tastefully. C: It's very nice! I' m going to sit down in this plush sofa and read. I hear that some people say C's “I’m going to …” line is a little strange. I'd like to know the reason why this sounds strange and how you would feel from the sentence in detail. Also, I'd like to know what words you would use to rewrite it as a scriptwriter. I'd appreciate it if you could help me. <Q> The English is fine, but as Janet at EL&U said, it does feel artificial. <S> Not because of the phrasing, but because of the content - C is announcing her intention to do something very uninteresting (sit down and read), and is pointlessly explicit in describing the sofa. <S> Most people wouldn't feel the need to announce something like that; they'd just sit down and start reading. <S> Now, in language lessons, artificiality is par for the course - you want plain, simple, clear sentences, with focus on the words you're trying to teach, and not too many difficult words besides the ones you're teaching. <S> Linguistic eloquence is not a major factor, so this piece would be fine. <S> (Also, most actors could pull this line off just fine without even seeming artificial - it just takes more consideration than the casual reader will give it.) <S> If you really want a plausible rewrite, either strike the line entirely, or put in some obvious reason for the line, or perhaps some character: <S> It's very nice! <S> I'm going to sit down in this plush sofa and read - will you come sit with me? <S> It's very nice! <S> Let's not unpack right away - I want to sit down in this plush sofa an read for a while. <S> It's very nice! <S> And look what a beautiful, plush sofa - <S> oh, I just want to curl up in it with a good book <S> this very moment! <A> First of all, there's nothing wrong with the English itself, so I wouldn't change it for that reason. <S> The only reason I can think of that would make it strange is if the meaning conveyed doesn't match what happens next. <S> "I'm going to sit down in this plush sofa and read" suggests this is something C's about to do, particularly because she said it when she saw the chair. <S> If this is not the case, then "I'm going to" would come across a bit odd. <S> In my opinion, "going to" in this case does not suggest a distant future intention. <S> For example: "You're going to drop those dishes" suggests it's something about to happen based on a visual clue. <S> Therefore, perhaps something like <S> "I can't wait to sit down in this plush sofa and read" would work a little better in conveying something she wants to do, but isn't going to right now. <S> Or, "I'm going to sit down in this plush sofa and read at the first chance I get." <S> Or, "I'm going to sit down in this plush sofa later and read." <S> Just one thing I wanted to mention: "sit down in" is what I actually find odd in this sentence. " <S> sit down on" seems more correct to me, because "sit down in" implies you're "in" the sofa performing the act of sitting down, like you sit down in a waiting room, or sit down in a lounge. <A> I think this is better suited for EL&U, but if you say this is a spin-off <S> (you haven't provided the link), I'm fine with that. <S> As far as I can say, there is nothing wrong with your sentence and it does not sound strange. <S> But maybe the "people who say this", prefer the Present Continuous to express this future task (sitting down and reading). <S> I'm sitting down on this plush sofa and reading.
| According to esl.about.com , "going to" is used for distant future intentions.
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What makes for interesting travel writing/blogging? I wanted to hear a few words about travel writing. What qualities make for the most engrossing stories, especially for readers who are just sort of gauging their interest? I've read a number of articles mostly containing general advice or regarding particular conventions, and they're helpful, but I'm looking for opinions that are a little more specific and insightful, the nooks and crannies. <Q> I would say- make it interesting for a human being, not a statistics gathering computer. <S> Don't give the number of airports or hills, don't tell me what the currency rate is. <S> I can find these things on Wikipedia. <S> Instead, give your opinion. <S> What did you see? <S> What did you like? <S> What wasn't so great? <S> Was the mountain top beautiful? <S> But did you get ripped off on the way up by the bus driver, and you recommend others take a taxi instead? <S> I want to know what you felt. <S> Feel free to recommend hotels/restaurants, as long as you don't make it look like a paid commercial. <S> Readers will know if you are giving an honest opinion, or if you are just being paid to say good things. <S> Post pictures. <S> A picture is worth a 1000 words. <S> Rather than say the mountain was beautiful, post a picture you took of the sunset there. <S> Mention easy ways to travel. <S> Is there a good public service transport service? <S> The first thing I do before going to a new place, I find out how I can travel around. <S> Official websites give useless info, like bus numbers. <S> Give me info that is useful- <S> that while there are a lot of buses, they have a poor service, and I'm better off walking to most places. <S> In summary: Don't repeat what is there on the official documents/websites. <S> This information is often incorrect, out of date, or 'beautified'. <S> In a good travel article, I find hope to read stuff the official website didn't tell me, and how the traveller on the ground felt. <A> I would say your question is not too open-ended, but instead that the answer is the same as most questions about interesting writing: <S> you have to make it interesting. <S> As always, show, don't tell . <S> If you find yourself describing landscapes or interactions, then you might be in trouble. <S> But if you talk about what you experienced while in that place, your far more likely to capture your reader. <S> If you are writing in the first person, your audience is going to want to believe that you were there. <S> They are going to want to know not only what you saw, but also what you touched and tasted and smelled and sensed . <S> If you are writing in the second person (which, for travelogues, is an option), they are going to want to believe they are there. <S> They to want to know what they are touching and tasting and smelling and sensing. <S> Ultimately, it comes down to the same ol' writing clichés: show, don't tell; and focus on the action (and the details around it). <S> If you described a mountain, that's okay. <S> If you relate your journey climbing the mountain and how the rock felt in your hand and how the thin air tasted in your mouth and felt in your lungs, that's when they are going to want to turn to the next page... <A> I suspect that what will be interesting depends on your target audience. <S> If you're targeting audiences that are looking to travel somewhere, then they'll probably want to know a bit about the history of the place, its people, details and places to go that are "off the beaten track", and so on, and less about stories. <S> For example, I myself rarely read travel writing, except if I'm planning on going somewhere, and so I tend to look for things that tell me about where I am going, and things I can do there. <S> If I can find somewhere that's away from the crowds of tourists, so much the better. <S> I'm often not terribly interested in stories about the person who went there, and what they experienced. <S> If you're doing a piece of travel life-writing and you want to attract an audience who enjoy reading about adventures and mishaps of the writer in far-flung places and cultures, then your focus is going to be very much on your journey, the life stories you've experienced that your readership can relate to, just like in fiction writing. <S> It's got to be personal. <S> It may include history and details etc., but the focus is more on what you experienced at a personal level. <S> Consider Michael Palin's TV series where he travelled around various countries, for example, which was designed more to entertain than enlighten (although it did). <S> Or Tim Butcher's excellent "Blood River". <S> Both of these are good examples to draw ideas from. <S> As others have already said, remember to adopt good fiction-writing techniques (setting, dialogue, characterisation, research) to tell your story, just as you would normally. <S> Also remember, it can still be "true" to what you want to say, even if you have to make up some of the dialogue, or change some minor details. <S> Of course you can try combine both approaches to attract both types of audiences by writing your travel stories, and then including extra information for would be travellers in a sidebar, an additional post (if blogging), or something like that.
| What makes up the "interesting bits" can vary depending on the reader, but ultimately it will come down to taking your readers with you on the journey.
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Use of past vs. present tense in works of fiction I have recently picked up several works of fiction and begun to read them. I have found that some are written using past tense while others use the present tense. What is the significance of using these different tenses while writing fiction? <Q> A lot of it is just convention. <S> Most people seem most accustomed to reading past tense, so it tends to not be noticed by the reader. <S> There are exceptions to this, however. <S> YA, especially, has a lot of present tense writing, and in that genre it seems to be totally unremarkable. <S> Fans of present tense often argue that it gives a sense of immediacy to the story, while opponents say that it is jarring and intrusive to their reading experience. <S> Personal anecdote <S> : My first two books were written in present tense; I don't remember giving it much conscious thought, that's just how the words came out. <S> There was some negative feedback from readers, although the books overall were fairly popular. <S> I thought the critics were crazy, but I wanted to sell, and so for the next couple books I tried past tense. <S> When I went back to the present tense books, after having immersed myself in the past tense, the present tense DID seem awkward and intrusive to me! <S> I got over it quite quickly (within the first chapter of rereading), but it wasn't automatic. <S> So I do think there's a significant element of just being what people are accustomed to that determines their preference. <A> Here's what I'm familiar with: a lot of people see present-tense as a description of something happening right now, while past-tense is a narration of events that have already concluded. <S> So: Some readers find present-tense more immediate and, well, tense. <S> Some readers take issue with past-tense narration, seeing it as an unjustified device: If somebody's telling us this story, who is it? <S> Why is he telling us the story? <S> If the narration is first-person, that means the narrator must have made it through the story pretty OK, no? <S> Most readers accept above issues as unimportant side-effects of convention. <S> E.g. if a narrator dies at the end of the story, they won't shout "wait, so who just wrote the whole thing?" <S> - they don't see the narration as being part of the established facts of the story. <S> In real life, people tell you things that have happened; <S> it's rare to be subjected to a real-time report. <S> Think of the exceptions - e.g. sports commentaries and on-the-spot new reports; they can be very exciting, but they're rarely personal or possessing narrative structure. <S> And those kind of reports would probably be exhausting to listen to for too long of a stretch. <S> Fiction presents things happening "now" in a medium used primarily to describe things already over. <S> That's where the issue comes from. <S> But in most cases, I think that readers prefer the comfort of more familiar phrasing over the increased accuracy of using a more appropriate tense. <S> The familiarity makes the inaccuracies accepted and invisible. <S> As Kate said, current convention favors past-tense writing, so all other considerations aside - anything else may feel somewhat jarring or unusual to many readers. <S> And both are popular, familiar and accepted enough that you can really pick whichever feels most comfortable and appropriate for you, as long as you remain consistent within a single piece. <A> I write blog posts in the present tense even if I'm writing about something which happened in the past, because it's funnier to be "present" as the gag is unfolding. <S> I prefer novels in the past tense, but it's just a preference, and I could get used to a story told in the present tense.
| I think a lot of people find past-tense more natural because present-tense storytelling is not something you encounter in day to day life.
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Is there a typical structure for non-fiction popular science books? If so, what is it? Is there an accepted or suggested structure for writing non-fiction (specifically, popular science) books? As an example of the type of book I mean, there's Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational : a very successful non-fiction popular science book that is wholly engaging. Should I adapt a typical narrative structure to fit with non-fiction (no idea how, though), or is there a recommended structure? When looking at the first chapter, I'm wondering whether this should: Be a summary of the books main thesis (or should this be the last chapter?) Provide background information on the topic Intrigue the reader with unanswered questions and the odd fascinating finding Something else? <Q> A summary of the main thesis should be at the beginning ( <S> Probably best before the first chapter). <S> People want to pick up the book, read this abstract and decide if they want to go any further. <S> If your book is not written in English, you also can think about adding an English abstract. <S> That's a standard for diploma theses, so foreign readers can decide, if they want to translate the thesis or not. <S> Do you like Ariely's style/structure? <S> Try to copy it. <S> Don't be afraid that it can be too obvious, because copying style and structure is not as easy as you might expect. <S> If it really ends up to be an obvious "rip-off", you have learnt a lot and can still change it. <S> So the only suggested structure is: make it readable. <S> It doesn't matter how you achieve that. <S> It looks like a burden, but that's the fun part of being creative. <S> There are enough dull books out there. <S> Pick up books you like and analyse how he authors did it. <A> There's no one structure for popular non-fiction, but many. <S> This is a hybrid form combining biographical details of the main figures in the field, interviews with them, if they are alive, AND the technical details of their research or findings. <S> You'll want to stick strictly to verified fact , but still edit and select material and incidents in order to create a compelling storyline, much the same as you would do in fiction. <S> A strong narrative of this kind will include ups and downs, tension and surprises, conflict and all the other treats of fiction, but as drawn from real life. <S> Chaos by James Gleick is a great example of a bestselling science book with this approach. <A> As John Smithers says, have a summary at the beginning. <S> I will add that make it very short <S> , maybe 2-3 pages. <S> I want to quickly read through the summary to see if the book is worth buying. <S> I have read too many books with a 20 page introduction where the author tells of his motivations for writing the book, and I haven't even decided if I want to buy the book. <S> I think the gold standard for engaging non fiction is The Black Swan by Taleb. <S> He gives as much technical information as is needed, without boring the reader. <S> He also uses stories to illustrate his point, and his style is humorous. <S> Stephen Hawking was told by the publisher for his book A Brief History of Time that every equation he put in would reduce his readership by half. <S> While some say this is an exaggeration, I have found that too many equations turn people off. <S> It's hard for a layman to make sense of Greek symbols. <S> So try to keep equations to a minimum. <S> Also, don't use big and uncommon words, especially technical ones. <S> If you have to, make sure there is a glossary of technical terms at the end. <S> Finally, the same rules as for normal fiction apply. <S> It should be easy to read, and you have to keep the reader interested throughout the book. <S> If you feel something is breaking the flow of the reader, put it in the appendix.
| If you have no specification for your book structure (from university/publisher), then it is up to you. Give every reason for your reader to turn the page - don't assume that just because they read the 1st 100 pages, they will stick for the next 200. One structure that has been successful for many science books is to structure it around a narrative history of the field.
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When I'm replying to emails, what's the best way to acknowledge that I appreciated each point of someone's email? In many cases, I understand and appreciate what the person is writing (in each sentence), but have little to say in response, even if I really like what the person is saying. So when I have little to say in response, the number of replies I can make is rather limited [ah okay, oh ok, so basically, ah sure, oh interesting, oh true, good point, intriguing, nice, etc...]. Sometimes I try to repeat what they say and then say "that's interesting". But then people have told me that I'm like a void. Of course, it's not required for me to say anything substantial, but I do want them to write more (and to feel appreciated). And it can be discouraging to them if they can't tell whether or not I truly appreciate what they say or if I'm just saying it just to be nice. In fact, this frequently happens in academic emails (especially with professors) - although the roles are reversed in this case - I might send paragraphs of replies, and the professor may only send a reply that's a sentence long (even if he appreciates everything I've written). It might actually be easier if we could just comment on emails like we can insert comments in Microsoft Word documents (or in the margins of a final paper) - but that isn't possible with the email software that we usually use <Q> There is no rule that you have to produce an equal volume of words in order for your correspondent to appreciate you. <S> In fact, if you quote every sentence individually, inserting "I agree" or "good point" after each, that's going to lower people's impression of you -- it's a "me, too" reply, only worse because the person has to dig in case <S> you had anything else to say. <S> If you like, you can add " <S> your point about (whatever) was particularly helpful to me". <A> A few possibilities... <S> First, the (relatively) easier one: <S> Say, "Thank you." <S> Then stop. <S> Now, a more difficult one: Your reaction comes not only from what they said, but from a connection between what they said and something in you. <S> The responses you mention comment almost entirely on what they said, and add little of you to the conversation. <S> So: Take a moment to consider what it is in you <S> that their words connected with. <S> What need or aspiration or desire or fear or yearning or ...? <S> Once you've discovered what you are contributing to your response , consider expressing that, and how the writer's words and ideas touch that part of you. <A> how about something like <S> "I agree with all the points you've made here. <S> You covered this thoroughly and did an excellent job. <S> I could not improve upon this."?
| Don't quote the entire message; he already knows what it says since he wrote it. It's fine to just say something like "thank you for all your help; I really appreciate it".
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Shots in a spec script? I'm writing a feature-length movie screenplay - well it's still at the story stage, so I haven't started to write the screenplay itself yet. I have been reading wordplayer and a few scripts to see the structure. I've got one scene in mind where the POV is really important for maximum effect. I want to describe that the camera should be inside the boot of a car (trunk for the Americans here), pointing back at a character. It's similar to at the start of Pulp Fiction when Vincent and Jules get the guns out of the boot. In terms of the story, it is obviously irrelevant where the camera is placed. But this is a comedy and the camera angle will make it funnier. Should I put in a camera direction for this? I don't intend to direct the film myself, so want to do whatever would maximise my chance of selling it as a spec script. Thanks <Q> There are a couple of schools of thought about this. <S> Some say that you can add camera directions for effect, some say never. <S> Personally, I would say be very careful about adding any sort of direction because it can be a very slippery slope. <S> If you add it once, you'll be inclined to do it again. <S> Start directing <S> and you'll turn off your readers and alienate potential directors/actors. <S> But only do it once and it'll probably feel out of place. <S> Ultimately, a director is going to make the final decisions about camera placement and angles, regardless of what you put in your script. <S> Any camera angles you spell out in your script <S> are going to be suggestions at best. <S> You are better off convincing them that this bit is funny by showing in the action why it's funny. <S> Describe the sky behind them, the way they are looking down, the darkness of the boot. <S> Give it a few tries and let some other people read through it. <S> If they understand what's going on, you've done it. <S> If not, then you might need to fall back on straight POV. <S> But at least you gave it your best. <A> Writing any camera directions whatsoever is considered to be intrusive by potential readers of your script (be they readers for a production house or potential directors). <S> Try to look at your scene objectively. <S> Does it really need a camera direction in the slug? <S> Or, could one short sentence in the action lines serve to do the same sort of thing? <S> Once the script is out of your hands you are just going to have to live with what the director wants to do with it. <S> If you are truly interested in writing for the screen you should get used to the idea that even though you picture a scene as being funnier/more exciting/sexier/ <S> what-have-you from certain angles, the director might not see it the same way. <S> He or she might even cut that scene to make the movie flow better. <S> Sad, I know. <A> In terms of spec a.c., you are looking to do one thing - impress. <S> The thing is, you're not looking to impress directors or cinematographers. <S> Agents, yes. <S> But before your work gets anywhere near a director it has to go through a script reader. <S> Readers will see hundreds of scripts a week, and the first thing they'll look for is format. <S> If it isn't formatted properly, it's in the bin before they've read the opening line. <S> With that in mind I would get rid of any stage direction. <S> At spec stage they don't care what shot is what or how it looks or how funny it is. <S> All they care about is that you can write in a way that translates easily to those who can't see the film inside your head, i.e. everyone. <S> If you can hook them with solid work, then you'll get them reading. <S> That's your goal. <S> I think if I could offer any additional advice it'd be this; your work is precious to you, but if you want it to be successful, be prepared to be ruthless to it. ' <S> Kill your children' is a term I've heard a few times with it, and it's accurate. <S> If you aren't directing it and shooting it yourself, others will, and 9 times out of 10 they won't see what you see <S> and they'll butcher it. <S> If you want it made, let them. <S> If you have something you are 100% protective over, save it for yourself and don't let anyone near it. <S> It sounds brutal, and is in truth, but it's a collaborative process, in a more populated way than novel writing I feel, and you need to be able to hurt your baby in order to get it made. <A> Noting the answers of @Joel Shea and @Quinn, I put additional non-story elements in notes similar to footnotes and don't include them when the story is published. <S> That gets such things out of my head <S> so I can think of other things. <A> My understanding from my brief experience in the field is: Spec scripts are first and foremost about telling the STORY. <S> Camera directions necessary to telling the story should be included. <S> e.g 'Pan to reveal'. <S> Cosmetic or style direction should not be included.
| I would say do your absolute best to try and describe the scene, sans POV.
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Audio version of copyrighted written material I want to do a free daily podcast of the Bible. Would I need permission of the copyright holder of the translation I am reading or would this be considered fair use? Would I need to state the source or, conversely, would I be restricted from stating the source without authorization? <Q> A modern translation/interpretation may be, so just stick with one that's in the public domain, eg. <S> The King James Version. <A> First: Here are no lawyers around, sorry. <S> Second: You could use a non-copyrighted . <S> ( More info ) <S> Third: Why don't you just ask the copyright owner? <A> First of all, yes, the (purported) author of the Bible has much better recourse than the standard Cease & Desist letter -- for example, He could send a plague of locusts or kill your kin and kine -- and arguments about "the life of the author " would probably make things worse rather than better, but, no, He probably won't take any sort of action. <S> And yes, the translator for any particular version does hold the copyright <S> but there are many, many translations whose copyrights have long since expired. <S> The King James Version (certainly the most poetic translation) saw its copyright expire before George Washington was born. <S> There's also the now-public-domain American Standard Version . <S> Finally, there are versions released under very flexible licenses. <S> For example, you can record the New English Translation without paying a dime so long as you aren't making money off it yourself. <S> And the translation certainly does matter. <S> For proof, look no further than Genesis 1:2. <S> The (free!) <S> King James Version reads: <S> And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. <S> And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. <S> But the (not free!) <S> New International Version is <S> Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. <S> There are those who claim that Shakespeare and Marlowe helped out on the KJV. <S> I don't know if I believe that, <S> but you don't have be a poet to realize that "hovering over the waters" is not the image you want to start your Bible with. <S> Makes the Lord of Hosts sound like He's in a helicopter... <A> There are several issues here. <S> Issue 1: <S> If you were to buy a novel that is still protected by copyright and make an audio book of it without permission from the copyright owner and sell copies of this recording, they could sue you for copyright violation and easily win. <S> Issue 2 <S> : In general, copyright is good for the life of the author plus 70 years. <S> So the copyright on the original Greek text of the New Testament ran out about 1900 years ago. <S> The copyright on Genesis ran out something like 3300 years ago. <S> Issue 3 <S> : Translations have their own copyright, separate and distinct from the original work. <S> So, for example, the New International Version was published in 1978. <S> I presume (without checking, I don't think the detail is important here) that it's considered a "work for hire" and so had a 95 year copyright, so that won't run out until circa 2073. <S> Issue 4 <S> : You can quote short excerpts from a copyrighted work without permission. <S> This is called "fair use". <S> Exactly how much you can quote is decided on a case by case basis considering a variety of factors. <S> Issue 5: Many Bible translations try to simplify number 4 for you by giving explicit permission to copy specified amounts of the text. <S> For example I think the Hohlman says you can copy up to 250 verses as long as you don't copy an entire book. <S> (Some of the short books, like some of the shorter epistles, are less than 250 verses.) <S> So your choices are: Record the original Greek and Hebrew. <S> I'm guessing that's not practical for you. <S> Use a translation whose copyright has expired, like King James. <S> (I've read that the UK has given the King James a perpetual copyright, and I see that statement repeated in one of the comments on another answer. <S> But in the US, the copyright on King James ran out before there was a US.) <S> Don't record the entire Bible. <S> Just record snippets. <S> I don't know what you're trying to accomplish <S> so this may or may not be practical. <S> Get permission from the copyright owners. <S> They might ask for money, especially if you intend to sell your recordings. <S> Or they might say no. <S> But you can ask.
| The Bible itself isn't under copyright. Making a recording of any copyrighted written work is subject to the same restrictions as making your own printed copy.
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What is the process for turning a story into a "movie" script? This is probably a slightly vague sounding question, but I'm curious as to how "stories" go to the point of becoming a film production (at least to the point of becoming a script). <Q> I'm not sure if you're asking how producers make movies based on stories/books or how you could do the same with a story idea you have. <S> For the sake of completeness <S> I'll answer the second one <S> (Shan had an excellent answer for that first case). <S> I've just finished taking a screenwriting module in my degree and that covered the process. <S> First you'd create an outline; this is a bare-bones representation of what happens throughout the movie. <S> It runs for about 50-100 lines typically and is formatted something like this: Location: <S> Harbour - Show young boy fishing with his father. <S> After the outline you create a treatment; 'Treatment' means different things for different types of medium but for films you would expect a document outlined into Acts, Scenes, and a description of what happens in each scene leaving out any non-essential dialogue. <S> This is probably the longest part and relates most directly to the film that's created. <S> Formatted correctly one sheet of paper is equal to roughly one minute of film. <S> A great site to find out more about <S> all this is actually the Lights Film School: http://www.lightsfilmschool.com/articles/treatments/index.html <A> From what I know, though Im not an expert: The story or book must have been published, and seen some measure of commercial success, for the producer to have read it. <S> If the producer likes your book, and thinks it can be turned into a movie, they will approach you and offer to buy the movie rights to your book- <S> which means only they can make a movie from that book. <S> Depending on how good a negotiator you are, this can be for life, or for a fixed period, say 3 years. <S> The 2nd option is better, as sometimes an idea remains frozen for years, and if you have an expiry time in the contract, you can sell your movie rights again to another producer. <S> If they do decide to make a movie, usually they will hire their own scriptwriters, as writing for the screen is completely different than writing a book. <S> Again, depending how good your lawyer was, you might get a percentage of the movie, or get nothing, as Hollywood uses their own version of Creative accounting : <S> Winston Groom's price for the screenplay rights to his novel Forrest Gump included a share of the profits; however, due to Hollywood accounting, the film's commercial success was converted into a net loss, and Groom received nothing <A> Screenplays are heavily structured. <S> Structure is almost everything within a screenplay. <S> Tarantino and some others are the exception to the rule <S> so I'd avoid writing like them until you get your foot in the door. <S> However, most stories, translated into a "script" need to be structured in the three act structure where you follow a set of story beats and keep your script within 120 pages. <S> If you're a nobody, keep your script within 100 pages. <S> Less is more when you're a nobody, as far as page count. <A> If I'm reading your question right, stories become scripts well in advance of ever getting close to becoming a production. <S> It doesn't matter if you're adapting a novel or writing <S> a 'spec' (an uncommissioned script based on an original idea) stories rarely go into production until the script is finished because the finished script is what attracts the studio, the producer, the director, the stars and everyone else involved. <S> Films where the script remains unfinished even while production is taking place usually turn out bad and fail miserably by every possible measure. <S> Of course once those people get involved they generally start to re-write and change things to suit themselves, the star will have his favourite writer take a pass, the studio will hire someone to take a pass, so will the director unless - horror of horrors <S> - he thinks he can write, in which case he'll do it himself but, and here's the rub <S> , it's their story now, you sold it to them, they can do whatever the hell they want with it. <S> The big issue for you now is to make sure you get credit and that your name remains on it, even if the finished film bears no resemblance to your original story, because credit means residuals and residuals means money. <S> If you don't get credit then you have to go to arbitration to fight for it <S> but that's a whole other issue. <A> I am writing as someone writing a story, and who decided to make it a "script" instead of a novel. <S> A novel is primarily concerned about a character's feelings. <S> One or more characters goes into long "soliloquies," or least a narrator does it for them. <S> IMHO, "Hamlet, a play, would have done better as a novel. <S> A movie, on other hand, is action oriented. <S> There are a lot of dramatic scenes (in my case, a science fiction "mechanic," plus people "passing out" at critical times, making you wonder whether they are sick or well). <S> There is only a limited amount of narration, and what feelings exist are expressed through dialog. <S> This format lends itself better to a movei.
| Once the Treatment and Outline are completed you start work on the script itself, going through the story bit by bit and defining the dialogue, appearance, camera angles, actions, and so on.
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Italicizing and adding accents to Spanish words in an English novel In my current novel I have a few characters who speak Spanish. The book takes place along the Texico border, so it happens frequently. I know that in more foreign Spanish, or when someone speaks a full sentence, it should be italicized. If they are more common words or phrases, i.e. "hola", "sí" and "señor", do I italicize them? My confusion comes when someone is saying "sí" and then the rest of the sentence in English. Also, when someone addresses someone else as "Señor Cortez" and "Señorita Venegas", do I italicize just the title, the whole name, or nothing at all? After that long question, I now have a question to tail that: when do I use accents for those more common words? I feel like the word "si" wouldn't have an accent if spoken by someone who was speaking in English, but then it wouldn't be italicized (consequently, "si" and "sí" are two different words). Same with "senor". I've seen some authors spell it a bit phonetically to emphasize the character's lethargy when speaking ("senhor"). I would love some insight! I'm very comfortable using the language. While it is not my first language, I studied it profusely in school. Would love to use it and not look like an idiot. <Q> I think you're on the right track. <S> The point of italics is to alert the reader that the words are not in the same language as the rest of the text. <S> I like the logic that the English-spoken "si" wouldn't be italicized. <S> I wouldn't italicize titles or single words, as those are easy enough to understand, even when the first word is Spanish and the rest is English. <S> Add any accents as appropriate and leave it roman. <S> Full sentences in Spanish would be italics. <A> It depends on the style guide you subscribe to. <S> AP Style does not use italics. <S> If a word will become familiar over the course of the writing, it needs only be italicized the first time. <S> Entire sentences are not italicized. <S> MLA Style recommends the same as Chicago. <S> APA recommends same as Chicago. <S> These are the most common style guides; many publications have house style guides. <S> You may create your own for your own work if you like. <S> The most important thing is to be consistent within a work. <A> FWIW, senhor isn't spanish (I think it's portuguese, in fact). <S> As a native spanish speaker, seeing "senhor" when people are supposedly speaking spanish would make me cringe. <S> I won't comment on the use of italics, but please, please, use "señor". <S> Regarding the accents, as you probably know, there are a few words that have different meanings with and without accent. <S> For those that don't (e.g. either the accented or unaccented version exists, but not both), the meaning will be clear, but it won't feel completely right. <S> In fact, "sí" means "yes", and "si" means "if". <S> Not sure about the official position of the RAE regarding accents on single-syllable words, though.
| The Chicago Manual recommends use of italics for isolated words that are likely to be unfamiliar to the reader.
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Adding breaks in a novel—spaces, asterisks, or a chapter break? I am editing my first novel and wherever I find a natural break in the story, I add a few spaces. I want to go back and adjust what types of breaks those are, but how best to represent those spaces in time? What is the difference between using an extra space, asterisks, or a chapter break? My guess (and feel free to correct me): an extra space is used when it's some time later in the same scene, or when switching POV with characters in the same scene; asterisks are used when it's essentially a different scene, with either the same characters in a different time or place, or switching POV with different characters; and a chapter break could indicate either, but it comes at the end of a dramatic scene. <Q> In addition to your guesses: A chapter break can also be mostly for dramatic purposes; the scene can continue over the chapter break with the same characters and POV. <S> (Think of a commercial break, which then returns to the same moment.) <S> I would also use an extra space to indicate a scene change: <S> different characters at the same time in a different location, different characters at a later time with location irrelevant. <S> (Think of a scene change in a TV show: the scene just changes, and you have to figure out from context like time of day and scenery when and where we are.) <S> I actually don't care for asterisks or hash marks. <S> The only time I would use them is at the top or bottom of a page to indicate "If this were falling in the middle of the page, I would just use an extra space, but since you can't tell that from where the copy lies, I'm throwing in these markers to let you know the next bit of copy is a new scene." <A> When writing most publishers tend to prefer three # centred on the page after two clear spaces between text. <S> These are the ones I use frequently in my writing. <A> I wouldn't always say, though, that you have to use this for every scene. <S> In my experience it's sometimes difficult to pinpoint the ending of a scene, and if it runs into the next one and a space would look odd <S> , I don't break it at all. <S> I agree about chapters. <S> They can either be finished at the end of a scene or in the middle of a scene, I don't think it matters. <S> Just as long as it's not in an odd place, like the middle of a normal conversation. <S> Perhaps at the end of a particularly dramatic line in the scene, and it could continue on into the next chapter. <A> If you are writing content, then use the proper sematic markup that indicates a break; e.g. a paragraph style made for that purpose. <S> Are you designing a style sheet or the layout of a work to be published? <S> This is <S> the wrong S.E. Point is, focus on the content, not the formatting. <S> That's what Adobe InDesign is for. <A> I was taught (long ago) to use three centered "---" on a line by itself in order to represent, within a chapter, a scene change or the passage of time. <S> e.g. if somebody falls asleep; then "---", then "She woke to the alarm at 7:00 AM." <S> Similarly, if your whole scene is changing but you don't want to end the chapter for some reason, "Jack lugged his bags downstairs, and met the driver at the curb, and was on his way to the Chicago." <S> Then "---", Then, "The following morning, the doorman found him a cab <S> and he arrived at the Argyle building at nine." <A> If you are looking for some sort of lowest common denominator, Kindle may be a good platform to target. <S> Kindle has 2 concepts. <S> Chapters, and <S> *** breaks. <S> You could in theory use blank lines on Kindle <S> but because you have no guarantee that these lines won't be on the bottom of a page for some device and thus invisible, they are best not used. <S> Once you publish to kindle you will have to replace all the <S> *** <S> with their special section break style to have it correctly understood by devices like text to speech. <S> So consider that if you want to use anything else, and plan to release on Kindle, you won't get any other separators that are 100% accessible to all users. <A> It's not clear if the OP is referring to self publication or seeking representation. <S> My understanding is the industry standard (when subbing to an agent, for example) is defined. <S> Also, I believe chapters start 1/3 way down the page. <S> I believe chapter ends have a page break. <S> I believe the pages are to be numbered, and the header has contact information and manuscript metrics. <S> I believe the text itself should be Times New Roman, 12 point, double spaced. <S> Standard margins (1 inch). <S> These beliefs have been formed by various conversations and googles over the past year <S> but I've not rigorously checked them. <S> But again, the OP was not clear as to what sort of document they are writing, for self-publication, querying/submitting a manuscript, or other. <A> Asterisks are used to indicate the end of a scene <A> *** can indicate a jump in time or a return to the chapter's focus after a digression.
| I tend to think asterisks and extra spaces can mean the same thing (be used in the same way), to indicate change of scene. I was specifically taught to never use extra vertical spacing, either break to a new chapter or put in a line of three dashes centered to indicate an intra-chapter break. It may vary by agent, but I think industry standard is to place a hash mark (centered) between scenes.
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2nd Draft- Fix spelling/grammar or plot first? I just finished the first draft of my novel, and Im going to put it away for at least a month. The book has a lot of spelling / grammatical errors, as in true Nanowrimo style, I kept typing without fixing anything. When I return, what should I focus on: Fixing the spelling and grammar first? Or, should I read through the whole book, and look for plot/characterisation holes? I know there is this question, but it focusses more on editing other peoples work, not your own. <Q> There's no point in polishing work that you're not going to keep for the final product. <S> I'd work through at the macro level first, cutting/adding/moving big chunks, and then I'd go back and look at the medium level stuff (style and flow, etc.), and then polish up whatever's left. <S> That said, my first drafts are pretty clean. <A> My advice would be to sit down after a month and read through your draft with a pen or pencil (or, if it's digital in Word format or something similar, use the note-tracking facilities available to you) and jot down all the ideas that come to you, focusing specifically on the story itself, but perhaps highlighting spelling/grammar errors along the way. <S> Treat the grammar and spelling as secondary to the main goal of identifying problems with your story. <S> Grammar and spelling errors are relatively quick and easy to fix, but intrinsic story problems - dialogue, characterisation, setting, plot holes, continuity, etc. <S> - are far more demanding, and will likely alter many sections, thus altering any spelling and grammar mistakes you find anyway. <A> Forget the grammar and spelling unless it gets in the way of fixing the other stuff in some way. <S> Focus on your characters and your plot first. <S> Also look at the overall structure of the novel before you get down to the nitty gritty. <S> You might want to delete chapters, switch them round, write new chapters... <S> no point spending time fixing spelling in chunks you might change in a bigger way anyway. <A> Drafts are for refining concerns such as organization, plot, characterization, etc., not for mere mechanics. <S> What you tackle on each draft is up to you; personally, I tend to start with a general "let's see what I've got" pass to fix up obvious structural problems at the sentence, paragraph, and even scene/section level, while making notes about what I need to improve in other regards. <S> Ideally, your grammar and spelling would be just about perfect in every draft, because they've become automatic. <S> Grammar and spelling are bare minimum skills for being a writer. <S> You wouldn't try to be a carpenter if you couldn't reliably hit a nail; you'd practice hitting nails first. <S> Similarly, if you can't always correctly spell the word you intend to use (typos† aside), you should learn to do that first. <S> You will be a lot less frustrated by the process of revising, in my opinion, if you are not trying to deal with macro and micro issues at the same time. <S> My philosophy: assume that you'll run up against deadline and your current draft will end up having to be published, even if it's your first, and try to write so that you won't be too embarrassed if that happens. <S> There are plenty of published writers who have inconsistent plots and cardboard characters, but very few who have consistently bad spelling. <S> † <S> Typos are when a word gets scrambled (or lost) on its way from your brain to your fingers. <S> Happens to everyone. <S> Not knowing whether to use "their" or "there," or how to spell "minuscule" (an old nemesis of mine) is not a typo .
| If your spelling and grammatical errors get in the way of your critical reading, you may need to fix them first just so you can see what you've got for the bigger issues.
