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.
36 questions from the last 365 days
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Knowledge of the Principles of Composition
I have forgotten much of what was taught to me in school. And I have not learned much of it. So I don't know much about English Composition. But I need to learn it to write good prose. However, I don'...
user25421
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Minimal Rules of Style for a Rough Draft
Often this advice is given to writers, in discussing the creation of rhythm: First, develop your intended message, and afterward, edit for rhythm. But because I constantly experience the urge to edit ...
user25421
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Writing Verse vs Immitation for Strengthening Verbal Skills
My verbal skills seem very weak. Often, I cannot write flowing, rhythmic prose, if ever. But I know I succeeded at least once in the past, although in a very short piece, which is not published, is ...
user25421
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Can single-paragraph discussion prompts include multiple questions/topics?
For every assignment of this course I am required to follow Purdue's English Page for Paragraphs, The Elements of Style, write in a consultative register, and keep my full response as a single ...
SynonymousVillage
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Advice on updating century-old children's story that has phonetically-spelled black dialogue
First, I think this question needs some background, but if you want to skip that, please skip down to "HERE'S MY QUESTION".
Most of classic American children's author Thornton W. Burgess's ...
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4
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How do I learn to write well?
I don't know if this is the place for this, but whatever. I am a first-year college student who's highly invested in self-education and gaining knowledge. I always strive to know more. I read a lot ...
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Rich Mental Images
Some writing, phrased with brevity, clarity, and precision, but not always lacking complexity of sentence structure, evokes rich imagery in the reader's mind. It is possible then, that the writers did ...
user25421
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Epigraph translation, according to Chicago Manual of Style
There is a book by John Doe in which there is an epigraph by Goethe, which is translated into English by Jim Oe.
Chapter 1
Rosen sind rot,
Veilchen sind blau.[1]
...
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Why is simpler prose more popular these days?
People repeatedly tell me to write simply. Some complain when I don't, and some say they dislike complex writing.
I thought that, back in the 19th century, many people liked sophisticated prose. Why, ...
user25421
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2
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Stuck on a scene of characters going from one location to another
So the context is that two characters have to go from Country A to Country B. They have to travel through various airports and take a cab in order to reach Country B. The main story starts after they ...
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Why are the titles of certain types of works italicized?
On Wikipedia and other encyclopedias, the titles of certain types of works (movies, video games, books) are often in italic type. Is there a reason for this?
user66536
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Should a hyphen be added if a URL is broken across a line?
Normally if a word is too long, one can add a hyphen to split the word in two, making part of the word on the next line:
This is an ex-
ample of a te-
xt that uses
hyphens as li-
ne breaks.
If I'm ...
- 393
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3
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206
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Simple Writing vs Complex Writing
Numerous online articles say that simple writing is better. They say it is easier to read. They also say that people aim for complexity in their writing to show off.
However, I enjoy reading both ...
user25421
2
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1
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176
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Portraying synesthesia in prose
How can an author effectively portray a character with synesthesia, where their sensory perceptions are intertwined, without confusing the reader or disrupting the narrative flow? What techniques and ...
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Is there a term for this academic writing issue?
I'm new at reviewing articles to be published in an academic journal. In one journal I'm reviewing, the author repeated these phrases around 20 times: Students need..., Educators need to..., Teachers ...
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How can you type 3 paragraphs about being prompt and present at school?
How can you type 3 paragraphs about being prompt and present at school?
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How do I use writing techniques more purposefully?
What are some exercises, tools, or lessons that serve the purpose of identifying the stylistic elements of my writing to facilitate practicing incorporating those elements as part of my writing ...
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What methods can I use to pinpoint my own stylistic choices?
I will admit that I am years out of practice in consistent writing on a personal, professional and academic level. Even even when that wasn't the case, I have always had difficulty understanding what ...
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Is there a better style guide?
