@Berumen699
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: Is this too depressing? I’m a young author writing a fantasy series. I decided to try writing the ending first because I was having trouble writing the first part. In my second book, they’re
I’m a young author writing a fantasy series. I decided to try writing the ending first because I was having trouble writing the first part. In my second book, they’re supposed to lose, and this guy’s girlfriend is killed after he’d betrayed everyone he knew trying to save her. The bad guy escapes after he kills the girlfriend.
Here’s a few paragraphs so you can get the feel of the situation:
I woke up propped against a wall. My head hurt. The stab wound in my gut felt like it was on fire again. My friends were gathered around me. I stared at them, still unable to speak.
Suddenly I remembered Emma was dead. I looked down and started to cry. And I mean really cry. I wept into my hands, horrible sobs racking my chest. I had never let myself cry like this before. It hurt. In fact, everything did. I was lightheaded and dizzy. My friends voices sounded far away. I stopped crying and took a long, slow, raspy breath to steady my vision. I felt hollow and weak. I knew I was still badly injured.
Camryn looked me in the eyes. â€I forgive you.â€
My breath was ripped away. I had completely forgotten I’d put her through the exact same thing. Even though I felt like bawling, I was too weak to start crying again. My gut was warm and wet, and I realized I was bleeding through my bandages. But I deserved the pain. All of it. I’d deserved for Emma to die.
It goes on like this for a bit, him summing up all the things he did wrong and completely giving up, asking his friends to kill him and just get it over with so he can finally be with his girlfriend. Of course they don’t actually kill him, but they can’t even think of a good argument to why he shouldn’t give up. This is the ending to the book.
Is this a little too depressing? My targeted audience is middle school age, and my characters are 16.
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: Re: Characters with no names I've got a few short stories going, and I've foregone naming any of my characters. It started because I just didn't have any good names in my head and I was going
I am young author writing a fantasy series, and I can say that I’ve DEFINITELY run into the same problem. For the characters in my world, their name needs to be more than something I just choose. For example, the elves in my story get their elements in other languages for names.
Zerua, sky elf, name means sky.
Lleaud, moon elf, name means moon.
Rana, sun elf, name means sun.
For my other characters however (humans, dwarfs, giants, dragons... etc.) Their names took a lot longer. For them, especially the dwarfs and giants, I developed their entire culture and city-state first. Then, based on their culture and their amount of intelligence and their character, personality, home life, friends, pretty much everything I know about them, I think for hours of their perfect name.
For human names, I scroll through hundreds of names online until I find one that fits the character’s personality perfectly. If the name is less then perfect for the character, I don’t even give it a second glance.
I have a feeling you don’t need to do all this for a few short stories, but for the other people viewing this question it might be helpful.
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: My Fantasy Series POV I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series I have six main characters. If you have read my most previous question, I explained that I have six main
I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series I have six main characters. If you have read my most previous question, I explained that I have six main characters and want each book to put a different character’s loyalty/strength/will/courage/skills to the test.
I finished the first book, and now I’m working on the second. The problem I have is if each book is about a different character, I would like to write the book in the POV of the character it’s about.
Why’s that a problem? Because I’m planning on publishing my work. I know that most people hate it when you switch the character POV in a series, but the original character who narrated the first book doesn’t do anything in the second book.
Should I alternate POV chapters? Should I write the same story twice in both their POV?
The character my second book is about is Jason. This question explains his role in the second book.
I would like to write the book in his POV, since it’s about him, but everyone hates it when POV changes. Should I just keep the POV the way it is?
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: Re: A character with a dark background seeking redemption or an average character background, what is more thematically appropriate? This project is a sort of an attempt to deconstruct some tropes
Both are interesting... I could even see a "buddy cop"... a buddy Valktor if you will... dynamic between someone with the first backstory and someone with the second back story.
The former could be from a band of Robin Hood merry men styled gang that have honor among thieves. They rob only the rich, give it to the poor, and never kill unless in self-defense. The hero breaks these rules and gets tossed from the gang (either they tell him to leave OR they try to kill him). Either way, he's saved by the guard who convince him he can still help the poor unfortunate souls if he joins.
