Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
17
votes
3 answers

How should I document a product release with an inherently flawed design?

The deadline is looming and someone realizes the product can't be shipped without documentation. Once the product leaves the remit of the software engineers (who obviously only ever write wonderful code) and is passed on to a more objective audience…
Jason Fox
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9 answers

Does misspelling words for the sake of bad English improve the immersion or distract the reader?

I am trying to write a character that speaks English poorly. I do not want to grossly misspell words for sounds or use bad grammar. I find those techniques to sound juvenile and the bad grammar is never the correct bad grammar a language would…
Andrey
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17
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10 answers

Technical Writing Software

I'm interested in newer software/software stack to use in writing technical papers. For the longest time I have been use LaTeX to handle this but in looking at getting longer pieces published, such as books, other software is being used. The one…
Travis
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7 answers

In What Way are Most First Drafts Bad?

I've heard from a lot of people - both on this site and elsewhere - that your first draft will be terrible. Some even say that you will barely use any of it. This has me wondering: What about the first draft is so bad? Is it that the wording will…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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17
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6 answers

How do I incorporate Vocabulary in my writing that I already know?

I seem to have this problem where I know a lot of words but can't always seem to think them up when I write an article or a story. I know the meaning of most of these words, but when I write, some everyday phrase or idiom comes to my mind first or I…
Rio1210
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17
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4 answers

Would it be wise to make the turning point of a story coincidental?

I've written a fictional story and the way my characters are coming together and forming a bond seems way too coincidental to me. A lady lives on the first floor while her tenant, a guy, lives on the ground floor. A girl is supposed to meet that…
Nikki
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17
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8 answers

Why does using this "-ing" verb construction make my writing weaker?

I had to write a scholarship essay, wherein I wrote this sentence: Over the ensuing years I read as much as I could, trying to increase my knowledge and understanding of my own language. I sent it to my mom to look over in case I did something…
kitukwfyer
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6 answers

Dialog, just what's the best way to write it?

I've come across the following conventions: "What’s this for?" asked Jake. Sue replied, "None of your business." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it looks darned funny sitting here." "It’s still none of your business," she asserted. "It’s…
srcspider
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17
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12 answers

How do expert writers avoid using "I" when they have to refer to themselves in their article?

How do competent authors, in a refined and perhaps (slightly) formal way, refer to themselves without saying I? I've seen the term "this writer" somewhere. How is it with a native? Are there other terms that are a little bit more formal and delicate…
Itsme
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17
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5 answers

What is flash fiction?

Is it simply defined by its short word count? Or are there other accepted conventions in flash fiction? If it's just the word count, how short is too short? How long is too long?
Ben
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16
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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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16
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6 answers

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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16
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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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