In the past, I've read the Elements of Style, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, and Steven Pinker's Sense of Style. The first two advice the utmost brevity, the Elements of Style giving it ...
user25421
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Appropriate Prose Style for a Personal Letter
Sometimes I write my mother a letter, attempting a lyrical prose style, (although I often fail at it, due to rushing to send it and not double checking what I wrote), but after I send it, she ...
user25421
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Reading Aloud to Write in a Lyrical Prose Style
Most of the time when I edit my words, I never read aloud to see if my language flows, and the last time I tried it, I struggled to yield the sound that I wanted when editing. I also fear that when ...
user25421
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Formatting cover letter
This website gives several examples of cover letters. They typically begin:
December 1, 2010
Miriam A. Nunberg
Staff Attorney
U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
32 Old Slip, 26th ...
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elongating words in fiction work
I've found and been advised on different points of view on this matter. Is there an accepted manner as to how this is done? It's conversational and colloquial. In that, the persons within the ...
ritzski
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How can I keep my writing consistent?
I struggle with keeping my writing consistent and fear this is hampering my ability to finish my novel (currently in the editing stage).
Some scenes are brilliant, they add flavour to the story, the ...
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What is this literary device called where a quote is changed for comedic effect?
A direct quote from the Bible is changed for comedic effect. Is it an allusion? maybe a paronomastic pan?
And God said: “Let there be cake. And there was cake. And God saw that it was good.”
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How should I format a surprise scene change such that it reads coherently but is still a surprise?
In the current WIP chapter of my most popular web serial, there is a scene at the beginning that is presented as happening "now" (that is, having regular story focus) only to be suddenly ...
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Difficulty describing a complex image in a single sentence
I am having difficulty explaining that the sun evaporated the fog that had brushed up against the blooming hills. When I add "with spectacular wildflower blooms", it sounds as if the sun ...
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141
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Drafts and Sentence Complexity
Some writing has complex sentence structure. Many times, this is because its authors derived it from drafts that had complex sentence structure already. But I read that writers can combine simpler ...
user25421
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5
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243
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How do I introduce my readers to new words as gracefully as possible?
Let me apologize in advance if this question has been asked before. The ones I found only discuss this issue in the context of writing in general and do not touch on writing narrative fiction.
I am ...
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2
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114
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If a quotation makes up all of a person's speech does it still need to be in its own quote marks?
I have the following speech in a book I'm designing:
Seeing him hesitate, she said lightly, ‘“‘There’s both meat and music here,’ quoth the dog as he ate the piper’s bag”!’
Essentially someone is ...
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Do constrained writing exercises improve verbal skills?
If one writes daily, not aiming to strengthen any one writing skill of theirs, will they enhance their prose style? People are told often that daily writing will strengthen their writing skills. And ...
user25421
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2
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How can I write in a very high and sophisticated style, not being pompous, but showing empathy?
A fundamental trait of good writing which I've often neglected is empathy, the encompasser of many good qualities of prose. Whether the King James Bible, (whose style I had long wished to imitate, ...
user25421
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130
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A Question on 'Topical Progression': How to Address Internal Inconsistencies in the Framework
(This question has been moved from English Language Stack Exchange on account of relevancy.)
In my mission to improve my writing, I have come across a concept called 'topical progression' (discussed ...
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2
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213
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How do I fit the scene ideas to the plot?
I have lots of very cool and developed scene ideas, but when I think about them, they seem to be seperate from the plot. It's like instead of the protagonist sailing on a boat down a river, they're ...
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Is it better for me to add more advanced words into my book, or is it better to use easy words that any average English-speaker can understand?
To be completely honest, my English vocabulary isn’t that advanced. Currently, my writing-style is very simple and easy to understand. It doesn’t use extremely advanced wording to express things. I’m ...
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What's the best way to write a 2-person story, primarily involving interaction?
I am writing a short story that only has 2 characters, and is written in the third person. I am deciding between script-type writing:
Character 1: "Wow! these are my words!" He smiles
...
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