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Which tense should I use when writing a post about a journey? What tense could I use when I write about a journey? Suppose if I write about a train journey and describe the countryside, would using a present tense create a deeper impact to the reader? I could make it appear as if I had been writing during the travel though the reality is I could have written it later. I would want the reader to feel the depiction and I was wondering if tense matters here. <Q> I think you mix things up here. <S> Present tense does not build immediacy, immediacy should be there if you use present tense. <S> At least I expect it when present tense is used. <S> As Kate mentions the sense of immediacy is independent of the used tense. <S> But if you use present tense, your writing should better have this sense. <S> Just using present tense will not add it. <S> Though the tense does matter in combination with your viewpoint. <S> You have to be consistent to avoid puzzling the reader. <S> As an example let me use a thriller playing in a train (for your journey <S> ;). <S> There is a murder committed in the compartment next to the person watching the scenery. <S> Using third person view (omniscient or not is only a matter of detail here) <S> you can use present tense and write: Sybil watches the mountains of Montana. <S> In the compartment next to her a man slaughters a woman. <S> No problem with that (besides missing suspension). <S> First person, present tense: <S> I watch the mountain ranges of Montana while the guy in the next compartment is slashing his girl-friend. <S> Why do you know that? <S> How could the first person narrator know what happens in the other compartment, or that it is his girl-friend and not his stepmother (or maybe both with one kill)? <S> For an opening scene of a book you can use this, if you answer these questions during the book. <S> Otherwise it is an inconsistency in your perspective. <S> But now we try that with past tense: <S> He ripped apart her chest, while I was watching the snow on the shiny peaks of Montana. <S> When I found the blood beneath the door one hour later, he had already left the train. <S> Using past tense this trick is possible, because it's plausible that the narrator knows more afterwards than he did when the crime happened. <S> If it is good style or not, I leave open for discussion (well, I like it). <S> When you stay consistent, it does not matter if you use present tense or not. <A> But if you want to give a better impression that the story is being written or told as it happens, present tense will help with that. <S> That's not quite the same thing as the reader's sense immediacy. <S> It's related, but not quite the same. <S> A few caveats for present tense: If you want the piece to read as if it were written during the journey, you'll want to make sure you would have had a reason to write it during the journey. <S> You may not need to express that reason directly in the text, but if you're writing in present tense, the reason to start writing can't come from events later in the text. <S> Also, you won't be able to foreshadow overtly. <S> If you want to foreshadow, you'll have to do it subtly, perhaps via dramatic irony (describing things and events whose significance the reader understands, but the writer does not). <A> Like you say, if you want to create the impression that the description of the journey is from a diary, then present tense could work. <S> However, even here you could write as past tense because perhaps you wrote in your diary at the end of the day looking back over the day's activities. <S> Or perhaps the story you're trying to tell is from the point of view of a changed, wiser person looking back at lessons learned from a particular journey, and you want to contrast between that younger self and the later, older one. <S> None of these options is any better or worse than the other as long as you tell the story well, and you're consistent. <S> The possibilities are endless, but they all depend on the story you're trying to tell, and that's what you should use to dictate the tense. <S> Also, trust your instincts: if you feel more comfortable with first person, present tense as a writer, then do that. <S> If you prefer past tense, third-person, do that. <S> The only time I would suggest present tense would perhaps be with action novels, but even there, a story well told is a story well told. <A> In which tense do you feel most comfortable writing? <S> I think that a good writer can give a sense of immediacy and impact regardless of the tense chosen. <S> This seems like one of those questions that we use to keep us from getting down to the hard work of actually writing <S> - like 'what font should I use' or 'what's the best word processor'. <S> It doesn't really matter. <S> Chose one, and get going!
| I know lots of people say that present tense creates immediacy, but as a reader I've never noticed any difference. Choose the tense that suits the story you want to tell. A deeper impact is not created by tense.
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Defining Terms: To Capitalize or Not To Capitalize? Let's say that I defined a new term in my writing, such as (yes, it's second-person): You spot a Holo-Reader—a long, silver metal tube that records holograms in three dimensions for later playback. It's pretty clear that the first time I mention and define the new term, it's a name, and thus should be properly capitalized (as "Holo-Reader.") But what about subsequent uses of the term? Should I capitalize it or not? I feel personally that maybe I should, but it draws too much attention to it and treats it as a name; whereas now, it has become part of the lingua franca of the reader, of the world in which the writing inhibits; and is therefore not a name, but a "common" object. How should I deal with this in my writing? <Q> My preference would lean toward no capitalization at all. <S> Definitely not differing caps throughout the book. <S> In fact, I wouldn't hyphenate it. <S> To treat a new word as a normally used word gives a valuable feel of reality to the object. <S> Isaac Asimov used this technique in his sci-fi Foundation series, and it lent credibility to the world he created. <S> Of course, that is just the preference of an avid reader. <S> You could probably get more authoritative suggestions and opinions from Writers. <S> SE . <S> You spot a holoreader—a long, silver metal tube that records holograms in three dimensions for later playback. <A> If it's a specific model name, such as an iPod you would, if it's just a general term 'tablet' you wouldn't. <S> It also depends how strict the lawyers are in your imaginary world! <A> I think it depends on what you are trying to do. <S> By using the term as it would be normally used by your characters, you don't highlight this so much - it is just part of their world. <S> You can de-emphasise it even more by modifying the description, which itself feels like a side note to people who are not part of the story. <S> Maybe something like: <S> "You spot a holoreader, which may prove useful to record and playback full holographic images. <S> The long silver tube will fit well into your trouser leg." Or whatever. <S> The less you take your reader out of the story, the more they will be glued into it.
| By capitalising it, you are emphasising the difference - rather like saying "Now I am going to use and define a term - read carefully".
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Referring to oneself in first vs. third person in online profiles Suppose I am writing a post/blog, how should I mention myself? For example, Ray Wenderlich (Site Admin) Ray is an indie software developer currently focusing on iPhone and iPad development. He’s the founder of a small iPhone development studio called Razware. Now another example from here . They insist to write like this: My name is Ray Wenderlich. I am an indie software developer currently focusing on iPhone and iPad development. I am the founder of a small iPhone Dev. Studio Razware. I have also observed both ways of writing on many Google+ and Facebook profiles. Some write about themselves in first person, others in third. <Q> It's just a matter of style whether you want your "profile" to look as if it's written by you, or by someone else. <S> Follow your own inclination unless you're doing it in a context where someone else (the site, your employer, etc.) sets the rules. <S> In which case do what they say. <S> I'd be surprised if any Writers. <S> SE members have refered to themselves as <S> He in their profiles. <S> It seems a bit silly to do that if there's no possibility that someone else wrote the profile. <S> But I imagine people sometimes do this to give the impression they're so busy they don't have time to do the write-up themselves, but so important someone else will do it for them. <A> I think a major difference is: do you want to give the reader the sense that you are speaking to him , or do you want to give him the sense that he is reading about you ? <S> First person can feel more personal, more informal, as if an actual person is standing in front of the reader - " <S> Hi, I'm Ray!". <S> Third person is a description of the profile owner - generally aiming for a neutral, factual/descriptive tone ("Ray is an experienced software developer") that can feel more professional and matter-of-fact. <S> Sometimes, this can be humorously subverted ("Ray's core competencies include vast expertise in software developement and ingenious placement of whoopie cushions when his co-workers aren't looking"). <A> Using third person offers the benefit, that the profile can be used by other persons referring to you. <S> E. g. <S> you wrote a book and a newspaper/magazine is writing a review, then they also want to add a profile of the author. <S> If your online profile is written in third person, they can just copy-paste it (with your approval). <S> Some authors have special sections on their home pages for this press stuff. <A> I believe it depends on whether you are trying to be personable or professional. <S> If you want to have the reader feel that they are reading comments directly from you, in a personal manner, then the first person would be a better approach. <S> If your goal is to present your skills and experiences in a professional manner, as if you were dealing with a client, then third person would be better. <S> Standback gave a very good response that basically takes this same approach. <A> The blurb on the dust jacket of a book that describes the author is usually in the third person, even if it was written by the author himself. <A> Third person. <S> A biography is an objective look at the person's life. <S> First person can have overtones of subjective opinions.
| So in general, first-person is great for feeling like a personal introduction; third-person is great for a straightforward, professional description of yourself.
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What's a good resource to find Beta Readers for short stories? I'm currently in the market for beta readers, particularly for short stories. I've finished an early draft for a contest, and I'm hoping to hear some feedback. I'm open to reading the work of others as well. Thank you. <Q> Critique Circle is a good source. <S> http://www.critiquecircle.com/ <A> Try YouWriteOn . <S> Rather than me tell you how it works, this is from their About Us page: <S> YouWriteOn began in 2006 to assist new writers to develop their writing. <S> Editors for leading publishers such as Random House and Orion - who publish bestselling writers such as John Grisham, Bill Bryson and Ian Rankin - review our highest rated writers each month. <S> YouWriteOn's premise is simple: members upload opening chapters or short stories and the YouWriteOn system randomly assigns these to another member to review. <S> You then review another member's story excerpt - assigned to you at random - each time you want to receive a new review back in return. <S> After 5 reviews a story enters our chart system and the highest rated writers receive free feedback each month from editors for leading publishers Orion and Random House. <S> Feedback can be diverse, but the experience of the site over its history has been that collective feedback from a range of reviewers helps writers to get a collective viewpoint of what works well <S> and what needs developing in their stories. <S> The result has been that the majority of stories are higher rated as a result of revising their writing through feedback. <A> You can also try Scribophile at http://www.scribophile.com . <S> The premise is that folks earn points by critiquing and spend points to put their work up for critique. <S> The system means that no one hogs the spotlight without helping other folks. <S> You're pretty much guaranteed 3 critiques.
| You can easily find people who will read your work and give you feedback and suggestions.
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Is it good style to use Latin phrases in English scientific literature? I don't know how much and deep actual school kids in the US get in touch with Latin. In Europe you can choose it in many high schools and the use of it is common in mainstream media. For some areas of studies it seems to be a prerequisite. In US literature, also scientific, it has to my opinion a kind of elitist touch, as it is in principal a dead language not spoken actively anymore and never was natively over there. I don't see Latin phrases quite often here despite a simple per se or use of acronyms like e.g. or i.d. . Of course, worst case would be a reader not noticing that it is Latin at all and supposing a spelling or formatting mistake. Wikipedia: List of Latin phrases What do you do when writing a English dissertation getting corrected by mostly European professors who you want to impress with eloquence/rhetoric quality ;) , but later also read by non-Europeans or used for applying for a job in an English-speaking country? Leave out all Latin phrases and use acronyms only? How common is it in English/US bachelor/master/PhD theses? <Q> Perhaps there's a specific scientific or legal phrase in Latin that you need to use because that's the accepted standard among the scientific community. <S> I would strongly suggest researching in your particular area to see how others have written in this field. <S> Unless you find a clear need for it from other literature, I don't recommend using Latin phrases just for the sake of it. <S> It will likely annoy more than impress. <S> Remember: it is not using Latin that will make your dissertation impressive <S> , it is clear, concise language that expresses exactly what you want to say, no more, and no less. <A> The fifth of George Orwells <S> Five Rules is: Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. <S> Use of Latin (or French or German or any 'foreign phrase') can appear an affectation unless there is a strong justification. <A> Personally, I think they would be more impressed with your ability to communicate your message than the use of "fancy" words. <S> I believe you should focus on making your material as pristine as possible and not worry so much about using Latin. <S> To lend another aspect to your observation of American high schools not focusing much on Latin: I have two kids who are currently in high school. <S> My son (15) probably couldn't tell you where Latin comes from, let alone recognize and words. <S> My daughter (17) is writing a YA fantasy novel and wanted to use some Latin phrases to represent a dialog from an ancient tribe of people. <S> She went to the Latin teacher at her high school to ask for help, and the lady was completely blown away! <S> Apparently she only teaches Latin one period a day and has about 20 students in ahigh school with about 2000 students. <S> My point in adding this is that I believe it is true that your audience in the US may not have much exposure to or interest in Latin. <S> Having said that, if your paper is targeted towards a purely scientific audience, then they may be the exception. <A> Sadly, no one else is ever as impressed with a speaker's erudition as the speaker is himself. <S> Orwell, in this case as in so many others, was right. <A> Some Latin phrases or abbreviations that any academic will find acceptable are: i.e., e.g., a priori , a posteriori , in silico , in vivo , in vitro . <S> but note that foreign language phrases should be in italics, whereas common foreign abbreviations such as "i.e." and "e.g." should not be in italics. <S> The caveat (which although Latin is also a commonly used word in English and so does not require italics), is that the phrase should be used correctly (its meaning is appropriate in context) and non-redundantly (for science writing, try to be concise; fewer words are better).
| Use Latin when it makes sense to use Latin, not because you want to impress, which could turn your piece into an illegible mess.
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First publication rights still available on this? I created a book and used a commercial digital printing house to print and bind some copies, which I gave away as gifts. The book says in it "Copyright 2010, Richard Clunan. Published by Wordfruit." (Wordfruit is the name of my company). Can I still offer 'first publication rights' to a publisher? <Q> Once you have published it, regardless of where or how, you will never have the ability to offer " first publication rights " again. <S> And why is that a big deal? <S> For most publishers, if you have already published and didn't sell enough copies to stir up any real interest, then they are not going to waste their money on trying to sell it. <S> You've already demonstrated it won't sell. <S> So what other options do you have? <S> The first option is to go ahead and shop it anyway. <S> If you feel your book is good enough to become a hit, then give it a try. <S> The publishing houses aren't going to know that you published it and gave away all your copies. <S> If you end up stirring up any interest and it gets to the point where they are willing to discuss contract, then come clean and tell them what you did. <S> If they really liked your book, they are much more likely to agree that your efforts did not constitute a true attempt to sell the book. <S> The second option is to self-publish as an e-book. <S> Since you already have the book written, all you would have to do is convert it to the proper format and submit it to a distributor. <S> This won't cost you a penny to do, but now you will be responsible for promoting and marketing the book. <S> Not an impossible task, but it can be time consuming. <S> The thrid option is to self-publish in print through a company like CreateSpace. <S> I suggest them because you can set everything up for free (you do have to pay for a proof copy, but you'll probably want your own copy anyway). <S> If you want to expand your distribution channels to include book stores, it will cost you about $40, but aside from that and the cost of the proof copy, you're not out much money. <S> Again, however, you have to do the promoting and marketing. <S> Of course, you can always combine options two and three, depending on what you really want to accomplish. <S> If you go with a publishing house, you may spend months shopping it around, then another month or two agreeing on the contract, and then 12-18 months waiting for it to be printed and distributed. <S> If you go with either of the other options, you can make it available within 3-10 days. <A> In principle, Steven is right: once your book has been published in any form, you can no longer offer "first publication rights", since you've used those up. <S> However, you may have an out: simply getting a few copies bound to give away as gifts does not necessarily constitute "publication". <S> It depends entirely on the terms that you agreed to with the printer. <S> This means that all of the rights have remained with you, or technically your company Wordfruit---and I assume that Wordfruit is wholly owned by you, and so doesn't actually represent any competing ownership interest. <S> In this case, since there is no third party that has already claimed "first publication rights", you should still be able to offer those rights for sale. <S> However, if you find a publisher and sit down to write a contract with them, you'll need to make it clear at that point that you already had a very limited print run. <S> They can probably work out the necessary contract language to cover any legal technicalities. <S> (Disclaimer: IANA contract lawyer or IP lawyer.) <A> You might be able to convince a publisher that because you didn't sell the book you haven't created any competition (if it was a very small run, you'll have a stronger argument) and therefore they can still have first publication rights. <S> But considering that getting a publisher to look at your book is a uphill battle anyway, it might be a very tough sell.
| If you simply contracted with a commercial printer to have some copies made, then the printer does not retain any rights to the book.
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What systems provide easy article submission for websites? I am a web developer putting together a system for writers/editors to efficiently add — fairly rich — content to a website. I've previously used standard WYSIWYG editors but find that often what you see isn't what you get. I've seen this lead to frustration. Has anyone used Markdown to write articles? If so, how did you find it? I'd love to hear any journalists experiences with previous systems or any views on what would make a perfect system. <Q> Wordpress is a popular and excellent choice. <S> There are Markdown plugins for Wordpress, if your writers choose to write in Markdown, within the CMS: http://michelf.com/projects/php-markdown/ <S> I'd highly recommend the plugin 'After the Deadline', that checks spelling and grammer as you type. <S> It's very intelligent, and works really well: <S> http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/after-the-deadline/ <A> I've developed two different content management systems in the past. <S> One was for a major corporation's internal intranet, and the other for a large government entity. <S> In each case, I used a database driven back end to store the content and manage the permissions. <S> The database also separated the content by topics and kept it organized. <S> Having said all that, I would have to say that it takes an awful lot of time and effort to do all that, but 10-15 years ago that was the only way to get it done. <S> Today, you can accomplish all of this with a good, well-organized blog. <S> Wordpress, for example, allows you to add users with permissions who can add articles or posts to the site. <S> You can categorize or tag each article, and you can even have the writers receive the comments for their own stories. <S> I would not try to rewrite the wheel, because the progress that has been made with blogs makes it all so unnecessary. <S> As far as WYSIWYG editors, look at this site! <S> If you scroll your answer box to the top, you can see what you are typing directly below it so that you can see what your readers see as you type it. <S> You can see the hyperlinks, the bold font, italics, everything. <S> There are widgets available for blogs that allow you to do the same thing. <S> I think you will find your time much better spent trying to find a suitable template and piecing together a collection of widgets to provide all the functionality you need. <A> It's open source, fully customisable, and is easy to integrate into websites and content management systems. <S> It's used in Wordpress, and is also used by Microsoft, Oracle and a bunch of other companies and websites, has regular updates, and fairly decent support.
| You could probably use a standard Wordpress install, and find plugins that suite your needs regarding this: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ Judging by your comment that you've got templates and backends already running, you may want to take a look at TinyMCE , which is a pretty good Javascript WYSIWYG editor.
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Breaking Into Technical Writing - Where to Start (from a programming background) I'm currently in the process of expanding my company from doing coding & web development to more technical writing and freelance tech journalism. Although my background is mainly in technology, throughout high school and college I put a few AP and advanced writing courses under my belt and I've gotten fairly familiar with business correspondence, and while I've done some basic instruction sets for clients, I've never had a part-time or full-time position just for writing. At the moment I've been searching career sites and reaching out to my network of contacts, however aside from those measures, is there any thing else I should be doing? For example, although I have a blog containing articles I've done, should I also assemble a portfolio of mock proposals and correspondence to show my knowledge? Thanks very much in advance for any suggestions, <Q> There are different kinds of technical writing, differing in the "technical" part. <S> The logical place for you to start, coming from a programming background like I did, would be with programmer-facing documentation: APIs, SDKs, and the tutorials and guides that go with them. <S> Failing that, instead of doing mock work to show what you can do, why not do real work for the open-source project of your choice? <S> That may also help you with the networking; when you contribute valuable documentation to Project Whatever, then (1) your stuff gets seen and (2) the other people working on Project <S> Whatever might help you find paying gigs. <S> You can also go the professional-association route. <S> STC (Society for Technical Communicators) is the common one, but it's a broad base -- you'll find some programming writers there, but also a bunch of people documenting UIs, hardware, and -- surprise :-) -- non-software products like medical and engineering devices. <S> So it's a broad group, and how deep it is depends on the folks in your local chapter. <S> I gave a talk on API documentation at a regional STC conference a while back <S> and it was the only programming-related topic on the docket; however, a few years later at the national conference there were more options. <S> It varies. <S> I'm not currently a member of STC <S> so I don't have the current sense of it. <S> I found more value in the documentation SIGs of ACM and IEEE, though I've also let those memberships lapse. <S> (Sorry, just lazy I guess. :-) ) <S> Breaking into any new field has two key parts: demonstrating good skills and finding the right people to demonstrate them to. <S> If you can ease into it in your current position then you have a leg up; you already know the people. <S> If not, you have to build a body of work and do some networking. <A> Based on your background and language skills, I recommend studying these two books: <S> Microsoft Manual of Style : <S> Your Everyday Guide to Usage, Terminology, and Style for Professional Technical Communications (MSTP) <S> DITA Best Practices : <S> A Roadmap for Writing, Editing, and Architecting in DITA (IBM Press) <S> Then, learn how to use Git and Github. <S> On Github , find an open source project that's close to your area of interest. <S> Volunteer to write. <S> You'll learn critical skills for working with software development teams. <S> You'll apply the knowledge you acquire from reading those two books and start building a portfolio of technical writing examples. <S> (Be open about your goals. <S> Someone on the team might hire you at some point in your career.) <S> Depending on where you live, you should join the STC and go to Write the Docs meetups . <S> Take this opportunity to make more connections, gain more skills, and learn about local employers. <S> In any case, if you internalize the contents of these two books, build a portfolio of relevant examples, and network, you'll be in a great position to work as a technical writer. <S> Good luck! <A> You might find that technical writing has a more limited set of rules than most other areas of writing. <S> Writing has to be extremely minimalistic and simple. <S> There is less room for any kind of verbal creativity than in journalism. <S> Technical writing is not about personal expression, it is about clarity and simplicity. <S> A Style Guide for the Computer Industry . <S> Then write a little manual that follows the rules described in the style guide. <S> The ability to memorize a style guide is probably the most important skill for a technical writer. <A> You can start writing and making videos on basic programming Tips and guide. <S> There are many fresher programmer who search for such topics.
| You could start by reading a technical writing style guide like Read Me First! If any of your current (programming) work could benefit from either external (interface) or internal (design, architecture) documentation, you could start there to build your skills and portfolio (and maybe your first gig).
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What are examples of fiction books picked up by publishers after being self-published? I've seen some references to commercial publishers picking up a self-published novel if it's been selling well. Can you point me to a few specific examples of this happening? Fiction only, please. I'm particularly interested in cases where the author had no popular platform independent of his writing (e.g. not Cory Doctrow, or Machine of Death which was published by several popular webcomic artists). Anything within science-fiction or fantasy would be of particular interest to me. Thanks! <Q> Michael Wallace has just signed a five book publishing deal with Thomas & Mercer, the new publishing imprint from Amazon. <S> He writes mystery/suspense and has been solely self-published until now. <S> Michael Sullivan has signed a five book deal with Orbit Books. <S> He writes fantasy novels and has been solely self-published until now. <S> J. Carson Black just signed a book publishing deal with Thomas & Mercer. <S> I don't recall how many books were in the deal, but I believe it was three. <S> I believe she had been previously published but got dropped and then went into self-publishing. <S> Now she's back in traditional publishing. <S> Of course, everyone has no doubt heard about Amanda Hocking's multi-million dollar deal to publish three new contemporary or urban fantasy novels. <S> In addition, a couple of publishers tried to convince John Locke to sign with them, but he declined. <S> Having sold over a million e-books on his own, I guess he didn't really feel the need to change anything. <S> There are several others that have done this recently, but these were the ones that immediately came to mind. <S> I may add a couple more later. <S> Update: <S> Scott writes primarily thrillers, and he does have a background in traditional publishing. <S> However, he went indie and found success with a couple of his self-published books, and now he is back with a publisher. <S> Louise Voss shot to the top of the Kindle charts by self-publishing her book after being rejected by literary agents. <S> It attracted the attention of publishers HarperFiction, which offered her a six-figure, four-book deal. <S> As a result, her ebook Catch <S> Your Death will also be printed and stocked in bookshops by a traditional publisher. <S> Jessica Meigs self-published two zombie novellas and was picked up by Permuted Press for a three book deal. <S> Last edit, I promise! <S> JA Konrath has been an openly outspoken proponent of self-publishing for some time. <S> I knew that he had compiled a list at one time of self-published authors with no previous experience or exposure to traditional publishing. <S> I'll let his list serve as a much better compilation of success stories. <A> Amanda Hocking's the big name on this one, I'd say. <S> YA supernatural, as I understand it, but I haven't read her work myself. <S> (I can't remember the details of the debate... anybody?) <A> Contest by Matthew Reilly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contest_(novel ) <S> Once, long ago, I read that Dan Brown's Digital Fortress was originally self-published... <S> but if this is true it has since been excised from the record... <A> Depending on what you are meaning by being self-published <S> I believe that Scott Sigler , Mur Lafferty and Nathan Lowell are examples as well.
| Scott Nicholson , another indie author, has just signed a two book deal with Thomas & Mercer. There's also Eragon , although I recall hearing some debate about just how 'self' published the book was.
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Multiple POVs in a single scene This question came up in another forum, so I thought I'd share it here. Should there be only one POV per scene? Is it OK to go with multiple POVs? An example is a scene with two characters facing off, in a tense situation. The POV shifts evenly between the two of them, and the reader gets to see that one of the characters is in full control of their emotions and their perception of control during the encounter, while the other is mentally falling apart, but manages to keep their outward appearance strong. <Q> I agree with Lauren that consistency is important, but I also think it's important for an author to consider some possible negative effects of switching POVs. <S> The big one, for me as a reader, is that I LIKE being in a POV character's head, and switching too often keeps me from settling in and getting comfortable. <S> I can't care about too many characters at once. <S> I like to see the scene from one perspective, and REALLY understand it from that POV. <S> Another possible draw back, one that I've become more aware of since I've started writing, is that switching POVs can detract from tension and mystery. <S> Character A doesn't know everything. <S> There are times when it's exciting, as a reader, for me to know something that Character A doesn't know, and this could certainly be achieved by switching POVs. <S> But there are other times when it's actually better for me to be asking the same question that Character A is asking, and having the same frustration with getting answers. <S> If the author has set up a pattern of switching POVs, and then doesn't switch at the exact time that I most want him/her to, I'm going to be pretty frustrated. <S> Not in a good way. <S> I also think that too-frequent switches can be disorienting, unless the author spends a lot of words clarifying who's POV we're in, and those extra words can break up the flow of the story. <S> There may be other problems - anybody? <S> But I wouldn't say that it's wrong to switch POV, under all circumstances. <S> I just think that it's a technique that should be used judiciously, and consciously. <S> I think there may be a link to the old 'show, don't tell' rule. <S> There are obviously times when the author should 'tell', and there are times when the author should decide to establish shifting POVs. <S> But often, with a little craft and effort, the author can find ways to show what s/he wants known without having to switch over to the other character and telling the readers what the character's thinking. <S> And spending the time to figure this out often, in my opinion, leads to tighter, more satisfying writing. <A> This is fine with me. <S> You can have just one POV, multiple POVs, you can even have multiple first-person POVs if you really want. <S> (That might leave your reader confused, but that could be what you intend.) <S> " If your story is consistently from one person's POV, don't show someone else's unless there's a really compelling reason for it. <S> (Example: The Harry Potter books are all told third-person with Harry as the focus, with the exception of two or three first chapters — Books 1 and 6, IIRC — because the reader couldn't get the information otherwise.) <S> If your story consistently shifts POV from one chapter to the next and you have multiple main characters, that's fine. <S> If you have a chapter with two main characters, you can shift POVs between them as long as there's a reason for doing so. <A> 3rd Person Omniscient is the usual course for multiple POVs in a single scene, and therefore those types of stories. <S> The sun hated everyone it saw. <S> Sandy hated the sun right back, longing for a long bath and a good shiraz. <S> Jacob watched a dust cloud in the distance while he wondered who won the pennant. <S> Freckles was a cat, so she just sat there under the porch. <S> Her thoughts were uninteresting, unless you enjoyed a critical assessment of pretending to sleep. <S> 1st person POV extremely difficult within a scene because everyone refers to themselves. <S> God, I wish I had some wine and a working bathtub. <S> Hell a shower would be nice. <S> I bet Cincinnati won this year. <S> They looked good last year. <S> It's so much better if you close your eyes while in the shade. <S> Changing 1st person POV each chapter has been done quite well, even as well-defined sections within chapters. <S> There's a Susan Grafton novel which tells the main story in 1st person and the sociopathic killer chapters are in 3rd person, giving a distance, emotionless feel to that character. <A> If the narrator is in 3 rd person this is rather common; especially if narrator is established as all-knowing, omniscient entity - “where you will know more than one person's point of view”. <S> If the narrator uses 1 st person's voice this should be done in a clean fashion. <S> There are efficient devices for this purpose, for example switching at the end of chapter or a story retold through a series of letters or by following certain object (for example a camera with different owners). <S> There are also other possible switches, from first to third for example, which can be employed for a specific effect: for example to denote different time epoch, or significantly different perspective.
| Depends what kind of POV switching are you doing, which depends largely on the narrative mode employed: The only rule might be "Be consistent.
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Author's notes: yay or nay? Should a writer include author's notes in their book that either express thanks to the reader or provide background information on the book itself? If so, should these be at the front of the book or the back of the book? To expand on this, is there any specific type of information that should be included in an author's notes section of a book? <Q> There is only one question you need to ask when considering whether to include anything in a book: will the reader find some use for it? <S> Is it entertaining and/or interesting? <S> If so, put it in. <S> If it's more a chance for you to show off how much research you did, but the reader will not care one whit, leave it out. <S> Or at least leave it for later -- when the book is as popular as Harry Potter, and fans are clamoring for anything more you might have, at which point they will pay you for it. <S> If that doesn't happen, putting it on your Web site is a good idea for a few reasons: <S> It allows you to write this material after your manuscript has been accepted and while it is in production, instead of being on the critical path. <S> You can update it when you find mistakes. <S> You can use it as a springboard for engaging your readers in conversation. <A> I personally love it when an author takes the time to put an "author's note" into the book. <S> it makes it feel so much more like they're writing it for you. <S> if you are going to put a writer's note in the book, it should always be at the back. <S> Why, you ask? <S> Because if you put it in the front, you may ruin the ending for the reader. <S> (Always beware of spoilers in the synopsis as well.) <A> Sure, why not? <S> I think thanks should be in front and information <S> should be at the back. <S> Gratitude should be expressed early on, and homework should only be offered if the reader is still interested. <S> Otherwise the frontspiece turns into tl;dr. <A> If it's needing to be in front to make the book readable, there's more work to be done on the book. <S> Sometimes, more lengthy introductions work, but the few times I've seen that, it's either been a case of "early manuscript finished by new author" or "collection of stories" and that is not your typical book.
| Short thanks and dedications (about a page's worth, tops) can go at the front of the book, any lengthy "author's note" should, in my opinion, go towards the back, as "bonus material" 9as it were).
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How do I balance work with my love of writing? I'm a programmer and an aspiring writer. I love writing. Over the past year, I had been working on my first novel. Making the plot, dimensioning the characters, integrating conflicts etc. And when I started writing the novel, Snap! came a financial crisis; now I can't pay my college fees. Fortunately, a door of hope opened and I was invited to join a team of programmers who are working on a project and will pay me for my contribution. It will be enough. Now the real problem is, if I join them, I can be rest assured that my writing career will end prematurely. I don't want that to happen at any cost. But if I go forward with my writing, I won't be able to pay my fees. And this is India. Here, you need to have a degree to find yourself a good publisher. Could someone suggest a way how I can resolve my dilemma? <Q> Your writing career will only end if you stop writing. <S> Period. <S> So don't stop writing. <S> You may not have as much time as you want, or as much as you think you need. <S> But don't stop. <S> Write at night, write on the weekend, write over lunch. <S> If you want it badly enough, don't look for excuses to stop writing. <S> Look for excuses to continue writing. <A> If you like the job, and enjoy programming, take the job. <S> Being able to support yourself from just your writing from word go is a tall order indeed; I don't think there are many writers out there that are able to do that from their first book. <S> Secondly, having a job doesn't mean you can't do writing part time. <S> Your assumption that your writing career will end if you take the job is just not true. <S> Many writers hold down other jobs while they write. <S> I myself am a computer programmer, working every day, with a family to support, and a million and one things that take up my time, but I still find some time to write, because I enjoy it. <S> Is it as much as I like? <S> No, but it's enough to keep going. <S> If you're passionate about writing, you'll find the time to feed your passion. <A> Don't look at it as ending your career. <S> Think of it more as gaining more real-world experience to enrich your writing. <S> Maybe you'll go through something that you can apply to your story. <S> I've found that through working in an area that's not writing (in IT as well) <S> I meet people and learn many things that have helped my writing and understanding of my plots and characters greatly. <S> Most importantly, don't stop writing. <S> I can't stress that enough. <S> Even if you say you don't have time, I reply that everyone needs to take a dump often enough, and surely you can write at the same time. :P <S> Though, I hope you won't have to go that far! <S> And although you may need a degree to be published in India, the world is getting smaller with the internet. <S> Agents are happy to take manuscripts from overseas (last I heard, anyway!). <A> You may not like this suggestion, and it may not necessarily work financially, but it's an idea that I'm seriously considering: how about temporarily picking up a manual labor job, like washing dishes or bagging groceries? <S> Instead of thinking of manual labor as being menial work for the uneducated, you could think of it as being thinking time, free from the cognitive assembly line to which you would have otherwise been assigned. <S> I'm a programmer/translator/editor/long-time degree-wanter too, in the exact same boat as you. <S> The problem with programming is that it's too hard to switch gears mentally. <S> I'm sure some people can code from 9 to 5 and then go home to work on a novel from 5:30 to bedtime, but I'm not one of them. <S> When I'm working on interesting code, I can't stop; I can neither sleep nor wake up without the problem haunting me. <S> For any creative work, my best ideas come when I'm doing something repetitive and non-cognitive, like walking, practicing scales on violin/piano, scribbling, or doing volunteer work. <S> I'm pretty sure serving fast food or sorting inventory would be just as good. <A> Lunch, breaks, nights (stay up an extra hour). <S> Any time you go to turn on the TV, stop and ask, "why aren't I writing instead? <S> " <S> I'm also a software developer, and I have a wife and three young kids, but I've been able to write nearly 60,000 words on my first novel this summer, mainly by finding time wherever I can. <S> Is it as much as I would like? <S> Of course not. <S> But writing is something I enjoy, so I make the time to do it. <S> Don't give up.
| Like others have said, if writing is truly something you want to do, you can find time to do it. Programming and writing are just way too addicting and mind-consuming to be compatible with other creative work. Firstly, you need to make a living so you can eat, pay the bills, and support yourself.
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Do you need to get author's permission to quote him in a non-fiction book? I have a non-fiction book idea that would frequently use quotes/reviews from a specific author. Would I need to get that author's permission to quote him/her, and to base the entire book on these quotes? <Q> Proviso: <S> I am not a lawyer. <S> Here's a good article on Fair Use ; it might answer your question. <S> If, on the other hand, you're using the quotes as content - e.g., "Quotes About Literature" or "Shakespeare's Greatest Zingers," that's a much bigger deal. <S> Something in the middle - making use quotes from the author about the particular topic of your book - is a hazier area; the key consideration is whether reading your book might serve in any way as a substitute for reading the author's work. <S> Similarly, short quotes are generally not a big problem; you mention "reviews", which are probably a problem. <S> A review is generally a complete, publishable, stand-alone work; reproducing it in its entirety would infringe upon the author's copyright. <S> If you want to say "As Roger Ebert says of the last Harry Potter film: 'it's apparent again in this film that the three leads are upstaged by the supporting characters'", or the summary "Roger Ebert gives the new Potter film 3.5 stars", then you are fine. <S> But you can't reprint the whole review. <A> I'd ask. <S> If you're not using the quotes to misrepresent the author or show the author in a negative light, I can't see why the person would say no. <S> And I'm not sure where Fair Use ends and Infringement begins in terms of copyright. <S> Besides, if this person is doing a lot of your heavy lifting, it would be courteous to get the person's permission to be linked with you (or at least to give the person a heads-up). <A> Assuming that the quotes are coming from the author's works, you would not have to obtain the author's permission. <S> However, you should attribute the quotes to the author and identify the source. <S> Whether you do this as footnotes or as a disclaimer/notice at the beginning of the book would depend on how many quotes and how many sources you are using. <S> If you are going to take all your quotes form a single book, then a notice at the beginning of the book should be sufficient. <S> However, if you are using multiple books or articles by the same author, then you would want to identify each source by title and page.
| You say you'd like to use many quotes from the same author; if you are writing a critique of the author's work, or a biography of him, or some similar piece about the author which you are backing up using the quotes - then you're on pretty safe ground.
