Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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6 answers

Are music lyrics copyrighted?

I tried to find copyright information about music lyrics, but it is too confusing, because it is related to the usage. There are lots of websites providing lyrics, but it seems they are somehow illegal (though no complaint against them). Most of…
Googlebot
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How do I properly present dialogue in a scene with two female characters?

When writing a conversation between two female characters, I found myself using their names over and over instead of using pronouns. If I use 'she' for both of them, it's confusing to read because it is unclear which character is speaking. How do I…
Elle. H.
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How do I make sure that a hook is not misinterpreted as a writing mistake or plot holes?

In a scene I had in mind, there's a tricky hook or unexplained event that happened, that I fear might be considered as a mistake or a plot hole. It is basically where a girl (one of the characters) is in a fight, she was cornered and was about to…
Crimsoir
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Does a Haiku need to have exactly 17 syllables?

Having 17 syllables is in the definition of Haiku, but does it have to have exactly 17 syllables? Is this usually followed strictly, or is it more of a guideline rather than a rule? I am asking about Haikus written in English, not Japanese.
Eduard Florinescu
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What counts as exposition dump and is it possible to do exposition dumps without affecting pacing?

One effective technique I was told to use is to integrate the exposition within the narrative, rather than presenting it as a separate block of information. This can be accomplished through various means such as dialogue that describes the world for…
Sayaman
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How can I write anonymously (based on true experiences)?

I want to use an experience I had which is pretty unbelievable but true. The majority of the story will be completely true. It's not over yet so I want to use an ending which is NOT true yet works well with the story. I have had someone close to…
KHill
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What are the usual methods for getting a daily word count?

Do, normally, only words which are eventually to be kept count, or do you also count rewrites? For example, if I rewrite a 50 word paragraph 10 times, is my daily count up to 50 or up to 500?
blueberryfields
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How much time do you spend writing one page on average?

I'm writing a technical book about one programming technology and would like to compare how much time other authors spend on one page (on average). I rarely write a page and am done with it, quite usually there is a lot of restructuring, refining…
Borek Bernard
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Translating analogies in a 100 year old fairy tale

I am having a hard time translating analogies and descriptions in a fairy tale written a century ago. My fear is today's children will not understand the analogy at all or misunderstand it, and as such it will not have the desired affect. At the…
Ivana
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Should you avoid using hard-to-describe gestures and acts in a novel?

Should you avoid using hard-to-describe gestures and acts in a novel? Some gestures that are often used in real life are hard to describe without using familiar languages or slang. One such example is: He did the "I am watching you sign" before…
Sayaman
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Ways for main character to influence world following their death

The main character of a story dies before the story itself ends. Nothing new here, you can keep a story interesting following their death. But I have an additional requirement: The dead main character has to exert influence to the story world even…
Core Xii
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Self publishing: Do I still need to follow the arbitrary word count limits?

I am thinking of going down the self publishing path. Now looking at most agents and publishers websites, it seems the expected word count for most novels is around 70-90K. Now these word counts may have made sense in the traditional world, where…
Shantnu Tiwari
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Are there any good magazines about writing?

As in all other fields I'm interested in, I love to have a subscribtion that makes sure some hugely inspirational material gets dropped into my mailbox once in a while. I'm not looking for magazines that prints stories submitted by users, but rather…
erikric
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How can you prevent your work from getting stolen?

I have written a book recently, and I want to share it so it can be reviewed, but I am worried over that it might get stolen if I do so. So is there a way, like a watermark or signature, to protect it, showing that the work belongs to me?
SirDancealot
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Should items separated by commas be alphabetical?

When writing a list of items, should they be alphabetical? The late Jurassic periods are Tithonian, Kimmeridgian, and Oxfordian. better? The late Jurassic periods are Kimmeridgian, Oxfordian, and Tithonian.
Honk
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