Posts tagged style
So a little while ago someone said that I'll never be able to write on a native level because I wasn't born in the UK or America. I did, however, go to elementary school in the US at the ages of 5-...
I'm having trouble deciding if the manner I have decided to narrate my story is too complicated or not. I have a story set in a completely foreign and alien world (fiction story). I then uproot my...
In the novel (3rd person omniscient) that I'm writing, there is one character that has an overbearing presence all through the story but is never seen and no one interacts with him. What I'm trying...
I'm looking for several suggestions for techniques to handle 2 similar cases ... While writing my current non-fiction book, there are a few times where a section ends with somewhat of a teaser of ...
I have recently noticed that I consistently follow an -ed clause with further action or elaboration using -ing. I feel like something is wrong here, even though it sounds and reads well enough to m...
Assume a manuscript written in AmE (if it matters, also assume an American MC). It would be relatively easy to change spelling, word choice, etc. to make a BrE manuscript. However, since I write ...
Is there any legitimate use for using bold to emphasize something in written speech within a sentence? I understand that bold can be used for formatting and highlighting, but I am looking to unders...
For example, in the case of this sentence: I drove past the empty stables and servant's quarters, and after another quarter mile I entered a very large circular driveway. Is it implied t...
In preparation for IELTS I want to write on "It is important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age. Punishment is necessary to help them learn this distinctio...
I want to write a short horror story. What are the best ways to set a dark tone or mood to the story? Just in a short introduction, if I want to introduce a character or place as a place I would no...
I'm searching for a tool that would make real-time suggestions based on "real world" text. The only corpus-based tool I know of is Writefull - does anybody know of any others?
The language industry has a long tradition in the pursuit of correctness, based on manually drafted rules. However, the end goal has always been communicative efficiency, which is something that ca...
It happens to most if not all of us. Something extremely emotional happens to us and we're just hysterical. Logic doesn't work. You contemplate punching a wall because that will help . . . somehow....
I've written a story about anthropomorphic animals in a noirish setting solving murders. I came up with the concept and wrote the first draft about a year ago and am planning on releasing it soon. ...
I'm having a problem that is not addressed by The Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Style Guide I have access to: How does a writer express laughter in fiction? I have seen no consistent answer. I...
I am the sort of person that is really great at coming up with amazing ideas, plot-lines, worlds, etc. for stories, but I'm not so good at putting them to paper - at least not in a novel. I'm reall...
I am writing my thesis. and I need to know the correct way of putting the reference. for example: this is a sentence taken from someone [2]. this is a sentence taken from someone[2]. ...
I have a project that I am working on in which I need to write quite a few fictional informal email correspondences between pairs of characters. I am not using these characters in any other context...
I am writing a personal statement to apply to a grad school. At first, I thought that because the role of this statement is to show an image of me as a person, using the tone I usually use when blo...
I am about to apply to a grad school, and I have prepare the SOP for it (think it like a cover letter to apply to a job). I know the rule: show what I've got, not tell how I think I'm cool. I've tr...
I am creating a table of contents for a book, and there are 4 ways of splitting information up. The biggest zones are 'Chapters', those can span several pages; these are bold, underlined and in lar...
I am writing about main character, which have multiple personalities. I know how i want to write them, but for reader it can be really disturbing and hard to for orientation. At the same time i wi...
Examples from my own writing: She smiled kindly. “Maybe I can help you. What are you trying to find?” "Probably," he said apologetically, as if he were personally responsible for t...
How do I write an introduction paragraph when it comes to writing a simple essay for those who have no idea what to write about and I don't have a creative mind? Please explain to me step by step.
I know you can add dialogue to the same paragraph as an action to show who's talking, but what happens when a character is making a speech and it's broken up by actions (hand movements, looking at ...
I'm not very sure if it's called "main noun" (sorry, I didn't pay attention in my grammar class). But anyway, here's an example: I decided to start my search at the library. Why? Well, it had m...
After the death of my cousin I have stopped writing for quite some time. However the stories ideas would persist in my mind. So I decided to try and write again, but whatever ideas I have. Turn int...
The question is pretty straightforward. Can a male writer write a first person story of a female protagonist? What limitations might he face in writing about the other gender? Should he just stick ...
I want to use the same initial small cap rule of The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. But I still can't figure it out. Some examples: TALKING HEADS’ Fear of Music is on my record player, so I low...
I am part of a group starting an online, submissions-based journal of critical writing specific to my field. As the writing will be academic, we will need a formal citation process. We have decided...
There's one thing in literature that no matter how cliche or over used it might be, I always find very compelling. For example, when a story unfolds as if there is a larger force at work moving all...
A quick side by side comparison of two layout styles: Left: no indent and with white space; right: indented, but no white space Recently, I'm seeing more and more academic-like documents which a...
I have not been able to find an existing question similar to mine, but apologies if I've missed one. I write an academic dissertation where I mention a lot of people. The first time someone is men...
newcomer here, and I have a question. I have a story that starts with the sentence, 'the ocean is vast'. However, I'm actually going to write my story in past tense form but changing that 'is' to...
How do I do MLA citations for an anniversary edition, e.g. 30th anniversary Selfish Gene. Do I treat it as a normal edition or just ignore that it is a new edition?
When I ask the Should I use hypophoras at the beginning of every paragraphs? question, Lauren Ipsum suggests me to organize things with headers while Kristina Adams advises me to avoid headers in o...
I am writing an an article to share knowledge, not novel. Usually, when you change the current topic, at the beginning of the new paragraph you would like to use some transition words such as Addit...
Does anyone have any effective writing techniques or exercises that you use to help you focus more on showing the reader what you mean rather than just telling them about? I know I often find mysel...
My friend is writing a paper in Chicago style and she is citing multiple interviews. The citations keep switching back and forth between different interviewees. What's the correct way to cite the...
I am trying to achieve a collection of books by the same author that I can give to my grandchildren. I have collected first editions and mostly first prints. But I am not clear that if I collect th...
I am writing my thesis report and I am doubt which one is acceptable and correct? 1- Section 1 1-2- Subsection 2 Or this way? 1 Section 1 1-2 Subsection 2 Please indicate if using a das...
I'm currently working on my thesis and need to cite a specific section of the C# Language Specification Version 5.0. The specification is available here, but I can't find the authors and the pub...
If both the author's name and the pen name are known, should one cite by one name or both names? If one, which?
I'm writing the introduction to a story. The intro starts with a dream, then the main character wakes up, and then he and one of the secondary characters have a conversation while waiting for a bus...
I've seen two main methods of writing a character's inner monologue One is to use italics Dean is being silly thought Sam Another is to quote the text "Dean is being silly" thought Sam Or you co...
I'm writing an essay (MLA style) for class and I am quoting a whole sentence within my sentence. For example: They published a “manifesto” proclaiming that “[a]ll are welcome to walk through our ...
What is the name of the structure of a novel that is not in chronological order but moves between characters (viewing the same or different topic)?
I am learning to write better, and have read books such as The Lively art of writing and Element of Style. I realize what I am missing is the grammar books that teaches me the different ways to con...
I see tinyURL recommended for news or magazine-style writing where AP style prevails--but then I see online warnings that clicking a tinyURL may take readers to sites they do not (at all) want to v...
I'm organising a project in the near future and am emailing people, which profiles I found on Linkedin, that I would like to work with. What I'm trying to get across is that it's going to be an exc...