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1500 questions
223
votes
26 answers
The "Rules" of Writing
There are a lot of axioms that get tossed around in creative writing courses, books on writing, and of course, the Internet. Often, these little gems are explained to new writers as though they were fact, to be taken for granted.
Just as often,…
sjohnston
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189
votes
9 answers
"Dear Stack Exchange, I am very disappointed in you" - How to construct a strong opening line in a letter?
In light of recent events, I intended to write a simple letter of complaint to StackExchange. The obvious thing to do would be to write an opening with the fact such as
It came to my knowledge that a long-standing member and moderator of the…
NofP
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147
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20 answers
How do you write a Stack Exchange answer?
Over my years on StackExchange I've come to view answering SE questions as its own, highly specialized writing subgenre, with its own demands, and its own ideal format. By trial and error, and observation of highly upvoted answers, and of answers…
Chris Sunami
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100
votes
12 answers
How can I write about historical realities that readers mistakenly believe are unrealistic?
Readers have certain expectations about locations and time periods, things they "know". For example, people "know" that everybody in the Persian Empire was brown-skinned, that houses in Ancient Rome were one or two floors high, and that up until the…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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100
votes
12 answers
How to write a prompt email?
What guidelines and language should be used to write a prompt email? Ideally I would like it to be:
Respectful
Not too formal
In particular I am thinking in terms of business, and communication between businesses.
Kyle Brandt
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97
votes
17 answers
What's the modern way to handle gender in tech writing?
Back in my day, I was taught to use masculine pronouns.
The user chooses a password, and then
he types it in the text box.
I'm fine with that. but a male coworker insists on using he/she, which I find needlessly distracting and complicated.
I…
Lynn Beighley
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91
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9 answers
Using real words from a foreign culture feels like 'Calling a rabbit a "smeerp"'
I'm working on a novel, that's set in pre-Islamic Persia, in the same general way that The Lord of the Rings is set in Britain. (Meaning, it's set in a world all its own, but there's this source of inspiration.)
Here's my conundrum: the land is…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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85
votes
21 answers
Do You Use Any Version Controlling Software/Methods As Writers?
As writers, do you use any version controlling software to track and monitor what you write? For example, if you accidentally deleted or overwritten a paragraph that you'd like to have it back?
Usually what I do is to save multiple copies with…
JFW
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84
votes
10 answers
Should an emoji come before or after a full-stop? 🤔
When I make a hilarious joke on social media it's easy to put an emoji/emoticon/smiley on the end. 😀
But sometimes I want to set the context and make a more reasoned argument over a paragraph or so. I might put something funny in the middle 😛.…
Mat
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79
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12 answers
How do I translate into a gendered language where the gender would be a spoiler?
I'm (amateurly) writing the subtitles for an English TV show.
I'll illustrate my question using a small example, but I'm hoping to receive answers as general as possible.
One episode has a sentence such as "How are you?", addressed to a person who…
Veridian
77
votes
10 answers
The Good, the Bad, and the Semicolon
I completed my novel and an editor friend graciously offered to assist me with formatting. As a former scientist, I am more familiar with technical or academic writing, so formatting fiction can be a challenge. My friend stripped out my semicolons…
Richard Stanzak
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74
votes
21 answers
How to overcome the fact that I can't write?
My problem is that I basically suck at writing. Especially prose.
Part of it is basically because I don't practice as much as I could.
Part of it is because I'm just not talented in that way.
However (seemingly) brilliant ideas for stories keep…
Jakub Hampl
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74
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25 answers
The protagonist can't defeat the antagonist without the antagonist being stupid
What should I do if my story's plot is built around the antagonist being extremely strong, and by the end it's clear that the protagonist cannot possibly defeat the antagonist, unless the antagonist makes a stupid mistake in the "final battle" (or…
clickbait
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73
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12 answers
A critic made a comment that my female character sounds like she was written by a man
I'm a man. Working on my sci-fi novel. It's meant to be a light-hearted heist caper. My main character is a woman. She's a strong and sassy character based on the women in my life, and the story follows all the rules about writing strong female…
Ty_xy
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24 answers
How do I know if a concept is sexist or not?
In my story's world, witchcraft is a respected institution, with the most powerful practitioners being at the top echelons of society. Due to this, society traces its lineage through matrilineal lines. A witch has the power to summon a familiar by…
Incognito
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