The latter could be a guy who comes from a rich family with poor disipline over him. A spoiled child who always got his way until one day something shatters his party boy persona. He could be cut off from by his parents after one too many stunts OR could be a victim of the very band of teens (maybe his father was a successful merchant of produce... say cabbages... and these brainwashed children ended up wrecking his shop/cart/livelihood while being chased by the kings guard. Maybe the cart wreck killed the merchant father in the process?). Personally, I think his conversion is the simple realization that his "friends" were only friends with him for his money, or his friends and family all think he is a disgrace that will never amount to anything... depersonalize the conflict with those meddling kids and their animal companion that can do things that seem unatural for that type of creature... He's not after them for something personal... he's showing he can be a hero.
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: Re: Is one book long enough to make my character fall in love? I am new to writing and this is my first story. I want to make my story believable and was wondering if one book is long enough
My favorite series are the ones where it takes multiple books to fall in love, all while the characters are getting closer and closer.
I myself am writing a fantasy series with an underlying romance, and I finished the first draft of the first book a few days ago. (By the way, thanks to everyone on this website for helping me out. I never would have been able to finish it without you.)
Anyway, in the first book my two of the six main characters that are supposed to fall in love are only friends, and start showing a bit deeper care for each other in book two. In book three it’s clear that one of the characters likes the other, and in book four one of the characters is captured and tortured, so then the other character goes to rescue him and realizes she loves him. Then at the end of book four they become bf and gf, and I continue on with my series.
That is just an example, and you don’t have to do exactly that, it varies for each author, book, and series, but I personally enjoy long, drawn out romances.
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: Re: How to correctly show a translation of a foreign word? My current project requires a lot of translation work, where the main character is slowly piecing together a language. I'm assuming that
In your example:
Her dictionary said that tukio meant 'was'.
The word "tukio" needs to be in the same quotation marks as the word "was" is set in, such that:
Her dictionary said that 'tukio' meant 'was'.
Judging by your use of Punctuation, I'm going to guess you are using a British English writing guide as opposed to a North American guide. As stated, it may look weird to Americans like myself, but it's grammatically acceptable otherwise. When translating a word, italicized words are fine, but you should be consistent with both the foriegn equivelent and English language equivelent such that:
Her dictionary said that 'tukio' meant 'was'.
Wit respect to your first sentance:
"zore ya tukio dahs."
The 'z' in "zore" should be capitalized:
"Zore ya tukio dahs."
Unless in very special cases where the language uses different capitalization rules. For example, in the fictional Klingon language, Capitilization denotes stress, not position in a sentance, as well as proper nouns. The best and most common example is the word "petaQ" (a fairly offensive term meaning "dishonored." Though given that it's never translated in universe by the show's universal translators, it likely has no real direct English Language Equivelent) which always has a lower case 'p' and an upper case "Q" when written, even if the word starts a sentance.
Finally, as noteded above, certain words are never translated for some reasons. It could be that the idea that word represents has no English language equivelent. For example, in ancient Greek, there are two words that translate to "time": "Chronos" and "Kairos." However, these two terms mean two different concepts that don't directly translate to English. The former, "Chronos" means "chronological time" which we understand as dates or progression of events. "Kairos" on the other hand, refers to, as Jack Sparrow would best denote, an Oppertune Momement in time ("Chronos") to strike or act. To put it another way, in the events of "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" do hinge on these concepts. In both films, someone travels through "Chronos" to find a "Kairos" (Dr. Strange, The Time Heist are Chronos, but both realize that victory relies on a "Kairos", that is Tony Stark's 1 in 14 million decision that results in a favorable outcome. These concepts don't make sense to use because we use the word "time" to denote both things. Tony travels through time, but he can only has one time to be successful. To make matters worse, "Kairos" and words deriving from "Chronos" both appear in the English Language and have very different meanings (The English "Kairos" refers to periods in existential questioning that prompt an answer or specific action, especially related to matters of religious or spiritual belief... among other meanings).
In these situations, it may be best to leave the word untranslated, but have someone explain the nearest English equivelent such that:
The Avengers travelled through time to bring Tony Stark to a Kairos; an oppertune moment to defeat Thanos.
