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1500 questions
22
votes
3 answers
How should a writer use version control to track drafts, rewrites, and revisions?
I'm a writer, not a programmer. I'm just now for the first time learning about version control and how it works, and I am wondering how version control could streamline my workflow.
In a previous question, I asked what version control system to use,…
incandescentman
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22
votes
5 answers
What's the best version control system for a book writer?
I'm a writer—no programming, only prose in text files, mostly in Emacs org-mode, some in markdown-mode.
I want to implement a version control system for my writing projects.
I work with two types of text files:
drafts (textfile-v1.org,…
incandescentman
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22
votes
6 answers
When editing for a person, how much can be changed?
The context is a technical document that is written by one person and then sent out for review by others. The reviewers change word tense, change from active to passive voice, and make other style changes. Is that a valid job for an editor, or am…
thursdaysgeek
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22
votes
13 answers
How to overcome the fact that I can't write long stories?
I have written some short stories (in fact, they are flash fiction). When I'm writing short stories, the ideas and the structure come to my mind by themselves.
Something different happens when I try to write long stories. It starts with something…
wyc
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22
votes
6 answers
How to use today's moral compass in fantasy?
During Roman and medieval times the use of slaves was very common in most civilizations.
Crimes often carried punishments that would fall under "cruel and unusual" today.
Is it possible to write a story depicting things like this and not have the…
Borgel
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22
votes
3 answers
How/When to create deliberately boring characters?
Among a million other ambitions under the general heading of "Writing," I have this fantasy where I write a major series, several books long with a giant cast.
But I started thinking. In giant series like the recently famous Song of Ice and Fire,…
temporary_user_name
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22
votes
7 answers
Best practices for maintaining documented code examples?
A good SDK (software development kit) includes plenty of well-documented examples. It also includes good tutorials and developer guides, which introduce concepts in logical progressions, typically showing only the relevant excerpts from the sample…
Monica Cellio
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22
votes
12 answers
What makes a character irredeemable?
Let's look at two characters who are generally considered to be iredeemable:
The Diamond Authority (from Steven Universe): The extremely childish leaders of the race of spacefaring lesbian magical girl viruses, known as gems. They are responsible…
Mephistopheles
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22
votes
7 answers
Detail vs. filler
How can I minimise the "filler" text that I end up writing when fleshing out a scene with detail?
An appropriate level of detail seems to me to be a fundamental requirement for good prose. Whatever I may be trying to achieve in terms of characters,…
sesquipedalias
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22
votes
7 answers
How does one include sign language in a dialogue?
If one character is using sign language and lip reading while the other is speaking normally, how do you represent the lines of the former? Quotations with "he signed" attribution or italics? E.g.
"When did you first feel the pain?" asked the…
HNL
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22
votes
9 answers
As a discovery writer, how do I complete an unfinished novel (which has highly diverged from the original plot ) after a time-gap?
I am a reader more than a writer, and fantasy is my favorite genre.
I used to write short stories and poems. Some of them are published in magazines and get good reviews.
In 2018 January, I read the complete collection of Rick Riordan's Percy…
Sangeetha
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22
votes
15 answers
Pronouns when writing from the point of view of a robot
For the writing challenge, I'm currently writing from the point of view of a robot. Also another robot is frequently addressed. However I've hit a problem: Referring to the robots as “it” often gives confusing sentences.
It probably doesn't help…
celtschk
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22
votes
5 answers
How to not confuse readers with simultaneous events?
In an omniscient third person, I have 8 (practically unrelated) events going simultaneously in different parts of a large mansion. I want to present these events as they happen, but I feel jumping around every two sentences is bound to cause…
Weckar E.
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22
votes
5 answers
emacs for creative writing
Does anyone know a good emacs configuration for creative writing? I'd be looking for the ability to write, edit, and export to libre office or word (so the less technical people get edit/view). I'm looking for something that would be appropriate for…
John
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22
votes
7 answers
Showing mass murder in a kid's book
Galastel did a spin off question based on one of mine.
Mortal danger in mid-grade literature.
And hers has spurred a new one for me.
This is an issue I've been grappling with for a while and I still don't have a solution for it. I had thought to…
Cyn
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