All Questions
12,722
questions
8
votes
6
answers
19k
views
Is it OK to use a single parenthesis after each number in a list?
Several times I've seen lists formatted like this:
My parenthetical pet peeves:
1) Referring to a single parenthesis as "a parenthesee" or something similarly beastly.
2) Smiley faces ...
- 10.8k
0
votes
1
answer
64
views
How should I begin writing a story for a comic strip? [closed]
I would like to draw a comic strip, but I need a story. I would prefer a realistic one (historic or not).
I was wondering if you have any advice for how to approach the writing of a story for comic ...
- 3,293
0
votes
1
answer
117
views
Is it better to write a novel with contractions?
In a subjective omniscient PoV, is it better to use contractions for the narrator’s voice, or to avoid them for a more formal and distinctive tone?
- 3,157
0
votes
1
answer
107
views
What does the archetype of the shonen protagonist look like and how would the male and female versions look different?
I'm writing a book called successors which tackles the entire world and it features 6 main protagonists and a lot of secondary characters. The one this question focuses on is named Xu. I want to write ...
- 10.8k
2
votes
3
answers
90
views
How should I attribute a translated quote?
I'm writing a short story (fiction) and want to include a short quote from Jorge Luis Borges in the beginning to set tone. However, the original text is in Spanish, and has been translated by a ...
- 113
3
votes
2
answers
148
views
How do I choose a good pen name?
Is it fine if I choose a pen name that uses my own name with a surname of a different language?
- 113
6
votes
6
answers
23k
views
How to express character thoughts in the third person without using dialogue?
I am writing a third person story that focuses on a main character. Sometimes I want to express the internal thoughts of the character, but I don't want to use internal dialogue in italics. What's the ...
- 1
2
votes
2
answers
111
views
How can I make the process of writing easier?
I came up with an AI image generation party game, and I wanted to tell about it to others. It took me an hour to write the description, even though I already knew all the details in my head. It was ...
- 113
1
vote
2
answers
125
views
Is the forbidden love story of an elf and prince overused?
I'm writing a short novel mostly for my own enjoyment, but I want to know if the elf and prince forbidden love has been beaten to death and if it would actually get any attention if it were to be ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
69
views
Swapping between third and first person in a book
So, I was wondering in the case of a book is it okay to swap from 1st person to 3rd person? Like on the spot swaps, almost like breaking the 4th wall. So, for most of the book it'll be a third person, ...
- 7,168
-1
votes
1
answer
29
views
Are quotes required with inline citation?
I am currently writing a paper with APA formatting and relied on inline citations when referencing work that isn't mine. However, the feedback I received on sections with inline citations revolved ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
75
views
In the EAN-5 book price barcode, is there a usage difference between 0 and 1 for British pounds?
In some English speaking countries, many books carry a barcode for an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) (10 or 13 characters) followed by a barcode for the price (five characters). The second ...
- 4,053
0
votes
2
answers
104
views
Did I choose the right tenses for these verbs?
I received the parcel this morning, I was a bit surprised when I opened it that you did not include a flexi with the LP because I told you in my answer to your last email that I preferred a flexi to a ...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
100
views
How were books made before the printing press? [closed]
How were books made before the printing press, did writer first write on each single paper and than bound all papers in book or they wrote directly in book?
Books are wrote in cursive?
1
vote
2
answers
174
views
Decide not to publish my book despite having signed a contract with the publisher?
Can I decide not to publish my book despite having signed a contract with the publisher?
In the contract, it states:
"1. The Assignor represents, warrants, and agrees: That the Assignor
is the ...
- 3,293
6
votes
7
answers
589
views
I'm looking for advice on character development
I'm currently working on a team based story with a lot of characters and am looking for ways to really make their personalities stand out from one another.
When I'm writing out their character ...
2
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Can you make multiple prologues in one book?
I am writing a World War 3 Novel, and I want to write the backstories of the main characters as prologues. It's really short, so I can't make another book.
Is it even possible to make multiple ...
7
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Why is the format of a Bollywood film script so different from that of a Hollywood movie?
I was comparing between the formats of scripts from both Hollywood and Bollywood. Following is the first page of the script of Pulp Fiction.