Here, the foreign concept was given attention by both italicizing so to highlight it's not a concept the reader would understand... and then immediately defined. This could be done with quotes or quotes and itlization equally, so long as you are consistently following the rules you the writer apply.
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: Re: Where does "inaugural" go in this sentence? I’ve been trying to adjust my short bio/blurb on LinkedIn to include the word “inaugural†in it, but, as soon as I do, it makes everything
Either works, but I think what you might be going for is:
Graphic designer and inaugural graduate in 2019 of the Honours Bachelor of Graphic Design program from Harvard University.
or perhaps
Graphic designer and inaugural graduate (2019) of the Honours Bachelor of Graphic Design program from Harvard University.
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: Re: Is this MLA in-text citation correct? I've been having major trouble trying to find if the following paragraph's MLA in-text citation is correct. My main issue is that the in-text cite is supposed
Perdue's OWL is a great source for MLA guidelines.
For the in-text citation:
In your first parenthetical citation, you want to make clear which Bible you're using (and underline or italicize the title), as each version varies in its translation, followed by book (do not italicize or underline), chapter, and verse.
For the multiple citations, you separate with semicolons, it's not necessary to repeat the book name, so your citation should be:
(New King James Version, Lev. 16; 23.26-32)
owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html For the works cited:
Italicize “The Bible†and follow it with the version you are using.
So your citation should be:
The Bible. New King James Version. BibleGateway, biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NKJV. Accessed 18 November 2020.
owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_books.html
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: Re: How can I avoid spoiling the reveal in a fictional diary entry? I'm currently writing a story in a fictional diary format. This is proving challenging in several ways, but right now, my focus
I would take a cliffhanger approach where the suspense is built up in the back half of the chapter/entry so that the first sentance of the next chapter does pay off, and you can organically lead with the big part.
For example if Brutus was writing a diary during this time, the entry Dated "14th of March" would be about the big decision he has to make tomorrow and how he is torn over loyalty to his friend vs. duty to his country and knows either choice will stay with him long after he is gone. This entry would conclude and the next entry is dated "Ides of March" and say, "Today I stabbed Ceaser in the back for the good of Rome. Mark Antony's eulogy was beautiful and made me feel all the more worse... I smell something burning."
To be fair, I tend to write my chapters so they cliffhanger as I normally have two scenes running at the same time around the time for big reveals and thus I would have the cliffhanger ending to the chapter of scene 1, flip to scene 2 to help build the suspense, than back to scene 1 where the reaction to the ending of the last chapter happens.
If there is no second scene, this also works as it's a perfect place to stop for a breather but still hook the reader to come back and learn what happens next.
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: Will readers question my antagonist's choice of style? I am a young author currently writing my fantasy series. It takes place in the present, but my antagonist is a thousand years old. She
I am a young author currently writing my fantasy series. It takes place in the present, but my antagonist is a thousand years old. She was born in 1050 AD. I did some research and found that time period was very early Dark Ages time, right after the fall of the Roman Empire.
My antagonist was the wife of a lord, who tragically died saving civilians from a mudslide. As typical antagonist backstories go, she became angry and accused everyone who was present of murdering her husband and hanged them, seeing that she was the now the one in charge.
Now the problem I have here is this:
My antagonist always wears a long, puffy, jet black sleeveless. I don’t have to be a historian to know that is NOT the style of the time period. I don’t want to change it because it really adds to my character, always letting the reader know she is still in mourning for her dead husband. I am wondering if this will affect the quality of my series because it is not completely historically accurate, or if I need to change it overall.
And yes, I believe this is a writing question about the quality of my work. I know it has some world building stuff in there, but the actual question is about writing.
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: Re: Is it okay to use a lot of questions to show my characters' thoughts? First off, I'm sure someone will direct me to this question, and I want to make it clear that my question is different.
It really depends on your narrative voice (i.e. who is telling the story to the reader). This is fine for Third Person Omniscient (the narrator is telling a story and knows all), Third Person Limited Omniscient (the narrator is telling the story and knows all from one character's perspective), First Person (The narrator is the main character) or First Person Epistol (The narrator is a character in the story but is relaying the story of another often in the form of a letter, a biography, or news report and is not privy to the main characters exact thoughts but may give voice to his own). It's not permissible in any Third Person Limited narrative (AKA "Camera Lense" In this style the narrator is only allowed to convey to the reader observable detail as if a security camera looking in on the events.).
