: Re: Starting a sentence with well. Does my sentence need to be changed? I had a colleague today point out that the use of well in the following sentence is a typo. I think it makes sense but

I think you mean "while". "While" can be used as a conjunction to mean "even though" or "despite". As in, "While Bob is very tall, he still couldn't reach the top shelf."

Using "while" here creates an awkward sentence because later in the same sentence you use "while" in the idiom "a while", meaning "a long time". I'd recast it using other words, such as "a long time". So, "While these rules have been in practice for a long time, shipping companies are ..." etc.

"Well" can be an interjection indicating surprise, or simply as a kind of vague placeholder to introduce a new thought. "I saw Sally enter the room. Well, Bob was in the room too." As such, it should be followed by a comma. But this use is rarely found in formal speech. Sometimes it is used to indicate that the following thought contradicts what was previously said, somewhat like "but". "Everyone thinks Fred is a nice guy. Well, Mary has said some harsh things about him." But that doesn't seem to fit here.

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: How do I create a mysterious character? What personality traits and ways does he need to be mysterious? What attitudes must he have to be so? How do I create a mysterious character? What

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: One technique is to aim to write your entire story in a short period of time. Don't worry about getting it perfect; just get to the end before you run out of inspiration. You can always

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: Birth-death dates in exhibit catalog I'm editing an art exhibit catalog. The paintings featured are primarily portraits, most often titled simply with the subject's name. What is the best practice

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: I agree with the first comment. You can start a sentence with anything you like. In writing a story, sometimes it makes more sense or looks better if you break a few writing guidelines. You'll

: Re: Starting a sentence with well. Does my sentence need to be changed? I had a colleague today point out that the use of well in the following sentence is a typo. I think it makes sense but

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: How do I create a mysterious character? What personality traits and ways does he need to be mysterious? What attitudes must he have to be so? How do I create a mysterious character? What

: One technique is to aim to write your entire story in a short period of time. Don't worry about getting it perfect; just get to the end before you run out of inspiration. You can always

: Birth-death dates in exhibit catalog I'm editing an art exhibit catalog. The paintings featured are primarily portraits, most often titled simply with the subject's name. What is the best practice

: I agree with the first comment. You can start a sentence with anything you like. In writing a story, sometimes it makes more sense or looks better if you break a few writing guidelines. You'll

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