And following is the first page of a Bollywood film, Jab ...
- 7,168
0
votes
1
answer
75
views
Is Wikimedia Commons a credible source for images?
I am writing a paper about Operation Mincemeat for National History Day (I know that I should ask my teacher, but it’s due tomorrow, and school has already ended).
On Wikimedia Commons, there is a ...
- 7,168
1
vote
3
answers
169
views
How long does it take to publish in a magazine?
How long does it take to publish in a magazine? I have had a piece under consideration—with a fair number of emails and discussions with the editor—for five months with the editor still on the fence ...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
3
answers
150
views
How to write symbolism into a story?
I'm writing a dark academia/Gothic romance. It's about this guy named Humphry who accidentally summons a ghost girl named Cal after a failed experiment. He at first is freaked out and wants nothing to ...
- 1,376
2
votes
1
answer
99
views
Avoiding ambiguity when using pronouns to refer back to different parts of the preceding clause
I have the following sentence
A Terminal Interface is used to interact with the Operating
System that acts as an intermediary between the user and the
computer hardware.
I want to make sure that the ...
- 4,053
9
votes
6
answers
2k
views
What is the proper way to use the pronoun "I" without too much repetition?
I found a new job in London and while emailing with my soon-to-be boss, I noticed something that drove me off: the constant repetition of the pronoun I. This is very different from my native language (...
- 4,053
8
votes
8
answers
6k
views
What pronouns should I use for a character with no gender?
I'm writing a book in which there is a character with no gender.
I don't know what pronouns I should use for this character.
I can't use he/she.
What pronouns should I use?
Example:
With gender:
She ...
- 4,053
2
votes
1
answer
128
views
How do you handle hallucinations/daydreaming in comics?
How do you handle hallucinations/daydreaming in comics? I remember instances where people in TV shows are literally dreaming while awake with their eyes wide-open and just wakes up from their ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
93
views
How do I maintain interesting prose outside of the introduction/hook when I start getting into my anecdotes?
This is a personal narrative where I want to narrate my creative side. I start off strong with figurative language, descriptions, and metaphors. But as I get into my anecdote and what I learned from ...
CommunityBot
- 1
4
votes
1
answer
657
views
How can I keep dialogue attached to character names in a Pages play script?
I'm formatting a play using Pages on macOS. I cannot figure out how to get character names to be associated with their dialogue. I'm formatting like
[centered] JOHN [\centered]
Yes, that’s me.
...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
83
views
How is the process of finding a company to publish your book like? How much does it averagely cost to publish your book? How do you promote your book?
I’m very interested in writing and would one day like to publish my own book, yet I’m quite intimated by the cost and the search for finding a good publishing company. I’m also aware you’d have to ...
- 12.2k
2
votes
1
answer
570
views
Is this a a crazy enough reaction for someone who isn’t the most sane person, yet normal enough to be considered a human reaction? [closed]
In the beginning of my story, my character wakes up in an unfamiliar apartment. Although they’re scared for their safety, they were sure nothing bad had happened to them that night. At first they were ...
- 12.2k
2
votes
2
answers
253
views
Is it okay to touch type with several different finger placements?
I typed using a QWERTY keyboard for years since my childhood, but I never learned how to type properly and I just type the way I type instead. I use all of my fingers (I had the feelings of that), but ...
- 7,168
11
votes
7
answers
5k
views
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 ...
- 8,964
2
votes
2
answers
34
views
When writing a footnote for a book that you’ve used separate pages from, should you include them together, or should you give them separate footnotes?
I am writing a historical paper about Operation Mincemeat for National History Day. While there is a rule book, it doesn’t clarify a lot of the little details.
Also, if you are supposed to include ...
- 101k
1
vote
2
answers
125
views
How do I turn my Imagined-Daydream-Fantasy-Book into an Actual Book
Problem
I love writing and I love reading. I also love coming up with all sorts of books/films in my head so that if I'm bored in real life, I can just dive into my imaginary book/films to entertain ...
- 1,376
2
votes
2
answers
189
views
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 ...
