Questions tagged [style]

This tag should be used for questions that deal with a consistent style in your writing, such as when asking about typical ways to introduce a certain aspect to your reader by showing-telling or if you are concerned that your readers might feel that a change in the point of view might be perceived as inconcsistency.

This tag should be used for questions that deal with a consistent style in your writing, such as when asking about typical ways to introduce a certain aspect to your reader by or if you are concerned that your might feel that a change in the might be perceived as inconcsistency.

You should mention what kind of writing you are interested in, such as whether you are interested in or . Furthermore you should define what you are currently doing and why it's not working the way you think it should work. The you already received from your , if this is applicable to the type of writing you are interested in, could also be relevant to give answerers a better understanding of your situation.

When asking about a style you should aim at getting information about a or that might help you consistently apply this style in your writing. In your question you should make it obvious what you are searching for and what you are hoping to achieve with this, such as whether you want to improve the speed of writing or the feelings of your readers towards a set of .

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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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Explicitly correcting yourself while writing - how appropriate is it ?

Like so: He worries – well, not worries, but laments a little – that he senses people don't read Henry James anymore (sentence source: Monkey See, NPR Blogs ) I've used this style myself occasionally. But it really doesn't go well with the purist…
0xff0000
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When should modifiers be avoided?

I've come across this Mark Twain quote: When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them -- then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.…
rem
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Mother is writing a book, thinks writing her life stories is same as telling them

My mother is a celebrity in a small niche world. Her contribution and experiences are wonderful and should be told. She says she can't write a book, so she has settled on a book that is something else, including anecdotal stories from her co-workers…
Perri Teague
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What does active voice mean?

I was reading on here about passive voice but didn't really know what active voice was. I read some examples but was hoping for more insight. What does it mean to write with the active voice?
johnny
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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?
user2234
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Techniques to disguise authorship of text

As Wikipedia and at least one answer on this site suggest, the name stylometry encompasses certain techniques to determine authorship of text. Although stylometry itself appears to require a certain amount of expertise, I conjecture that an average…
Andrew
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How do you vary dialogue within stories?

How do you vary dialogue within stories? I often find myself writing "'sentence/dialogue' said character", and it sometimes gets really repetitive. How is this managed? These are the only words that I can think of that can be used alternatively, but…
JFW
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How do you find your unique style?

Let me preface this by saying I am quite young as writers go, only 20. Oftentimes as I am writing, I find myself simulating the style of whatever I most recently read-- sometimes the clipped and mysterious prose of Murakami, sometimes the very…
temporary_user_name
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Techniques for writing internal monologue

I've seen the thoughts of a character written in a few different ways: Example 1: Indirect Ender liked it better, though, when two boys played against each other. Then they had to use each other's tunnels, and it quickly became clear which of them…
sjohnston
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How to avoid unconsciously copying the style of my favorite writer?

I've been reading and writing for a long time. Last year, I was introduced to Haruki Murakami. I don't know if it's case for every writer trying to figure out their voice, but for me, once I read his novels, I clearly and determinately said, "These…
tawsonfield
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How to separate scenes in a chapter?

I have multiple scenes in a chapter, sometimes from different POVs, or different locations/times. Now I would like to make it clear to the reader that they have left a scene and are entering a new one. Now, Scrivener (which I just started using, so…
Shantnu Tiwari
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Little did he know

In the movie "Stranger Than Fiction" the professor of literature makes quite a big deal about the phrase "little did he know." I've written papers on "Little did he know." I've taught classes on "Little did he know." I once gave an entire seminar…
Jack B Nimble
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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…
MrHen
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What paragraph style should I use for an e-book?

I have often heard of the advice that "use a style that works best in your situation". In regard to paragraph styling for an ebook, there are a few options: A single space (between paragraphs) and with the first sentence/line indented Same as (1)…
Javeer Baker
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