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Should I start work on a sequel before I have sold my book? I finished the 1st draft of my book, and have put it in the freezer(as I asked about in this question). I was planning to start work on a sequel of the book in the meantime. But I was told by someone that I should not work on a sequel till I have sold my first book, since if I can't sell the first book, I will never be able to sell the sequel either, and all my effort will be wasted. Is this good advice? As it means all the effort I put in creating the characters, themes, Universe(it was a Sci-Fi/Fantasy book) will be wasted. <Q> I say heed the Muse. <S> No effort is wasted. <S> Even if your novel and its sequel are never published, you will have the experience of creating a universe and writing a sequel to an existing story, and you can always use that experience when crafting another story. <S> Besides, who knows how long it will take to sell your first book? <S> And if the publisher wants a two-book deal, or the first one (a different story) gets bought, now you have two additional completed novels under your "brand" to offer the agent/publisher. <A> Heard Dr. Jerry Pournelle talk once about how Robert Heinlein taught him and Larry Niven to write. <S> One of the things he told them to to do was to throw away the first quarter of their manuscript and start the book where actual stuff started happening. <S> That is to say, if you can't sell the first book, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't sell the second. <S> Maybe the first book was the part you had to throw away! <S> Or at least, perhaps the salient bits can be condensed into the first chapter or a prologue. <S> The biggest issue in my mind is what happens if a publisher accepts the first book, but demands changes that basically make the sequel obsolete, such that you would have to start over again. <A> I would recommend that you go ahead and write it. <S> If you have the story line already developed or have an outline, then go ahead and start working on it. <S> As Lauren mentioned, if the publisher decides they want a two-book deal, then you have a head start on that. <S> In fact, you could also suggest that the book lends itself to a sequel, which is already underway. <S> If the traditional publishing route doesn't pan out, you can always self-publish as an e-book. <S> One of the trends that people are noticing with e-books is that if readers like the first book, they are more likely to go looking for more books by the same author. <S> If you have another ready to go, you can start developing a following even faster. <A> I've got a different angle on it. <S> If you revise your first draft, you will have less revision needed as you write your second book. <S> Consider: <S> You write your second book. <S> You go back and revise your first, and discover major changes that will vastly improve the first, but will require huge changes in the second. <S> Seems like you should take another round on the first one. <S> If you want to write a second book to give yourself a breather, maybe make it something completely different, not a sequel. <A> it never hurt anyone to get a head start on their next novel. <S> in my opinion, beginning the sequel shows a lot of faith in your first novel. <S> you know it's good and is going to be published. <S> go ahead and write, we all know that writing is a contagious disease. <S> not to mention, if you're a true writer and storyteller at heart, once you start you can't stop! <A> If it's a choice between writing the sequel and not writing, by all means write the sequel- practice helps. <S> You might also consider writing a stand-alone short story that uses the world you've built, and possibly some of the characters. <S> If you decide to go the self-publishing route, you can use the story as a freebie teaser for your novel. <S> If the short story came to a satisfactory conclusion and I enjoyed it <S> , I'd be a lot more likely to buy the novel or give the series a try. <A> The most important thing an author can do is write. <S> Reading is the second. <S> After you have written your novel the events are set in stone. <S> What if you want to change something in the first novel in order to have the something you changed lead into the second novel? <S> So yes write the next novel or at least start it. <A> Brandon Sanderson in lecture 13, Brandon's Revision Process (which is online on his YouTube channel ), explains his process thus: <S> First draft Continuity Polish Give to Alpha Readers <S> ------------------------ <S> 6 months break ------------------------ Work in Feedback from Alphas Give to Betas Work in Feedback from Betas <S> Polish <S> I may have forgotten a step, but that is not important here <S> (watch the video). <S> What is important is that Brandon lets his manuscript rest for half a year to gain some distance from it that will allow him to better rewrite. <S> And during this break, he writes the first draft of the next book. <A> Some publishers offer publishing deals for series, I myself have finished 3 drafts of my first novel and I plan that the 4th draft will be my last. <S> But I am waiting to revise my final draft <S> so right now I got a good idea for the sequel <S> and I began writing it. <S> It does not mess up my flow with the previous book <S> and I think it's a better idea <S> but of course that is just my own opinion.
| If there's a story burning to be told, go ahead and write it.
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How often to cite sources? I'm writing a 3700-word essay, consisting of two case studies and some explanatory material. I'll be referencing a number of documents as sources for the case studies. There will be a full list of references at the end of the essay, done in APA style. I'm wondering, how often is it necessary to cite sources? Should I be putting in an inline citation every time I say something, which is based on information/data from one of the sources? Or is it sufficient to cite only when quoting or paraphrasing, or repeating facts/figures? What's the normal practice for an essay? <Q> So if you're using facts or ideas from a source, you need to cite the source. <S> I'm not quite clear on the distinction between "repeated facts/figures" and "based on information/date from one of the sources". <S> If by "based on" you mean you've drawn your own conclusions. <S> then you wouldn't need to put a citation for the conclusion you draw - that's YOUR work. <S> But if it's somebody else's work, you need to cite it. <S> Think of it in terms of the reasons we cite sources. <S> The first is academic honesty/respect for the work of others. <S> If you don't cite something, the assumption is that you came up with it, and it's dishonest to let people assume this when it's not true. <S> But the second reason for citations is to show that you're not making crap up! <S> If I read a fact in an essay that I know the essay writer can't know personally, and there's no citation, I have to wonder if the writer didn't just pull the idea out of the air. <S> And, a lesser-used but still important reason for citations <S> - there are times when things don't sound right, or they sound right and incredibly interesting, and I want to go read the original source material myself. <S> So I need to know where the info came from. <S> Good luck with it. <A> If you hope to publish it- <S> then you should research what "style" is required by the publication. <S> APA style is just the tip of the iceberg. <S> Ask publications for guidelines. <A> Depends on what quality you want to maintain. <S> For high quality you would want to do citations every time you 1)"say <S> something, which is based on information/data from one of the sources?" 2) and "when quoting or paraphrasing, or repeating facts/figures" If you are submitting your manuscript for review by academic sources you might get accused of plagiarism if you don't. <S> Peer reviewers would reject them. <S> Either way, its bad.
| Anytime you mention something that isn't general knowledge, you need to explain how you know it.
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How to create space Recently, a few snippets of my fiction have received critiques along the lines of 'Does not give a sense of space'. Or 'needs more description, sights and sounds'. I think where I am going wrong is that in any given scene I am focusing too hard on the characters, the dialogue or the progression of events and not creating a world which the reader can feel around him/her. So would you guys have any tips on how I can get better at creating space? Any good reading material on it? <Q> A common mistake when people first try to work on setting or "space" is simply to add more description. <S> This is usually the wrong thing to do, since lots of unfocused description is just clutter. <S> Having a small number of details that contribute to the overall weight of the story is much more effective than adding a large number of disconnected details. <S> To take Lauren Ipsum's example above, let's work with John entering a room and saying something to Mary. <S> We can bring in description to add to any of the following: <S> Character : What kind of person is John, and what does he notice? <S> There was new wood flooring in her apartment, straight out of last year's home show. <S> Cheap Picasso reproductions on the walls. <S> Paperback copies of trendy, pretentious novels were stacked on the Ikea end-table. <S> She'd probably never even read them. <S> Ah, but at least she had a nice leather couch, tucked there beneath her half-exposed thighs, just waiting for the two of them to screw on. <S> Plot : What's the situation, and how does the setting affect it? <S> The metal door bangs shut behind him, and he immediately notices there's no other way out. <S> Mary's sitting behind a card table, and in the shadows behind her a strange man leans against a filing cabinet and smokes a cigarette. <S> The air stinks of gunpowder and garlic. <S> Theme : What is the atmosphere and tone of the story, and how does the environment reflect it? <S> Sunlight creaks in through the ancient blinds, lighting up a dusty, cluttered coffee table. <S> Unwashed dishes are piled up in the sink. <S> Water dripping from the faucet makes a pinging sound in an old bowl, counting down the seconds until their inevitable breakup. <S> Obviously, your situations are different from these. <S> But in any scene, you create atmosphere and setting not by describing everything , but by picking out those few details that will build up the rest of what's going on. <A> You have a scene already, right? <S> John walks into the room, says something to Mary, Mary responds. <S> Now, close your eyes and put yourself into the room. <S> Engage all your senses — one at a time, if this is unfamiliar work for you. <S> Start asking yourself these kinds of questions: What does the room look like? <S> How big is it? <S> How does it connect to the other rooms in the house? <S> What kind of furniture is in the room? <S> Where is it? <S> How new or old is it? <S> What's thedecorating scheme? <S> Which of the characters decorated it? <S> Are there magazines or books on the coffee table? <S> Whose? <S> What are they? <S> Are they read or for show? <S> Is the room tidy, messy, clean, dirty? <S> Are there toys strewneverywhere or plastic on the couches? <S> Is the floor wood, tile, linoleum, or a rug? <S> Is it worn or new? <S> What's on the walls? <S> Paintings, photos, art? <S> What color are thewalls? <S> Paint or wallpaper? <S> Is it peeling? <S> Is it day or night? <S> Where are the windows? <S> How does the light fall inthe room? <S> What kind of lamps or lighting is in the room? <S> Where do shadows fall?What kind of lightbulbs? <S> What color light do they throw? <S> Do they hum? <S> Is the window open? <S> What can you hear from outside? <S> Traffic?Neighbors? <S> Kids? <S> Dogs? <S> Birds? <S> Insects? <S> Sirens? <S> Music? <S> A parade? <S> Explosions? <S> Is the TV or radio on? <S> iTunes from someone's computer? <S> What season is it? <S> Is the heater or A/C going? <S> What's the weatherlike outside? <S> What are John and Mary wearing? <S> Did he just come from the office? <S> Wasshe working in the garage? <S> Was he cooking? <S> Did she just get out ofthe shower? <S> Is this what they normally wear? <S> Does the kitchen smell of cookies or dinner or bleach? <S> Are there fresh flowersin the house? <S> Is she wearing too much perfume? <S> Does he smell of engine oil? <S> You won't use all the information ( edit to clarify: all in this scene), but it will help you to get a sense of the physical place of your characters. <S> Add in whatever is useful. <S> Save the rest as notes if you return to the room and you need other information to add, or if you want to change something to demonstrate the passage of time or a character development. <A> Of course, adding more description might be all you need, I don't know. <S> Adding "space" may mean more than just adding description. <S> Could be that you need breathing room. <S> Maybe the dialog needs to meander to tell us more about your characters. <S> Maybe you need more characters. <S> Maybe you need a dog, or a plant, or an event for them to pay attention to and discuss. <S> Sometimes pauses, quiet, significant stillness may help. <S> Empty "space" can be just as powerful as adding in blah blah details. <S> (I really dislike the word "space" because it tells me almost nothing. <S> I hate it when it's used on HGTV to refer to what I like to call a room.)
| What you need to do add descriptive notes that also contribute to other elements of the story.
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Which English grammar should be followed when writing for a global audience? In relation to my question on Usage of 'z' in the word serialized in English? , it seems I was mistaken in assuming there is a generally accepted correct variant of English. The question Which variant of English should I use when my target audience is the world? addresses the issue of what to be aware of when writing for a global audience, and the answers focuses mostly on which kind of words and expressions to use (and not use). I am interested in which grammar to follow when writing for a global audience? Specifically which rulebook on grammar and which dictionary should I follow? <Q> Since there is no global English, most people addressing a global audience adopt one of two conventions: <S> Either just write it using the spellings & grammar that you are most familiar and comfortable with. <S> As pointed out, most people using other dialects of English will understand. <S> Or produce two versions, one in Commonwealth (British) English, and one in American English. <S> This is the approach usually taken if what you're writing is going to be translated into a series of other languages. <S> A third option, which also serves as a good thing to aim for if adopting the first approach, is to avoid any (or as many as possible) words or phrases that are treated differently by the different versions of English - but this is usually very hard to achieve and can result in using some forms of wording that don't sit particularly well in any variant of the language. <A> Native speakers of English tend on the whole to write in the "written standard" of their native variety of English. <S> Speakers of different varieties, or at least those who are "well read", are generally used to reading material in other varieties, and the difference between the written <S> So I would suggest just picking the variety <S> you're most familiar with and aiming towards the written standard of native speakers in that variety. <S> If you need it, try and find a comprehensive reference grammar that deals with your chosen variety. <S> (If you're already proficient in English, I would also suggest just getting a well-educated native speaker to proofread the first draft of your writing, and using tools such as Google searches, Google N-grams: <S> a "grammar book" often isn't these days the most efficient means of resolving uncertainties.) <S> There are still some issues that are just preferences. <S> For example, in UK English, whether you use "-ise" or "-ize" is essentially an editorial preference: both are perfectly acceptable and readers are used to seeing both, and you or your publisher just needs to decide one way or the other. <A> I think it depends what you're writing. <S> If you're writing fiction, you need to make choices based on the setting of your story, the identity you've established for your narrator, etc. <S> Your characters will obviously speak with the idioms of their culture, and your narrative voice will probably be rooted in a specific tradition as well. <S> I'm hard-pressed to think of any piece of writing that is aimed at the entire world. <S> So analyze your target market. <S> What are they used to reading? <S> What will they best understand? <S> How are the popular/dominant works in that field currently written? <S> I sense that you want something more concrete, though. <S> The North American market is huge, and due to the American media presence, it's familiar to most literate people of the world. <S> You could use CMOS (The Chicago Manual of Style) if you want something firm and straightforward. <A> Seconding Kate's suggestion of the Chicago Manual of Style, <S> and I'd also add Strunk & White's Elements of Style as another indispensable reference. <A> Most often, you write according to your background. <S> If you are American, you write using American English and if you are British, you use Brit. <S> This is usually applicable for novels and other long material. <S> This was the method used by old writers like Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. <S> If you book is really popular your publisher may make conversions to make it more readable in a particular area. <S> If you are writing for a magazine or similar source which would be marketed in a particular area say the US, then it would make sense to target the English spoken in the target area. <S> Hope it helps.
| If you're writing non-fiction, I'd look at the dominant dialects used in your target market.
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What are jobs that prefer or require MFAs in Creative Writing? Other than getting adjunct work with your shiny new MFA, what other professions like them? (I'm gainfully employed, and while I think my MFA helps me, it is in not appreciated by my employer in any direct way. My question is the result of sitting next to the father of an MFA graduate at his graduation ceremony and hearing him complain about the uselessness of the degree. I disagree, but wanted to gather more factual info.) <Q> An MFA would come in handy when working in the publishing world. <S> I know at least one of the editors at the primary house I work for has one <S> and I'll be pursuing an MFA myself. <S> Not only does the experience often help editors, it gives the publishing house a good image. <S> Having five editors with MFAs looks better than having 5 editors with HS diplomas. <A> As far as I've been able to ascertain through the years the "educational" institutions are about the only place that the MFA carries any weight. <S> In a way I'm glad I didn't go for one decades ago. <A> I applied to an MFA program as a side-option last year, and I am about 90% per cent certain that I read this somewhere on the department's site/admissions portal. <S> (The 10% uncertainty comes from not being able to recall where exactly , maybe on a FAQ somewhere). <S> Paraphrased: Our students usually are able to find part time work as editors for newspapers/magazines, and copywriters for publishing houses...while they take the evening classes. <S> In any case, I am only telling this because they seemed to suggest that being part of an MFA made it easier to get yourself into this line of work. <S> Not the sort of jobs you were hoping to hear, I am sure.
| A lot of editors for publishing houses have MFAs and even owners of publishing houses occasionally have them.
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What should you do if you need more than five heading when writing an APA paper? (I don't know if this question is appropriate here. I'm going to take a chance.) If you're writing a paper according to the APA (American Psychology Association) standard and you need more than five levels of headings, what is the appropriate way to solve this? According to the APA manual (Sixth Edition, page 63), there are five levels of headings that you can use. However, there is nothing mentioned about what to do if you need more than this. <Q> I am really having a hard time imagining a paper that would need more than five levels, so my first suggestion would be to give a hard look at the structure of your paper to make sure you're presenting the information as clearly as possible. <S> If you've done this and decided that you do need more levels: <S> The OWL suggests that APA also allows numbered seriation, bullet points, and letters within paragraphs. <S> If that doesn't work for you, from my own head, I wonder if you could add categories to the other end of the spectrum via chapters, or parts. <S> I know that's not typical for APA papers, but I don't think it's typical to need more than five levels, either! <S> Alternatively - if you're writing this for school, ask your teacher/prof. <S> If you're writing it for publication, contact the publisher and see what they'd prefer. <S> Good luck with it! <A> The link provided by @John Smithers Five Essential Tips for APA Style Headings which is sourced directly from the APA style blog indicates that a student paper or lengthy article might require two or three levels of headings. <S> However, only something on the scale of a dissertation would require use of a fourth or even fifth level heading. <S> The article is dated July 2009, but it pertains to the APA Publication Manual, Sixth Edition , which remains the most current version as of August 2011. <S> Only in that instance would five levels be appropriate. <S> There is no need for a sixth or higher heading according to APA guidelines. <A> Frustrating. <S> Im editing a friends 400+ Page dissertation, and it requires 6, perhaps 7 levels. <S> Older versions of APA style defined more than 5 levels. <S> I think I will revert to chapter headings using the old ALL CAPS, BOLD, CENTERED, for level 1.... <S> If I have to force another, then the old Upper and Lower Case, Centered, Underlined might be pressed into service for level 4. <S> Of course, I'm not asserting this is approved practice, but rather contemplate forcing the issue, and banking on the hope that this won't be a problem. <S> This is for submission of final revisions. <A> APA Style uses a unique headings system to separate and classify paper sections. <S> There are 5 heading levels in APA. <S> The format of each level is illustrated below: APA Headings (level, format) <S> 1 : Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings <S> 2 : Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase <S> Heading <S> 3 : <S> Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with a period. <S> Begin body text after the period. <S> 4 <S> : <S> Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. <S> Begin body text after the period. <S> 5 <S> : <S> Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. <S> Begin body text after the period. <S> Section headings receive level one format. <S> Subsections receive level two format. <S> Subsections of subsections receive level three format. <S> For example: Method (Level 1)Site of Study (Level 2)Participant Population (Level 2) Teachers. <S> (Level 3) Students. <S> (Level 3) Results <S> (Level 1)Spatial Ability (Level 2) <S> Test one. <S> (Level 3) Teachers with experience. <S> (Level 4) Teachers in training. <S> (Level 4) <S> Test two. <S> (Level 3)Kinesthetic Ability (Level 2) <S> In APA Style , the Introduction section never gets a heading and headings are not indicated by letters or numbers. <S> Levels of headings will depend upon the length and organization of your paper. <S> Regardless, always begin with level one headings and proceed to level two, etc.
| So if you were writing a paper according to the APA guidelines, you should not use more than three levels of headings, unless writing a lengthy research paper or thesis. The 6th edition of the APA manual revises and simplifies previous heading guidelines - regardless of the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1 . Thus, if the article has four sections, some of which have subsections and some of which don’t, use headings depending on the level of subordination.
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Is it possible to figure out the ROI of an MFA? Given that there are a few jobs where an MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) in creative writing is preferred as a writer or editor, is it possible figure out the ROI (return on investment) of acquiring the degree? Obviously there are a lot of variables in figuring out the ROI of any degree - how much is the degree? What of the possible job options does the degree land you? However it seems like with an MFA in Creative Writing especially it gets even more complex because it is hard to quantify how much "better" a writer a particular MFA might get you and therefore how much more likely you will be to succeed as a writer. It isn't quite as straight-forward as a degree such as an MBA, which is more like a simple gating mechanism. Is there any fairly accurate way to determine if an MFA is really worth it for a given writer? <Q> Unfortunately- no. <S> A ROI would suggest that just the "skills" learned are the only skills needed. <S> If one intends to be a "writer" there are considerations such as "creativity" and being in "the right place at the right time" that the MFA doesn't even attempt to teach. <S> Yes, the same could be said for other degrees but the fact of the matter is that a degree in accounting (plus certification) are required for some jobs. <S> I dare say that William Faulkner wasn't hired to teach at UVA because of a degree. <S> The same thing could be said for lots of of "Top Ten" book list authors. <S> Quick! <S> Where did Dan Brown get his degree? <S> J.D. Salinger? <S> Eco? <S> Rowling? <S> Nabokov? <S> Puzo? <S> and lots of others. <S> Can a dedicated "student" learn something in an MFA program? <S> Yes. <S> Does that translate into a ROI? <S> It depends on the student and too many other variables. <S> The question really should be WHAT do you want to get out of an MFA program and can the selected MFA program provide this? <S> Hopefully most MFA programs are telling their students (before signing up) <S> the entire publishing industry is being changed just like the entire field of journalism. <S> With a degree in journalism (news) trying to find a newspaper that is hiring and not firing is the real challenge. <A> I think to some extent, you CAN simplify it the same way as for an MBA, because there are so many other (free or low cost) ways to improve your writing. <S> So what does the program offer, other than the letters? <S> I guess it gives structure and discipline. <S> There ARE other ways to improve your writing, but maybe some writers want to be given assignments and deadlines in order to force them to work. <S> Fair enough, except that learning to work on your own, without immediate external incentives, is a pretty important skill for a writer to pick up. <S> So the MFA programs help writers with a weakness, but they may only provide a bandaid solution. <S> MFAs also give access to professional writers and publishing insiders, but from what I've heard, the quality of these 'experts' varies greatly. <S> And in these days of blogs, conferences, etc. <S> , I don't think MFAs are the only way to get access to these people. <S> Sure, conferences cost money, but nowhere near as much as taking a year or two off work AND paying tuition to an MFA program. <S> Writers groups, whether in person or on line, give as much feedback as one would get in an MFA program, and while some of the feedback isn't valuable, I think sorting through that is another skill that a writer needs to develop. <S> I don't mean to argue against taking an MFA. <S> If I had the time and the money, I'd love to do it. <S> It would be incredible to have that much time set aside for writing, and that much support and encouragement close at hand. <S> But it's not necessary to become a better writer. <S> I think an MFA is a luxury. <S> And luxury items don't have an ROI. <A> No one was ever published strictly because they had an MFA. <S> If you wish to be a writer, then writing should be your first goal. <S> If you wish to get on as an editor somewhere, show your editing experience. <S> An MFA may get you in the door for a low-level position in publishing, but it's more likely that you will need other connections. <S> This question reminds me of something the great pianist and teacher Rosina Lhévinne is supposed to have said when asked by a student if she thought he had what it takes to be a musician. <S> "Can you do anything else?" she asked him. <S> "Well," the student said, "I supposed I could get a law degree if this doesn't work out." <S> "Then do that," she said. <S> "If you can do anything else, then you should. <S> If all you can do is music, then be a musician." <A> Get an MFA if you want to teach. <S> There's some palpable ROI. <S> Don't bother if you want to write. <S> If you're intelligent enough to write well, you're intelligent enough to learn it on your own, with a writing group, and via one-off workshops. <S> Ultimately, it's not about how many classes you have taken. <S> It's about how hard (and smart) you work at it. <S> And don't forget the peer review.
| When it comes to writing, getting an MFA isn't going to improve your skill that much more than self-study.
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All persons fictitious disclaimer — ideas regarding modification? I'm creating a parody/spoof magazine which contains some "real" advertisements and businesses in. How should I word an "all persons fictitious" disclaimer to include fictitious businesses? This is my current disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. What's the best way to expand on it? This is a footer on every page of my Quark XPress document, by the way. <Q> The disclaimer has an interesting history, and tvtropes has an expanded version of it: <S> This is a work of fiction. <S> Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. <S> Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. <S> It does not specifically mention businesses, but I feel that it is covered with names (and incidents and events ). <S> Still, keep in mind that this is not legal advice and that you might be liable even if you include such a disclaimer. <A> <A> I just finished watching the 1976 film Network about a fictitious television network, but that mentions the other real networks (such as ABC) and real companies (e.g. Disney, IBM, AT&T, Union Carbide). <S> The disclaimer at the end of the film refers to firms : <S> The events, characters and firms depicted in the photoplay are ficticious. <S> Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual firms, is purely coincidental. <S> This type of disclaimer is quite common . <A> If you want to include fictitious businesses, try: <S> All characters and corporations or establishments appearing in this work are fictitious. <S> Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. <S> The rest of the statement is excellent, only a small addition is needed to include the businesses. <A> Here's a suggestion inspired by computer science, where businesses, people and all kinds of other stuff can be simply generalised as entities . <S> All characters and other entities appearing in this work are fictitious. <S> Or All characters and other entities appearing in this work are fictitious. <S> Any resemblance to real persons, dead or alive, or other real-life entities, past or present, is purely coincidental. <S> Of course, this could be adapted and fine tuned. <S> The principle suggestion is to gain coverage by the use of the word entities . <S> The other point I'd make is that existing disclaimers aren't always going to be adequate or appropriate to the modern world (i.e. the rise of brands, trademarks and business names as identities in their own right), so you shouldn't be afraid to improve on it by starting from scratch.
| Any resemblance to real persons or other real-life entities is purely coincidental.
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How would one use punctuation to indicate tone changes? I'm imagining this sort of statement: He's a... different... sort of person, I suppose. Some people would pronounce 'different' in that sentence as though it was followed by a question mark, but not the rest of the sentence. However, writing it like this strikes me as wrong: He's a... different? Sort of person, I suppose. The second sentence doesn't look grammatically correct to me. That being the case, how would I indicate the change in tone accurately in writing? <Q> I think the ellipses are fine, but I agree with the comment from the original site that italics would work as well. <S> But neither one really shows a question, to my reading. <S> If you mean for someone to be emphasizing 'different', I'd use italics. <S> " <S> He's a different sort of person. <S> Not like the others at all." <S> " <S> He's a 'different' sort of person. <S> Not our sort at all." <S> If you mean for someone to be struggling for words, I'd use ellipses. <S> " <S> He's a... a different sort of person. <S> I think that's what I'd call him." <S> If you mean for someone to be questioning whether he's really different, I'd use a question mark. <S> " <S> He's a different sort of person? <S> Is that what you're saying?" <S> If you mean for someone to be focusing in on the word different, while still asking a question, I'd combine things! <S> " <S> He's a different sort of person? <S> Is that the word you'd use?" <S> Are there other possibilities? <S> Probably! <A> I love the "different? <S> Sort of person" tonally. <S> The word different and the question mark really communicate that the speaker is STRONGLY questioning their own description as if they are still trying to decide. <S> Also the question mark <S> after different makes the word go up in tonal pitch. <S> To my ears, no other punctuation achieves this. <S> The question mark also stops the phrase longer than other suggestions. <S> It's not correct but certainly creates a different sound in my head and thus a difference in the speaker's presentation. <S> I have a "test" posse of people that read my work and <S> if they grasp my intent for the character, I use it. <S> Just sayin! <S> I Like It. <A> Personally, I wouldn't use punctuation to indicate the tone change at all. <S> Punctuation marks are like modifiers - use them too often and they loose their effect. <S> This is commonly acknowledged with the exclamation point especially, but holds true for many and perhaps all punctuation marks, with the possible exception of the period and quote marks during dialog. <S> If I wanted to convey a change in tone, I would actually describe the tone I was after or use descriptions of gestures or facial features to explain it. <S> " <S> Well he's a," she paused for a moment, her mouth working silently as she racked her brain for the right word, "well just a different sort of person, I suppose. <S> " <S> She made air quotes with her free left hand when she said "different." <S> All standard punctuation, but the text itself should help explain the tone and meaning. <S> If you must use punctuation rather than words, Kate has provided a variety of useful suggestions. <A> It depends on the writer. <S> However, they prefer to place a question mark at the end of the sentence. <S> Probably to emphasize you should make a different sentence? <S> It seems to me that... <S> or I ... <S> He seems to be different.. or I wonder if he..... <S> I would prefer not using sort of a person... <S> cause itself is in the meaning of person/ individual.. <S> He is a different sort will be enough .. <A> "He's... <S> Different?" <S> Sometimes the real solution is to not drag so many extra words around.
| If you mean for someone to be using 'different' as a sort of code for 'strange' or 'unappealing', I'd use quotation marks.
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Is it always ok to use the verb "to say" after a question? Does it sound strange to use the verb "to say" after a question? For example: "'Why is it called a memorial?' said Laura." If I were to have written this, I would have used " asked " instead. Am I alone in feeling that it sounds a little strange with "said", or am I just imagining it? <Q> The most important part of telling dialogue is the dialogue itself, though many times people make a strong effort to think of "exciting" words to replace the word "said". <S> Using a "fancy" word normally makes the phrase seem cluttered and unprofessional. <S> It detracts from the actual dialogue. <S> It seems weird, but it is technically correct. <S> I like fictionwriting.about.com's description of what happens when someone goes too far with dialogue tags. <A> It is 'Creative License' at work. <S> The author feels the question is more in the nature of a statement than in the nature of a question. <S> It can be any descriptor, and not just 'said'. <S> For example: 'Why is it called a memorial?' <S> said Laura' Eliciting no response <S> , Laura repeated , 'Why is it called a memorial?' <S> Infuriated at the nonchalant disregard, Laura shrilled 'WHY IS IT CALLED A MEMORIAL?' <S> But to answer your specific question <S> : no, it isn't always Ok to use 'said' after a question. <S> A question can be said, asked, sputtered, gasped, wondered, interjected, whispered... <S> it really depends on the context. <S> Is the usage 'correct'? <S> Yes. <S> Is it good writing ? <S> You're the judge. <S> Its hard to say with just one line in isolation. <S> Perhaps a few preceding and following lines from the same excerpt (if it is an excerpt) would have helped establish the context better. <A> Am I alone in feeling that it sounds a little strange with "said", or am <S> I just imagining it? <S> No, you're not alone. <S> " <S> Asked" is more natural sounding, although "said" is technically correct. <A> It's a matter of prose style, not language or grammar. <S> Said is neutral enough to use in virtually any context. <S> I saw an interview with a famous writer, I think Carl Hiassen, where he gave a number of rules for writing good novels, and one of them was (to paraphrase) "never use any verb other than say for dialogue" - the idea being to let the dialogue carry the sense.
| "Said" in the context of the question is acceptable. It depends on what the writer intends to convey.
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If in real life the antagonist is often oneself, shouldn't it work in a full length novel? I'm fleshing out a novel which seems to have enough going on without adding an antagonist. In reality, my main character is her own antagonist. She is warring with herself, battling feelings of guilt after the death of her grandfather and must work through this in order to move on. I've read the thread on writing a book without an antagonist but it seems to be suggesting that it only works in short stories, which is not what I'm going for. There is a romantic sub-plot, if that helps any. Perhaps I should switch to the romance being the main idea to fix this? <Q> She is warring with herself, battling feelings of guilt after the death of her grandfather and must work through this in order to move on. <S> Fear, doubt, anger, blinding passion and just about any other emotion, especially if it is overpowering, can forge the foundation of an antagonistic force. <S> I find I enjoy the sinister nature of this type of antagonist. <S> Emotions are often the ultimate blind spot for an individual. <S> I find myself identifying with these characters. <S> Who can't identify with internal conflict denying opportunities in life? <S> I find it frustrating as a reader when the story is too internal <S> and I get bored. <S> If a character can push through her emotions to move forward and find resolution without boring me then I can enjoy this type of story. <S> This is not an uncommon theme in manga/anime. <S> In those settings it is the relationships between the characters that provides the external perspective on the emotional state of the main character. <S> You are often left completely without knowledge until the end of what the real internal conflict is, but you spend the entire series trying to figure it out. <S> That makes it very engaging. <A> You need some way to force the MC to confront herself. <S> But that's not the only way. <S> A story is often three stories. <S> The inner story is about how the main character is her own antagonist. <S> The outer story is an important, meaningful problem on its own... but even more importantly it brings the MC to the point of confronting herself. <S> The third story (typically a relationship story) provides yet another opportunity for the MC to see herself, and at the same time offers exemplars (good and bad) of various ways other people deal with similar inner conflicts. <S> This relationship story is often where someone directly, pointedly, and correctly points out the MC's flaws. <S> It sounds as if your story doesn't provide that outer story, the one the brings the MC ever closer to seeing and confronting herself. <S> That might work... as long as something brings her to that point. <S> One of my favorite stories is Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day. <S> In that, I'd say that Stevens (the butler MC) is the main antagonist. <S> There is another antagonist or two in the form of his boss's political friends, but the problems they create for him are few, and they are problems only because of his own choice to value his idealized (and obsolete?) sense of duty over fully expressing himself. <S> His main problem is how to address his growing mutual attraction with Miss Kenton. <S> Again, the problem is entirely of his own making. <S> She certainly isn't an antagonist in this. <S> All of these factors slowly but relentlessly drive Stevens into a corner ( literally into a corner in a heartbreaking scene in the movie), where he must choose between the risk of human connection and the safety of solitude and duty. <S> So: You don't absolutely have to have an antagonist. <S> But you will need some way to force the MC to confront herself. <A> I personally think it should work, but I never seem to get a lot of support for this idea, so...? <S> For me, it works because I think of the protagonist as the main character, and the antagonist as being whatever gets in the protagonist's way. <S> I really don't believe that the antagonist has to be a person. <S> This is obvious in survival stories, where the antagonist is nature, or a disaster of some sort, but I think it also works in Romance, and in other genres. <S> Your protagonist has a goal, and there are things that must be overcome before that goal can be reached. <S> That's your conflict and plot. <S> I think you need to be careful that there is external action in your story - having your protagonist sit there and meditate until she finds inner peace isn't going to be all that exciting. <S> But if she's doing things, and through these actions achieves her goal - yippee, I say! <A> I think it's perfectly valid to have the main character as the antagonist. <S> An example I read recently was If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern. <S> The whole novel is about the main character overcoming herself and her past to move forward with her life. <S> There is no other human (or non-human, I suppose) <S> antagonist. <S> The tension comes from whether the main character can get over her issues before changing circumstances mean that she loses what is important to her before she realises how important it is. <S> As for romance, that's the trigger the novel uses for her main character's self-discovery. <S> It's important, but it's not the main focus. <S> So I think it's also possible for you to leave it as a sub-plot if you think it works better that way.
| You don't need an antagonist. The usual way to do that is to provide an antagonist who presents exactly the right problem to force that self-confrontation.
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What are the differences between narrative and descriptive writing? What are the differences between narrative and descriptive writing? What should we keep in mind while writing it? <Q> Narrative writing tells a story or part of a story. <S> Descriptive writing vividly portrays a person, place, or thing in such a way that the reader can visualize the topic and enter into the writer’s experience. <S> See here and here . <S> So in narrative writing, the writer is perfectly capable of telling you the plot of the story, while in descriptive writing there does not have to be a plot, but something has to become very easy for the reader to visualize. <S> Let's look at the Lord of the Rings. <S> The way J.R.R. Tolkien describes a hobbit is very descriptive, and the reason the movies were so successful was not only because the story was told correctly (the book being narrative writing also), but because the readers did not have to come up with their own imagination of a hobbit (or other figures, places, and such). <S> They were described in detail, giving everybody a very precise framework of imagination to work from. <S> Therefore everybody could relate to and agree upon the characters and the make-up of the artists. <A> Descriptive Writing paints pictures with word or recreates a scene or experience for the reader. <S> Narrative Writing on the other hand, relates a series of events either real or imaginary or chronologically arranged and from a particular point of view. <S> for short the Descriptive is to describe and the Narrative is to tell information :) <A> DifferencesNarration often employs first person point of view, using words like "I" and "me," while other modes including description do not. <S> The biggest difference between the two is that a narrative essay includes action, but the descriptive essay does not. <S> In contrast, description typically contains no time elements, so organize descriptive essays by some other reasonable means, such as how you physically move around in a space or with a paragraph for each of the senses you use to describe. <A> The core of narrative writing is strong verbs. <S> Descriptive writing might have some verbs, usually weak ones, but the main tools are nouns and adjectives. <A> Narrative writing involves the writer's personal experience and he tells it in the form of story.. <S> e.g <S> my first day at collegedescriptive writing involves the characters observed by five senses and does not contain a plot <A> Usually, it has introduction, body and its conclusion. <S> It let readers create their own imagination. <S> It may be exact as what the author wants to express or not. <S> Descriptive - describing what the author wants to impart. <S> It expresses emotion about its certain topic. <S> It leads the way and not letting you fall out of nowhere.
| Narrative - is when the author is narrating a story or part of a story. Narration follows a logical order, typically chronological.
