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They're fine; they certainly aren't an error. If a particular use sounds awkward, don't hesitate to drop attribution entirely (it's often still quite clear who's talking, because most conversations...
"Thank you so much for generously sharing your time and expertise." With additional superlatives and the word "appreciate" as needed.
If the beginning is blocking you, start writing something else. You have an outline, right? You know roughly what's going to happen when. So pick some point which is easier, and start there. My su...
A book discussing copyrighted and trademarked works can unquestionably be done. It has been done, many times; search on Amazon for unauthorized guide to and you'll see books on everything from Buff...
I would have no problem putting appendices in "logical" order. An appendix is referred to out-of-context or out of order anyway, so what difference does it make if your footnote sends the reader to...
How sympathetic to make your villain depends heavily on what your villain's role in the story is. Once you're able to figure out what role he has, what effect you'd like him to have on your audienc...
Who's your audience? Answer that, and you'll know where to focus your efforts. Wherever that audience gathers; whatever the norms are among them; whoever within that group makes book recommendatio...
You have six sentences' worth of text in three conjoined sentences. Not all of the pairings are necessary and some might not be "correct"; for example, you could just as easily conjoin the questio...
David Eddings does this in the Belgariad pentology. Main character Garion is introduced to a man whom his Aunt Pol calls "Old Wolf," and Garion decides to call him "Mister Wolf." Mister Wolf later...
In fiction (which takes place in a universe much neater than our own), a change of name almost always indicates a change of status. Thus when Strider becomes Aragorn his status changes from vagabon...
Inspired by David Aldridge's answer, I think the value that a publisher can give you is to set the high standard for your book. That's why they are a publisher. It's not about doing trivial tasks t...
As said, 1 page (standard format) is estimated at one minute. If you are worried and want a more detailed answer: If your dialogue is particularly dense or complicated, read it aloud with a stop ...
One resource is Techwr-l, a large, long-running mailing list and web forum. You can't just post job ads to the mailing list, but they accept ads/sponsorships. I've never advertised there so I don...
I try to describe something or someone the first time we meet them, so the reader has something to hold onto, and I do it from the POV of whatever character is in focus at the moment. So let's say...
My background: wanted to be a programmer, entered a math program in college (because that was how you got to CS), loved the CS but hated the math, switched to technical writing and took the CS from...
Your worry is a valid one; the reader could be frustrated by this. However, this is something that can be taken care of in later drafts. You may need to shore things up a little to clarify the myst...
I would actually answer this with my graphic designer hat on: all code should be given a particular style in the layout program (font in particular, but type size, margins, justification), and then...
I think it's three things. First, the accessible writing style, with its informal language that matches how regular people think and talk, is helpful but not sufficient. Second, the character's a...
Your problem is not making time for reading. You have two other problems: You're giving up too quickly on writing. You surf too much. First, as John Smithers wisely says, disconnect your intern...
You want to do whatever makes the text easiest to understand. For me, that means a mix of long and short sentences. Scientific writing is already going to be dense and complex. There are times whe...
On the first draft: you won't. First drafts are almost invariably clunkers. But your first draft is not meant to shine. Your first draft is meant to get the story onto paper and out of your head w...
Been there, done that, designed the T-shirt. Some suggested bullet points, mix and match as needed: Acted as secondary point-of-contact with clients Assisted Account Managers in dealing with clie...
I agree with Lauren Ipsum's answer. Some additional points: The paragraph you posted for the cover letter talks about what you want to do, but you've actually done this. Call that out; lots of p...
If everything you write is sounding like overused tropes and clichés, it may be that you're simply showing your influences. And when you see your writing, all you're seeing are those influences. He...
Scrivener does have a Comment or Sticky-Note function. You can also use a Highlight to mark big swathes of text, change the color of inserted copy, and Strike-Through to cross things out. As John ...