- 21
1
vote
4
answers
132
views
How can I write a character with an alcohol addiction without sounding too repetitive?
This is my first time writing a book and I have been noticing that a lot of my scenes are quite similar to each other. The main character has an alcohol addiction and constantly gets drunk to the ...
- 21
6
votes
5
answers
810
views
As a writer, how can I avoid exposing myself as a non-native English speaker in my texts?
I am a Japanese student learning English, and one of my current goals is to learn to write texts in such a way that no reader will realize I am not a native speaker. I am humbly seeking advice on how ...
- 849
1
vote
3
answers
290
views
How can we revise sentences so that they remain clear and concise but gain a rhythm of a specific kind?
I have written poems in iambic meter before, and they didn't seem to be wordy. And for a long time I have wanted to use metrical effects in my prose, which is called prose rhythm. But I am wondering ...
- 12.2k
4
votes
2
answers
126
views
How do you create an emotional attachment to a character who never appears?
Main Question
My protagonist, Dannie, was taken from her home for 7 years. The story starts when she escapes and follows her journey home. Dannie discusses her home with her traveling companion, and ...
- 579
1
vote
2
answers
114
views
Will I be sued if I write about something that bears superficial resemblance to a real-world disaster, even when I add a disclaimer?
I am writing a story (actually a fanfiction) which I am serializing on Archive of Our Own, a popular site for that type of written works.
Actually I planned out the entire plot for that story since ...
- 101k
0
votes
1
answer
150
views
How can I phrase common terms and proper nouns in a different or more poetic fashion?
I have a problem. I want to write in a certain kind of voice, which requires me to pay attention to prose numbers (or feet), but I cannot seem to phrase certain common terms and proper nouns so that ...
6
votes
6
answers
6k
views
How short can a poem be until it can no longer be a poem?
I am on a small journey to help me understand what the definition of a poem is to different people, what poems mean to them.
This made me wonder, some poems are longer than others, so:
How short ...
2
votes
2
answers
54
views
Writing a short story set in a real museum - how much can I include?
I have written a short story set in a museum in Ireland. It is a private museum that contains various displays and sculptures. I am happy with the story and would like to submit it to a few journals/...
- 12.2k
4
votes
3
answers
217
views
Do most readers skip the prologue?
The prologue of my story is extremely important as it adds context to what is happening in the first chapter. While talking to my friend, they revealed to me that most readers skip the prologue. Now I’...
- 4,053
2
votes
3
answers
189
views
What to do when a sentence is too confusing
I’m struggling to clearly yet briefly explain what’s going on. I’m fairly sure this sentence is grammatically correct, but it still sounds clunky and confusing.
For context, my POV character sits down ...
- 1,890
3
votes
4
answers
313
views
How to convert indirect thought to film voiceover without it sounding contrived?
I am trying to convert a fiction book into a film script. The book uses third-person past tense narration that switches between several characters from chapter to chapter and thus is always from a ...
- 1,108
1
vote
1
answer
113
views
What is meant by deleting the last thing you wrote?
One writing tip I saw was, cutting the last thing you wrote because often it is unimportant, but I think I need a little more direction in what way I should do it.
- 7,168
1
vote
1
answer
255
views
How can I add dynamic images to page headers based on headlines?
Version: Microsoft Word 2016
Here you can see, that my headline 9 (and all other headlines, too) have an image as part of the headline and the headline is also displayed in the page header.
Everything ...
CommunityBot
- 1
8
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Writing about drug induced hallucinations and paranoia
Not long ago I wrote a short story about a mathematics graduate student on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The young student is innocent and working to finish a difficult mathematical derivation ...
- 3,293
2
votes
3
answers
224
views
Tough female character softening
I'm writing a tough, capable young female character who is savvy and can survive well in an unfamiliar society. However, she has no patience for stupidity and is quick to shoot barbed remarks. I want ...
- 1,376
3
votes
1
answer
197
views
Thesaurus for metaphors?
I have been managing with only thesaurus dot com when yearning to add layers in my work, but it and all the other thesauri(?) I have tried exhibit a fatal flaw: they lack quality metaphorical synonyms ...
- 10.8k