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What to include in agreement with a Ghost Writer. . I am exploring engaging a Ghost writer to partner with me on the development of a non-fiction (well, mostly) business book. What are the critical elements of the agreement that need to be included? <Q> IANAL, but he is . <S> This should be a good starting point. <S> If you also want to have a look at the ghostwriter side, visit some internet sites offering this service and read their conditions (e.g. the Penn Group ; first Google hit, I know nothing about them). <S> (While looking up services, I stumbled over this link . <S> I do not understand its content, but maybe it is useful to you.) <A> There are a lot of factors that come up and should be negotiated at the beginning. <S> You can structure your agreement for a flat fee (most common) or for a percentage of royalties (less common), or a combination. <S> Regardless of the payment arrangement, you'll also have to decide on certain legal/copyright and process issues: name credit (you'll either have to specify that you be included as co-author, mentioned in the acknowledgments, or are waiving all rights); <S> royalties (waive or include); who is doing the research (this is a big chunk of the work so be sure to sort that out before you start); <S> interview access (how many hours the client will be available for interviews/collaboration); payment schedule (many ask for, say, 1/4 of the fee upfront, 1/4 upon completion of research/interviews/outline, 1/4 upon completion of first draft, 1/4 upon completion of final draft). <S> Hope this helps. <A> You should decide just what the ghost writer's responsibilities are and also identify a means of determining whether or not those responsibilities were met.
| I think you should identify what your goals are and start from there.
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What's the proper etiquette/format for updating a blog post? I've been doing websites for 16 years, but am new to writing a blog. Websites pages change all the time, but it seems to me that blog posts are relatively static once they've been posted. If I want to change something in a blog post, what's the accepted way of doing so? Considering that a blog post may get comments, some of which may point out mistakes or inaccuracies in the post, it seems to me that it should be clear where you've changed a post subsequent to any comments. I've seen the strikethrough used a fair bit, but sometimes that seems to be done for comic effect. So, is there any standard way in the blogospehere of highlighting changes to the text of a blog post? <Q> For inconsequential changes you can just edit it. <S> For anything substantial ("I meant to say I disagree with... <S> "), I've often seen an explicit notation: "Edited to add: ..." <S> "Edit: ...", or the like. <S> If there have been relevant comments, you can include a timestamp for the edit so people will see it was after the comment. <S> This is what I do. <A> When in doubt, ask yourself: "Would my readers care if they didn't know about this change? <S> Would they think I was trying to deceive them by not pointing it out? <S> " If the answer to either of these is yes , note the change. <S> If not, and you're simply making the reading experience smoother and better, make the change and leave it be. <S> I agree with Monica's answer : for fixing typos or maybe adding a link, no need to indicate changes. <S> When actually adding anything of substance, it's good form to indicate the changes. <S> This kind of transparency is particularly important for corporate blogs or news blogs, where more people are scrutinizing the posts. <S> I have noticed that seeing something published can change how writers view their own work, and I've had writers request changes minutes after posting. <S> I generally allow a grace period for that, of a few minutes or so. <S> Past that, I'd want to indicate changes. <S> If you have significant changes to make of the sort where you've changed your mind on something fundamental, perhaps you should be writing a second post. <S> I've seem people write articles discussing how they've re-thought their position, and explaining why . <S> (In that case, you can also add a link to the end of the original post, pointing at the new post.) <S> In summary, try to be transparent where possible and sensible. <A> There are no real rules. <S> From my perspective there are two major keys to doing edits right. <S> Firstly you should remember to be as transparent as possible. <S> Secondly you should pick a method of doing edits that is consistent and maintained so people learn what to expect. <S> I personally add edit notes to everything when I edit. <S> The other answers here are all good, but one thing I didn't notice being addressed is when you are correcting something referenced in a comment. <S> Here is how I handle that. <S> This is a correct statement. <S> This is an incorrect statement. <S> This is another correct statement. <S> Jane corrects my second statement in a comment. <S> This is a correct statement. <S> This is an incorrect statement. <S> (Edit: Jane corrected me in the comment section.) <S> This is another correct statement. <S> That way everything is still properly referenced and people can see the changes in that situation. <S> I like to keep the record of the conversation as transparent as possible. <S> For other general edits I just use an edit note on each instance if it is substantial. <S> I don't worry too much about edit notes until the post is about an hour old or has its first comment.
| If I make a series of edits that are not substantial I will add an edit note to the footer with a summary.
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How can I manage screen shots and other graphics for maintenance? Our ~1500-page documentation set contains numerous screen shots and related graphics (schematics, flow diagrams, etc). Sometimes the user interface changes and we have to update all the affected graphics. The affected graphics are not necesarily all in one book; they can be spread across several. In short, they could be anywhere, so we rely on writers' knowledge of the doc set and sometimes just paging through the whole thing looking for graphics that are no longer correct. The first is fragile and the second is tedious (and also can be fragile). Within the XML doc source itself I can (and do) embed internal tags that I can later search for. Think of that as meta-data for the docs. I'm looking for a way to associate meta-data with images, so I can find all the images that show such-and-such feature or such-and-such widget or whatever. I could set up an external index file or database, but that means the meta-data is far from the images and I worry about it staying up to data (will every writer always remember to update the database when he creates or edits an image and its meta-data changes?). Is there anything clever I can do to get the meta-data closer to the data? Image formats are PNG for screen shots, GIF for line art. Is there any tool that would let us embed, and query, meta-data right into files in those formats? Our existing relevant tools are: Perforce for source control, DocBook XML for the doc source, Ant for build targets. On the graphics side, we use PaintShop Pro and/or SnagIt for taking/editing screen shots, and mostly Visual Thought for line-art (though we have access to InkScape and can learn it if that would help). Our desktops are Windows (XP now, 7 later this year). Edit: The screen shots also have text implications -- we usually don't just have a screen shot, but rather a screen shot and text that talks about the options or what you can do with that tool. The screen shots are integral to the documentation, and if a screen shot has to be updated we also have to look at the places where that image is used. Finding those points in the text is easy (I can just grep the source for the file name of each image when I update it), but finding the screen shots that have to change in the first place (because the UI changed) is much harder. This question is about managing that process so we can keep all the documentation up to date. <Q> Since this is deemed on topic, I'll give my recommendation as a proper answer. <S> Rather than recommend other tools, judging by your setup (Paintshop Pro, Windows XP or Windows 7), the easiest method is to use these existing tools to do what you need: <S> Use Paintshop Pro <S> to add meta data to your images. <S> You can do this by going to Image > Image Information. <S> I added metadata to the "Description" field for the image. <S> This way you can add words (maybe even develop your own system of tags) that you will use to search for. <S> You could also add other data like who took the screen shot, the date it was last modified etc. <S> If you plan the metadata, you can build a really good system for organising your images. <S> Once that's done, you can then use Window XP's built in Search to find the file (same should work on Windows 7, too). <S> Simply specify the directory you need, choose "Pictures and Photos" only, and then select "for a phrase or word in a file". <S> Type in the phrase <S> /tag you're looking for, click search, and it should find the image you're looking for. <A> <? <S> xml version="1.0 <S> " encoding="UTF-8"?><image> <S> <source <S> >assemble.svg</source> <fo> <href <S> >assemble.svg</href <S> > <S> <contentwidth>4.25in</contentwidth <S> > <align>center</align> <S> </fo> <S> <epub> <href <S> >assemble.png</href <S> > </epub> <S> <alt <S> > <S> <p <S> > <S> A diagram showing multiple pieces being combined in different ways to produce different outputs.</p <S> > <S> </alt></image <S> > <S> Because the book will be published to both paper and ebook, we need different file formats for each graphic. <S> Here the source graphic is assemble.svg and <S> the same file is used for print ( fo means xsl-fo). <S> But for epub, which does not support SVG, we use assemble.png . <S> The XML also provide an alt for the graphic and lets you include sizing information as well. <S> When I include a graphic in the book, the include instruction actually points to the XML file rather than the graphic file directly. <S> The processing code then reads the XML file and generates conditional DocBook markup for use with each version of the book build. <S> This approach gets around any difficulties with including metadata in the graphic files themselves and allows you a level of abstraction that will let you use different file formats for different media. <S> Something similar should be workable for your builds. <S> It will simply require either some preprocessing of your source files or some additional rules for processing graphics. <S> The downside of pointing to the XML file rather than the graphic is that the graphic will not show in a graphical XML editor. <S> But there is a way round this. <S> Rather than pointing to the XML file in the source, point to a graphic file as normal, but rewrite the processing code for the include instruction to strip off the graphic file extension and read an XML file of the same name in the same directory. <A> I used to work on a project where we wrote a graphical UI to subversion for a group of artists. <S> Though I can't link that particular program. <S> Subversion essentially should be able to do all that you need. <S> Example article: http://www.wensh.net/archive.php/topic/1556.html
| For the book I am currently writing, which is not written in docbook directly but is written in a markup that will be translated to DocBook for publishing, I use an XML file to capture metadata for each illustration.
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Is there a quick way to know I have created a Mary Sue? For those who don't know what a Mary Sue is: see here . The problem is, there are far too many ways a character can be a Mary Sue, as seen here . Many websites that offer tests to see if your character is a Mary Sue give pages of questions as well. Is there a quick way to know I have created a Mary Sue? [Please note: the above links go to the website TVTropes, which is an addictive time-suck. Visit at your own risk. —ed.] <Q> If your character always seems to be in the middle of everything and is always the one to resolve any issues/problems, then it could be a Mary Sue. <S> If your character is more attractive/powerful/impressive than any other character by a mile, then it is probably a Mary Sue. <S> Unless your story is specifically about super-heroes, your character should not exhibit supernatural tendencies. <S> Also, if you find yourself relating very closely to the character and feel that you are modeling it after your own traits/preferences/ideals, then you are definitely leaning towards a Mary Sue! <S> Basically, just evaluate whether or not your character is realistic. <S> If it seems to be instilled with any form of talent that gives it an unfair advantage over other characters, then you need to tone it down. <S> One more important note: simply being aware of this pitfall goes a long, long way towards avoiding it in your own writing. <S> Once you're sufficiently aware of the effect, with any luck you'll know it when you see it. <A> Obvious Mary Sues are easy to spot... <S> subtle ones less so. <S> Just as it's very hard to proofread your own work, it's often hard for us to see when we've made a character unrealistic. <S> My suggestion: get an editor. <S> Or at least a beta reader. <S> Find someone who will be honest with you. <A> "One day, nothing significant happened. <S> Everyone got on as normal". <S> What does your character do on that day? <S> If they cannot get through a normal day, doing normal things - which may vary depending on the setting - then they may be a Mary Sue (a term I had never heard before, but I recognise the trope). <S> If you are worried that you are creating a Mary Sue, try writing a normal day for them, and see if it works. <S> You will probably not have to go far into the day to know. <S> @StevenDrennons answer and @Standbacks comment are an excellent checklist, but for a quick way to know, this might work. <S> In fact, just trying to start grasping what a normal day would be might work.
| If your character sounds too good to be true, then it is probably a Mary Sue.
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Why do authors usually put a reference section at the end of a book when they are not referenced throughout the entire book? In the references list (usually at the end of a book), I've noticed that authors like to include references to other materials. However these materials are not so-called "referenced" or "linked" at all throughout the entire book. I was wondering why did they put that list there? Are they required to put a list of references for materials they have referred to and adopted information from? Per the replies, I'm actually particularly interested in: Do we have to inform the authors of those books/materials, that we have the title of their books in our "bibliography" section ? <Q> Even though they may not quote specific passages from the original source, they are making sure that the reader knows that they had to seek additional information on one or more topics within their own book. <S> They are not necessarily "required" to do this, but it is a good practice, just in case someone challenges you later and asks how you knew something about which you wouldn't normally have any knowledge. <A> Sounds like maybe you're working through the difference between a Works Cited page and a Bibliography. <S> Works Cited pages are, as the title suggests, lists of the sources actually cited in the work. <S> Bibliographies include all the sources the author consulted in writing the new work, whether they were directly referenced or not. <S> This is based on the idea that the books contributed to the author's understanding of the topic, even if they weren't directly used. <S> Different fields have different conventions re. <S> whether to use Works Cited or Bibliography. <A> If a writer has written a historical, they will frequently add references to works about the time period or subject matter. <S> I've seen this too with nonfictions about a certain subject matter, such as Stephen King's "Danse Macabre" (which is about the horror fiction/movie industry). <S> Heck, I've even seen some writers write stuff like "Please don't write me with x correction or whatever" or instructions to send inquiries to their agent or publisher. <S> Writers don't want questions about how they wrote a book, so the references is there <S> so if we want we can look up such information without bothering the writer.
| Usually a writer will include books that they either read or referred to as part of their research for their own book.
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Other options for "had had"? Although the use of " had had " is grammatically correct, it doesn't read well and seems awkward to me. Take for example the following sentence: I had had enough of this nonsense and was ready to move on. What is a better alternative to using " had had "? <Q> Rewriting to avoid "had had" is almost always a good idea. <S> It reads even more terribly than it sounds. <S> ... <S> but that's a little cheap. <S> Depending on the context of the quote, you have several options: <S> Having had enough of this nonsense, I was ready to move on. <S> I was fed up with this nonsense and ready to move on. <S> " <S> Damn this nonsense and twirl my whiskers," I said, fully prepared and capable of moving along. <A> How about: <S> "I was tired enough hearing of this nonsense and was ready to move on" or <S> "I was in no mood to tolerate any more nonsense and felt ready to move on." <S> These could work well. <S> Let me know if they fitted in well with your sentence structure; since you've only quoted half of it, I can't really tell. <A> "This nonsense was enough! <S> It was time to move on."
| The easy way out is to use a contraction: I'd had enough of this nonsense and was ready to move on.
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Do traditional publishers ever make use of "print on demand" (POD)? Do traditional publishers always use offset printing for the books they publish, or do they sometimes use POD to make books available? If they do use POD, is it primarily for older titles? <Q> In the tech book world, I know O'Reilly is moving towards a POD model for many of their books, including a new series that is completely POD. <S> Has to do with the anticipated number of sales, I imagine. <A> It's a controversial practice, because some authors and publishers disagree about whether a POD title should be considered "in print" for purposes of determining whether rights revert to the author or not. <A> Yes, some of them use POD for their back-catalogue. <S> Bloomsbury Reader will sell books that have either never been printed before or haven't been available in print for many years. <S> The range incorporates every genre including romance, children's stories, science fiction, politics, travel writing, biographies and poetry. <S> http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-09/28/bloomsbury-reader <S> Print-on-demand as it affects conventional publishing agreements Developments in cheap print-on-demand (POD) should make it easier to keep slow-selling titles available. <S> This is good news; but it is prudent to consider safeguards. <S> Works still available via POD might never go out of print, but the publisher might be sitting on a title which a new publisher would be happy to relaunch and promote along with its publication of your latest book. <S> http://www.societyofauthors.org/print-demand <A> Yes, small-press publishers use print-on-demand. <S> It's hard to do a print run of less than 500 books more economically than print-on-demand, and many new books sell less than that. <S> In fact, by the time you factor in printing, shipping from printer to distributor, cost of warehousing, and shipping to retailer, it's sometimes really hard to do better than Amazon's Createspace. <S> I was involved with one book project where doing a print run of 5,000 books only yielded an extra dollar of profit compared to having Createspace print the book, and the amount of work and hassle to get that extra dollar of profit wasn't worth it in the end. <A> They certainly don't do it traditionally, but Random House recently got some press for launching a POD service, so maybe it's on the way. <S> They do say that it's more of a service for consumers than an expected money-maker. <S> Publishers may also use POD for production purposes (ARCs, etc.) <S> - I'm not sure about this.
| Most traditional publishers now use POD for their backlists . Bloomsbury Publishing has launched a digital global publisher, called Bloomsbury Reader, that will sell a back-catalogue of titles in e-book and print-on-demand format.
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What's the best way to distinguish between co-authors? I know a couple of people who are co-authoring a book, and they have been debating how to go about distinguishing between the two of them in their content. They have an outline of topics that they are discussing, and each is providing their own voice/commentary on each topic individually. As they get ready to merge their content, how should they go about identifying which comments are from which author? EDIT: To be more specific, the male co-author is a nature photographer, and the female is a zoologist. They met online and agreed to do a seven month trek through Africa, with each chronicling their observations independently, without seeing what the other wrote. At the end of it all, they are merging their content to show each person's perspective. Basically, each chapter is a different incident that occurred during their journey together. <Q> John Cleese and Robyn Skynner actually used sectional speech headed: John: and Robyn: To make the distinction. <S> But their book was dialectic with Cleese interviewing Skynner. <S> In general co-authored books are just presumed to be co-authored with no specific division made between who wrote what. <S> Some programming books I've read give bylines on chapters but this is usually in overview style books where many different and various topics are covered in one volume, anthology style. <S> If they are desperate to have their own voice then it might be suitable to identify "Common Content" which is the main body of the text. <S> Then "A's Content" and "B's Content" which are put into separate box out sections where appropriate and relevant. <S> The box outs could be individually formatted and a key given in a "How to use this book" section. <S> If the parts of each author are really completely distinct then maybe it would be better to either have bylines by the chapter or even for them to write two completely separate books! <A> It depends on the effect they want to achieve. <S> These are 2 ways I think are most feasible: 1) <S> Don't "merge". <S> Write the book in two sections, "What The Artist Felt" and "What The Scientist Observed" are titles that strike my fancy, based on the stereotypes of a photographer and zoologist. <S> In any case, each person gets their own section of the book. <S> Then they'd have the introduction to narrate how they chose to have their own sections, what the book is all about and why it is divided. <S> 2) Write chronologically, distinguishing points of view. <S> First, organizing each scene in both texts chronologically, name each section a fancy title and make the subtitle the writer's name. <S> The overlapping scenes can be written in third person, talking about them. <S> If the texts were written in first person, or are descriptions and observations, it's fairly easy to do this kind of merging. <S> There is another way that comes into my mind, but it requires more work than the previous ones <S> : take both chronicles, and write the whole thing in third person perspective. <S> It might or might not work, and will likely require fills-in as there are scenes that are bound to be written by one of them and not by the other. <S> On the other hand, it provides the opportunity to think back, describe things that went unnoticed, and write afterthoughts in. <A> Occasionally, such as in the Stephen King/Peter Straub collaboration <S> "The Talisman" it could be argued that one wrote about one world while the other wrote the other. <S> But in your case, where the authors are very different, I would probably alternate chapters.
| Personally, the best co-authored books I've read there was no discernable difference in styles.
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How can this sentence better convey the immobilizing impact of fear? Someone on another forum asked for advice on a sentence she was writing, so I thought I'd share it here and see what kind of responses we could get. The sentence in question is marked by italics. (I think one or two others could use some help as well, but I'll see what you guys come up with!) Fear is a strange thing. On one hand it has the ability to make you stronger if the circumstances are just right. Giving you the strength and clarity of mind to overcome whatever peril you happen to find yourself in. On the other hand, it has the frightening ability to render the sufferer into a frozen vegetative state. Leaving you in control of nothing more than the blinking of your eyes and the sucking in of short, shallow breaths. The specific question I would like to see answered is this: how can she change this sentence so that it better conveys the immobilizing impact that fear can have on a person? <Q> First impression is that I can't understand why that particular sentence refers to "the sufferer" when all the other sentences talk about "you". <S> Also not sure of "render you into a frozen vegetative state". <S> "force you into" (or "send you") seems much better, IMO (don't ask me why, "render" just doesn't seem right). <S> I also think that some of these sentences shouldn't be separated. <S> Lastly, I would write "on the one hand", rather than "on one hand". <S> Fear is a strange thing. <S> On the one hand, it has the ability to make you stronger if the circumstances are just right, giving you the strength and clarity of mind to overcome whatever peril you happen to find yourself in. <S> On the other hand, fear also has the frightening ability to force you into a frozen vegetative state, leaving you in control of nothing more than the blinking of your eyes and the sucking in of short, shallow breaths. <A> I always liked Stephen King in this sort of situation. <S> All of his characters had a lot of backstory, and oftentimes the plot involved confronting or reliving this backstory. <S> When you have a character who has a fear, you should try elaborating on why they have this fear. <S> Maybe they are claustrophobic because they fell into a well or mine shaft as a child. <S> Or maybe they have a fear of water because they lost a sibling in an icy pond. <S> Or maybe they are an anal neat-freak who is afraid of going outside because they grew up in a super-messy household where they were abused. <S> Or maybe they are afraid of heights because they witnessed a circus accident as a child. <S> Or totally turn it around, maybe they have a death wish and their fear is growing old. <S> If you play it up right <S> it can be very debilitating to the character. <A> how about this?Fear is a strange thing. <S> On one hand, it has the ability to make you stronger if the circumstances are just right. <S> It gives you the strength and clarity of mind to overceom whatever peril you happen to find yourself in. <S> I don't know. <S> it kind of sounds like fear that way. <S> whatever you think
| On the other hand, fear has the ability to bring Paralysis, leaving you in control of nothing more than the blinking of your eyes and the short, shallow breaths you need to stay just on this side of death.
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How do I keep the plot interesting in a humorous book? I am about to start writing a fantasy-comedy novel. A problem I found in 1-2 books of this genre is that the plot becomes weak, and the story starts to slow down. The reason I believe this happens is that there is no big struggle or evil villain. Since there is no tension in the plot (as it is a comedy book), the plot soon loses focus. The story breaks down to "Hero goes to place A, does something funny, then goes to B, does something funny" etc. How do I avoid this problem? <Q> This is a misconception. <S> Interesting plots are hard to write. <S> Some people think "Oh, I put in some funny jokes to hide that I totally suck at the real story." <S> Therefore you find humorous books out there, which story is boring. <S> But that has nothing to do with the humor in the book, it has to do with lazy writers. <S> There must be (at least) one huge conflict and several minor ones along the way. <S> And it doesn't matter if there is any humor, sex, tragedy, or Pokémon dragon slayers in that book. <A> Write a plot with tension. <S> As an example, Christopher Moore writes incredibly funny fantasy novels (demons, angels, vampires) with real plots, rounded characters, and genuine tension. <S> So figure out a good story to tell first, and then figure out how to make it funny. <A> Here's where I think you're going wrong. <S> You say: Since there is no tension in the plot (as it is a comedy book), the plot soon loses focus. <S> Why would a comedic novel not require tension? <S> Every novel needs tension. <S> There must be a reason that the hero goes to place A and place B, something driving him, something urgent and important or scary or wonderful. <S> (Remember the movie <S> Galaxy Quest? <S> Funny, and with a strong plot.) <S> I don't see any reason why you should limit yourself to reading only comedic fantasy novels. <S> Also, I think the best comedic novels aren't made up of one funny event after another. <S> A little pathos thrown in, something heavy and serious to provide a contrast to the humor is often a good idea. <A> I well remember this happening to one of my one-time favorite series, Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures . <S> The early books, with real villains and consequences, were the strongest. <S> But soon, the resolution to every book was just "let's ask them to join the team!" <S> With that said, the overall problem of a book where nothing is ever at stake isn't just found in comedy . <S> Writing is a ruthless art, and if you aren't willing for your characters to suffer, it shows. <S> This is especially a problem in comedy, since bad things happening to the characters can bring down the happy mood (unless you're writing really bleak comedy). <S> One approach to avoiding this is to do a loose parody of an original with a strong plot but little humor. <S> A really well done parody of this type ( Airplane! ) <S> can rival or even surpass the original. <S> Another solution is that the characters can experience minor events as major disasters. <S> Think of the comic strip Peanuts . <S> Plotwise, nothing ever happens in the strip, but from the perspective of the characters, heartbreak, humiliation and catastrophic failures are daily events. <S> Similarly, in the movie <S> The Devil Wears Prada , the title character doesn't hurt, kill, or destroy anyone, but she still serves effectively in the role of villain -- it's all psychological . <S> In summary, don't write a comedy book -- write a substantive book, and make it funny . <S> That's how Terry Pratchett managed to keep it fresh over the course of a very prolific and successful career. <A> In the end it depends on your style. <S> If you are a Douglas Adams you can make every paragraph downright hilarious. <S> Voltaire, on the other hand, wrote satire of the society he lived in, so did Mark Twain. <S> Can you give us more clues as to what you're writing? <A> why can't it have action as well? <S> some of the funniest things i have read are action packed. <S> the humor comes from what the characters say and how they relate to one another. <S> does that mean they can't be doing serious things in the process? <S> NO!!!! <S> as long as they continue to be amusing -- both to the reader and yourself -- i feel it can be counted as a comedy book. <A> I would suggest reading Terry Pratchett's Disc World books. <S> They are fantasy and pretty funny. <S> As a general rule, fantasy writers first create their fantasy world which is kept separate from the writing and used as a reference. <S> You put the kind and nature of creatures, trees, prominent species, interplay and history between species, culture etc. <S> And then you create the plot using elements from the fantasy world. <S> Finally adding the humor as dialogue and situations. <S> Hope that helps <A> Just to disagree with everyone else, you can write a book that is driven by humor instead of plot. <S> I've seen it done. <S> Once. <S> Heroics for Beginners has the lousiest most simple minded plot that I have seen since Bud Abbott and Lou Costello met their first monster . <S> The plot is completely predictable. <S> The only reason it works is that the plot is another joke, and the book is short enough that it is over before you can't laugh anymore. <S> I tried to duplicate this method. <S> It is not as easy as it looks. <S> A good plot is so much easier to write. <A> I think the key to writing a comedy is in the dialogue. <S> Read over your character's conversations and if it doesn't sound smooth and like a real conversation then you have a problem. <S> Make sure your characters talk like real people talk. <S> Then have them say funny things. <A> If the goal is to write a comedy novel then a strong plotline is a must, as it would be for any novel. <S> If you are bent upon using humour as a genre out of the framework of a novel then you could consider writing memoirs or travel stories. <S> But even these dogs would not hunt without a series of big and small conflicts and a dash of drama and irony. <S> Think along the lines of Thurber or Jerome K Jerome.
| I recommend you locate comedic novels and read them to see how the humorous tone of the novel can work with a strong plot. The way to an interesting plot is paved with conflicts. Make sure that the dialogue is real.
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Is it acceptable for a book to not have a dominant lead character? I saw this question posted in another forum, and it didn't have any responses, so naturally I decided to bring it over here. :) I realized, 80% of the way through my first draft, that I don't have a dominant, lead character in this book. I believe that I can pull it off, managing carefully to not head-hop or change characters mid-scene, but I just wanted to get some feedback on that. Is it a problem for a book to lack a specific dominant character? How do other writers feel about not letting one character take the reins? When you're reading, does it turn you off a novel to not have a dominant lead? EDIT: To make this a more SE friendly question: Could you please give me some examples of books that did not have one specific, dominant character? Please provide information on what those books did to make the story and characters compelling without being overwhelming. <Q> Movies and television shows can have ensemble casts; why not books? <S> I've seen this in SF/fantasy books where the ensemble is the members of an adventuring party, the crew of a ship, etc; often there are 3-6 core characters. <S> The novel 1632 (and successors) has many more important characters than I'm used to. <S> There are a few core characters and one who may be the most important in the story, but I don't think of him as the lead character because he spends a lot of time off-stage. <S> So it can work, though too many key characters can be hard to manage. <A> The recent Pulitzer winner A Visit from the Goon Squad is another example of a book like that. <S> It is a sweeping look at the lives of inter-related characters over time. <S> Are books like these a turn off? <S> A big 'no' to that. <S> In fact, they can provide a fresh and exciting experience to the readers. <S> If your narrative is not dominated by a lead character, it could be that you are exploring themes more general than what can be seen through the main character's perspective. <S> Or you could have a complex central plot that is the centerpiece in itself. <S> So do not be daunted by it. <A> I once read a Tom Clancy book, "Red Storm Rising", in which he introduced a character, and a few pages into the book, killed him off. <S> So I was thinking, ok that wasn't the main character. <S> Then he did it again. <S> And again. <S> I swear to you, 200 pages into the book he introduced the lead character. <S> I never actually finished that book because it was about naval war in the north atlantic and there were a bunch of military terms I couldn't really get into. <S> But I digress. <S> If your book has some common thread, like a certain theme, it may not need a main character. <S> Sometimes in science fiction, the main character isn't necessarily a human, but something mechanical, like a space ship. <S> I would have to say if you've written an entertaining book without identifying a main character, don't let anyone tell you it has to be otherwise. <A> It's a lot harder to plot and weave the narratives together elegantly, but if pulled off, it can be pretty amazing. <S> I can't think of any (English) books off the top of my head, but I would highly recommend having a look at an anime called Baccano! , <S> which was actually based off a series of short novels. <S> It has a cast of 17 or so, with many different storylines that all come together in the end to complete the main story. <S> I absolutely love it, and from seeing it, I believe that it can definitely work. <S> Just keep in mind that with an ensemble cast, it will be very hard to keep the viewer from putting down the book in frustration or confusion early on, so you will need a very engaging central plot to keep their interest. <A> It is not uncommon and it is not a problem at all. <S> One fine example is a great novel by Jonathan Coe, What a carve up! <S> , where there's no lead character, but a number of figures (the Winshaw family) <S> the novel focuses on. <S> Another great book where you would be hard-pressed to find a lead character, despite its title, is Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. <S> Actually I would consider the castle as the real protagonist here. <S> (On the other hand, the latter two books in the remarkable Gormenghast trilogy have more recognizable plotline/roles) <A> It is possible but I will suggest that those who do it are very accomplished and if a publishing house buys it it will have other redeeming values.
| In short, you can do a lot more with a book that is not ostensibly 'about' a lead/dominant character, as compared to the more conventional books with protagonists. I would say it's perfectly possible to have an ensemble cast.
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How do you manage all the different aspects of writing poetry? Every time I try to write a poem I find myself incredibly stuck. It feels to me like poetry has so many different aspects- meter, structure, rhyming, lingual aesthetics (not to mention semantics), all crammed into a tightly confined structure (yes I know poetry can be very free style, but I'm interested in well structured, rhyming poetry)- that I can't possibly "optimize" them all simultaneously. It's like I can't achieve a satisfactory quality in one aspect without completely messing up the others: if I write a line that sounds nice, it'll be completely out of meter and will not rhyme with the rest, and I can't make it rhyme without giving up on that nice word I want to use, and if I try to fix the meter without changing the heart of the line then it will most likely stop making sense... It's just an endless struggle. Do you experience these problems when writing structured poetry? If so, how do you handle them? What would you recommend that I do to start getting over this problem? <Q> 1) Stop fixing everything at once. <S> Write your first round to get it on paper. <S> On your second round, pick one thing to fix: sharpen your rhymes, for example. <S> Next round, work on the meter. <S> Let it sit for a day. <S> Come back with fresher eyes and work on word choice. <S> 2) Kill your darlings. <S> Editing oneself is one of the hardest parts of writing. <S> What this phrase means is that you have to be willing to let go of the perfectly-turned phrase, the elegantly metered couplet, if it doesn't fit the particular poem it's in. <S> Put it in a slush file and start the line over. <S> Rewrite the entire poem if you can't extract the line that's blocking you. <A> The best advice I can give you on this can be summed up in one word: practice. <S> The more poetry you write, the easier it becomes. <S> Of course, "easy" is a relative term, because it really never is truly easy. <S> In spite of that, you will start to find that some of it starts to become more natural. <S> I have written almost 1000 poems, published six volumes of poetry and two collections, and I'm still learning. <S> There are a couple of different things you can do to help yourself improve. <S> First and foremost, give up on being perfect. <S> Allow yourself to focus on one thing or the other, rhyme or meter, and disregard the other. <S> As you become more consistent with one, you can start to add the other. <S> Another thing you can do is to look into different kinds of poems and try writing them. <S> Try a haiku instead of a nicely metered ballad. <S> Try some free verse before going after that sonnet. <S> You may not always like everything you do, but each new poem is another opportunity to learn. <S> I admire and respect your desire to "get it right", but you can still find beauty in just getting it done! <A> Next, I continued to practice, this time fitting rhymes at the end of my lines. <S> I started with rhyming couplets, moving to longer rhyming stanzas. <S> Now I had somewhat surreal rhyming lines set to a pleasing meter with a good ring to them. <S> After that - editing, editing, editing. <S> Tweaking the poem rhyme by rhyme, line by line, phrase by phrase, slowly knocking more and more meaning into the lines - cutting everything I couldn't make work and continuously introducing new lines, and new rhymes, until I had a poem which actually came together. <S> After that, keep reading through it, top to bottom, knocking out the dents and areas where it jars or doesn't properly flow. <S> Finally - you need to be extremely tough on cutting line out lines which just aren't working. <S> If you have three amazing, perfect, flawless lines, but cannot for the life of you find a fourth line to fit, those three lines have to be cut or drastically reworked. <S> Back to the drawing board, time to try again. <S> Addendum. <S> Keep reading! <S> You can never read enough and if you want to write good poetry, read good (and indeed, bad) poetry. <S> I cannot ever get enough of listening to musicals. <S> I love them so much - listening to them over and over and over again, then improvising my own words on the end, jotting them down as I sing (or voice recording myself for transcription later), then editing, editing editing until I have the song I want, and swapping out the music. <S> I appreciate this question is old but maybe this will help someone.
| When I was first starting out with poetry (and indeed, even to a certain extent today), I liked to begin with structure/meter, choosing a simple, regular structure and improvising an almost non-sensical set of words which had a good ring to them. Allow yourself to make mistakes and be sloppy.
