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16.1k posts
 
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Q&A How to handle bad source texts in technical translation?

In technical translation (e.g. of manuals), the quality of the source text often is not very high. This concerns not only the language used, but also the structure of the whole document. Should te...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Philipp‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question translation technical-writing
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Q&A How do I write a report analyzing a system's weaknesses and how to address them?

I was asked to prepare an overview of an existing IT architechture and provide a document that consists of weaknesses analysis and suggestions on how each of the weak spots can be improved. How to...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by user40‭  ·  edited 4y ago by Canina‭

Question business-writing technical-writing
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Q&A How do I have to refer to a person of a specific racial group?

My novel is developed in an East Asian environment (specifically Japan) and my main character is not Asian, she is from Central América and is Mixed Race. Now, my main character is going to refer t...

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Marian-Danny‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question style characters creative-writing
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Q&A How can I introduce languages that will be spoken in the long term?

My story is a little bit weird because it starts in a Spanish speaking country and then moves to Japan where everybody speaks japanese and I don't know how to introduce this new language that will ...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Marian-Danny‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question language creative-writing
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Q&A Writing what my family may not want to read

I am going through a difficult time in my life and, as a keen amateur writer I’m seriously considering writing about my experience. My motivation is two fold, firstly I believe it will help me, but...

5 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Unsure‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question fiction non-fiction
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Q&A Is it a bad idea to have multiple bad endings and only one good ending?

Background: I'm working on a game that has multiple paths for players to choose from. The choices the players make can lead them to very different endings. There are many bad endings but only one t...

5 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by noClue‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question videogame ending narrative branching-narrative
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Q&A Do you have to write in the tone of ordinary speech?

Must writing always be done in the tone/style of ordinary contemporary speech? For example, some people might say that the conjunction "for" is archaic and should not be used in modern prose, but ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by g.arbia777‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question style word-choice grammar tone
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Q&A Still struggling with character desire, positive vs. negative, hooking readers

Apologies for the difficulties I've been having, and leaning for help here. Every step seems to be its own stumbling block. Question: All else being equal, is a positive desire/goal/motivation (of...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question storyline motivation
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Q&A How to derive a storyline from a beginning?

I have an idea for the beginning of a story. I have the setting, the protagonist, and the events that set the story in motion, including the inciting incident and the first plot point. I have, in s...

7 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question plot planning brainstorming ideas storyline
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Q&A Should the narrator use pseudonyms in writing?

I have characters who have to use false names. Should the narrator use their real name or false name? For example, if person A was being called Adam when their real name was Archie, person B would ...

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Ajnatorix Zersolar‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question characters creative-writing narrative narrator
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Q&A How do I include a powerful theme in my story without making it blatantly obvious? [closed]

I want to have an underlying message in my writing but I really don't want it to come across as annoying or too preachy. Thanks!

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Nahan ‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question ideas theme storytelling
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Q&A Would it be cheating to change the main character's "name" partway through the story?

I'm writing a story written in third-person limited, and the main character has no real name. They simply go by the nickname they're given by the people they hang around at the time, resulting in m...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by AkkaVer‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question fiction third-person naming perspective character-development
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Q&A Writing dialogue

How much dialogue to use when novel writing? I find it so boring and unimaginative to write, but yet when I read I appreciate that it often provides key information for the story. How much is too ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by naomii44‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question dialogue
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Q&A Citing Pseudonym/Handle as Author: MLA 8

I'm citing several podcasts in an MLA 8 bibliography for a PhD student. Many have authors/hosts with names such as "FriedPapita and Myte" (2 authors), or just "Jaime" (first name only). I've don...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Morgan Meredith‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question citations academic-writing mla
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Q&A A mix of the Medieval Age and the 21st century period

Just a short question, but is there a term for eras or ages being mixed together in a story? To be more specific, I'm writing a story which is primarily set during the Middle Age. However, some o...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by MizukiTan‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question time-depiction
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Q&A Is inner monologue a bad way to show character traits?

Is directly showing a characters inner thoughts and conversations with themselves too telly or cheesy?

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Allan Smithy‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question style showing-telling dialogue show
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Q&A Is there a word or a sets of words that describe a persons beautiful dead face?

Imagine you're a protagonist in a story and you find a dead body, you go up to the corpse and find it's bloody face to be beautiful. How would you describe the corpse's face? Is there a specific wo...

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Static‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question fiction short-story writers-block word-choice writer
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Q&A Can I split a long scene up by switching the camera from one arguing couple to a different couple?

If I have a long scene in a cafe with a couple arguing (comedy) can I split the scene up by changing the camera angle to a couple in another corner? It is technically the same scene, but it could b...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Desmond56‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question technique screenwriting
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Q&A Other than trademarked names, should recipe ingredients in a cookbook be capitalized?

Re: editing a cookbook Other than trademarked names, should ingredients in the recipe lists be capitalized? Thank you in advance.

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Kimbly‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question publishing style capitalization
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Q&A How to handle a massive info dump post-ending?

I know this question has been asked a few times, and I’ve read all the helpful answers, but can’t implement them in my situation. So, would love some further assistance. I’ve written a psych thril...

7 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by GGx - Reinstate Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question fiction creative-writing epilogues
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Q&A What's a shorter way of saying, "If you had asked me, I would have said, 'I suppose'"?

I have this sentence: Rebecca lived in the building and was one of my wife's closest friends. One of mine too, I supposed. With "I supposed", I'm trying to convey that if you had asked the ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Tyler‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question word-choice phrasing narrative
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Q&A How can I understand characters whose worldview is alien to my own?

I feel I've got a huge obstacle, whenever I'm pretending" to be a character and trying to make out how he/she would react. I feel strongly that the mentality of the creator is reflected in his wor...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question habits creative-writing breaking-bad-writing-habits
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Q&A Character crisis for a Science Hero?

I have three protagonists working towards the same goal but with different motives. They are co-protagonists each with their own character arc and resolution. Circumstances bring them together but ...

5 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by wetcircuit‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question character-development archetypes conflict
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Q&A How to *show* a controversial reality without seeming like I'm treating it as acceptable and without making it explicit that this is wrong?

I have a story which has some controversial social problems, and my intention is to just show these issues (for drama) realistically and impartially (i.e. just showing the facts, without imposing a...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Yuuza‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question fiction
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Q&A Is it okay to include world-building facts by "telling" instead of "showing"?

I know we need to show and not tell, but is it still okay to sometimes tell instead of having to show it? For example, I wanna let the reader know that humans in my story are actually the same spec...

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Klara Raškaj‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question world-building showing-telling show