It's been a while since I read the books, but I recall Harry Potter having this style where the narrator gave voice to Harry's internal monolog and emotions, (or on rare occasions, the focal character of the Chapter who was not Harry, such as Vernon Dursley in the first chapter of Book 1 or the Caretaker of the Riddle Family house in Book Four). In all examples, emotion of the focal chararacter is told by the narrator as if he and the focal character were the same person, but non-focal characters were only allowed to portray emotions by physical actions such as frowns, smiles, looks of smug satisfaction, ect.). Other styles would have the text phrased in a format of a dialog but not given quotation (Often Itilicized Text in Dialog format is used to covey thought monologs, but other methods exist to. In Animorphs, which had different degrees of telepathic communication, the Less Than/Greater Than symbols (<>) were substituted for quotation for the most common form of telepathic communication (called thought speech) and Underlined Dialog was used for a much rarer communication using true telepathy.).
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: Re: Characters feelings; Using them for pacing/tension I'm writing a novel and in the opening chapter, one of the main characters finds herself traveling by foot through a very severe sandstorm. I
While I've never been in a proper sandstorm, I have been on a beach during high winds produced by a nearby Hurricane (it had missed us and gone north, but the winds were still quite strong.). The wind was nothing that could be dangerous to large objects, but it did wip up the sand on the beach surface, which had a mild stinging feeling against exposed skin. In a sand storm where it's impossible to see, there is the risk of the sand causing skin damage (In extreme cases, sand storms can strip meat from bone, though I don't think this is common) and can cause respritory issues from inhailing dust, disease from inhailing virus spores that were on the ground, and in long term exposure, could result in sand getting in the lungs, which is incurable, and could cause cancer or even asphixiation. It can also cause eye damage and even blindness if not protected against.
But the stinging of sand particles moving at wind speeds can hurt even at low speeds and would definately at a level that one could not see due to lowered visibility (and goggles are restricting in periphial vision, which puts humans on edge (I did a lot of swimming and wore glasses so I purchased perscription goggles so I could see reliably and protect my eyes... They were cooler looking than glasses, but they were not comfortable and they didn't have a periphial view, even if my glasses periphials were lousy by comparison.
While you can breath in a sandstorm, it's much more difficult and while you won't suffocate, difficult breathing does cause a panic in humans and most other animals.
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: When there is no date, you should omit it but it's recommended to put a date accessed note on the citation. See https://guides.library.unr.edu/mlacitation/cite-missinginfo The purpose of citations
When there is no date, you should omit it but it's recommended to put a date accessed note on the citation. See guides.library.unr.edu/mlacitation/cite-missinginfo The purpose of citations is to enable a reader to refer to the text that you’re quoting, so for your Don Quixote citation you should absolutely be sure to identify the translator.
In general, the date should be the date of the edition that you're working from, so even if you were working from the original Spanish text of Don Quixote, a citation date of 1605 would be incorrect unless you had an actual first edition that you were referring to.
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: Re: I found a story I wrote as a little kid. Should I finish it? There was this story I was writing, when I was a little kid, that I found. I called it "Rage." I liked the story,
Even if you forget parts of the story, (in my experience) re-writing always makes it better.
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: Re: I'm trying to write a short story for an assignment and my word count is 5263 and 12 pages on google docs, is this too long? I just need help with writing my short story, I don't want
If it's for an assignment, then the assignment will dictate the length. I would note that 12 pages/5,263 words tells me that you're writing single spaced which is probably not what your assigner wants (I'm guessing this is a class assignment).
In writing for publication, I would note that there has been a steady trend towards shorter pieces. I've frequently updated the copies of the guidelines I keep in my submission spreadsheet for journals and magazines that publish short fiction to lower the maximum word count. I can only think of one publication which increased its word count in the last decade and that was a publication which specialized in very short writing and decided to up its maximum word count from 500 to 1000.
All of that said, a piece should be exactly as long as it needs to be.