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What to do if I can't meet my chapter word count? I usually set a word count goal for each of my chapters, say 2000 words. But sometimes I can't meet that goal, for any number of reasons. What should I do: A. Continue anyway, and hope to increase word count elsewhere. B. Keep working on the chapter, till I reach the word count. This will mean the creativity will suffer. I know there is this question , but it talks about meeting a daily quota, but I'm talking about meeting the quota for each chapter (as I can meet the daily quota easily by writing more chapters, but then my final book is very short). <Q> Do you really want to bloat a chapter just to meet an arbitrary quota? <S> Besides that, till you haven't finished the book, you cannot tell how many words a chapter will have. <S> Because you will rearrange, rewrite, and (most important) delete unnecessary stuff. <S> So don't sweat it, start a new chapter, keep writing and drop a quota for chapters. <S> If your story is written with short chapters and it is brilliant and compelling, do you really want to make it boring and dull by adding unneeded stuff? <A> On the one hand a story is a story, putting more words in it doesn't make it more the story it just makes it the story with a bunch of extra verbiage growing over it like ivy up a wall or mould on cheese. <S> On the other, if you have this terrible feeling that the bit of the story you've told is too light or unfinished <S> then maybe it is. <S> The problem is that, as the author, you have probably spent some time thinking about your story. <S> If you haven't then problem solved, take a break, re-read the chapter fresh and think about what you're trying to achieve in this chapter (other than some arbitrary number of words). <S> If you have thought about it a new problem comes up. <S> A story is a very particular type of communication. <S> A communication intended to enthrall and entertain. <S> In order to achieve this the story must tell audiences exactly what they need to know as they need to know it. <S> The nagging feeling that this chapter is "a bit light" is a symptom that you have been restricted from delivering necessary depth or interesting plot information because you are somehow restricted by what the audience currently knows or doesn't know. <S> The liberty to make the chapter more complete may be found by reviewing what's already written and trying to find out where there's information missing. <S> Essentially there's a possibility that you need a "pay off" <S> but you never did the "plant". <S> However, you could just be over thinking it and the chapter may just be suitably eloquent and perfectly concise. <S> These are the problems of balance you must overcome on your own. <A> Some possibilities: Add a complication to the chapter's conflict. <S> Make sure it's a meaningful complication— <S> i.e. one that contributes to the story. <S> Consider: <S> Increase time pressure. <S> Raise the stakes for the MC. <S> Remove an option from the MC's repertoire, so that the MC has to struggle more to figure out what to do. <S> Reveal something in the middle of the interaction that changes the MC's understanding of the situation, so that the MC struggles not only to overcome the chapter's obstacles, but also to understand what the heck is going on. <S> Introduce another character into the interaction. <S> Do something in an earlier chapter so that the interaction in this chapter is more complicated for the MC. <S> In the earlier chapter, you might: <S> Give the MC greater knowledge of some complicating factor. <S> That gives the MC more to think about, more challenging decisions to make, more tradeoffs to consider. <S> So throughout the chapter, you can show the MC weighing these complicating factors. <S> It also might increase (or decrease) <S> the MC's choices of action, and increase the range of responses the MC gets (or fears) from the opponent, some other character, or the setting. <S> Misinform the MC, so that the current chapter is more puzzling. <S> Put some additional MC goal or value in jeopardy. <S> Show an event in the MC's past that is somehow echoed (or otherwise relevant) in this chapter. <S> Give the MC a trait or flaw or attitude that makes this chapter more puzzling or complicated or difficult. <S> Combine two chapters into one. <S> Move a scene from a later or earlier chapter. <A> Setting a word count is a personal decision. <S> Meeting the goal is a personal decision. <S> If you were doing piece-work and being paid for it (by the piece) it might matter. <S> You might be doing this in your writing but <S> IMHO <S> it has nothing to do with the craft of writing. <S> You could just as easily set a goal of X publishable/sold words. <S> Unless you sell them each day it is just a goal you've set. <S> I will suggest that if this is what you must do to force yourself to write each day then perhaps you don't really have the fire in the belly to be a writer. <A> Chapters are another level of organization; just as much as you organize your story in paragraphs, sentences and (at a higher level) books and volumes. <S> If you're setting a goal for yourself to meet "2000 words per chapter," it's up to you to define the exceptions and the additional modifications that you would require if you broke your goal. <A> Try freestyle writing for 10 or 20 minutes. <S> Freestyle writing is when you put down any idea or thought that comes into your head and writing down without editing or correcting. <S> Just writing. <S> You might come across new ideas or topics that you had not written about. <S> You can also try a mind mapping tool like Xiosis Scribe which combines mind mapping with word processing. <S> Add some quotes or what previous authors on the subject had written. <S> If all else fails try a 16pt font, double wide lines, 4inch margins and set align to full justified :) Just kidding.
| Add a scene to the chapter. You can also add some additional research into what you have written.
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How can this technical message be made clearer? How could this technical sentenced be improved for better clarity? Cannot translate the ‘name1’ concept1 to the ‘name2’ concept2 because the higherprecedence ‘name3’ concept3 also exists, which overrides it. This is a technical message to a user of a computer program where I have eliminated the jargon as it is not relevant to this question. The idea is that there are two things (concept1 and concept3) that both would translate to a single thing (concept2) and we can only use one and are picking one (concept3) and warning about the other (concept1) not being used. For style consistency with other messages, I wish to retain the structure of the pattern: Cannot <do something> because <of something else>. The 'name1' etc. are names to uniquely identify a particular object and the 'concept' is the category of objects which 'name' chooses one. So the original could be recast (nonsensically) as: Cannot translate the ‘Fred’ apple to the ‘John’ orange because the higherprecedence ‘Julia’ tangerine also exists, which overrides it. In this case, we have a machine that takes fruit and converts it into oranges, if you supply both an apple and a tangerine, only one is used, the tangerine, to create the orange, and the apple is ignored because tangerines are given higher priority over apples. So my question revolves around the use and placement of the phrases: 'higher precedence', 'also exists', and 'which overrides it'. Could these be rearranged for better clarity or substituted with other phrases that might be clearer? <Q> Firstly, it's always a good idea to clearly indicate whether the message reflects an actual error, or simply a warning which the user may choose to ignore. <S> Secondly, try to minimise use of "jargon" terms such as translate, higher precedence , and overrides . <S> Warning: <S> The 'name1' concept1 is assumed to be a type of 'name3' concept3, not a 'name2' concept2. <S> Warning: <S> The 'Fred' apple is assumed to be a type of 'Julia' tangerine, not a 'John' orange. <S> Depending on the exact context, it might be better to replace the "not..." bit at the end with something like <S> "(did you mean a 'John' orange)". <A> If you want to keep the same format, I would go with: <S> Cannot translate 'name1' concept1 to 'name2' concept2 because an existing translation from 'name3' concept3 to 'name2' concept2 takes precedence. <S> Using your fruit example, it would look like this: <S> Cannot translate the 'Fred' apple to the 'John' orange because an existing translation from the 'Julia' tangerine to the 'John' orange takes precedence. <S> I have a strong feeling that this error message will cause a lot of confusion to someone who is not already familiar with your precedence rules. <S> It might help to add more information (especially information that will help resolve the issue). <S> For example: Cannot translate the 'Fred' apple to the 'John' orange because an existing translation from the 'Julia' tangerine to the 'John' orange takes precedence. <S> This error occurs when you create translations with different sources that have the same result. <A> Relative clauses ("which overides it") make the reader work. <S> They have to go back and forth in the sentence trying to match up the "which"s and <S> the "it"s. <S> By the sounds of it, you are doing something very abtstract and technical so the reader is working hard enough already. <S> Don't worry about dumbing it down! <S> Without the relative clause it might go like this : <S> Cannot translate the ‘Fred’ apple to the ‘John’ orange because the ‘John’ orange is blocked by the existance of the higher precedence ‘Julia’ tangerine. <S> Instead of "the existance of", maybe try "the presence of", or just leave it out altogether: <S> Cannot translate the ‘Fred’ apple to the ‘John’ orange because the ‘John’ orange is blocked by the higher precedence ‘Julia’ tangerine. <A> Sorry, but you really haven't eliminated all the jargon from here. <S> Based on what your question actually says, I think it would be "Cannot translate concept 1 to <S> concept2 <S> because concept2 has already been defined as concept3 . <S> " <S> Is there a difference between 'name1' and 'concept1' (except in the White Knight's sense of "The name of the song is called... but the song is called something else entirely")? <A> Cannot translate the ‘name1’ concept1 to the ‘name2’ concept2 because the higherprecedence ‘name3’ concept3 also exists, which overrides it. <S> If there are more ‘name3’ concept3 than ‘name1’ concept1 <S> then ‘name1’ concept1 cannot be translated to ‘name2’ concept2 .
| You should remove the lower prededence translation or re-evaluate your order of precedence.
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Proper attribution of copyrighted lyrics in a story If I put several lines of a copyrighted song in my text, and mention the band name, how can I be certain that my attribution is sufficient and guarantees against legal action? From what I've been able to find, I need to list the song title, writing credit, date and company of copyright in the front matter. Is there anything else I need to do? Thanks <Q> IANAL, but: If this is fiction... it's not anywhere near that easy. <S> Song lyrics are copyrighted by their authors, and you're supposed to get permission (pay money) to use them. <S> You can use songs that are in the public domain, but I get the feeling you want something more modern. <S> So you'd need to track down the owners of the copyright and figure out/negotiate their fees. <S> It's a pretty big deal. <S> If you're going through a publisher, they may help you with this or they may tell you that you can't use the lines. <S> There will almost certainly be an indemnity line in your contract with which you certify that you've got the legal right to all parts of your work. <S> That means that if the songwriter or music publishing company sues, you're on your own for the defense. <S> If you're self-pubbing, you need to get permission yourself. <S> I've seen people argue that using the lyrics comes under the 'fair use' rule, but I'm not aware of any jurisdiction that recognizes this right for fiction. <S> You can usually use the title of the song, if that helps. <S> I'm not sure what the rules are for non-fiction. <S> I think fair use has a broader scope, there, <S> but I don't know details. <S> (Edited to clarify role of publisher) <A> Simple answer, you can't use someone else's copyrighted material in your own fiction without either paying them for the license or having them grant you a license for no charge. <S> This is as true for song lyrics as it is for a poem, essay or someone else's work of fiction. <S> It makes no difference if you attribute the work or not. <S> Here's an article from the UK's Guardian which explains the mess an author found himself in for quoting a single line from a couple of songs: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/01/blake-morrison-lyrics-copyright <S> The doctrine of "fair use" does not apply to creative works, such as fiction. <S> It does apply in instances of non-fiction, particularly in academic scholarship or commentary. <S> Here is a brief summary on fair use from the US copyright office: <S> http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html <S> The easiest way to do that is to follow the footsteps of those who record cover songs. <S> Go to Limelight (http://www.songclearance.com/pricing) or Harry Fox's Songfile (http://www.harryfox.com/public/songfile.jsp) and use their tools to identify the lyricist. <S> There is a good chance that you'll find the performer you attribute the song to didn't actually write it. <S> But take solace in the fact that if the song is popular enough for you to want to pay to use some of its lyrics, one of those two entities will help take your money! <A> It ultimately depends on how much of the song you are using and the way in which it is being used. <S> If you are using a couple of lines in a music review, then you don't need to get permission. <S> You are most likely already mentioning the band, since it's a review of their music, and the use of a couple of lines would be recognized as fair use. <S> Beyond that, it starts to become more complicated. <S> You first need to determine whether or not you need permission, and you can start by using this link from Stanford University . <S> They have an online site that has a lot of information pertaining to Copyright and Fair Use. <S> If you aren't able to decide after reading this, then you can proceed to Chapter 9 , where they go into more details regarding Fair Use. <S> There's a lot of information on this site, and it may take some time to read through it and understand it, but you can help ease your mind on whether or not you're doing the right thing by taking the time to look it over. <A> Fair Use is not relevant for this, as it is fiction - it is intended to allow academic or other non-fiction to reference existing work for the purpose of comment and critique. <S> One way around this in a fictional work would be to have the character sing along with some of the words, some of them wrongly heard, so that it is clear what the song is, but you are not using the lyrics fully. <S> As long as you are careful, this should be OK, although, of course, IANAL. <S> Crediting them as well would be a positive. <S> An example may be: Johnny turned on the radio. <S> As he organised his room, his favorite song of the moment came on, so he bounced around the room singing "... <S> nothing lasts forever ..." <S> as he tidied his underwear drawer; "... in the cold September rain ..." as he put his boots away; "I need some ties, on my own..." as he sorted the wardrobe; "... you're not the only one" as he organised his sock drawer. <S> He broke off for the air guitar riff, of course, because that's the law. <S> (OK, maybe not, but this sort of idea).
| If you absolutely must have the song lyrics in your own work, you'll need to get clearance from the owner.
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The importance of monitor size/distance for writing productivity? I've been thinking today that my writing station's monitor screen set-up is much worse than I had previously thought, and can be partly blamed for productivity problems. I write on a 2004 laptop with a 14.1" LCD monitor. Because its keyboard has poor "touch", I use a separate keyboard, but this causes me to have to put the keyboard in front of the laptop, and therefore the screen is further from my face. The usual working distance has been 2-3 feet (.6-.9 meters) from the monitor, depending if I lean back. I've now come to think this is way too far and too small of a screen. Even if the screen were closer, a 14.1" screen is probably too small for optimized productivity. Corroborating opinions welcome. (That I've also written 10,000+ lines of computer code on this setup is unfortunate). Will getting a larger monitor, possibly with a desktop computer, make a significant difference in writing productivity? How large is about right? Are there other things to consider as regards to a good set-up for writing in terms of having the visual aspects optimized? (Along these lines I have noticed that having a good low-profile keyboard has been very helpful) UPDATE: I've flipped my (tablet) laptop's screen around such that now the distance from my eyes to the screen is from 18--28 inches, and the external keyboard is placed more comfortably. I'm also increasing vertical screen real estate by losing some toolbars, etc. Overall, this is much more comfortable. I get the point that a few people have expressed to "just write" or "if you're a writer, you write" but I think that's something of a gloss; every activity's hedonic level is affected by the conditions and we tend to go for pleasure drives in nice cars or play our music most when we have a good stereo. I'm not saying I won't write at all if I don't have optimal conditions, but striving to have a more pleasant working environment is just sensible. Viewing my words from 3 feet away in a small rectangle was just not good enough. This is better, and I'll look into a new monitor when I feel if it is warranted. <Q> I don't have anything scientific on this, but... <S> I doubt it. <S> People have been managing to get books written for centuries, all without the benefit of a large monitor. <S> Barring health issues that require special ergonomics, I think the details of your set-up are more of an excuse than a genuine problem. <S> I write on a laptop, a netbook, or a desktop computer. <S> I prefer the laptop, but when I'm traveling, I still get work done on the netbook. <S> When I'm not feeling creative, the biggest screen in the world wouldn't help me -- I just need to power through it. <S> When things are flowing, I'll type on whatever's available, and when the power goes out and the batteries die, I'll write by hand. <S> If you're a writer, you'll write. <S> Don't let the tools distract you. <A> I write with a MacBook Air, which has about the same size monitor you're using. <S> I use 12 point Times New Roman, and tell my word processor to magnify the text to about 150%. <S> That's plenty big even for my aging eyes, even at a distance. <S> And my writing window takes up about 2/3 the width of the screen, which leaves plenty of room on the screen for notes. <S> So try this: Use a bigger font while writing, or tell your software to magnify the text so you can see it. <A> The wrong position of the monitor could be a health issue, and therefore a productivity issue. <S> If you cramp before your monitor, best thing to happen is that you get fatigue faster. <S> Problems with your back could be much more troublesome. <S> If you have to lean forward to read the text on your monitor, then it has the wrong distance. <S> If the upper edge is above your eyes, then the monitor is adjusted too high. <S> An ergonomic working place is the key factor for unstressed (more productive) work. <S> Nevertheless, I think Kate is right <S> and you talk mainly about procrastination. <A> To write "simple" text, a 20" monitor would probably be fine, those should not be too expensive either. <S> There is usually a connector for an external monitor or such on a laptop, so there should not be any problem to hook them together. <S> (But double check first just in case.) <S> The main advantage is that a new monitor is probably nicer to your eyes and if it a standalone monitor <S> , it would probably be better adjusted to the right height as well, giving less strain on the neck and shoulders. <S> When it comes to efficiency and large and/or several monitors, there is only a few research papers around (when I researched the subject about two years ago).One was heavily sponsored (or conducted) by NEC (creates monitors among other things) and involved a lot of excel copy-and-paste, and then there is one study made by Microsoft Research, where they created a custom-built 30" monitor with about the same methods and results as the NEC study. <S> To counter any go-after-new-toys comments, 14.1" is really small for a workstation, it works if you're travelling or such, but if you're going to sit 8-10 hour a day in front of it, you really need something better. <A> Of course some might argue that if you are writing for long periods of time you creativity might be affected. <S> I've been using different computers,monitors,keyboards and software packages for years. <S> I will advise that the minute you tie yourself to one device or piece of software is the day that it will become obsolete. <S> I doubt if you can find a WANG word processor these days or an Applewriter] <S> [ software package. <S> I've got an Apple] <S> [ that I might part with at the right price should you need one <S> Just write. <S> Heck, I've called my GoogleVoice and dictated. <S> It transcribes my message and sends it to my email- <S> no screen issues while driving...
| Writing productivity might be affected if you are writing for long periods of time. The size of the monitor doesn't matter as much as the size of the text on the screen.
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Book recommendations for writing better technical papers My employer has presented me with two books to read to help me write better technical papers and emails. Essentials of English Grammar and Handbook of English Grammar and Usage . I have read through roughly 30% of the first book and have to say it is a painful read. I have thumbed through the second book and I feel it's going to have the same effect. The best way I can describe reading these books is like reading a dictionary. Is there a book out there that is more engaging to read and still help me hone my writing skills? Edit Thanks for all of the input. I just ordered The Elements of Style , Eats, Shoots, & Leaves , Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace , and Writing for Computer Science . I will update this again with my opinion on the books. <Q> Strunk and White's Elements of Style gets a lot of love, although it's also been getting some criticism , lately. <S> But it's more about style than pure grammar. <S> I enjoyed Eats, Shoots and Leaves , but it's not exactly a basic grammar book. <S> It mostly focuses on punctuation. <S> I also like the Grammar Girl books, but again, by taking the time to make her lessons fun and interesting, she sacrifices some of the scope of her work, focusing in on fairly limited areas. <S> What are the weaknesses in your writing, as far as you can tell? <S> If it's straight-up grammar, you may have to resign yourself to working through some fairly dry material. <A> Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Williams and Colomb. <S> This book more than any other helped me write with power and confidence. <S> Also clarity and a modicum of grace. <A> Writing for Computer Science by Justin Zobel is tied to the needs of the IT field, though in the research context. <A> I do actually read certain dictionaries and encyclopedias for fun, so I won't be of much help, other than offering another vote for Strunk & White. :) <S> Actually, I feel like you're going about this a little backwards. <S> You say you weren't given a bullet list of to-fixes, but you did a self-assessment. <S> I don't know how much that's going to help you <S> — if you knew what needed fixing, wouldn't you have done it correctly in the first place? <S> Then you can focus on those areas, and read just those sections of the books instead of fighting through explanations which put you to sleep and don't apply to you. <A> Lyn Dupre's BUGS in Writing: A Guide to Debugging Your Prose is aimed at writers in technical fields. <S> And it's more fun to read than most writing guides. <A> Donald Knuth has an illuminating set of lecture notes for a course on "mathematical writing" here: <S> http://tex.loria.fr/typographie/mathwriting.pdf <S> It covers some things specific to mathematics, but I think it would help with broadly technical writing too.
| My suggestion is to find an editor to go over several of your pieces and build that bullet list with you, so that you have an outside, professional opinion about what you need to work on.
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Should I care if my short story has the same title as someone else's book? It appears to be a pretty obscure book. It's on Amazon, but there are no descriptions or reviews. From the cover, I'd say it was a kids book, which would put it in a different market. Let's assume that this short story of mine is fit to publish, for arguments' sake, because otherwise I certainly don't mind the duplication. I suppose what this boils down to is: will the publisher care? <Q> It depends. <S> For example, type "Time", or any other such common word, in Amazon. <S> You will find there is more than one book with that exact title. <S> Certainly, when searching for books, I have found many books with the exact same title. <S> In such cases, I use the author or genre to narrow down my search. <S> On the other hand, if the book is in the same genre, then it would matter, although again, maybe not so much. <S> In your case, since you say it is a different market, I would say don't worry about it. <S> If they feel the title duplication is a concern, they'll change the title. <S> Edit: In view of @One Monkey's comment below; if the title is similar to another book, make sure it is not similar to one by a best selling author, or a famous series. <S> So if you choose The Hobbit, or Rendezvous with Rama, you will be in trouble. <A> I'd say that it doesn't matter at all. <S> Titles are not required to be unique. <S> A little searching can reveal dozens of short stories and novels that have shared titles, all without hurting recognition or sales. <S> I would only be concerned about this if one of two things apply: <S> The work whose title you share is very well-known in your genre. <S> In that case people are likely to believe that you're deliberately aping the title, and editors are likely to reject the story, or at least require that you change the title. <S> In this case the problem is not primarily that your title is shared but that your title is boring . <A> I've had the same feeling in regards to my "Metaverse" in my ongoing book "Legends of Wind". <S> If you enter Metaverse into Wikipedia, you can see that it is not a new word. <S> My definition is different of course, but one other definition, for example, is the merging of this world and the internet, where they blur together. <S> It has also been called upon for an obscure virtual world of roleplaying. <S> I'm sure there are others as well. <S> My point is that there are only so many original ideas out there, and given variations. <S> Some of them are going to bump heads. <S> As long as people don't become stingy with them, there should be no problem, within reason. <S> Obviously, talking about "Sparkling Vampires" and titling your book "Twilight: Second Moon" will raise more than a few eyebrows and will probably result in a lawsuit involving copyright infringment. <S> But, by that same token, nobody holds exclusive rights to the idea of the "Vampire" or the "Werewolf". <S> You can be creative enough to make your own variations. <S> If not, then just write fanfiction with the usual disclaimer. <S> It's all in good fun. <A> If you are aiming for something higher though and want to minimize potential problems with publishers you can rename the book to something else.
| Your title is too generic, and so is shared by many different works. If it is obscure and not in the same market or was published long ago it probably wouldn't matter. And in any case, the publisher might change the book's name anyway, because they feel they can market it better with a different name. So I would say go ahead and use the title, and let the publisher worry about any name clashes. You'd be better off coming up with something more interesting and distinctive.
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Bogged Down with Legends of Wind It's not that I have a lot of writer's block, it's the mash-up of stories I'm compiling that all have to fit together in some way. I have outlines and I have a heap of unfinished stories, all going into one book(quite a mess that has amassed into 245 pages). It's been fun, of course, but I'm looking for some kind of inspiration to make the work go faster and for everything to come together in all ways and directions written of, coming full circle. I'm also obsessed with the idea that a character in a book can claim to write it. My question is how to organize these ideas into a finished book. <Q> You are trying to do too much at once. <S> You're flailing around in a cloud. <S> The easiest way for me to get out of the cloud is to start asking and answering hard, definable questions, and completing hard, definable tasks. <S> Create and define a character. <S> Decide what you want the character to do. <S> Give the character a reasonor reasons for doing it. <S> Start the character at some distance from the goal. <S> "Distance" can bephysical, emotional, spiritual, mental, any combination of the above. <S> (Or don't.) <S> Give the character some enemies. <S> (This can include the characterhim/herself.) <S> Establish some obstacles the character has to surmount to reach thegoal. <S> "Things go wrong." <S> Lather, rinse, repeat. <S> Include how the friends help and the enemies hinder. <S> Everything else is details. <A> Lauren has some very good advice there, but the one thing I would add would be a timeline. <S> Even if they are not tied together, as long as they have a common setting, you could still use a timeline to establish an order for telling the overall story. <S> Another thing to consider is looking for a common thread. <S> If you have one character that is common to each story, then try to organize each story based on that character's experiences and the order in which the events occurred. <S> If each story has a common theme, then group them together based on how the different characters perceive that theme. <S> The main point is to find some way in which you can provide some consistency to your stories. <S> From what you have posted, I get the sense that you may have a collection of short stories or perhaps each separate story is a chapter or scene from a single overarching story. <S> Figure out how to tie them together and then start putting them into place. <A> I focused on the phrase "a character in a book can claim to write it." <S> Does this mean first-person narration? <S> Or are you being more philosophical/theoretical? <S> If it's the second, I have no idea how to help you. <S> But if it's the first, I think that idea could be what helps you organize things. <S> Let's say you want one of your characters to be telling these stories. <S> WHY is <S> s/ <S> he telling them? <S> Think of Arabian Nights , or other collections that have a framework around them. <S> For example: You could have a framing story, in which your narrator encounters new people, and, in an effort to help them understand the narrator's culture, tells the strangers the stories. <S> The first chapter/story of your collection could be the initial encounter, the last could wrap up the interaction. <S> If you wanted to, you could have short vignettes between the stories giving more details about the framing story, and how the interaction is progressing. <S> This may not work - <S> I think you need to decide what ties all your stories together. <S> But if the main thread is that they all take place in the same world, then this framework might help. <A> There's always the classic: "Joe walks through life oblivious to everything, wanting excitement and really wild things". <S> Then have a short story of what he did in a day, and possibly write him into each story in a background way (He might be at a bar where a fight has broken out previously, and the barman is clearing up the mess).
| If the stories you already have are tied together in any way, then try to lay them out on a timeline to show the order in which they occur. Sketch out an outline of how the character gets around the obstacles. Give the character some friends.
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Help with Impersonal Past Tense 'The Report is to be presented in the “impersonal past tense” e.g. Personal – I worked in the Design Department. Impersonal – The work was carried out in the Design Department.' I'm finding it hard to write in the impersonal paste tense. I keep writing things like "I did this, I was given that to do". Is there anything I can do to make the task easier on myself? Maybe to imagine reading it from a certain perspective or maybe there are rules to abide by when trying to write something like this in the impersonal past tense, etc. <Q> In the past, I have been required to write "impersonally" by omitting all personal pronouns, etc, which was considered the proper way to write academic research papers. <S> That sounds like the writing style that you are being asked to use. <S> I have found it useful to think of it as writing a series of instructions, but in the past tense. <S> In this fashion, you are telling someone how to do what you did, without saying that you were the one who did it. <S> Here is an example: The task was to build a new computer program. <S> The tools used were C++ and Visual Studio. <S> The task was completed by creating several code files in Visual Studio and then compiling it at the command line. <S> The code was tested thoroughly by the programmer's younger relatives at some time before dinner. <A> I sympathise with you being required to write in the passive. <S> Whoever stipulated that has no love of language. <A> Do the report as though you were merely observing others. <S> Stick to the facts and keep your opinions out of it. <S> Do the report as though are telling a story about someone else where you do not have a vested interest. <S> Avoid talking about thoughts, feelings, emotions and try to write with out judgment. <S> There is no easy way to depersonalize an event that was very personal to you. <S> The best way I find to evaluate is to put someone I care deeply about in and read it and see if it feels like I was too harsh on them. <S> Then put someone i dislike in and see if it feels like i was to nice to them. <S> If the answer is <S> yes then I probably need to revise the report. <A> Your question seems to be about the passive: 'This was done by me' as opposed to 'I did this.' <S> The passive is normal in scientific and some other academic writing and presumably in the organization you work for. <S> I'm not sure I understand what the difficulty is.
| I don't know of any tricks that apply: you're just going to have to write a lote of "was done", "were requested", "had been checked" etc.
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What's the most marketable title? I am writing a novel about someone being chased by the Russian Mafia. A hitman is sent to save her and that's where the books takes off. I have way too many titles floating in my brain - three to be exact. They are "Slap-Dash", "Tooth and Nail", and "Hang Fire". What is the most marketable title? Why do you think so? <Q> I rather like "Hang Fire." <S> Sounds mysterious and dangerous, it isn't quite grammatically correct as a phrase <S> but it could be in the right context <S> so it's got some tension pushing me towards exploring it, and it's visually evocative. <S> I also encourage you to find a phrase or proverb in Russian which makes sense when translated to English and see if that works. <A> NOT Slap-Dash! <S> Can you imagine the reviews of someone who doesn't like the book? <S> I too like the notion of a phrase that feels like colloquial Russian, and captures the dualism of the hit man's role. <A> Find a phrase or topic that is relevant to your story. <S> If any of these three pertains to something that happens or is stated in the story, then go with that. <S> If none of them do, then try to think of something else. <S> I like Lauren's suggestion to go with a Russian phrase that can be easily translated. <S> Personally, the first two sound more like titles for a comedy or a romance novel. <S> Neither really sparks thoughts of murder and intrigue. <S> Since the term "Hang Fire" refers to a failure on the part of a weapon, I could see it being relevant, considering that a hit man is usually associated with killing someone, not saving them. <A> Hit Man Just kidding. <A> I would definitely avoid Tooth and Nail - it's already heavily overused . <S> I confess, all three titles sounded very generic and indistinct to me. <S> They tell me this is an action-packed thriller, but nothing more specific than that. <S> I'd recommend you consider what you find to be the most interesting, important, and/or unusual elements of your book, and try to construct a title referring to one or two of those (even if the reference oblique, it's still individual!). <S> Without knowing more about your book - central themes, conflicts, characters, motivations, location - I'd have a tough time recommending anything suitably tailored to your particular work. <S> Here's an article on title-choosing you might find helpful. <A> Often (not always) the publisher will suggest another title. <S> They have a marketing group that does titles and covers etc. <S> They may (or may not) give you a choice as to their suggestions. <S> It is your synopsis and story that you have to sell. <S> Agents understand this. <A> You are asking the wrong people. <S> Ask a sample of people whom you have imagined would enjoy the book best. <S> For eg. <S> If you are targeting people who likes Tom Clancy type novels, find a few of them and ask them what grabs their attention the most.
| Of the three, Hang Fire stands out most for me, but I would really consider it worthwhile to look for something a little less generic - a title that applies to your book, that wouldn't apply as easily to scads of others. Maybe "Guardian Angel" since the hitman is not exactly a saint.
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How should I phrase "requests" to a higher-ranked individual in another department? At work, I lead a small team of programmers. I often have to request equipment and services from our I.T. department, and all of those requests have to go directly to the C.I.O., which is an executive-level position (several levels above my own). Let's say I have a new employee in my team. They need a new PC and an email account. I.T. is required to provide these things, so in a way my "request" is not really a request at all. The direct approach sounds too authoritative to me: Please provide a new PC and email account for John Smith Using a question also feels wrong, because the answer should never be "no": Would it be possible to provide a new PC and email account for John Smith? What is the correct way to approach these things? <Q> Please provide a new PC and email account for John Smith <S> This phrasing is fine. <S> You have the right to request these items, and this is a direct, respectful way to make the request. <S> Would it be possible to provide a new PC and email account for John Smith? <S> This phrasing says that you aren't sure you have the right to make the request, and reads as if you are cringing in fear as you ask. <S> If you have any doubts about the right way to ask, check with the CIO. <S> "What is the preferred way for me to request a computer and an email account for new employees?" <A> I think there's a middle ground between subservient and authoritative. <S> How about: <S> We have a new member of our department, John Smith, and he'll need a PC and e-mail account. <S> Do you need any information beyond his name, or is this e-mail sufficient to get the gears in motion? <S> or, if you think that'll make you sound like you don't know the procedure for setting things up, how about being direct about what's needed, but less direct about telling the IT guy that he has to take care of it: John Smith just started working for our department, and he'll need a PC and e-mail account. <S> It's nice to see the company growing! <A> You could soften it by adding a few more fluff words around the direct approach: <S> John Smith has just joined the company, and I'd like to request a new PC and email account for him. <A> How about, "I wonder if you could set up a new super-duper computer for me, so that I can turn my old computer over to our new staff person, John K. Smith?" <S> He will start work 6 October <S> and we'd like to have the workstation in place on that date." <A> I assume this CIO is accustomed to receiving such requests. <S> I'd avoid chit chat and get straight to the point. <S> My new employee, John Smith, needs a PC and email account set up. <S> Please let me know if your department needs additional. <S> Thank you, Tony Baloney <S> Also, it's someone in his department that will be doing the work. <S> By sending him the request, you're going through the proper gatekeeper. <S> But in all likelihood, he'll forward your request, unedited, to one of his minions. <A> This is not a personal request you are making. <S> I feel any polite phrasing would be fine. <S> Explain the situation and what is needed. <S> Normally, most companies have a standard operating procedure for things like this. <S> Check if this is there.
| More seriously, I suggest phrasing like "Our department requires an email account be set up for new employee John K. Smith, and a workstation installed for his use. When you make a requisition, it should be neutral in tone and clearly phrased as a requisition, rather than as a request or a question, to avoid ambiguity that might lead to delays or an inadequate response.
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How do I successfully structure a long fiction piece? I’ve ‘completed’ three novels – a thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a mystery. I’ve had expert readers for all three including Sue Grafton who read two of them. All the expert readers have the same reaction. Sue’s, at the halfway point, was ‘We need to find you a good agent.’ By the time she reached the end, it was, ‘Hmmm. Back to the drawing board.’ To be more explicit, the comments tend to be: excellent writing and excellent start, but then, as the story draws to a close, the structure and plot begin to shake. There is a set of problems here I struggle with. I’ll ask about the two obvious ones: How can I develop a lightweight structure from the beginning of a project that I can write to? How can I revise effectively after writing myself into a corner? Are there tools you use, like spreadsheets, outlines, note cards? <Q> I have a hunch: The endings are not satisfying. <S> When that's true, there's nothing for the second half of the novel to build toward. <S> If that's true, then perhaps the problem is not structure per se , but the ending. <S> And if that's true, there's a good chance that the beginning somehow doesn't lend itself to a satisfying ending. <S> In my experience, three things make for a satisfying ending: A strong external conflict, a strong internal conflict, and an inextricable relationship between the two. <S> The internal conflict makes the external conflict especially relevant and difficult for this character. <S> The external conflict exacerbates the internal one, or <S> the internal conflict makes the external one irresolvable. <S> So: Look to the beginning. <S> Is there a strong external conflict? <S> Does the main character have a strong internal conflict? <S> Are the internal and external conflicts inextricably related? <S> Then look to the ending: Does the ending resolve both the external and internal conflicts, in a way that gives strong meaning to the interplay between internal and external conflicts? <A> I think having an outline solves all three questions you pose. <S> In reverse order: If you are not a "discovery writer," then YES, you need an outline. <S> In fact, you should be getting a beta or two to look over your outline and bat that around for a while before even writing anything. <S> You may have a few vague points ("John and Gertrude meet and discuss Oscar's problem" or "shootout at the warehouse") but the main lines of your plot should be there. <S> You can put in notes like "by the end of this scene, Robin and Chris have made up" without knowing exactly how it happens. <S> Effective revision: <S> depending on the severity of the problem, you may have to back up to the halfway point, or potentially start over. <S> You have to unbraid the rope to find the blockage. <S> If you don't have an outline already, try reverse-engineering one from your existing story, and that may reveal where it went pear-shaped. <S> It will also be easier to move the pieces around in outline form than in paragraphs, scenes, or chapters. <S> The thorough, beta-tested outline IS your "lightweight structure. <S> " As long as the major parts hold up, you can embroider around the bones and allow a certain amount of discovery in the writing. <S> If you know the final destination, there are many ways to get there. <A> To save repetition: Write to the finish, or edit as you go? <S> (TLDR: <S> Writing a novel is like building a bridge across a chasm alone. <S> After halfway getting to the other side will always require compromise. <S> Only when you have a whole, functioning bridge can you really go back and make it less lopsided.) <S> If you've chewed all that over I think what is fundamental is that what you describe definitely seems to indicate some sort of lopsidedness and you have to remember that this is natural. <S> Weirdly I think that the quality of writing in any given work tends to go up even as the available story options go down as you will obviously be a better craftsman 50000 words later. <S> Without being able to see the work you've done I couldn't possibly tell you why it is your stuff goes flat towards the end, and if you're paying people to read it surely they should offer some concrete advice, shouldn't they? <A> The best tool would be a mind mapping tool. <S> Your can use it to visualize your ideas or organize the plot of the novel. <S> Its very easy to manipulate the ideas and relations you want to create once everything is down and visible. <S> There are many mind mapping software available. <S> Including Mindjet Mindmanager and ThinkBuzan's Imindmap . <S> Scribe word processor. <S> All of these are fully commercial alternatives <S> but there are also those that are free for personal use like XMind and also an entirely open source alternative FreeMind .
| I think having an outline will help with this. Think of your story as a braided rope which has started to kink somewhere. I use the mind mapping tool that comes with Xiosis
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How can I condense a description of a web designer/developer's work into a one-liner? How can I condense this sentence into a one-liner? Being alone on the project, this web designer/developer held the responsibility of - communicating with the client and the end-users, - defining web application requirements, - giving advice on business procedures, - designing the web application, - developing the web application, - testing the web application and - updating the web application. Maybe there are certain words I haven't thought of which could help condense this? Also, I suppose this kind of sentence already exists somewhere because it basically describes the workload of a lone web designer/developer, but I can't seem to find anything. <Q> The designer/developer will communicate with clients to define requirements and advise on business procedures in order to support their design, development, testing and updating of the completed web application. <A> <A> " Designer's name here has x years of experience in successfully creating and optimizing over x web sites for customers across a spectrum of organizations and requirements." <S> This sounds like you hope to promote this designer to prospective customers. <S> Some guidelines: Personalize it. <S> Using the name, even if you're repeating it, to make the association of written piece to responsible party more concrete. <S> The capacity is no longer generic, and you're also willing to put the name in your printed/online materials. <S> Offer specifics. <S> The years and number of projects are examples. <S> These help solidify your claims that the person is qualified and go a long way to convincing people that the person can handle the role. <S> Use strong verbs. <S> I chose the words "creating and optimizing. <S> " These are powerful.
| The web designer/developer is responsible for end-to-end web application development and maintenance, which includes liasing with clients and end-users to define the business requirements and procedures. The person can create (in other words carry the whole load), but also optimize (listen, adjust, and improve).
