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When we created this site, I made the executive decision to import all our content from Stack Exchange instead of starting with a blank slate. I did that for a few reasons: We have a lot of good...
I recently subscribed to notifications for new questions posted on the site, but as a result I'm being spammed with a daily list of questions that have any change, including very old questions with...
Feature Request/Suggestion: Tags Tags exist right now, ported over from SE, but we don't have any structure for new questions. I'd like to see tag suggestions, like we have on SE, where you start...
There's currently no way to link directly to answers. SE has a 'share' button which does this. I use this ability quite frequently to refer to certain relevant answers.
At the moment, it appears we're receiving rep for Meta questions and answers, same as for regular questions and answers. Is that how we want it? I can see arguments both ways: Participation in M...
By "new questions in here", I mean it's like 20 new questions of that new user flood up the homepage at one time.
Well, first, the scenario you posit is a bit unusual. During the Industrial Revolution (on which I did my MA many moons ago) many of the men who made their money in trade and industry at some point...
Don't fall into the trap of assuming that you have to act out how dialogue is spoken. Yes, some author do try indicate every nuance of sound in some character's speech, but most readers find it hig...
Some core skills for a technical writer are: Ability to communicate effectively in writing. Ability to understand the subject matter (what you're documenting) from the user's perspective, inclu...
Setting aside your specific case, which I'm not qualified to comment on, I'll address your general question of a 13-year-old opposing family and the broader society's ethics. I have no particular ...
It may be illegal in some parts of the world if the material you're writing can be considered blasphemous or heretical. However in most of the world it would be perfectly fine. Pretty much all main...
The first step is to use different styling for the telepathic parts, as suggested in the answer by Evil Sparrow. I recommend against using italics because italics are often used for inner dialogue...
Stephen King, in a live interview, was asked "What advice do you have for people that want to write?" His answer (I am repeating from memory) was: "They should write. But I have to tell you, most ...
It's acceptable, but should be reserved for rare occasions where it's absolutely necessary to keep the flow of the scene going. Overuse of this type of punctutation would indeed make your writing l...
Begin by noticing that educated is a relative term. Today we tend to think of it in terms of formal schooling. But many people with less formal schooling, may be educated in other things by other m...
Deleting your SE account removed all association with you from your posts. If you happen to remember what your user ID was on SE, it's just possible that the Data Explorer might have kept that ID a...
Quotation marks are for words that are actually spoken. Nothing else. If you must do this, use italics. But don't do this. Don't try to do sound effects. A novel is not a movie. You can describe ...
Don't worry about it and use "and" when you need to. Some words in writing are effectively invisible. They perform such basic grammatical functions that it is very rare for readers to be grated by...
I'm all one for structure, and awareness of structure, but some of these paint by number descriptions of the three act structure strike me as going a bit far. Just as you say, one gets stuck trying...
There are a couple of meanings for "pantsing" in writing. One is the saying that in order to write one must begin by applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. But by far the most c...
I'll describe two memorable language books: 1) A slim volume printed on WWII thin paper, published I think by the U of Chicago. Each lesson (chapter) presented about a dozen vocabulary items and ...
Perhaps my favorite CoC would be the one currently used by the Ruby language quoted here: This document provides community guidelines for a safe, respectful, productive, and collaborative place f...
Pondering this, I wonder what the point is of improving questions/answers that no one is reading. Is writing new answers to those questions going to make then suddenly start turning up in searches?...
I've reviewed the updated CoC, and overall it looks pretty good. I like the basic and short approach, and I like it being based on common sense and sound logic. I feel it's what every CoC should st...