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: Re: Is there a way to make MS Word or LO Writer to automatically indent paragraphs in a section except for the first paragraph? I would like to make a style in MS Word or LO Writer that will
In Word, the easiest way to do this is to use the Next Paragraph Style option in the styles. After a section have the next paragraph style be First Paragraph (or somesuch) which won't have the indentation and have the next paragraph style for First Paragraph be Body which will be indented.
That said, I don't bother with much typographic nicety working in Word. I focus on the writing and leave typographic niceties for other situations. Having been a typographer at one point it pains me a little to do so, but it's rare that the output of Word is the final presentation of the writing in any event.
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: Re: Citing both a paper's draft and published version in Chicago style Summary: I have a draft of a paper and its later published version. I correctly cite the published version, but I want to
It's unusual to cite a draft of something that's already been published, which is probably why no examples can be readily found.
First, according to The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.), 14.218 [paywall], the method of citing a draft itself is to use the phrase working paper:
Deborah D. Lucki and Richard W. Pollay, “Content Analyses of Advertising: A Review of the Literature†(working paper, History of Advertising Archives, Faculty of Commerce, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 1980).
There is also a use for forthcoming, but I can't see it being used in the case where something has already actually having been published.
If you cite both the draft version and the published version, I would treat it as two different works by the same author.
From Chicago, 15.18:
For successive entries by the same author(s), translator(s), editor(s), or compiler(s), a 3-em dash replaces the name(s) after the first appearance … The entries are arranged chronologically by year of publication in ascending order, not alphabetized by title … Undated works designated n.d. or forthcoming follow all dated works …
Since the working copy in this case is identical to an already published version of the same work, even if it has no explicitly given date, I would still list it ahead of the published version.
Chicago gives an example of this:
Schuman, Howard, and Jacqueline Scott. 1987. “Problems in the Use of Survey Questions to Measure Public Opinion.†Science 236 (4804): 957–59. doi.org/10.1126/science.236.4804.957. ———. 1989. “Generations and Collective Memories.†American Sociological Review 54, no. 3 (June): 359–81. www.jstor.org/stable/2095611.
This is modified if both the working copy and the published version are dated the same year.
From Chicago, 15.20:
Two or more works by the same author in the same year must be differentiated by the addition of a, b, and so forth (regardless of whether they were authored, edited, compiled, or translated) and are listed alphabetically by title. Text citations consist of author and year plus letter.
Fogel, Robert William. 2004a. The Escape from Hunger and Premature Death, 1700–2100: Europe, America, and the Third World*. New York: Cambridge University Press.
———. 2004b. “Technophysio Evolution and the Measurement of Economic Growth.†Journal of Evolutionary Economics 14, no. 2 (June): 217–21. doi.org/10.1007/s00191-004-0188-x. (Fogel 2004b, 218)
(Fogel 2004a, 45–46)
In this case, since the titles are identical, the listing order would fall back to chronological, with the draft version coming before the published version.
I suspect that if multiple published editions of the same work were cited, the same technique would be employed, and only the authors names would be replaced with a 3-em dash—with all other identical information simply being repeated.
I see no reason why this would not also apply to a draft version along with a published version.
Saying that, this is only my own interpretation of the situation.
Since there is no explicit guidance, pick something that seems reasonable and use it consistently.
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: Re: How can I write anonymously (based on true experiences)? I want to use an experience I had which is pretty unbelievable but true. The majority of the story will be completely true. It's not
Few months back, I was going through a very bad phase of my life and I needed a way to vent out my vulnerable story but at the same time I was afraid of being judged or labeled. Then I got some suggestions from some forums.
Suggestion #1
You can try for Self-Hosted Blog and use a pseudonym. But at least the web hosting service will have your information.
Suggestion #2
To consider using blogging website and subdomain instead of a self-hosted blog with pseudo name. They suggested me to set up a blog somewhere like Tumblr, Squarespace, etc. and use a subdomain for my blog. This is based on the fact that when you create an account on website, they do not reveal your personal information. But my concern was – “Could they accidentally reveal that information?†and the answer was “Yes, they could, but not sureâ€. At least if not, still the websites will have our identity.