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What's "fair use" for borrowing someone else's invented term? Let's say I'm writing a sci-fi novel. I want to use a word which another writer has coined, which has become well-recognized outside the original book, for the name of an alien species in my story. I want to do something akin to this: Jacob walked in the room, accompanied by Dori, who jumped on the table beside him and began sniffing the book. "What's that?" said Katie with a frown. "This is Dori. She's the consulate's grok. She should be able to tell us how old this book is and who had it." "She's a what?" Jacob chuckled. "Her species has their own name for themselves, but it's practically impossible to pronounce. What they're best at is — well, they sort of sniff out history. They can read all kinds of things about an object. The history of it, the age, who touched it, how many people touched it —" "She smells all that?" "It's not really smelling, but close enough. Anyway, when they first arrived and we found out what they could do, one of the ambassadors is a real Heinlein buff, and she started calling them 'groks.' And it stuck." Can I get away with that? Considering that "grok" is popular enough to be known outside Stranger in a Strange Land , I'm using it to mean something similar to the coined meaning, it's not an insult or derogatory in any fashion, and I'm citing the coiner of the word right there in dialogue as I introduce the word. Is that considered "fair use"? Or is "grok" so attached to Heinlein that I would still have to get permission? <Q> First off, "grok" is not copyrighted; you can't copyright individual words, even made-up ones. <S> Therefore fair use (a defense against an infringement claim) does not apply. <S> That doesn't mean it's impermissible, in fact it almost certainly is fine. <S> It's also not trademarked, as it is not being used by the Heinlein estate to identify a product or service. <S> And as it is not an invention, it is also not patented. <S> So from an intellectual property standpoint you are covered. <S> The only real problem you might run into is if you wrote something so similar to SIASL <S> that your story might be legitimately considered a derivative work. <S> Even in that situation it is not always a slam-dunk case, but your use of the word "grok" might be considered evidence that you were aware you were copying that specific work. <S> But since you don't seem to be doing that, I don't foresee a difficulty there either. <S> Adoption of terminology used by one writer by others is common in the science fiction field. <S> Writers tend to let such borrowings happen without objection because they have certainly done their share. <S> All that said <S> , this is America and you can be sued for anything at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. <S> The fact that any case against you for using "grok" in your own novel would probably be thrown out doesn't mean you can't be sued. <S> But that's not a reason not to write it. <S> You could be sued by someone who thinks your villain is too much like themselves too. <S> I would not bother with the dialog explaining what a "grok" is in your story. <S> SF readers familiar with SIASL (i.e. most of them) will immediately understand, and readers not familiar with it will get it when you show them what the grok can do. <S> If you must have such dialog, please <S> oh please for once <S> make it so the other person gets it rather than needing it explained. <S> " <S> A grok? <S> Oh, because her function is to understand things, right?" <A> Kindall tackled the legal aspect. <S> As for reception/perception considerations, here's the rule of thumb <S> I'd use: If you're using the same word in the same way for the same thing, and your story is about that thing (or concept, or whatever) <S> - you're crossing the line. <S> That's like saying "I'm writing a story about the same Smeerps Albert J. Jones wrote about," and that feels like you're treading on his toes. <S> If you're using it in a different way (e.g. verb --> race name) <S> then your referencing it, which is fine. <S> I'd be concerned about feeling in-jokey or outright inbred if the phrase is really tough to recognize for somebody who isn't a fan, but it wouldn't feel like infringement. <S> You're saying "I've accepted your concept as a building block for my story," and that's acceptable in SF. <S> Or, to put it briefly: in general, the more your use of the phrase is dependent on the original, the more problematic it is. <S> A slight addendum is that if a word originating from (or featured in) a particular work has entered common usage, at least in the genre (e.g. "grok," "robotics," "hyperspace," "replicator"), then you can pretty much do as you like with it - that's a case where the phrase has become recognized as completely independent on the original. <S> But I think part of what you're asking is how a word moves from "unique" to "common usage," since somebody needs to be the first to swipe it :) <A> IANAL, but I don't think they can sue you (successfully) for using a word which is part of the (informal) English language: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grok <S> http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/grok <S> Even my favourite dictionary lists it . <A> Actually you can prevent others using your made up words by having it registered as a trademark. <S> In your case, you can cite fair use especially since the word is now common and known outside of the original author's creation. <S> The word 'grok' as was pointed up above is part of the common English language now and it would be difficult to find grounds to penalize you for using it without the author's consent. <A> Grok existed in 1700 AD? <S> Ngrams: 1700-1780 1950-2008
| If you're using it in the same way for the same thing, but your story is about something else - then that's usually fine. "Robot" (which was invented by a writer outside the SF field, though Asimov seems to have coined the word "robotics") and "ansible" are two that spring to mind.
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Is there a good project management software for writers? I would like something in which I can set targets - like write/edit 10,000 words a week, set a final end date for the project, set mini targets, track any lag etc. The only PM software I've used in Ms Project, and in my limited experience, is not very easy to use. I'm specifically looking for something: Free Easy to use - one with a fast learning curve. Ps- I know there is this question, but that talks more about software for writing your novel. <Q> But seriously, $45 is not expensive. <A> If you create a user account at Critique Circle , you can gain access to a number of online tools they have available specifically for writers. <S> Below are some examples and the description they provide for each. <S> Manuscript Progress <S> The Manuscript Progress tool can be a great motivational tool, as you will see a visual progression of your manuscript. <S> You simply fill in the word count as you go along, and it'll give you a progress chart. <S> You can also add goals so you can see how far you have to go. <S> Word Meter Builder Put your progress on your blog on in your signature on another site. <S> The CC progress bar is massively customizable and is absolutely gorgeous. <S> You can link it to your Manuscript Progress tool, to your NaNoWriMo account or enter the values manually. <S> Monthly Progress Challenge <S> Do you believe in peer pressure? <S> Do you have a competitive spirit? <S> You can use our monthly progress challenge to set regular writing goals and measure your progress against other CCers. <S> You can choose to have this information private, or you can have your progress chart visible on your member page. <S> Reminders <S> The reminders can be a useful tool to help you organize your time. <S> You can set any reminds you want. <S> This is useful for all sorts of things — everything from deadlines (self-imposed or real) to dental appointments and your mother's birthday! <S> Another option is to just create your own spreadsheet to track your individual goals. <S> You can use the first column to make a list of your goals (word count, pages, etc.) <S> and then use each column after that to track the quantity for each time period you want to measure, whether it is daily or weekly. <S> At the end of each row, add a formula to give you a running total. <S> You could even translate this into a graph to give a visual representation of your progress. <A> You can group your writing tasks according to group types like for example for articles whose topics are about health, then you can group them accordingly. <S> To keep track of your tasks, you can set priorities and statuses of each task so you will know which task is which. <S> You can also try Zoho Projects. <S> It's the same thing with Ace Project when handling tasks. <S> It also allows you to set goals and milestones and keep track of deliverables and manage deadlines. <S> You can assign tasks and priortize them using color codes. <S> You can check a comparison table of the various project management tools here: <S> http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2011/02/02/43-project-management-software-alternatives <S> It's great if you can compare them so you can choose the software that you are looking for. <S> By the way, MS Project would be an overkill for the type of management software that you want. <A> Celtx is for scripts but has a robust organizational system and ways to structure parts of a story. <S> Personally, I use Trello for planning, logistical matters, and to-do lists, <S> Evernote for snippets of text, quotes, and as a repository for 'cut' paragraphs or future ideas, and write directly into Word. <S> For non-fiction writing, whenever I touch a source I add it into Zotero and write the quote and page number in a note attached to that item and use the Zotero Word plug-in to put that citation directly into Word as a field. <S> If I ever have to correct publication information on the source it auto updates. <S> This saves me from having to keep lists and lists of sources and page numbers -- instead, they're tied to the source in Zotero. <A> I'm using something called Clarizen http://www.clarizen.com/MediaCenter/ProductTours.aspx <S> .It is project management software, not aimed at writers particularly, but it is flexible for almost any project. <S> You need to be comfortable around a computer to use it, but because it is cloud based <S> you can use it from anywhere. <S> You can do a product tour online and see what you think. <S> Good luck with the book! <A> Microsoft's project management software has a comprehensive system which allows user-controlled scheduling. <S> The best part of the software is that it has enhanced our organization's team collaboration by providing a baseline for tracking progress. <S> This time reporting system can be a real benefit for you, since you're working on a tight schedule. <S> It will help you gauge your project status and the anticipated effort needed for the project's completion. <A> As a fellow freelance writer I can recommend Wrike . <S> Initially I used it to set myself daily goals – like, to write 5000 words a day or to finalize a chapter by the end of the week. <S> This simple app basically saved me from my worst enemy – procrastination. <S> Now, there’s no place for putting things aside today and promising myself to catch up tomorrow. <S> All in all, I can say that the last piece I wrote took approx. <S> 1,5 less time to finish than the one that I wrote before adapting Wrike. <S> It also allows editing texts online. <S> So, I made my editor a “collaborator” and now she reviews my texts right in Wrike <S> and I can react to her comments instantly. <S> The version that I’m currently using is free, but I’m actually considering an upgrade to the paid one ‘cause there are some great features in it like Gantt chart that should be just great for visualizing my work progress.
| Clarizen allows you to set milestones and goals, and gives you a priority list every morning - which I find really helpful. My old friend Scrivener has a number of those features, although it's not freeware. AceProject might be the thing you are looking for.
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How to cover different perspectives/levels of thinking in one story? I was reasoning with a friend about why movies/novels often get highly successful while others, despite having an interesting story/topic, don't get much attention. We came to speak about Matrix, Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys . My reasoning is, those stories became über-successful as they basically offer different parallel storylines to every human, not only a single interesting perspective/topic needing specific background knowledge. For example, Matrix covers several fields: different love stories (Morpheus-Niobe, Neo-Trinity,...) technological aspects (nerdy view) philosophy behind the story (am I living in a simulation, where will technological progress lead us) religious aspects (Neo is seen as a god) ... So from nerd over grandpa to a child, everybody can connect to a sub-storyline. Besides those points, of course the overall story has to be interesting, end unclear, it has to make critics think... So bearing this in mind, if you want to write a script/book being able to connect to every audience and not only e.g. sci-fi fans besides incomplete fields above, what would be the common denominator, the structure to develop such a story without ending in a mixed grey hodgepodge? Have you tips/rules how to balance/weight different storylines (is a red thread necessary between chapters), storylines that must exist like the often mandatory love relation of characters, storylines that draw away a lot attention and you should minimize as far as possible, without missing it. Should you start with a sub-storyline offering a common denominator to all kinds of audience? Do today's critics expect a minimum diversity of sub-storylines in a novel/script. How did successful multi-stories (no pure sci-fi/romantic novel) deal with this problem? E.g., do they focus on the harder to understand storylines in one/following chapters while breaking up the love storyline in small distributed bits? <Q> I think your approach is wrong. <S> Rather than trying to write what you love, you are trying to write for all the market segments. <S> This almost never works. <S> If it was so easy to cater to different market segments with a single book, publishers would have done so by now by using salaried writers. <S> Instead, you not only have vampire novels, but vampire romance, vampire horror, vampire erotica, vampire action/thrillers. <S> The readers of one genre would not be caught dead with a book of another. <S> Do todays critics expect a minimum diversity of sub-storylines in a novel/script. <S> Don't write for the critics; write for yourself, and people like yourself who might be interested in paying for your work. <S> And don't look at what Hollywood does- <S> they have thousands of people working on a project, each of whom has their own agenda. <S> Writing is a solitary task, with only the writer deciding the path of the book. <S> Your main question breaks down to - <S> How do I plot a novel? <S> The answer is, start small. <S> Add an overall theme, a few main characters, and what their goals are. <S> Then you plot out the actions the characters will take to achieve their goals, and what is stopping them. <S> As to adding romance / suspense etc, it will have come automatically if your book requires it. <S> But don't specifically try to add stuff in just because you think some granny somewhere might like it. <S> Unless you are a psychic, you have no ideas what grannys like. :) <A> I get the impression that underneath this question is a question about ideal structure. <S> That's too philosophical a topic <S> so you have just presumed such a thing exists and based your question on that presumption. <S> So to reword slightly: "Given the existence of an ideal plot structure and all that goes with it how do I, as a writer, take advantage of that to deliver superb writing nuggets every time?" <S> If it does exist, and I'm not saying it does, then it surely has it's root in the monomyth written about by Joseph Campbell. <S> Many of the most popular stories adhere to the monomyth's "Hero's Journey" closely. <S> Here's the rub: Many unpopular and quite terrible stories also claim to adhere to this structure, sometimes deliberately. <S> In fact the 12 stage hero's journey is something aspiring Hollywood screenwriters are taught as if it was some kind of scientific formula. <S> Movie scripts are rigorously vetted for the "correct" rhythm of "story beats" to make the story "interesting" and "accessible" (excuse the quotation-mark madness <S> but it's the only way to communicate the intensely dubious nature of all this). <S> When it pays off movies make stupid money and they also become long cherished favourites that generate income due to slightly ludicrously overgenerous copyright laws. <S> Most of the time people identify what's been milled out of the Hollywood sausage factory as warmed over tripe of the worst variety. <S> So, what's the magic ingredient? <S> If there is one, and we're well into alchemy territory here, it lies in the difference between emotion and sentiment. <S> If you genuinely care in a benign and honest way about the story you are telling, if you are just humbly trying to create the best damn story you possibly can <S> and if you are talented enough to produce good written work, then these structures might be the final guidepost that help you produce something wonderful. <S> The final rub is this: This is true even if you know them thoroughly, have considered them deeply and then decide to completely ignore them because your story is better served by being itself and not by adhering to some anthropological recipe. <S> So maybe the structure isn't as important as the care, talent and genuine honesty. <S> Which leads us into the middle of nowhere and leaves us to some very hungry conceptual wolves. <S> As it should be. <A> I think it is a mistake to try to be all things to all readers. <S> Most books focus on one specific genre, or maybe a combination of a couple of different loosely matched genres. <S> That alone is going to alienate certain readers. <S> If you try to throw in additional elements to try to appeal to readers who might not otherwise like the base genre, then all you will do is alienate the target audience that is most likely to have selected your book in the first place. <S> Perhaps a better approach is to just tell a good story. <S> A classic example is the Harry Potter novels. <S> While the original genre is YA Paranormal, it has elements that appeal to a larger audience. <S> People who are more into action/adventure have elements they would enjoy, while people who are more into romance have elements they would enjoy. <S> The basic appeal of the series overall is that the books are crafted well <S> and they tell a good story. <S> Make that your focus!
| If you stay true to the elements that define the genre and provide a compelling plot with realistic characters, then you may end up appealing to a larger audience.
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How to juggle work and NaNoWriMo? I love to participate in NaNoWriMo, but this year for the first time I'll have a full-time job during November. Is it feasible to write less on weekdays and "make up" for it on the weekend? Should I try to squish in extra time during my lunch break, or do all my writing in the evening and risk not getting to bed on time? Should I do extra prep work to try and combat writer's block? I usually "pants" my writing because if I plan overmuch my brain starts to trick itself into thinking "You already wrote that, this is boring" and refuses to actually flesh out the details. Any advice? <Q> " You will throttle your motivation, you will strangle your creativity. <S> You will get, what you fear most: writer's block. <S> Should you write in the evening and risk to get not enough sleep? <S> Well, why do you think they call it "Thirty day and nights of literary abandon"? <S> They mean it. <S> Don't do prep work, just write. <S> That's what it is all about. <S> Write when you find time. <S> Learn to say "no" to people who want to interrupt. <S> If there is no emergency (fire, injury), write! <S> How can you achieve your daily goal? <S> First you have to define one. <S> You have 30 days, 50,000 words to write. <S> With a rough estimate of 220 words per page you have to write 7 to 8 pages per day. <S> Do that. <S> Sit down in the evening and if you haven't written enough during lunch break, write till you have 8 pages. <S> It doesn't matter what. <S> If you think it does not make sense, keep writing. <S> If you think it does not fit to what you wrote yesterday, keep writing. <S> If you know for sure, that the world will laugh at you for this moronic nonsense you are producing, keep writing. <S> If you cannot make 8 pages for what reason soever, don't sweat it. <S> Try to write 8 pages the next day. <S> Do not try to add the missing pages to the work goal of the next day. <S> The worst thing that can happen is, that you have on December 1st <S> only 40,000 words written. <S> Then you missed the goal, yes, but you have 40,000 words you would not have written otherwise. <S> Keep writing. <A> The way Nanowrimo is designed, you are supposed to write by the seat of your pants. <S> The idea is you just write, without analysing or thinking much. <S> You can create a short 1-2 page plot summary, but plotting the whole story and all the characters will take too much time. <S> The reason for this is- <S> most people fail at writing not because of poor plotting / characterisation, but because they fail to complete their book. <S> I used to write at lunch, but it attracts too much attention (especially if you bang on the keyboard like me :) ). <S> Unless you are willing to answer a lot of questions, I suggest you get a laptop, and find a quiet place. <S> If you get writer's block, just write about not being able to write! <S> Regards it getting boring- <S> just add variety. <S> Add humour, even if your book is serious, add romance, even if you are writing a zombie novel, add kung fu fighting to a literary novel. <S> Since the goal is just to write, it doesn't matter if the story doesn't make sense. <A> Sounds like you shouldn't try to plan tho story since that tends to block you. <S> I've won Nano twice. <S> Both times I wrote by hand in whatever scrap of time I had--not typing it up until the month was over. <S> (You'll want to type up a page or two to figure out how many words you write per page, though.) <S> Don't worry about messy handwriting or misspelled words or editing your handwritten stuff. <S> Just keep going. <S> Unlike one of the previous responses, I think you should add missing pages to the next day--or better, keep track of how many words you have to write each day to finish on time. <S> You start at 1,667, and if you miss too many days, you'll soon find yourself having to do 3,000 a day. <S> That's a good motivation to not miss. <A> I actually did NanoWriMo during July and it wasn't that hard. <S> Thinking it over viaMathematics, a person would have to write 560 words, 3 times a day for the whole month of November. <S> It usually took me about an hour to write 560 words and whenever I felt stuck, I usually type what I have written on paper to the computer, also to save my hand from cramping. <S> Making <S> NaNoWriMo <S> into small chunks makes it easy, now its just up to the person to decide if they are will to stay committed. <A> I am participating for the NaNoWriMo for the first time this year and it seems exciting with the way it has pumped me up. <S> There was also a contest where I had to submit a 1500-2500 word story which I almost couldn't until the last moment. <S> I decided that no matter I will... <S> and I did. <S> The very last day when I was travelling to work, I typed the whole story out on my phone and made a submission. <S> I think for NaNoWriMo too <S> , it is the motivation and devotion that you are willing to put in. <S> I started off yesterday with just 501 words, but that's okay. <S> I go on, everyday and not put stress on myself solely relying on the weekends. <S> Everyday, whenever you get time, rather make time, to write, as much as you can. <S> Just keep in mind that you don't have to completely force yourself to it but enjoy the process for you are given a chance to make something beautiful. <S> Also, if you think you are repeating yourself, it doesn't matter, you can give yourself the editing time and rephrasing time later. <S> Any details that come out definitely has some value and you just pour in, into words. <S> All the best!
| Do not put pressure on yourself by saying "Oh, I can write more at the weekend to compensate what I've missed during the week.
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Less universe-specific synonyms for "squib"? I write primarily fantasy; recently, it's been brought to my attention that I use the terms "muggle" and "squib" informally fairly often in roleplay. If I were to publish something, I'd not want to use Potterverse terms; "muggle" can be substituted with "mundane" or "normie", I suppose, though they don't have the same ring to them, but is there a better, less verse-specific term I can use instead of "squib" to mean "Someone who was expected to have magic due to magical heritage but who does not?" <Q> Isn't one of the non-Rowling definitions of "squib" "a firecracker which doesn't explode"? <S> So Rowling took something which means "has potential or is expected to do something, and fails to deliver," and used it for slang in a very appropriate way. <S> As I've said elsewhere, copy the work ethic, not the end result. <S> Find or invent some other term which implies "fails to live up to potential or expectations" and use that instead. <A> You can cheat around it by just changing the words, but, really, you're still borrowing pretty heavily from someone else's universe just by using the concepts. <S> Are they absolutely necessary? <S> Is there some way you could come up with your own unique (or at least, somewhat less derivative) ideas of magic? <S> I'm not commenting on the legality or even the morality of borrowing the ideas, just the saleability. <S> If you borrow a lot from Rowling, or from any other runaway success, you're just one of many opportunists trying to capitalize on her popularity. <S> That means that you have to be better than a LOT of people, since there are a lot of people writing similar stuff. <S> I think you'll have better luck at getting well-published if you set yourself apart at the concept stage, and THEN write a kick-ass story using your own set-up. <A> (like "he's a total blanker"). <A> Fizz. <S> You could make anything up, though, it doesn't have to be a real word. <S> You might want more than one term, one polite and one pejorative.
| The word "dud" comes to mind, or perhaps "blank"
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How do you decide whether to dictate, type out or hand-write a piece of writing? How do you decide whether to dictate, type out or hand-write a piece of writing? I have always had a minor passion for writing, and I enjoy the process of settings ideas out and slowly filling them out, trimming them down or deleting them altogether. This is easiest to do on a computer - so easy to cut, copy paste, organise, Google and re-write. Being able to touch type makes this process an almost organic extension of my consciousness. Hand writing is a different sort of pleasure. I used to get lost in handwriting in a similar way, but often I felt like my thinking slows down to match my hand-writing speed. I would re-write and draw lines to indicate which bit is meant to go in between which other bits. It was hard to transcribe my writing, but fulfilling because it was a conscious editing step. In the last decade, the only hand-writing I do now is writing meeting notes at work - but even then I love organising the notes as I go, and doodling! Building up small doodles to fill a page feels good too. Now I have an iPad with a keyboard case that feels comfortable to use for short periods; I can almost thumb-touch type on my iPhone without looking at the keys.. I can easily spend the entire train trip home just writing out a message or blog post. And drawing apps make me feel like an artist, even though I blanch at every creation. :) And then I discovered Dragon Dictation on my iPhone - and how it gets about 70% of my words correct.. mangling names but getting the bulk of it right. I find myself stopping and starting a lot - both when I type and when I dictate into my phone. But during dictation, the pauses seem more pregnant, more expectant and I find myself stressing out at being unable to immediately go back and change a word or fix up a capitalisation. I can get out short bursts a lot faster only if I am "on track". And with Dragon Dictation on the phone - every time you hit "stop" you have to wait while it sends the audio up to the server for translation before giving you back the text, which I feel compelled to edit before going on. But at the same time I wouldn't like to use a recorder, because I find the process of transcribing audio to be far too odious, and lacking the potential of being a true editing step because you have to focus on just typing out what you are hearing. They have such different characteristics. I love hand-writing but prefer typing.. I feel that dictation should be the fastest but can't get into the flow. In what circumstances do the strengths of each method warrant their use? <Q> This is one of those questions where everybody just has to go with their own personal preferences. <S> My last choice would be trying to dictate. <S> I tried Dragon Diction as well, but as you have already noticed, the pauses and the less than stellar word conversion rate make it too tedious. <S> I have done almost all of my writing by hand and then transferred to Word <S> once I was ready to start editing and working on the second draft. <S> I have tried to write my original work on the computer, but I find myself losing track way too often. <S> I feel that by writing everything out by hand it allows my thought processes to work at a more natural pace. <S> For those who are into left-brain, right-brain comparisons, I read that handwriting is on the side of your brain that is more creative, while typing is on the side that is more functional. <S> I don't know how true that is, but it certainly seems to work out that way for me. <S> I am usually more focused on trying to read my handwriting, so I end up finding a lot more mistakes than I normally would by just reading the typed out version. <S> Ultimately, though, it really depends on what works for you as the writer. <A> I oscillate between handwriting and typing. <S> I find handwriting preferable for first drafts or for getting ideas out, as I can simply scribble on the nearest piece of paper or notebook, have arrows going everywhere - it's beautifully unstructured. <S> I like it for first drafts as well for the same reason as Steven - it slows down my thought processes, which I find gives me greater insight to the scene I'm writing. <S> Not to mention, there's just something <S> organic about the scratching of pen on paper. <S> It's definitely messy, though, and my pages are always full of scratched out sentences, inserted text and arrows everywhere. <S> However, if I already have a scene in mind <S> and I know pretty much where I want to go, I will type it out. <S> It's faster <S> and I can get feedback more quickly and easily. <S> I also use it when I want to braindump in a stream-of-consciousness fashion. <S> Again, fast and easy to keep up with everything I'm thinking, though you end up with a huge block of text. <S> I've never dictated because I find it more distracting when it gets scattered words wrong. <S> If we talk about just recording yourself speaking, I can't do that either as I need a visual medium in order to think properly. <S> As always, your mileage may vary. <A> I've been keyboarding for so many years that my handwriting has deteriorated past "chicken-scratch" into "hieroglyphics. <S> " If I write out a thank-you for a birthday gift, it's usually illegible by the third sentence. <S> I literally couldn't write without a word processor. <S> The flexibility and ease of editing, error correction, and brain-to-page is immeasurable for me. <S> However, sometimes when a keyboard is inaccessible (on the treadmill, in the shower, on the loo), I wind up coming up with entire scenes, sometimes whole pages of dialogue and narration, and I do wish I had Dragon available just to get it down before it gets away.
| Another advantage of doing my initial draft by hand is that when I get ready to start typing it, I tend to have a more critical eye on what is written down on the page.
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Which traditional presses publish poetry? I would like to publish a poetry folio through my university press. My ex-poetry professor at my alma mater says that is possible, but the university will only publish me if I already have a book published elsewhere, through a traditional publisher. Toward that end, can anyone recommend a traditional publisher to submit to? I have found lists on the internet. However I have not found any high quality lists with working links, nor any indication that these publishers are genuinely interested in publishing poetry. I would suppose there aren't very many. I'll probably also end up doing an ebook. But... it would tickle me, and my family, if I could publish via the university press from my college. So that's a career goal. Good advice on how to further my objective would be much appreciated. <Q> I would check on duotrope.com . <S> They list a large number of publishers looking to publish individual poems, chapbooks, as well as full collections. <S> You will be able to sort by genre, pay scales, and acceptance rates. <S> Once you find a few possible publishers, find out what else they're publishing <S> and if you think you'd fit with them. <A> I would suggest going to Amazon.com and do a search for Poetry under their Books category. <S> I did this and then sorted by Publication Date. <S> This will give you a list of poetry books that have recently been published. <S> I selected six and found three that are currently taking submissions, although you have just missed the deadline for one of them. <S> Even so, you can expand this type of search and come up with a pretty sizable list if you put the time into it. <S> Below are the three I found: Coach House Books Black Lawrence Press Sarabande Books <A> One of the better (and more effective) ways to start getting published is through one of the many legitimate competitions, of which there are many in just about every genre you can think of. <S> The best resource I know in this regard is Winning Writers . <S> It's chock full of good information and hosts several annual, legitimate competitions of its own (including a satirical contest for the most egregiously awful pseudo-poem accepted by one of the illegitimate "poetry competitions," such as poetry.com). <S> (Do, however, take anything that looks too good to be true with a hefty grain of salt. <S> Just because an agent or imprint has an entry in PM or WM <S> doesn't mean they're legit. <S> Check them on "Writer Beware" and "Preditors [sic] and Editors" .) <A> Another publisher to look at would be Sourcebooks. <S> I know they have developed the largest website for poetry. <S> Very interesting group....think they might be able to help.
| Poet's Market and Writer's Market are essential resources in the hunt for possible publishers, because they provide detailed submission requirements.
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Organization for epic fantasy writing Possible Duplicate: Organizing your Universe? I have some issues on the organization of my fantasy story. For instance there are many factions that come into play during the story and I being a very thorough person am very well aware of the discomfort caused by story inconsistencies . I want my story to be perfect (understandable) but have some issues finding a way to achieve this in a easy manner (of course a story can't be perfect but I want to get as close as I can). I like to think of myself as organized but in reality I am half-organized sometimes chaotic sometimes organized and it has turned out it is an issue to my writing. I get confused on which character had this and that characteristics and his setting because he wasn't that important at given moment of the story and he is now mentioned in a given paragraph and I myself do not remember him! This not only happens with characters but also with settings and descriptions of environment . I already drew maps that have helped me greatly at spatial organization , but as the story lengthens and new characters appear it becomes more complicated. What suggestions do you have to solve such an issue? You will likely say that the problem is inherent to the complexity of the story and that one can do a epic story being simple at the same time (I am rather skeptical about that) because I feel that a rich epic story has a complex and richly described setting. Being consistent is part of its richness. I already made a guide document but wanted to know if there is a standard process to do this, while reading the Dark Tower Epic story of Steven King he says that he needed such a guide but he doesn't explain how did he achieve it. Many thanks and sorry about the length of the question as I try to be as specific as possible to prevent unrelated answers. Question: How to organize content of long story to avoid inconsistencies? <Q> The method I'm familiar with is a writing bible - a document where you're constantly recording any new information you add to the world; any new detail you want to be committed to throughout the book. <S> At its simplest, this is literally jotting down any new concrete detail you add. <S> If your write `"Jurgen's eldest brother Bob was the snootiest accountant he'd ever met," then you'll add a few notes to your bible document: <S> Jurgen has more than one brother; the eldest brother is named Bob. <S> Bob is an accountant. <S> He's snooty. <S> This might seem excessive, but I think you'll find you're only adding in concrete details every now and then - action and interaction between the characters won't need much new detail in your bible. <S> You can browse through your bible occasionally, to make sure crucial details are fresh in your memory; you can also scan it every now and then to see if you've put in actual inconsistencies. <S> Here's an article about making a Writing Bible ; it gives a lot of suggestions on what kind of details can go into it, and also how you can naturally use Word headers to help you organize your bible extremely easily. <S> Hope <S> this is helpful! <A> Far be it from me to let my fans down... <S> ;) <S> There is no one standard way. <S> I have found that my old friend Scrivener is great for this. <S> You start by gathering your information about your world (characters, settings/places, plot events, world-building notes) on Scrivener pages. <S> Just infodump. <S> Then you create folders. <S> Everything about your world and its customs (eating, sleeping, housing, clothing, marriage/relationships, parent-child relationships, jobs, death rituals, money, magic, familiars, evil beasts, good beasts) can go into a World folder. <S> Notes about your plot (general broad outlines, scenes which occurred to you out of sequence, <S> character moments you'd like to include) go into a Plot folder. <S> Any research you do (how to build a world, things you like about other fictional universes, names, mythology, writing tips/tricks, the hero's journey structure) goes into a Research folder. <S> And so on. <S> Once of the nice features of Scrivener is that you can create internal links, like a website. <S> Let's say my main character <S> Abby is a mage. <S> Her main weakness is that because she got her magical powers from a dragon, she can't attack dragons. <S> Dragons have scales everywhere except the backs of their legs, where a poisoned dagger or arrow will kill them. <S> You need to remember this so during a big battle, you can recall that she can't attack the dragon, but her trusty sidekick Hepsibah the centaur can. <S> So you have your "dragons" document in the "beasts" folder in the "world" folder. <S> You just drag the "dragons" document right into the window in the middle of Abby's character document, and it creates a link to "dragons. <S> " As you're fleshing out Abby's character and the plot, you'll have that link to remind you (even if it's six months later). <S> You click on the link, it takes you to the dragon page, and now you're reminded of the dragon's weak spot. <S> As you create your plot outline (whether it's a literal outline, a series of bullets, a snowflake, whatever), you can drop in as many links as you need to remind you of critical bits of information. <A> Other software for making a story bible: <S> Tiddlywiki - a free, personal wiki <S> Evernote - in the cloud <S> The tricky part is keeping it up to date when you change things and remembering to look at it.
| Everything about your characters goes into a Character folder (protagonists, antagonists, friends, allies, neutrals, hostiles, enemies, NPCs, people of myth, people in the government).
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What is the recomended word-count for a fantasy-fiction book? By recommended I mean what is the standard for it to be not too long and not too short. I know I should write until I am finished but I want to take practicality into account as well. Mainly when the book spans in a series. 120k? 150k? Thank you! <Q> I agree with Shan--while the word limit for fantasy is usually more elastic, you are a debut author, and a huge word count is not going to make for an easy sale. <S> That said, a lot of the fantasy submissions I see are not long enough. <S> Paranormal and fantasy novels, nine times out of ten, require more world building and exploration than a shorter novel can carry, and readers love a rich new world. <S> The best ones I have seen (and read, as published) are around the 100k mark--sometimes a bit more, sometimes a little less. <S> The trick with structuring a fantasy novel is to weave in the exposition with a very light hand, so it always feels as if the action is moving things along. <S> Joe Abercrombie, while not my thing, is very good at this. <S> In other words--the book might look like a doorstop <S> but it's never a slog of a read. <S> It's an indulgence. <S> Here is pretty much THE post on word counts from publishing ace the Swivet: <S> http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-word-counts-and-novel-length.html <S> She thinks you can get away with 120k for epic fantasy. <S> Personally, I'd err on the lower side of that, purely because as an untried fantasy author, you're probably prone to waffle (been there, done that, never letting aaaaanybody see that novel, lol). <S> If your betas come back to you and say "more here, please!" <S> then you've got wriggle room. <S> In summary: the trend for novellas is not fantasy's friend, not unless you're building on an already-established world. <S> Structure your exposition well, keep your plot moving, and aim to cycle through three acts to a sweet spot around 100-120k. <S> If you're good... <S> your editor will take it from there :) <A> For novels in general, the accepted word count is 70-80,000 words. <S> For fantasy novels, you are allowed to go slightly above this limit, but unless you are an established author, I don't recommend going too far above. <S> That said, I usually find it hard to even reach the lower limit, and looking at the large amount of fluff in many books <S> , I'm guessing <S> so do other authors :) <S> In the comments to one of the other answers here(can't remember which one), many people noted they would happily pay for a novella, just to avoid all the unnecessary padding and fluff. <S> Keep this in mind when writing - one of the risks with a huge book is, unless it is truly great, most people will just ignore it. <A> I got a response from an agent today, saying that my book, The Wind-Weaver's Quest , had too long of a word count. <S> It is 131,000 words long, and I was thinking it was too short, especially since it tells the stories of four different characters. <S> I really didn't think of having the amount of words being something that would keep it from selling, especially if the writing is good. <S> But you can see from the agent's reply that the appropriate length is important if you want to sell your book, especially as a new author.
| I would limit the book at 100,000 words to be safe.
