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1500 questions
16
votes
11 answers
How long should it take to write 100k words?
100,000 words makes a novel. For a perfectionist each line is poetry. How long should it take to write a novel? Not a bestseller. Just enough income to survive in the city.
Question subjective? Maybe. Answerable? Yes.
JMC
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What are some ingredients of really engaging non-fiction?
Some of the best non-fiction writers, in terms of sales at least, seem to be able to write in a really engaging and easy to read style that makes their work hard to put down. For example, author/journalist Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping…
user153
16
votes
8 answers
How much leeway can be expected from an editor regarding my preference for nonstandard punctuation?
As I hope to present a unique style to the world, as I am not especially tolerant of being told I'm doing things "wrong" when that's a subjective statement related to writing style, and as I've never been published, I'd like to understand what to…
QuickerSnarkerBacker
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4 answers
In end user documentation, should screenshots come before or after the text that references them?
The end user documentation I'm writing makes use of screenshots (and partial screenshots) to show the user what I'm referring to in procedural instructions or conceptual explanations of the software.
However, I'm never quite sure whether to put the…
Matthew Rodatus
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16
votes
6 answers
What is the term for an accessible character that knows nothing?
In a lot of books, movies, or TV shows, there will be a character that knows little to nothing about the subject at hand. Most cop shows and medical shows will have someone who doesn't know very simple things so that the story can be accessible by…
Jeff
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16
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3 answers
What should be in a cover letter for short story submission to a magazine?
It's been about five years since I last submitted any of my work for publication, and my memory of what I was taught then to put in my cover letter is getting rusty.
What kind of information should I provide when sending a short story to a small…
justkt
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16
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9 answers
Text Editors. Suggesting & Tracking Changes to Plain-Text Documents
Many word processors are capable to tracking and displaying changes made to a document. Those changes are typically displayed in special markup supported by the editor. E.g.
But when using a plain text editor (like Microsoft's Notepad), is there a…
Robert Cartaino
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16
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4 answers
Is omniscient observer POV really dead?
I am in the midst of reworking my latest manuscript into a shape that someone might be inclined to publish. To help me along I hired a professional editor and writer, whose comments and suggestions, for the most part, have been very helpful.…
Candon
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16
votes
10 answers
Do I need to cite ChatGPT in published writing?
If I use ChatGPT to generate the initial prose for, say, a 2 paragraph introduction (where I modify and rephrase a little) do I need to cite it or somehow give credit?
This article implies "no"
World's largest academic publisher says ChatGPT can't…
CJ Cornell
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16
votes
9 answers
Do "unlimited ammo" or "bottomless magazine" tropes ruin storytelling?
I was thinking this for a while. When I watched John Wick back then, I really like how he has limited ammo making the scenes tense and thrilling. It was such a cool detail that I wanted to add in my stories but I feel limited when writing it and…
IseedeadpeopleNOT
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5 answers
How can I learn how to outline, so I can write like an architect?
I've just watched one part of Brandon Sanderson's lecture on writing, the section entitled Gardeners & Architects and I realised I'm a Gardener, almost exclusively. This often ends up with me writing very weak plot with no direction.
From the…
ProseFerret
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16
votes
3 answers
Learning storywriting for videogames - where to start?
Over the years, games that affected me emotionally convinced me that storywriting is a very rewarding work.
I thought about learning from novelists. But it seemed that some of the skills, i.e. expressing ideas through writing, won't translate well…
CaseOfInsanity
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4 answers
Is it typical to add variation to the words used for a character's name to keep it spicy?
A friend has asked me to read through a chapter of his story and give my opinion.
Lets say he has two main characters Mr John de Havilland and Mrs Sally de Havilland.
I've noticed that the author sometimes uses the full name, Mr John de Havilland;…
JW.
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16
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2 answers
How can I avoid overusing "I" and "I'm" in a first person short story?
The story I'm writing uses 'I' and 'I'm' way too much, and it's really obvious. The problem is that I cannot find words to replace the two, and when I do, it always changes and bends what I'm trying to portray, making it extremely difficult and…
Rose
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16
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17 answers
What should step one in writing a novel be?
I have had an interest in writing for years, but I don't know where to start or how to organize the process of "becoming a writer." I have plenty of time, but don't know what to do first.
This past week, I decided that I want to try to write…
user153