Finally, I goggled for anonymous platforms to write and I got some suggestions. I tried few, and then I stumbled upon a platform called Vigyaa Anonymous. My first thought was another platform claiming to be ‘anonymous’ like others who still track my IP, ask me to login etc, but was pleasantly surprised to see they are really anonymous, I was not asked to register, so no login was required, and they do not track my IP. To my experience, it’s an interesting way to write anonymously.
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: Use of "set down" in a formal document I was recently asked to translate a Spanish letter of recommendation into English. Not being an English native speaker, I was bound to make a few mistakes.
I was recently asked to translate a Spanish letter of recommendation into English. Not being an English native speaker, I was bound to make a few mistakes. According to a reviewer, one of these was the following use of the phrasal verb "set down":
"I, (name of signee), am pleased to set down in this document that ..."
The tone is meant to formal but somewhat relaxed, as the document is not legal binding.
Is this wrong syntax? Should I have used some other verb?
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: Short Story versus Novel format I have just completed a draft erotic short story I have never professionally published fiction before but I believe this story "sizzles". This story
I have just completed a draft erotic short story I have never professionally published fiction before but I believe this story "sizzles". This story is around 4000 words. I have rough plans to write several more short stories using the same characters and possibly even venture into the LGBT arena. Would it be more financially rewarding to publish as series of short stories or to combine into longer novel? Does anybody have recommendations on publishers that work with you to help publish work? Especially in areas like cover design. I am a novice; however, I do not want to have to pay a large sum upfront for help. I would rather have the help come out of royalties. I want to have it published as a e-book and possibly audiobook. Does Amazon/Kindle accept "HOT" works on their site or is it mostly family friendly stories. I would gratefully accept advise from anyone who has experience in this genre
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: Re: Punctuation of a quote inside parentheses - MLA I was wondering how to properly format a quote inside parentheses in MLA. So far I have mostly used the third option, although the double parentheses
Did you know you can ask the MLA questions and see the answers to other people's questions? style.mla.org/category/ask-the-mla/
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: Re: Section headings: "to check..." vs. "checking" I have a technical document which consists of the following sections: 1. Assignment statements 2. Concatenation 3. Data types 4. To check whether key
Typically, the title of a procedural topic uses the gerund of the verb. For example, "Checking..." However, this can vary by organization and depends on the style guide or conventions your organization has established.
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: Re: Should my character speak like an layman or a Latin teacher? 'He tracked and updated 182 patient statuses' OR 'He tracked and updated 182 patient stati?' I believe "statuses" is correct. However,
"He tracked and updated the status of 182 patients" is also perfectly acceptable and uncontroversial.
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: Re: Should my character speak like an layman or a Latin teacher? 'He tracked and updated 182 patient statuses' OR 'He tracked and updated 182 patient stati?' I believe "statuses" is correct. However,
In the scenario you've given, only a pedantic character would use Latin. Ordinary people such as medical staff and doctors would say "statuses" or refer to the patients' "medical state" and "health condition." For details, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_state.
Speakers who use British Engish also use "status" as a plural noun. For example: "The survey considered participants' viewpoints, social status, and demographics." For details, see onlinewritingtraining.com.au/plural-of-status/.
In Latin, "statii" and "stati" are not plurals of "status." The Latin nominative and accusative plurals of "status" as a 4th declension noun are both "statūs" (pronounced 'sta-toos). This could be useful in dialog. For example:
HUFFMEISTER: By the way, saying "statuses" is wrong. The correct word is "statii."
CURLY SUE: Actually, my mother was a Latin professor. You're wrong, and you're pedantic twit.
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: Re: How to care about the characters more than the world? I have a very well-built up world with politics, religions etc, that I've built up over the course of my writing. But I have recently
You and your readers will only care about your story if it contains a character who is instrumental in protecting or shaping this world:
Bring a disruptive force to bear down upon on your planet or your character's personal life. (Conflict)
Give your character the primary role in shaping the outcome of this disruption. (Protagonist)
Give another character the purpose of opposing or undermining your character in thought, words, or actions. (Antagonist)
The impact of that outcome can range from personal to global. (Everyday hero vs. superhero)
The outcome can range from success to failure. (Yay hero! vs. tragedy!)