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Best tool to create ebooks? What is a recommended tool for turning a completed manuscript (a Word document) into an ebook (specifically, an EPUB file or Kindle-compatible Mobipocket file)? I would prefer something that: recognizes chapters and generates a table of contents automatically allows me to add front/back matter gives me control over styling. <Q> I have been using Calibre to format my e-books, and I have been very happy with it. <S> However, as PseudoCubic noted, it will not accept a Word document as input. <S> Ideally, you should convert your file to html first and then format it with Calibre. <S> If you convert your Word document to html, make sure you choose the Web Page, Filtered option. <S> Otherwise, Microsoft adds a lot of extra tags and stuff that will really mess up your html file. <S> For some other suggestions on converting your file to html, I would recommend going to this guide by Guido Henkel. <S> He will walk you through all the details for making sure that your html file is properly formatted first, and then he shows you how to use Calibre to include your cover image, table of contents, and other material. <S> I haven't used Scrivener, so <S> I don't know whether or not it can create both file versions (ePub and mobi) straight from your completed document. <S> If your book is already finished and you want to use Scrivener, then you will have to import it there first, and you may want to review your content to make sure the formatting still appears the way you wanted it. <S> If you are a Windows user, you'll need to use the beta version for Windows. <S> There are other tools that will convert your files, but all of them work better converting html documents because the tags for the formatting are clearly defined. <S> If you are comfortable working with html, then you may want to give that a try first. <A> Here is a video tutorial showing how it's done. <S> It is available for both the Mac and Windows, with a Beta version for Linux. <A> To my knowledge it won't accept a Word document directly as input, but you can convert your manuscript to another format from word first, like HTML, plain text, or even PDF, and import it into Calibre for conversion. <A> Check out Sigil . <S> It's a multi-platform EPUB ebook editor with the following features: Online Sigil User's Guide, FAQ, and Wiki documentation Free and open source software under GPLv3 Multi-platform: runs on Windows, Linux and Mac <S> Full UTF-8 support Full EPUB 2 spec support <S> Multiple Views: <S> Book View, Code View and Split View WYSIWYG editing in Book View, supporting all XHTML documents under the OPS specification Complete control over directly editing EPUB syntax in Code View Table of Contents generator with multi-level heading support Metadata editor with full support for all possible metadata entries (more than 200) with full descriptions for each User interface translated into 15 languages Spell checking with default and user configurable dictionaries <S> Full Regular Expression (PCRE) support for Find & Replace SVG support and <S> basic XPGT support Supports import of EPUB and HTML files, images, style sheets, and fonts Documents can be validated for EPUB compliance with the integrated FlightCrew EPUB validator Embedded HTML Tidy: all imported files have their formatting corrected, and your editing can be optionally cleaned Native C++ application Downloads at Sigil's github page . <S> If you like to be notified of new releases, there's the Sigil website . <A> Go with http://www.smashwords.com/ <S> This website has a web app for converting word documents. <S> But it's a very stringent one; Converts only those documents that adher to the guide lines provided in it's free E-book -- <S> > <S> http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52 <S> Although it looks like a big book, many of the pages were filled with big pictures. <S> So, it won't take more than 2-3 days to complete it. <S> Also, it gives a clear perspective of how not to write an E-book with word, which you can use for your future books. <S> Also, once your book passes the test, your book could be made available through their store which serves E-book apps such as Apple's ibookstore, <S> Aldico etc., Also, many authors, who have published the kindle version of their books at Amazon, refer to it as a definitive guide. <S> Hope this helps. <S> Happy writing <A> Apple's Pages can import MSWord docs and export ePub. <S> http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4168?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US <S> Only helpful if you are using a Mac of course :-) <A> You can check Pressmo.com - works fine, you can use PDF files, it has a flip page effect and the conversion is fast. <A> I wrote a piece of software that converts OpenOffice (or LibreOffice) files to Kindle and ePub. <S> To answer your questions: It automatically recognize chapters and creates a table of content for both Kindle and ePub <S> You can easily add front and back matter, it will be recognized and added to the table of content. <S> To do that, you just add a heading to the page (same as for chapter titles) and make it invisible. <S> Styling from the odt file is converted: indent, justification, font style and size, drop caps, images and wrapping, etc. <S> All the editing can (and should) be done in LibreOffice. <S> Also a few other advantages: <S> The final mobi file is accepted by Amazon (because we use kindlgen as a final step in the conversion.) <S> It runs on Windows and OS X and is quite fast. <S> It allows you to embed fonts, or, if the font cannot be legally embedded (general case), to convert headings and drop caps into pictures that can be legally embedded in the ebook. <S> There are templates with front/back matter to explain how to format the document. <S> The software is completely free. <S> I hope you'll find it useful. <S> You can get it here: http://soft.alkinea.net
| You might want to try Calibre , which is a pretty powerful ebook conversion tool. Scrivener can compile to various formats including EPUB and Kindle formats, and gives you lots of control over formatting.
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Any documentaries or other inspirational movies about creative writing? Whenever I watch a good movie or documentary about a subject that interests me, it really gets my juices flowing and makes me want to act on my interests (I suddenly realized that this might sound like a request for porn recommendations. It is not.) I'm having a hard time getting anything written at the moment (well, most of the time, really), so I'm wondering if anyone has any good recommendations on movies that can help me remind me why I love writing, and make want to go BICHOK (for abbreviation explanation, listen to this wonderful episode of Writing Excuses ) <Q> Misery. <S> ETA Allow me to explain my facetiousness. <S> Misery is a Stephen King story about Paul, a writer of a popular series set in Victorian times starring Misery Chastain. <S> Paul finally gets tired of the character and kills her off in what he believes to be the final book of the series. <S> He gets into a car accident in a snowstorm and is rescued by Annie, who's a nurse, and a fan of Misery, and also rather out of her mind. <S> Annie reads the new book, is devastated that Misery is dead, and ties Paul up (among other abuses) and forces him to write a new story — with no tricks — bringing Misery back. <S> The novel features a typewriter which slowly disintegrates a key at a time until Paul, feverishly caught up in his own story, has to resort to longhand to finish it. <S> I mention the story for two reasons: one (jokingly), that when you get really devoted fans, you don't ever want to piss them off. <S> But more seriously is a quote from Annie which I still remember. <S> Misery is dead and buried at the end of the "last" book. <S> When the writer resurrects her without explanation, Annie is furious. <S> She screams at him that he's cheating, the way the filmmakers of the Saturday-morning serial movies used to reset the cliffhanger endings to allow the hero to get out of the impossible scrape by making it not impossible at the beginning of the new film. <S> "Misery's in the grave. <S> You'll have to start from there," she tells him. <S> That line forces Paul to be creative, to really think, in ways he had allowed himself to stop doing out of laziness. <S> It's a challenge. <S> If you're looking for a writing prompt, that's a good one. <A> The BBC did a great documentary series a while ago called " <S> In Their Own Words", which consisted of great interview footage with a number of famous British authors, including Huxley, Tolkein, Woolf, W Somerset Maugham, Zadie Smith, and a host of others. <S> Some of the interview footage is available at the BBC Archive . <S> I'm not sure if this is available to non-UK residents, but you may be able to find it on YouTube, or perhaps somewhere else. <S> The BBC have done some great documentaries on writing genres as well, such as looking at Scandinavian crime fiction in the programme " Nordic Noir ". <A> The only one I can think of was a movie called Freedom Writers, which is about a high school writing class. <S> Each character has to find their own voice and they learn about writing in history as well. <A> Check out The Quills. <S> That will get your blood pumping. <S> Also, if you're a fan of Robert E. Howard, check out The Whole Wide World. <S> Too much major studio sap, and the score is melodramatic, and his big relationship is overblown. <S> Otherwise, an inspiring biography about an inspired writer. <S> Following those two, I guess I'd recommend The Shining (grin). <A> If it's documentaries or similar you want then why not check out some of the many, many website out there dedicated to screenwriting or writing and watch some of the interviews or panel discussions they post. <S> A lot of them are at an hour long, some even longer, and they will inform, encourage, inspire and educate in equal measure. <S> Start with http://cinephilearchive.tumblr.com <S> and the try <S> http://filmmakeriq.com or just search <S> YouTube for either 'writing' or 'screenwriting' <S> and see what comes up. <A> Writing is not the most movie-friendly of activities. <S> This tends to get me thinking in a direction of "fixing" the bad movie, or even inventing a new story with the same objectives, or about the same themes, that doesn't suck so bad. <S> Generally speaking tightly constructed and well made <S> movies are enjoyable but they already exist as they are <S> so I don't get any inspiration from them. <S> I wish I could give specific examples but usually any end product influenced by something <S> comes out unrecognisable. <S> I have a lot of time for the concepts surrounding the physiology and nature of angels in "The Prophecy" but nothing I have ever written is an attempt to "fix" that movie as much as it just lifts the good concepts out of the surrounding problematic structure. <S> Television series often have loads of great unused ideas because the writers leave avenues open for taking the stories in one direction or another that, in the end, they fail to develop. <S> I feel free to take these "redundant plot concepts" as well. <S> Again, I could not point to anything specific. <A> Born Into This- Charles Bukowski's documentary. <S> It is more inspirational than you can imagine- <S> Just avoid adopting his drinking habits.
| I find the movies that give me inspiration are the movies that are mostly bad, but have a couple of good ideas contained within them. While I'm adding to my answer, I'll also mention the films Dead Poets Society (both for its love of language and the general goad to Seize the Day) and Shakespeare in Love, to watch the process of a play (a story) being built one familiar couplet at a time. I haven't actually seen any movies specifically about writing that are particularly inspirational.
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Why shouldn't I use a pen name? I don't like my name. I feel like seeing my name on the cover of my novel will be an embarassment more than a moment of pride - I just can't take things I've written under my own name seriously, for some reason. On the other hand, I love my screenname, which expands easily into a psuedonym. Are there any major reasons not to self-publish under that name instead of my real one? ETA: As asked in a comment, are there legal concerns I should worry about? What about getting paid? <Q> Here's another way to think about it. <S> Why should you use your real name? <S> Use it if... you want anyone who Googles you to read you (or more likely, your reviews). <S> Use it if... <S> you want everyone in your social network to read your reviews, or you. <S> Use it if... <S> you want every prospective employer to read your reviews, or you... as part of standard screening to see if they'll give you an interview. <S> Use it if <S> ... you want prospective dates to read your reviews, or <S> you, before agreeing to meet. <S> Use it if... <S> you want your high school classmates to read you, or your reviews, before the reunion. <S> Use it if... <S> you want your future kids to read you and your reviews. <S> Use it if... <S> you're okay with catalog and search sites forever marrying your name to the title, description, and excerpt of your publications, and your reviews - forever, or until a massive EMG spike wipes every hard drive on the Earth - whichever comes first. <A> This is entirely a matter of choice. <S> There are a number of famous authors who write in other genres using a pen name, and they have proven to be just as successful in their new genres. <S> As long as you are writing under just one pen name, you shouldn't really encounter any problems. <S> Let's say for example you decide to publish in two different genres and use a different pen name for each. <S> By doing this, you will need to maintain two different personnas whenever you do any communication on the web. <S> That means a separate web site for each pseudonym, separate Twitter accounts for each, separate promotional efforts for each. <S> Basically, you create a situation where you are having to do twice as much work to promote yourself. <S> This isn't really a problem, but more of an inconvenience. <S> You may find that you spend more time marketing and promoting your different identities and less time actually writing. <S> Also, if you self-publish, then you may find problems with managing multiple accounts on different sites, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. <S> Another problematic site is Smashwords. <S> None of these sites allow you to manage multiple accounts under one logon, which means you will need a separate account for each pseudonym, which means more inconveniences. <S> Amazon is great about letting you manage multiple author accounts with a single logon, but they will only allow you to create one author page to link to your books. <S> If you pester them enough, they will allow you to create a second one that you can link to your manegement console, but that's the limit. <S> I currently have about a dozen titles that I have sold successfully under a pseudonym, and I have also more recently begun to publish under my real name. <S> The examples I have provided are based on my own experiences in trying to manage more than one identity. <S> If you are going to write under only one pen name, then you will probably find this a whole lot less of an issue. <A> I write under a pen name, and haven't had any problems. <S> The contracts are signed with my legal name, 'writing as' my pen name. <S> Royalty cheques are payable to and cashed by my legal name. <S> I think there are some US states where you can/are supposed to register your pseudonym - I think that if you do that, you can actually sign contracts and bank under that name, but I'm not sure about that. <S> It makes sense, though - it's essentially like your pen name is the name of your business, and businesses do banking all the time. <S> One possible draw back, depending on how big the service becomes, is that Google+ seems to be insisting pretty hard that people use their legal names with them. <S> Not significant right now, but could be a pain if they become the Facebook of the future. <A> I worked with someone who used a screen name, and we were implementing a system that used the HR system to create accounts in computer systems. <S> However, he made our life a living heck, since he was John Smith to everyone in the company, but his legal name was James Madison (names changed to protect the foolish). <S> But he never legally changed his name. <S> Another company had a number of TV actors in similar circumstances, and it is a pain in the backend to make the phone book use his non-legal name. <S> So once you start writing under a pen name, it is the thin edge of a wedge to using it more regularly, and before you know it, you will be making people like me, life a living heck! <A> I also briefly considered using a pseudonym with my writing. <S> I tend to be a little spicy and raw at time and was worried what people might think. <S> But you know what? <S> Who cares??? <S> I am proud of what I have and continue to accomplish as a writer. <S> My stories are mine <S> so why shouldn't I put my name behind them? <S> My take on it is that if they (meaning people who might judge you) have a problem with what I write - <S> it is just that, THEIR problem, not mine. :) <A> It occurs to me that publishing under a pen name that uses a last name with the same first letter or two as a popular author can place one's work next to those popular books in the bookstores. :-) <S> I'm considering a pen name derived from a person I admire. <S> The pen name would also be chosen with the same 'feel' as the theme of my stories. <S> But these are decisions for future me, not me. <S> I see no problem with it. <S> I see advantages.
| If, however, you choose to write under more than one pen name, then you might encounter some inconveniences. Use it if... you want everyone from work, at every place you work, to read your reviews, or you.
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I have compiled a poetry book with poems of 4chan users. It has a lot of vulgarisms, is it possible to publish something like that? It has around 200 poems, a lot of vulgarisms, and many of them seem senseless. <Q> Sure, what are you waiting for? <S> Go to http://kdp.amazon.com/ and publish it right now. <S> Log in, paste it into the form, fill out the book details and click submit. <S> Amazon deletes you? <S> Try Barnes and Noble. <S> Go to http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/ . <S> Follow the three simple steps. <S> Barnes and Noble deletes you? <S> Try Feedbooks. <S> Go to http://www.feedbooks.com/help/self-pub-howto/ . <S> Follow the four publishing steps. <S> Feedbooks deletes you? <S> At that point buddy, you're really fighting the tide. <S> Consider doing a personal blog. <S> http://www.blogger.com/ <S> You might even get some Adsense revenue that way. <A> The question is who exactly you're aiming this proposed book at. <S> Is it a humor/gift item ("The Poetry of 4chan!")? <S> Or is this serious, "artistic" poetry? <S> Or perhaps, as you mention, it's a sort of character study - delving into the psyches of these writers and trying to say something about them as a group (in which case you might want some additional material, perhaps viewing these 4chan sociopaths from several different angles and not just the possibly-oblique poetry). <S> If you want to pitch this book, you'll have to have a good, clear proposal, because otherwise this could easily wind up with a "why the hell would I want to publish random ramblings from people who post obscene pictures on the internet? <S> " reaction. <S> (Of course, publishing's an iffy prospect, doubly so for oddball projects. <S> Even if it's possible, it's not gonna be easy.) <A> In my country there are publishing houses which publish "highbrow" experimental poetry, often with very brutal descriptions and vulgar language, and one of such books that has appeared this year (2013) contains some "4chan-isms". <S> But, due to the local context, such stuff occupies a lot more of the poetry scene, I guess, than in other countries where really pop poetry can easily get away with it - maybe I'm incorrect, but that is my impression, that there are more poetry readers and, therefore, more interest in things types of poetry that are not experimental. <S> So you may have to rely on self-publishing after all (if you don't manage to find a publishing house that promotes exactly this kind of poetry). <A> I don't think you'll find a publisher if you keep racial slurs for amusement in. <S> Indeed, if you self-pub with that, you may well find yourself removed from vendors. <S> Anything else goes, though. <S> Go search on Amazon for PETS WITH <S> TOURETTE'S... <S> (Also, I doubt very much this comes under "radical" ;) ). <A> As someone mentioned earlier- anything can be published. <S> If the real question is will a publisher pay you anything to publish it- <S> The answer is will enough people pay money for the work to allow the publisher a chance to get a ROI? <S> Need <S> I mention that the market for poetry is not large? <S> Unless the work is really well-written and has some redeeming value I probably wouldn't be tempted to buy it even if it was self-published - based on your description. <S> If you think it is something that others will BUY then send query letters to agents and see if anyone is interested enough to represent you. <S> If you don't come up with a really GOOD query letter I'd be willing to bet the only group who might make any money will be the postal system (when you send query letters and copies) and they are losing money. <S> (Yeah, I know email is free <S> but you'll have to try every agent and some still don't use the net.)
| There's no real limit on what can be published, and I don't think vulgarity is a barrier on poetry (in some markets, sure, but far from all).
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What are the challenges of converting blog content to a publishable work? I have been actively participating in the "blogging world" and have developed a substantial portfolio of 25-75 word "rants" on a variety of topics related to my specialty. I would like to know how these can be correlated into a book that would supplement and support my professional relationships. What are the specific challenges of converting blog content to a more traditional publication format like a book? <Q> Will you list the content in the order in which it was written, group it by topic, arrange it according to a theme, or just randomize it? <S> If you can figure out that answer, then you'll have a good start on deciding whether you even have enough content to justify a book. <S> Another challenge will be in converting the blogs posts into relevant content. <S> For example, if you have a dozen posts that generally relate to the same topic, do you really want to include all twelve, or would it be better to merge them together into a single statement or phrase or chapter? <S> It might be better to take the most salient points from each of the separate posts to provide a more complete or entertaining topic with more supporting material. <S> However, if you merge the posts in an organized manner and perhaps rewrite portions to make the content fresher, then you will most likely have an easier time convincing people that the book is worth their time. <A> Books compiling previously-published articles are not new. <S> The usual challenges there are selecting and organizing your material and editing it for a different audience. <S> Compiling material that is still readily available (blog posts) adds one more challenge: how do you induce people to pay for what they can get for free? <S> I have bought books that originated from blogs <S> (Rands in Review and Real Live Preacher). <S> Here are the added values I saw: <S> Additional unpublished material: add something to what's already out there, whether it's new essays, introductions, or something else. <S> RLP had a popular series and added new essays in that series. <S> Rands, writing about working and managing in the software-development world, updated essays for the latest trends. <S> Presentation: a blog is optimized for short bursts of consumption; a book is optimized for sitting and reading for a while -- if you group and (if applicable) expand your content so it doesn't still feel bite-sized, and if you get all the physical aspects right (comfortable page layout, fonts, etc). <S> Few people are going to spend several hours reading your blog while sitting at a computer, but they may spend several hours at a sitting reading your book if you make it comfortable. <S> If you just concatenate your blog entries into a book, you probably won't get many sales. <S> But if you plan your content around that format and audience this can work. <S> (Not addressed here: the additional considerations of e-book publication.) <A> If you are suggesting "salable" as "publishable" there might be an issue with copyright unless you protected those rights in writing. <S> I'm not sure <S> why or if anyone would buy something you've already given away. <S> Honestly, I'm not sure who would be interested in short "rants" that are not timely. <S> A "rant" as short as you suggest is just not something many folks would want to peruse. <S> If they are in a blog that has thousands of readers why not ask on the blog if anyone would pay for a book? <S> If no one bites you have your answer.
| One of the primary challenges you may be faced with in trying to compile your boh entries into a book format lies in organizing your content. Frankly, if you are just rehashing the same original posts verbatim, I'm not sure any of your followers will see a book as anything worth pursuing.
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Paragraph flow, verb inversion and last sentence tone The paragraph below is a conclusion for an essay. I have three problems with the paragraph that I would like to review with you. This experience showed me that ignoring an interpersonal conflict only exacerbates the problem at hand. In my case, being in denial about my bullying conflict only made it worse, extending it through the years. It was only when I decided to confront the problem and call the people involved was I able to move towards a solution. However, calling the people was not an easy thing for me; it required me to confront my fear of being hurt, and more importantly, it forced me to understand myself, which gave me the courage that I was searching for. This experience, above all, was a lesson on how to find the courage to confront my conflicts in life. 1) The sentence "It was only when I decided to confront the problem and call the people involved was I able to move towards a solution." supposedly uses an inversion. It sounds kind of weird to me (english is not my first language), but a friend mentioned to me that it sounds right. Anyone knows if this is right, and why? 2) I feel the paragraph is too paused. To many periods, when you read it does it feel the same way to you? if yes, what would you change? 3) The last sentence, "This experience, above all, was a lesson on how to find the courage to confront my conflicts in life." . It does not bring the punch that I would like to have at the end of a paragraph, any idea on how I could re-organize it to bring the punch (I already tried to repeat the same idea but in a briefer way, but kind of looses the meaning of the phrase) After following the feedback (special thanks to Lisa), I am including and updated version of the paragraph. Hope is helpful for anyone wondering on a newer version. This experience showed me that ignoring an interpersonal conflict only exacerbates the problem at hand. In my case, being in denial of my bullying conflict extended my painful memories for years, and only after confronting my memories was I able to move on. However, confronting my memories was not an easy thing for me; it required me to face my fear of being hurt and, more importantly, it forced me to understand myself. This in turn gave me the courage I needed. My bullying experience, above all, was a lesson on how to build courage, the courage to confront conflict head on. <Q> This sentence is not correct. <S> I think what you are going for is: <S> It was only when I decided ... that I was able to move towards a solution. <S> I don't agree there are too many periods. <S> Try things like this: My denial about my bullying conflict only made it worse, leaving it unresolved for years. <S> Generally speaking, when it comes to writing, less is more. <S> Try something like: Above all, this experience taught me courage to confront life's conflicts. <S> At school my son is learning about power words. <S> The whole paragraph is a little vanilla, and might use a few of those power words. <S> This experience taught me that ignoring interpersonal conflict only makes it worse. <S> Denying my bullying experience was like a cancer, and only by confronting my tormentors was I able to excise it. <S> However, fear of being hurt made calling them difficult. <S> Yet, by facing my fear and looking inside myself I did find the courage I needed. <S> Above all, I found that courage is found when one gazes unblinkingly into the eye of the tiger. <S> OK, perhaps I got a little carried away. <A> On point #1 , your inversion is only valid if you do as suggested in above answers OR if you removed the "it was". <S> e.g. <S> Only when I decided to confront the problem and call the people involved was I able to move towards a solution. <S> But you really need to minimise the gap between 'when' and 'was I'. <S> One way to do this would be to remove superfluous verbs and <S> 'I' and make the rest active. <S> e.g. <S> Only after confronting the problem and calling those involved was <S> I able to move towards a solution. <S> On point #2 <S> the pauses are just fine. <S> The amount of punctuation is not the greatest problem here. <S> In my humble opinion it is just "waffly". <S> I'd just remove as many words as I could without removing the meaning. <S> (But then I mainly ever only do technical writing). <S> On point #3 <S> Here's how I would revise the last two sentences for punch. <S> Brackets for where you should replace the words with the accurate noun/adverb to the experience you had. <S> I suggest replacing 'myself' with what you actually better understood <S> otherwise the reader is left with a feeling that you've said nothing at all. <S> Last suggestion in brackets optional. <S> It's less formal but does add punch. <S> Generally the more old English words (short and blunt words) the stronger the prose will be. <S> Conversely the more long Latin-derived words (our Prime Minister got famous for saying 'programmatic specificity') <S> the more difficult to read and potentially weak the prose will be. <S> Think about not saying "my experience" but "dealing with Tina's behaviour" or whatever it was. <S> This reinforces to the reader that there's a real concrete story here, something engaging, not just some theoretical situation full of legal words. <S> However, calling the people was not an easy thing for me; it required me to confront my fear of being hurt and, more importantly, forced me to understand [my own needs] . <S> This in turn gave me the courage I needed. <S> Above all, [the event] was a lesson on how to build the courage to confront conflicts [head on] . <A> While I have no answer for point 3, regarding points 1 and 2 <S> I have an opinion. <S> I would change this sentence to " <S> It was only when I decided to confront the problem and call the people involved that I was able to move towards a solution. <S> " This more clearly demonstrates the cause-and-effect scenario that you give. <S> I don't think the paragraph has too many pauses in it. <S> Don't forget, run-on sentences make it harder for a reader to understand your points. <S> I must point out that I am not a native speaker. <A> A couple of the other answers made me look at your paragraph again. <S> I can't tell for sure which end of the bullying "you" were on (if it is actually about you). <S> I deduce that you were bullied, but, especially in a conclusion, the reader shouldn't have to deduce anything. <S> It should be laid out as a summation of what has already been presented, or reinforce your main conclusions in some other way. <S> "bullying conflict" and "bullying experience" sound like you're still distancing yourself from the experience by abstraction (which may be valid if the issues remain unresolved). <S> But these terms are the place to put the "punch", no pun intended, of real experience/emotion to give your conclusion more impact and give the readers something they can identify with. <S> "The intimidation I suffered", "The terror and dehumanization", "powerlessness" - or if you were on the other side, the "hardening", "destructive self-image", "devaluing of life", "consuming anger", "shutting down". <S> I may have gone a little too far if this is supposed to be a more formal, "objective" essay, but having been subjected to a lot of bullying and teasing myself, it hits home. <A> To help with the tone, consider using shorter, more concise sentences. <S> To gain force at the end, you might consier reoranizing the last sentence to connect tightly the causes and effects. <S> An example: Ignoring a conflict often makes it worse. <S> When I ignored some bullies, they increased their bullying. <S> Eventually they stopped, but only after I confronted them. <S> Telling them to stop was not easy. <S> I needed to overcome my fear of being hurt, and I had to work hard to understand my own nature. <S> Having done both, the gain in courage was worth it.
| To gain punch, you can simplify your sentence structures,eliminate some abstract words ("exacerbates", "denial"), and put your key words at the end of each sentence. The paragraph stutters a little because there are so many clauses, and a lot more words than necessary.
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Spaceships - It or She? I'm writing a Science Fiction novel and describing a space ship. Sea Ships are usually feminine, while space ships don't seem to be either feminine or neutral. Would you stick to one? Or would you switch depending on whether the ship is addressed by name or just as a ship? Herbert could see The Invincible, and she was truly a beauty. [...] As Herbert walked through the ship, he couldn't help but notice that the people on this ship were loyal to it and its captain. ("her and her captain"?) Edit: To clarify the role of the ship, it's comparable to the Battlestar Galactica. It's an inanimate vessel (so unlike the minds of Culture ships) but it's a unique ship, one with a long history and even more stories, and its crew truly loves it. <Q> The way a character thinks of a ship tells a lot about the relationship between the character and the ship. <S> For example: Someone who thinks of the ship as an inanimate tool will naturally tend to refer to it as an "it" Thinking of a ship as a "she" implies a more sentimental approach, pretending that the ship is an individual, maybe even actually considering it to be a full person. <S> This is common because it's been common for sailors to ascribe personality, desires, and a sort of free will to the ship. <S> But your own setting could have its own customs and idiosyncrasies! <S> Maybe in your world, ships are individuals with personalities, but they're bizarre and otherworldly, so people think of them as individuals but not female (or male), and use "it". <S> Generally speaking, that's where variation in reference comes from - different ways of thinking of ships. <S> Either form of reference you choose should be fine and unobtrusive, as long as you use it consistently (throughout the book, or per character). <S> If they relation between people and ships isn't interesting or important to you, just choose one and go with that. <S> If it is, then figure out what best suits your world and your characters. <S> Regarding the last option you suggested, I would advise you to avoid alternating the reference between usages of the name and plain old "ship". <S> This is not common or proper - and you'll notice it precisely undermines my central point here, which is that the way people feel about the ship as an "individual" affects the way they refer to it. <S> Since their feelings for the ship - their awareness of it - stays consistent, the way that they refer to it will stay consistent as well. <A> Ask yourself what the traditions of your space navy are. <S> Does its culture trace roots back to a wet navy? <S> What was the pronoun tradition of that navy (the Russian navy uses "he", for instance)? <S> Were there sociopolitical reasons that the tradition would be challenged or altered along the way? <S> Does the captain get to choose the ship's gender? <S> Do the crew argue about it? <S> It's very human to anthropomorphize one's favorite machines, so use of some gendered pronoun does seem likely. <A> I'd definitely stick to one or the other. <S> As to which one--your call, I'd say. <S> Do you want the ships to be unique and admired (she) or uniform and taken for granted (it)? <A> I would remove the captain entirely from that sentence. <S> You are talking the ship and the confusion in the sentence comes from injecting the captain into the thought cold. <S> It has the potential to provoke the reader to think about how the captain, whom we have not emotionally associated to the ship yet, is reflected in what Herbert was observing. <S> It can break the reader out of the reality you are trying to create. <S> Herbert could see The Invincible, and she was truly a beauty. <S> [...] As Herbert walked through the ship, he couldn't help but notice that the people on this ship were loyal to her. <S> You have already been referring to the ship in the feminine so changing midstream can confuse the reader. <S> Since the ship is a she <S> what is the "it" the author is referring to.
| Either way, recall that the choice of how to refer to the ship is individual - different characters can refer to the ship differently; but a single character will generally stick to the same reference method at all times.
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What rights are OK to give up for publishing? I'm thinking of submitting a short story to a small (and probably not well-known) serial anthology publication. For an author who's never been published in any way, shape, or form, should I be wary of the rights I'm asked to give up, or should I just concentrate on getting work published as a first step, regardless of what's asked. For example: first Canadian rights, non-exclusive anthology rights, first online rights. <Q> How prolific are you? <S> But that's <S> because it's not that big of a deal if I give rights to someone who doesn't deserve them - I'll just write something else and sell it elsewhere. <S> If you're less prolific, you need to worry more. <S> Even prolific authors need to worry about some things, like giving publishers rights of first refusal on future works. <S> Anything related to future work, really, negates the 'prolific' exemption, because being prolific in that context just means that you're binding yourself to the publisher for even more work. <S> But, honestly, I'd say that the examples you give are pretty inevitable if you want the work published. <S> I'm assuming it's a Canadian publisher, so that makes sense <S> , non-exclusive anthology rights are pretty much the minimally binding terms given that you're looking at an anthology, and first online rights just means that your work is going to be published online <S> (at least, this is my understanding <S> - I Am Not A Lawyer). <A> It's perfectly OK to give up pretty much any rights to the story, as long as you feel you are being justly compensated for them. <S> If I were to make such a sale, as a no-name writer I wouldn't expect to get a large amount of money, but that's OK. <S> Stephen King, on the other hand can reasonably expect a larger sum for his efforts. <S> If you can't afford a lawyer (it's a short story, so <S> I'm betting <S> you don't have a lot of cash left over for lawyering after you buy Ramen), then read it carefully and make sure it enumerates, with precision, the rights you are giving up, and how and when you are to be paid. <S> You might also want to try to get some kind of 'reversion' clause on any rights where that makes sense. <S> For instance, with first publication rights, it doesn't make sense to have reversion clause - but if they retain the sole right to reprint the story, you'd like for that right to revert to after some period of inactivity (several years at least). <S> If you can get it you'll also want some kind of reversion clause for the case where they don't actually ever publish at all. <S> Again, this would be a several year timeout, but if something goes wrong after you've been paid, you eventually want the story to see the light of day. <A> Have you received a contract? <S> You said a short story. <S> Have you been sent anything by the publisher? <S> What rights are you giving up by just sending the story? <S> Typically they have to acknowledge that they are going to publish it. <S> Are they? <S> You might have the horse a mile or so in front of the cart. <S> If you have a contract then you might need an attorney familiar with the publishing business.
| I'm pretty prolific, so I honestly don't worry too much about what rights I'm selling - I try to work with good publishers, and then assume that they'll do a good job selling the work associated with the rights I've granted them.
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I have too much dialogue, how do I add more description? I was looking at the last book I wrote. In it, I failed to meet the word count I had set for myself by a big margin, like 40,000 words instead of 60-70,000. Doing a post mortem, I found that most of my work has a lot of dialogue, and very little description. But when I look at published books, they use a mixture of dialogue and description / narrative summary. How do I add some description to my book, without turning it into "telling", or boring the reader with unnecessary detail? <Q> You don't. <S> Don't stuff stuff into your book! <S> Just because you have a vague idea, what could be wrong, does not mean that it is the culprit. <S> Or that there is a culprit at all. <S> Maybe your amount of dialogue is just fine. <S> How many test readers have you asked? <S> Adding stuff just because something feels slim is almost always a bad idea. <S> Try to handle your (imaginary?) <S> lack by practicing. <S> Skip even the most obvious. <S> If you think, you really have to add a dialogue skip that, too. <S> After you have managed this struggle, reread your work. <S> You will find some nice narration and most probably a terrible, terrible lack of dialogues. <S> Because you've listened to some weird guy on the Internet telling you, you should leave them out. <S> Mark <S> the sections where dialogues are missing very badly. <S> Count the length of these sections. <S> Now add in the dialogues (yeah, you are allowed to add stuff now <S> ;). <S> After you have finished, reread. <S> Change it till you are happy with the result. <S> Now count the length of the dialogues. <S> Compare it with the dialogue-free part. <S> You have a rough estimate, what the ratio for your writing could be. <S> Sleep one or two nights on it and then pick up your 40,000 words book again. <S> Reread and look if really something is missing. <S> Still unsure? <S> Repeat. <S> (Oh, yes, you could also ask your test readers ...) <A> Think about your non-dialogue as painting a picture of everything that is going in the scene. <S> You want your reader to have a clear picture of where your characters are, how they are positioned in their environment, what objects are in the environment, etc... <S> This only applies to what is important to the story. <S> You don't want to be overly descriptive-- <S> that's boring. <S> Try going through your draft and taking notes. <S> For every scene, make a list of what you know about the scene based only on what you have written on the page. <S> That will help you determine if something is missing that needs to be added. <S> Whenever an action occurs that causes a change in the scene, make sure there is description of that action and the results of it. <S> To keep it interesting, the description needs to be active. <S> Give "life" to inanimate objects in the environment by describing them with action verbs. <S> If your character is holding a knife, instead of writing: He held the glistening knife in his hand. <S> Try: <S> The knife glistened in his hand. <S> Eh, maybe not the best example, but hopefully it gives you an idea. <S> In the first, "glisten" is an adjective; in the second, it is a verb. <A> First of all, don't let yourself become a prisoner to your word count. <S> If your story is complete and it only has 40,000 words, then so be it. <S> It sounds like you need to ask yourself whether or not your story really is complete. <S> If it takes place in one location and is almost entirely between two characters, then you may not have a lot to describe. <S> However, if you are changing scenes and settings, then you need to make sure your readers are able to recognize that. <S> One of the ways you can do that is to identify things that are happening around them. <S> Say for example they are walking down the street having a conversation. <S> You can comment on how they pass under a street light or have to cross to the other side of the street because of a barking dog on the sidewalk ahead of them. <S> The main point is to give enough information to allow your readers to picture your characters in whatever they are doing. <S> If you go back and add some of these things, you need to review it really carefully and make sure they add something of value to the story. <S> If they are just there as filler, your readers are going to recognize that and get annoyed. <S> If your additions paint a better picture, then your readers will be rewarded. <A> If you want to focus on dialogue and add description, describe the dialogue. <S> Describe how they talk, including their body language and movements as they talk, and how the other character(s) listen. <S> When there's two characters with different enough voices <S> and/or points of view <S> it's tempting to just have a page of dialogue without anything more than the first "she said". <S> Find long chunks like this and work on breaking them up and enriching them with more detail. <S> You (probably) don't want people to feel they're reading a dry transcript. <S> Describing every line is too much unless the conversation is very slow and measured, or important, but that's the opposite problem to yours. <A> JUST WRITE! <S> That is why it is called a "rough draft". <S> It is rough <S> and yes, it needs a lot of work. <S> Read it again, and pretend you have never seen the book before. <S> Think like a reader of your published work would. <S> Find anything you want to change and change it. <S> Ask LOTS of people what you should change, because many people have different opinions. <S> I agree with RobotNerd about descriptions. <S> Adding small things that give life to the object is helpful, especially if you can use it to move the plot along... <S> For example: The dog barked fearfully. <S> The shrill howls echoed past your bedroom window. <S> That wasn't a good sign.
| Try more description, but remember to keep it action packed! Start a short story without using dialogues at all. Once you have written the entire story (no matter how words it is) go back.
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Unpunctuation: bug or feature? Cormac McCarthy's style is worthy of a topic all its own. I've read all his books. Hasn't written a bad one, though some owe more or less of a debt to Faulkner. Anyway, to the point: he doesn't use any "quotes", apostrophes, bold , or italics in his prose. His decision to do so certainly has the effect of making the words on the page seem more streamlined and useful. Can writers do without it? And, is copying from his style guide too derivative? <Q> The main thing you need to keep in mind is your readers. <S> I know a couple of people personally who chose not to read one or more of McCarthy's books for this very reason (their loss). <S> Most readers are going to expect to see quotation marks at the very least, and they may feel disoriented or become easily confused by the dialog without them. <S> McCarthy got around this in "The Road" by minimizing the dialog. <S> He is also very good at pulling readers in with a very good story. <S> This works for him because he has such talent as a storyteller. <S> I would recommend that if you are going to try this, you should make sure that your story is very, very good. <S> Try running it by a couple of beta readers to get their feedback. <S> Make sure that they are able to follow the story and keep track of the dialog between characters. <S> If they are, then you'll be much more likely to get away with this. <S> Ultimately, though, this is a matter of personal preference. <S> You can choose to do this, but be aware that you are likely to be compared to McCarthy as a result. <S> If you are compared to him because your story flows just as well or is just as engrossing, then that is a good thing. <S> If you are compared just because readers see you as a derivative copycat, that isn't a good thing! <A> I think when you use the word 'copying' in your question, you've already got your answer. <S> It's his style, and I agree, it works for him. <S> But that doesn't mean it would work for you! <A> "Streamlined and useful"? <S> Which means punctuation is useless clutter? <S> Ask the legendary guy whose life was saved by Czarina Maria Fyodorovna's misplaced comma. <S> ("Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia" vs "Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia.") <S> Having never read any of McCarthy's work, I can say that such lack of punctuation and formatting would make me claw my eyes out. <S> Or throw the book across the room. <S> Or go through an entire box of red pens fixing the text. <S> If you want to make your medium part of your message (your content), write poetry or graphic novels. <S> Books which experiment in form are.... interesting, but not terribly re-readable. <S> Gael Baudino wrote a whole trilogy where she kept switching not merely narrator and POV, but the entire narrative style: parts were standard narration, then parts were being told by a marketing guy as he was getting mugged, then parts were a stone-cutting manual which was increasingly crossed out and being used as a religious text.... <S> seriously, it just got weirder and weirder. <S> That's not storytelling; it's word-jazz. <S> To answer the title of your question, I'd call it not just a bug, but a stack-ran-into-heap reboot-the-machine complete-kernel-panic bluescreen-of-death error. <S> Wipe the drive and start over. <A> While I'll tolerate it with McCarthy because it gives a certain feel to his book <S> that's appropriate, I'm not as forgiving with other authors. <S> The novel Rules of Civility by Amor Towles uses an em dash in front of each line of dialog. <S> Distracted me throughout and bugged me. <S> Not a bad book, but I won't go out of my way to recommend it just because it annoyed me. <S> There seemed no purpose in deviating from more standard styles, it felt pretentious. <S> So I'd think long and hard about what it does, or doesn't do, for your novel. <S> Will it distract the reader? <A> James Joyce did it too. <S> My fellow students in fourth grade also wrote with little or no punctuation. <S> As far as I know not one of my classmates ever had a novel published. <S> (Yeah, maybe they never wrote one...) <S> Why tempt the gods? <S> After your first published novel see if you can get your publisher to try one without punctuation.. <A> If you ever want to sell your work commercially, you better stick to conventional formatting. <S> You won't be able to get away with breaking the rules unless you are as famous a writer as McCarthy. <S> Or you could self-publish. <A> Can writers do without it? <S> Yes, since Cormac McCarthy has demonstrated that. <S> The real question is: "Should writers do without it?". <S> The answer to that will be one of opinion, depending on the person answering. <S> Is copying from his style guide too derivative? <S> No. <S> Writing is a skill and a craft that is learned, and writers will use advice that they find useful. <S> Use what works for you, discard what doesn't.
| There are many writers who can't sell a novel with impeccable punctuation, grammar, and word choice. McCarthy did it because his writing is strong enough to allow him to get away with it. Depends on your goal for your writing.
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Risk Assessment in Technical Standards Documentation In your experience, are sections on risk and risk management typically part of technical standards documentation? For example, in a document that describes how the Network Time Protocol is implemented and deployed throughout a network, does it make sense to talk about organizational risk? Do people usually create a single "risk" document, with sections for each technology? (As opposed to splitting the Risk and Risk Management sections throughout a myriad of documents.) The documentation must be in Microsoft Word, so a wiki solution is not possible (at this time). Thank you for your opinions! <Q> You should give mention risks in your technical document but leave risk management to "Single Risk Document" if it exists. <S> What I mean is :RISK: <S> If we fail to use NTP workstations and servers may be out of sync. <S> Therefore some reports will use their computer's time instead of using common time. <S> RISK Management: <S> This is not a big problem. <S> We publish our reports enterprise only and we can bear this cost. <S> Maintaining NTP enterprise wide will more costly. <S> You may agree or disagree with Risk Management but it is prerogative of management to decide this issues. <S> Also I object to this line. <S> "The documentation must be in Microsoft Word, so a wiki solution is not possible (at this time). <S> " MS Word has ability to link documents. <S> Since I assume you can use network shared documents, you can link to this document. <A> I haven't found it common for technical standards documentation to say much about risk and risk management. <S> The folks who negotiate standards generally care about risk, and spend a lot of time discussing risk in their deliberations. <S> Perhaps in the end they presume that their standards themselves mitigate the relevant risks (assuming, of course, that they are implemented correctly). <A> In large organization RM is the task of designated personnel. <S> The tech folks don't care about RM <S> they just want to implement and maintain. <S> RM folks want to know what issues might mandate procedures.
| Risk management is often in a section just devoted to the topic.
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What is the name of the genre of stories with multiple realities? The movie "Sucker Punch" and the "Once Upon a time" series make it hard to distinguish what state of reality is the "real" one (not that it matters). In "Fixing the Shadow" we encountered a character who was either a cop who has infiltrated a biker gang or a biker member who used to be a cop. It was indistinguishable. But that was only a single reality where the character only had to choose. The characters actions have the same interpretation in different realities (Sucker Punch), but in "Once upon a time" a fictional reality completes the real reality. Sorry for blabbering on, but I hope I have managed to convey what I am trying to ask for. <Q> An excellent question. <S> Since it's a plot or perspective technique which can be used in any kind of fictional story, I wouldn't call it a "genre." <S> Science fiction, Western, soap opera, comedy, and procedural are genres (with sub-genres like "medical procedural" and "lawyer procedural"). <S> Having more than one "true" narrative could happen in any of those types of stories. <S> I think "multiple realities" describes it very well, particularly if the viewer is meant not to know if one is more "real" than the other(s). <S> It isn't quite Rashomon, <S> but it's related. <A> The term is quite modern, but is generally about moving away from a single universal perspective and rather writing from a more personal or foreign one. <S> Examples of this genre exist long before the term was coined, and might include books such as Walser's The Tanners, or O'Brien's The Third Policeman. <S> These stories may include multiple or varying realities. <S> From the course description of an MFA Slipstream Fiction course: the genre embodies concepts of "a freewheeling approach to genre boundaries and conventions; and a sense that 'consensual' reality should not delimit a writer's vision." <A> I do agree that this technique can successfully be used in any genre, but often when the conflict of a story is centered around the characters trying to distinguish what is real it will have the psychological thriller sub-genre associated with it. <S> On the other hand when characters casually acknowledge the existence of multiple realities or parallel universes and aren't troubled by them those stories generally fit broadly into either science fiction or fantasy.
| I think what you might be looking for here is slipstream fiction.
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Why would an author not agree to license his book to a foreign language? Recently one rather famous author wrote a new book in English. Since I'm a fan of his writing and know that he's quite well recognized I thought that it would be great to translate it and publish in Russian (my native language). This has already been done for his other books. There's a rather good publishing house in the region where I live so I emailed the house and informed them about the book. Their reply surprised me - they said they knew about the book but the author would refuse to license the translation. To me (I don't have commercial publishing experience) this is strange - it seems a win-win for an author. He already finished all the hard work, he could just license the translation, the local publishing house would do all the rest and he'd get royalty. Why would an author refuse to license translation of his book to a foreign language? <Q> There ARE authors who don't want their work translated because they can't approve the work, or because they feel that the word choices of the translator wouldn't match the artistry of the original prose. <S> But there are also authors who have already sold the rights for translated works to their original publishers, and therefore cannot license someone else to do it. <S> Without more information on this case, it's hard to speculate further. <A> A couple of thoughts in line with previous answers. <S> Ideas are hard enough to translate from one language to another even without trying to preserve wording, tone, rhythm, etc. <S> To a certain extent, each language (and those speaking it) encompasses a unique world view. <S> For example, the English word, "computer" gives the idea of something that calculates a result, but the French word, (ordinateur) has connotations of putting things in order - a very different meaning. <S> Idioms, cultural references, and humor (often critical to the feel of a work) are very hard to translate and are often without effect. <S> If you want to have fun some time, go to the book of Genesis in the bible and find one of the more esoteric passages like the one about dividing the waters below from the waters above and look it up in several different bibles. <S> Some of the translations/interpretations are almost unrecognizable as having come from the same source. <S> Translating <S> The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy into another language (although it has undoubtedly been done) would be a complete nightmare. <S> Translating it into a film certainly was. <S> The wording is determined by the world view and depth of understanding of the translator and sometimes by ulterior motives as well. <S> These can never be identical to those of the original author. <S> If you think editors can be challenging, translators, by the very nature of their task, are an order or two of magnitude beyond that. <A> Negotiating with more (possible) publishers (translators) can render the author untrustworthy. <S> No conspiracy, just the author is cautious.
| Just a little bit of conspiracy: Negotiation between the author and a publisher (translator) are in progress so the author does not want to jeopardise the desired agreement.
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Ideal blog post size and frequency Especially when you consider pro-blogging, or blogging with a definite aim and niche, what is the ideal word count to stick around for your average article, and how often is it a good compromise to blog, as to keep your audience coming for more but not overwhelm them? Are there days in a week better to publish posts, and is it really important to stick always to the same weekdays? <Q> Quantity of words - whatever number you need to make your point. <S> Each of these are separate variables that are going to change depending on the topic, the objective you hope to reach with your post, and the audience. <S> There are so many factors that come into play when it comes to starting up and maintaining a successful blog. <S> More important questions you need to be asking yourself are things like this: <S> Who is my intended audience? <S> What is my blog site about? <S> Why would people come to my site in the first place? <S> How can I draw more people to my site? <S> There are many other important considerations as well, and they far outweight the frequency and volume of your posts. <S> Content is king, so make that your focus, but you also need to have a game plan for how you intend to grow your audience. <S> If you go in believing that all you have to do is build it and they will come, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. <A> I concur that you should post at least once a day, to keep your audience returning. <S> Take a look at the vast differences in posting frequency and length at Freethought Blogs. <S> Camels With Hammers frequently veers into tl;dr territory, PZ and Ed Brayton usually post many many short entries with additional links, and Greta Christina goes from two-photo posts to lengthy analyses to recipes. <S> Once you build an audience, ask them for feedback. <S> Until then, write however much or little <S> makes you feel comfortable. <A> The ideal frequency is every day. <S> No, you do not have to post every day, <S> no, you do not have to stick to a special weekday. <S> But keep in mind, if you want to be a pro, you should build up a backlog. <S> When the best day for publishing is, can only your audience say, but it really doesn't matter. <S> The good thing with the internet is, that you can post when you have time to do it, and they can read it when they have time. <S> If you want a more detailed answer, reread justkt's comment to your question. <A> If there are any "rules" at all, they are domain dependent. <S> Unlike in printed chapter lengths , counting words in blog is simple, isn't it? <S> Just look at some blogs comparable to yours, and emulate them. <A> Length: Max. <S> 300 words for me. <S> No limit on images and the works. <S> Frequency: As a rule, post a blog every time you feel strongly about something, and do it while it's hot. <S> Readers love topicality and passionate writing. <S> If there are thumb rules, I would not want to know of any that distract me from saying what I want to when I want to (and all that I want to). <A> The correct answer is as few words as possible to make your point. <S> The longer the blog, the more readers that you will lose. <S> If you have too much to say, then break it up into multiple blogs... <S> like a series of blogs providing more depth. <S> As a general rule, < 200 words is a good standard. <S> This response was a bit over 60 words.
| How long each post should be is dependent on your audience and your content (and your willingness/time to write, of course). The ideal word count is as many words you need to make your point clear, but no word more than that. Frequency - as often as you need it. Each blog has its own audience (there's obviously a lot of overlap, but they're not identical), and each audience has its own preferences.
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How do I keep up with current written English language? I am a speaker of English as a foreign language. I appreciate that English is a living language and that different regions in the world use English differently. I wanted to know how I can keep up with written English, style choices, popular sayings, words often used, etc. A dictionary seems to get outdated pretty soon. I'm also not sure if there really is an authoritative source, or if the development of the language is more grassroots and less structured. My question is: Is there some website you can recommend or some other way to keep up to date with current English? If that is too broad, let it be limited to American English, because that seems to be what is mostly used on the Internet. Also, I'm mostly interested in creative writing. <Q> If you want to keep up with written English, read newspapers and magazines (preferably weekly, but also monthly). <S> Newspapers, meant to be daily, cover news, politics, opinions, business, human interest, tech, medicine, sports, and entertainment (among many other subjects). <S> New terms can enter from any angle. <S> Magazines can either be weekly or monthly. <S> Weekly magazines will be a little fresher with their use of slang; monthly magazines are usually more niche-oriented and will be heavier with jargon from a particular industry or hobby. <S> If some phrase has reached a monthly magazine, it's more likely to be entrenched in the lexicon, since publication lead time is two to three months. <S> Most periodicals have websites where some or all of their content is reproduced. <S> Entertainment periodicals will have more creative writing than news outlets, but you can find creative writing in the opinion sections as well. <S> Monthly magazines can have a fiction component. <S> Just off the top of my head, I can suggest (note that this does not imply endorsement of content): <S> The New York Times <S> The Los Angeles Times <S> The Washington Post <S> The Chicago Tribune Entertainment Weekly Newsweek Time <S> The New Yorker <S> The Atlantic <A> I enjoy reading Michael Quinion's World Wide Words e-mail newsletter. <S> Quinion works on the Oxford English Dictionary and has written a number of popular books on English besides. <S> The newsletter ranges widely through the various dialects of English and often covers archaic, newly minted, and regional words. <S> Often he tracks down the origin of an idiom, which he always documents authoritatively when possible. <S> I can't really imagine being interested in English (or writing in the language) without subscribing to World Wide Words. <A> Read. <S> Read more. <S> Listen. <S> Listen more. <S> Luckily, there is no one place to suggest as an answer. <S> If there was- the language would be dying. <A> It doesn't look like you are on english.stackexchange.com <S> yet! <S> In fact, you could very well have asked this question there for better response. <S> I find forums such as these one of the best ways for 'Continuing Education', i.e., keeping up to date. <A> Since I see you are interested in creative writing, perhaps you should check out websites or blogs that encourage users to submit their own short stories as a way to see what new styles and phrases are being used. <S> Also, there are websites that will provide you with a writing prompt every so often; some every day, some every month, etc. <S> Just reading the prompts can be a good way to keep up with popular themes and modern sayings without having to dedicate a lot of time to reading stories you aren't necessarily interested in. <A> You can find urbandictionary.com <S> useful. <S> Probably that's the only adequate source of evolving English language available.
| You can easily search for "creative writing blogs" on Google and shop around until you find some that you like.
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Interesting and easier-to-read alternatives to the scientific academic article Short version: What is an equally informative, but more interesting alternative to typical academic-article-style scientific writing? Longer version: I love writing, I do a lot of it – fiction and non-fiction. However, I strongly dislike academic writing. This is my last year of college before I graduate with an undergraduate degree in physics. To graduate I have to pass a physics course called “Intermediate Lab.” I have no problem doing the physics experiments in lab, but the subsequent “lab report” that we're required to write, essentially an academic article, is torturous for me. I do not intend to go into academia and I'm not particularly interested in the experiments themselves (they're all fairly basic experiments, e.g.: non-linear pendulum, voltage divider, etc.). Having spoken to my professor, he invited me to “break away” from the academic article style. As long as I am able to convey:a) the setup of experiment performed,b) the data collected from the experiment,c) the physical theory behind the experiment,d) an analysis of experimental error, ande) ideas for future study,I can write my lab report (almost) any way I want. Can you recommend any good writing, articles, methods, forms or styles that would help me write a lab-report in a style that would be compelling to read and would be enjoyable for me to write? I'm not looking for an easier alternative to the standard lab-report, I'm looking for a more engaging alternative. <Q> It sounds like you have a very understanding prof - I'd take advantage of that! <S> Maybe you could write a children's book about it <S> - how could you simplify the experiment to a level that a child (teenager?) could perform at home, using household objects? <S> You could have a side-panel that explains how it was done in the lab, if that's needed for academic purposes. <S> Then explain the results in a way that a young person would understand, and give examples of the principle that they may have seen in their daily lives. <S> Then publish the writing at Christmas time, and give me half of the proceeds! <S> Don't like that one? <S> Maybe an allegory - did you ever watch the WKRP episode where Venus explains the atom to his girlfriend's (thirty-year old) son using a story about gangs ? <S> I don't know enough about physics to know if it would work, but it'd be cool if it did! <S> Maybe you're more business-oriented. <S> Are you an artist? <S> A graphic approach would be cool. <S> A lyricist? <S> Write a song! <S> Like sci.fi.? <S> Write a story set in the future, where the rules of physics you're 'discovering' are being bent, somehow, by some mysterious force, and the characters are fighting to understand what's happening. <S> I think the possibilities are extensive, but to some extent, they're going to depend on your own interests and talents, so I'm not sure how much more help other people can be. <S> You don't want to be a physicist, <S> so... <S> what DO you want to do? <S> Take advantage of this opportunity to start doing whatever it is a little early! <A> Take a look at creative nonfiction . <S> This approach relies on facts like a journalist, but uses the literary techniques of a novelist. <S> Lee Gutkind has promoted this genre extensively through Creative Nonfiction magazine and several books. <S> You may be able to find some of them in your library. <S> There's a book by Philip Gerard, also titled Creative Nonfiction , that discusses several examples of this style of writing. <S> Here's a video where Gutkind discusses how to convey factual information within a story framework. <A> In our college days, my best friend used to write his reports as diplomatic communiqués from Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan. <S> Fortunately, the teacher was also a Trekkie, and appreciated the humor. <S> YMMV on that one. <A> Joseph M. Williams's Style . <S> It's a book (in about 63 different editions), but there's a short version. <S> It's about how to write so as to match the way readers read. <A> I think you should simply try writing the lab report using active voice, simple words, and clear prose. <S> Make Strunk & White proud. <S> Even if you work within the typical headings and content requirements of a lab report, this would still represent a departure from the norm. <S> As an added benefit, other scientists might see the advantages of clear prose, too. <S> I think they would be less likely to notice if your paper was a radical departure from their accustomed format (notwithstanding the occasional Trekkie, I suppose :-) <S> And, if you'd like to think about how scientific papers are organized, and different ways the traditional paper might be organized, Sir Peter Medawar (Nobel Prize winning immunologist) wrote a wonderful essay called "The Scientific Paper is a Fraud. <S> " I make all my students read it. <S> You can find it easily via Google.
| You could write a presentation in which you explain the ideas to a panel of business-folk who need to understand the principle in order to make the right decision about the area of technology to invest in.
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Replacing actually with a more formal alternative I have a sentence that reads as follows, "This study shows that performance of method X and method Y are almost identical in ranking task and method X actually outperforms method Y in user recommendation task by about 30%." The comment I received from the reviewer is the word "actually" is casual, so I have the following alternative in mind remove the word actually and method X in fact outperforms... in fact , method X outperforms... indeed I don't like option 1 because I do want to emphasize the fact it does "actually" outperform, 2 and 3 is ok for me but I am bit concern if the sentence becomes verbose. No. 4 I think is casual too. Which solution would you use and why? <Q> In this situation, I would read each term differently: <S> indeed indicates confirmation of a prediction(or at least a possibility)already explicitly expressed by the author. <S> in fact could indicate either surprise or confirmation. <S> lack of any of these terms makes a bare statement, without reference to predictions or expectations. <A> The intention of the reviewer seems to be to avoid words that may reflect personal opinion. <S> I would suggest that you break it into two sentences. <S> "This study shows that performance of method X and method Y are almost identical in ranking task." <S> < <S> "Furthermore, method X outperforms method Y in user recommendation task by about 30%." <S> < <S> Here, you are not including your interpretation/ opinion in an implied way, as is the case with saying actually . <S> Note that the implication actually is not part of the findings of the study as such. <A> Since this appears to be a sentence from a scientific paper, I would think the reviewer's problem is not actually with the choice of word, but with lapsing from cold academic style. <S> In scientific papers the author is expected to stay detached from the results. <S> This is an utter fiction, of course, as the whole point of publishing a paper is to boast in your success; but this is expected to be masked with an appearance of sober objectivity. <S> The world "actually" here betrays emotions. <S> I second Kris's suggestion: it allows you to emphasize the result you are interested in, in a subtle way that would be acceptable in a scientific context. <A> I don't think 'actually' is particularly casual, and I agree with Dale Emery that the other words have different meanings. <S> I'd stick with 'actually', myself. <A> For example,"This study shows that performance of method X and method Y are almost identical in ranking task. <S> However, they differ greatly in that method <S> X outperforms method Y in user recommendation task by about 30%." <A> This study shows that performance of method X and method Y are almost identical in ranking task while method X significantly outperforms method Y in user recommendation task by about 30%. <S> "Significantly" adds a bit of weight to the result and should work as long as you're not directly involved with statistics where it's more precise meaning could cause the reader to ask, "significant at what probability level?" <S> "While" instead of "and" serves to subtly differentiate the two results instead of lumping them together with "and".
| actually indicates disconfirmation of a prediction(either the author's or the imagined reader's),or perhaps the author's surprise at the general nature of the result(as if the author hadn't even considered the possibility). I would go full-bore on the emphasis and make the distinction clear.
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Is it ok to begin an essay/report with a quote? I am writing an essay on project management within IT and in my introduction I will give a brief description of project management, to being my essay I was looking at using one of these: Project management is 'A unique set of co-ordinated activities, with definite starting and finishing points, undertaken by an individual or organisation to meet specific objectives within a defined schedule of cost and performance parameters' Almost by definition, innovation relies on project management (Wheatley 2004) Would either (#1 vs #2) of these quotes be an appropriate way to start an essay? <Q> There are pros and cons to starting off with something attributed to someone else. <S> It can lead the audience to expect something derivative <S> so you really have to work to demonstrate why your ideas are either supported by the quote or can refute it - depending on your aims. <S> You may also use quotes to carefully point out the main idea of essay/report for the reader or to make a good statement right from the beginning to make your essay interesting and relevant . <S> I could not provide you with some examples but feel free to google it.and also check out some essay writing tips like this or this <A> The opening words of an essay should immediately enmesh the reader in your wiles. <S> Purpose-written paragraphs have broader latitude to do so than have found quotations. <S> To start with a quote is not wrong, but you may do better, as onomatomaniak suggested, to "think of an engaging first sentence that makes the reader think you have something interesting to say." <S> Aside from limiting range of expression, starting with a quote requires attribution (crediting the source of the quote) which may cause the reader to look aside, to a footnote or a bibliography, during that important first moment with your essay. <S> I'm sure great essays can be started with quotations, because there are so many great quotes to be found, and I hope someone will present examples. <S> But you often have more freedom of expression and can get to the point more quickly without one. <A> I kind of like the idea of starting with #2, but italicized and as its own paragraph — almost like an epigram leading off your essay. <S> In fact, if you can get two or three of these short pithy quotes and set up each on its own line, before you begin your intro, that would be a rather intriguing start. <A> Yes, I suppose, especially, the second quote. <S> By the way, you did not attribute the first quote to anyone. <A> You have to make your starting sentence attractive to grab the reader's attention.
| It is a good idea to begin an essay with some interesting quotes or sentences.
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Using "the reader" or "the readers" When discussing books in a formal essay, is it more appropriate to use "the reader" or "the readers"? For example: Like a true anthropologist, Bill Bryson takes [ readers / the reader ] on a highly informational journey. <Q> In this case, you're using Generic noun phrases. <S> Either one works -- in fact, you could say a reader just as easily here -- but there are some subtle differences among them that you might want to consider. <S> The Definite Generic refers to the Prototype of a species, roughly the image we associate with reader . <S> The reader , as a prototype, has all the properties of anyone we would call a reader, except that they doesn't exist in an individual physical sense, like all real readers do. <S> This is a very abstract concept, and its use signals that the speaker is theorizing. <S> The reader enjoys it means the speaker believes that enjoying it , in the relevant context, is a characteristic property of readers, that we should expect this to be true of any reader. <S> The Plural Generic refers to the Norm of a species over its individuals, as perceived, of course, by the speaker, who is unlikely to have conducted reader surveys, so the "statistics" here are very vague and impressional. <S> Readers enjoy it <S> means the speaker believes that, on the average, any reader is likely to enjoy it . <S> This doesn't mean all readers will, though that's close. <S> This is potentially a less abstract concept, since its use implies a generalization based on experience of several individuals. <S> These are very similar, and it may not make much difference for your purposes. <S> More discussion here . <A> I agree with John M Lawler. <S> In this particular case, I think it definitely is: Like a true anthropologist, Bill Bryson takes the reader on a highly informational journey... <S> < <S> The reader is a 'role' corresponding to 'the writer' (Bill Bryson). <A> It sounds most fluid as "readers". <A> Generally, in a formal essay, it is preferable to eliminate phrases such as "the readers". <S> "The readers" is fairly vague, and too inclusive. <S> It is a weasel word; as it lends a greater sense of agreement then actually is present (all of "the readers" haven't necessarily felt like they have gone "on a highly informational journey"; you only know that you, the writer felt like you have). <S> " <S> The reader" is also bad usage in a formal essay. <S> In academic writing, the first person (I) is avoided because the logical merits of an essay stand on their own, without the author. <S> Talking about yourself in the first person is to be avoided in an essay, but talking about yourself in the third person also ought to be avoided. <S> Instead, write only in terms of the story, characters, or the author. <S> Instead, I would simply say something like "the author wrote a highly informational journey".
| "The reader" essentially means "I", but with the added implication that any sensible reader would agree with you; this is not necessarily the case.
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How to discover clichés What is the best way to find out if a certain phrase is considered a cliché? Is there an online resource, a specialized dictionary-like lookup? EDIT I found these so far: Cliché Finder Movie Clichés <Q> TvTropes is a good place to find them, if you don't mind some investment of time. <S> Alternatively, a site specific search may give you additional insight: TvTropes loves to abuse cliches and puns, and if a quick google for 'site:tvtropes.org phrase here' showed a whole bunch of results, the chances are fairly good that this is a cliche. <S> Wikipedia has a very limited list: <S> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Clich%C3%A9s <S> As far as an online cliche dictionary/thesarus, I don't know of any. <S> Probably the best way would be to use the Google Ngrams viewer , which lets you track the usage of given phrases or words through Google's vast collection of scanned books. <S> What it does is give you a percentage of the total usage of that phrase versus usage of all phrases of that word length in any year Google has data. <S> The date ranges go back to the 1400's or so. <S> You could compare a phrase to multiple other phrases and determine if it appears significantly more than other phrases with the same meaning and probably guess that it is a phrase, but this wouldn't always hold true. <S> For instance, 'it was raining that night' far outpaces ' <S> it was a dark and stormy night' in total usage, but ' <S> it was a dark and stormy night' is widely recognized as a cliche. <S> What is and isn't a cliche is pretty subjective, so I don't think there is any kind of definite answer. <S> Certain genres may have unique cliches, eg. <S> Science fiction would have differing cliches (aliens invade the Earth) versus romance (Romeo and Juliet plot). <S> Maybe you could provide an example case? <S> If you wanted to avoid cliched phrases in your writing to appear more professional, a good editor should be able to assist you in this. <A> Check out my program ClichéCleaner . <S> It highlights passages in your text that are either clichés, other overly-used common expressions, or phrases of your own that you have repeatedly used within the same document. <S> ClichéCleaner includes a list of nearly 7000 unique clichés and common expressions that are compared against your text. <S> However the actual number of phrases compared against totals over 16,000 counting all the variations. <S> For example, when searching for the cliché "lose one's shirt," the various verb forms lose, lost, and losing are all checked, as well as his, her, my and your being substituted for "one's". <S> That's 15 different versions of just this one cliché!. <S> It currently just works with just text files (or any text pasted into its editor window); however I am working on a version that will allow native checking and editing of MS Word files. <S> I wrote this program myself, I hope it is okay to post a link to it here since it appears to be on-topic. <A>
| ProWritingAid has a free cliche finder as well as other interesting features
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Which words should not be capitalized in Title Case? I would need a list of all words that are not capitalized in English titles. I would also like to make sure if it's true, that all first and last words of a title are capitalized no matter what. I'd really appreciate your help. <Q> If you are referring to "title case," where some words are capitalized and some aren't, there is no one standard rule . <S> The AP stylebook <S> says: Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. <S> Capitalize an article – the, a, an – or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title. <S> But the Chicago Manual of Style says: Use lowercase for articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), and prepositions, regardless of length, unless they are the first or last word of the title. <S> Wikipedia has a list of different ways title case can be applied . <S> I tend to follow the second version in that list. <S> Note that some people prefer using "sentence case" in titles, where you only capitalize words as you would in a normal sentence. <S> This is also known as "Down style." <S> Apparently this is more typical in the UK than the USA, but opinions vary (as you might expect) on which is the correct form, or if there is even one. <A> It is also often up to the authors/editors discretion, for example if your title was fairly long (such as an essay) it might look very strange if a couple of words are lowercase. <S> Also, of course, it should be consistent throughout, a lot of people seem to forget that! <A> The first letter of the first word is always capitalized (no ifs, ands, or buts... unless you lead with if, and, but as the first word of your title.) <S> In Grammar you have two categories of words: Content Words and Function Words. <S> Content words are words with a very specific meaning or meanings and include Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs. <S> Function Words are words with nebulousness meaning or meaning that will change meaning based on usage with respect to other words in a sentance of statement. <S> Not all function words should be lower case, but most are acceptable. <S> Pronouns usually are capitalized, especially when they are the subject of the title sentence or are possessives (pronouns that denote ownership). <S> As are interjections (Yeehaw! <S> Gosh Darn! <S> Drat!). <S> From there, each significant word in the title is capitalized, while the articles (a, an, the) conjunctions (and, or, but, nor), subordinate conjunctions (if, either, neither, nor, then, else, ect.) and occasionally adpostitions (words that reflect spacial or temporal relations with respect to other words, like before, in, on, above, below). <S> While not a rule, Subordinates and Adpositions that exceed three letter spelling should be capitalized). <S> Finally, as a rule, when ordering books alphabetically by title, the word "The" is omitted if it is the first word in the title, and the Content word is used instead. <S> If the book is a volume in a series, then it is ordered by release date under the serie's main title ("Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is the first book and will come before "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" despite "Chamber" taking alphabetical precedence to "Philosopher").
| All Content Words in a title must be capitalized.
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What to do when characters disagree with the plot? I'm writing a romance novel and have hit a brick wall. The problem is every way I think the future lovebirds could meet and become friends is totally cliché. After thinking about it, I've realized that the problem lays with the two soon-to-be lovebirds. Neither one is the "player" type. The boy is shy and doesn't flirt, though the girl mistakes his kindness for flirting at first. And the girl is the kind that doesn't date or even feel butterflies because of past pain. If that makes sense. Anyways, my question is, what should I do when my characters and plot disagree with each other without changing my characters personalities? (my plot is 95% written, only this small part remains) Or is it really that bad to have one cliché in a book if the rest is largely original? Thanks for any help and advice! <Q> Let me see if I've got this right: <S> You've got two characters who are telling you what to do (or what not to do). <S> And you think that's a problem? <S> Writing believable characters who want to write the story for you is a goal that many would-be writers never achieve. <S> Congratulations! <S> My suggestion would be to write the story anyway. <S> Listen to your characters. <S> Do what they tell you to do. <S> Your plot is 95% written? <S> Well, maybe not so much if you do this. <S> The book may not be a romance when you're done. <S> Perhaps it will be about a missed opportunity. <S> But wasting strong characters would be a terrible thing. <S> (This doesn't preclude you from writing another book that is a romance.) <A> That said, Romance is also all about characters and characterization, and you can't afford to violate that in the service of plot. <S> So I'm not quite sure what you're looking for, here. <S> If the characters are shy and/or damaged, then I expect most of your plot revolves around getting them out of their shells, letting them learn to trust each other, etc. <S> Having them meet in a way that doesn't fit with that will violate your entire story, not just a small part. <S> So, meeting in a cliche way? - okay, just write it well and give it what freshness you can. <S> Meeting in an out-of-character way? <S> - hell, no. <S> Good luck with it! <A> "If all else fails, chase your hero up a tree and throw rocks at him." (I don't know the source of the quote, but it's catchy.) <S> Introduce a disaster. <S> Car crash, random passerby collapses, dog gets loose and digs up the yard, kid gets lost and knocks on the door for help. <S> One or both of your characters get drawn into the drama, willingly or not. <S> They meet. <A> I agree with Kate. <S> This, of course, involves staying true to who <S> they are and not giving the reader a jarring experience by making them wonder why the hell Character X is doing something. <S> I would say the true payoff is in the journey they take after they meet <S> , so don't worry too much about the meeting being cliched and make the growing relationship and the eventual getting together memorable. <A> I don't read romance novels, but I've seen a few romance movies. <S> It seems to me that finding some odd way to get the characters together is pretty typical of such movies. <S> Having two people meet through a dating service is fairly boring. <S> So neither of your characters is outgoing enough to initiate a romance, maybe not even outgoing enough to initiate a conversation. <S> So great. <S> Kick around ideas for how two such people could be forced by circumstances to talk to each other and do something together. <S> I think this is actually pretty common in romance stories. <S> Two people are trapped together in a malfunctioning elevator or locked in a room; two people have to work together on a project for their jobs; two people are forced together by some emergency, big or small, like both being victims of a crime, or both having their dogs get loose in a park. <A> One of the earliest Web pages on clichés (in this case, from science fiction) contains a passage about their use: <S> Clichés are not in themselves necessarily bad, but their overuse shows that the writer has forgotten what separates the strong tale from the hollow: "the human heart in conflict with itself," as Faulkner said. <S> Where there is this conflict, the tale stands; where the conflict is absent, the tale falls flat, and in neither case does it matter how many ships get blown up. <S> When you purposefully avoid clichés, you do so either as a self-imposed exercise in creativity, or because of a fear that your use of them will distract the reader from the good parts. <S> As the above quote says, the latter motive has no basis, if your writing is otherwise good.
| The key selling point here is about your characters and who they are - audiences will overlook bucketloads of cliches if they care about the characters and are genuinely rooting for them to get together. Romance itself is a cliche, really (and this is coming from a Romance author), so I wouldn't worry too much about fighting for originality. Find a way to write the cliche in an interesting way, and get going. If it isn't believable to have your characters do a certain thing, then they should absolutely not do it. Come up with a reason why they would just have to talk to each other about something totally non-romantic, something very matter of fact, some common problem that they have to work on.
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