Cutting out the backstory: In early drafts of your story, you might spend a lot of time describing and explaining the world before the conflict. It's frankly difficult for most readers to wade through all this information. In later drafts, cut away almost everything leading up to the moment of conflict. Begin your story about five minutes before the conflict ("in medeas res"). Then, let the conflict, action, and dialog reveal the nature of your world. Letting your readers figure it out is half the fun! Avoid using exposition as a crutch. I know you're in love with your world and cutting like this is hard, but doing so makes for a much better story. To see examples of this, watch the first five minutes of almost any Hollywood movie.
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: Re: Explicit scientific syntax for academic writing (like a programming language but for scientific reports and publishing)? This is a project I am thinking of working on in the future. Is anyone
Yes. Something like this has been done before.
At any given moment, there might be 9,728 planes in the air carrying 1,270,406 people around the world. Every crew on each of these planes depends on having accurate, readable, flight manuals on their aircraft.
The Aviation industry has addressed the issue of how best to encode and decode information by establishing the S1000D standard for creating documentation. This standard uses a controlled vocabulary or language called Simplified Technical English.
You could study these and see if they embody concepts that could be applied to your idea.
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: Re: Is this Plagiarism? I wrote this blog post about an article I found online -> https://www.timesofisrael.com/researchers-develop-system-to-measure-solar-energy-potential-of-city-roofs/ This is my post: The
I recommend you double check your blog post word by word. If you have five or more of the same words then it is plagiarism. The best thing to do if you suspect anything is to review.
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: Font Size for Book I am writing a short book. What is the best font size to use with Times New Roman: 12 or 14?
I am writing a short book. What is the best font size to use with Times New Roman: 12 or 14?
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: Re: Looking for a better word than "Yikes" I'm trying to find the right word to use in a (serious) comic I'm writing. The character is an eighteen year old American girl, talking to some older
In modern teenage parlance, and assuming you actually do need to provide an utterance that just comes out unbidden, you could try d'oh:
[Merriam-Webster]
—used to express sudden recognition of a foolish blunder or an ironic turn of events
It's the second part of that definition that applies here: "an ironic turn of events." In other words, "What? I can't believe it's them. That's typical …"
Any teenager, especially any teenager who's seen The Simpsons, will be familiar with this:
"D'oh!"
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: Re: What's the difference between regular written and literary english? So, I think there's a difference between English that's used in things like novels and similar writings and what is used every
There is a vast area of study on the topic of reading comprehension.
From Wikipedia:
Ability to comprehend text is influenced by readers' skills and their ability to process information. If word recognition is difficult, students use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read. There are many reading strategies to improve reading comprehension and inferences, including improving one's vocabulary, critical text analysis (intertextuality, actual events vs. narration of events, etc.) and practicing deep reading …
Reading comprehension and vocabulary are inextricably linked together. The ability to decode or identify and pronounce words is self-evidently important, but knowing what the words mean has a major and direct effect on knowing what any specific passage means while skimming a reading material. It has been shown that students with a smaller vocabulary than other students comprehend less of what they read. It has been suggested that to improve comprehension, improving word groups, complex vocabularies such as homonyms or words that have multiple meanings, and those with figurative meanings like idioms, similes, collocations and metaphors are a good practice …
Some texts, like in philosophy, literature or scientific research, may appear more difficult to read because of the prior knowledge they assume, the tradition from which they come, or the tone, such as criticizing or parodizing.
In short, the difference between Little Red Riding Hood and War and Peace can be broken down into several broad areas:
Vocabulary
Grammar
Style
Subject Knowledge
Some literature (but by no means all) is written in a style that involves long sentences, words less commonly known, and punctuation that can make it difficult to separate out subjects, verbs, objects, and clauses.
In theory, questions and answers on this site are meant to be clearly understood. If something isn't communicated well, it won't fare as well as something that is.
Some literature (again, not all) is written for a specific audience that is more appreciative of the need for a higher level of reading comprehension.
Having said all of that, I would be careful of using a distinction like regular English and literary English. Some so-called regular English can be quite difficult to understand. Meanwhile, some so-called literary English can be quite easy to understand. It really depends on what specific examples you are thinking of.
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