Posts by System
I created my own language for a game, and I've come to learn a lot from it. I am no expert on linguistics, and my tips are a bit random/rambling, but maybe they might help. Here's some of what I w...
Cormac McCarthy's style is worthy of a topic all its own. I've read all his books. Hasn't written a bad one, though some owe more or less of a debt to Faulkner. Anyway, to the point: he doesn't use...
It has around 200 poems, a lot of vulgarisms, and many of them seem senseless.
When writing a literary essay in English what tense should be used: Past as in: Gatsby’s parties were ostentatious and exquisite Or present as in: Gatsby’s parties are ostentatious and e...
Native speakers of English tend on the whole to write in the "written standard" of their native variety of English. Speakers of different varieties, or at least those who are "well read", are gene...
Suppose I am writing a post/blog, how should I mention myself? For example, Ray Wenderlich (Site Admin) Ray is an indie software developer currently focusing on iPhone and iPad developmen...
I don't know if I can ask about this in this site. But anyway I'll give it a shot. (This question is a spin-off from EL&U.) Here is a skit from a radio English conversation program, dealing wi...
I'm considering publishing my novel as an e-book (since I'm very techy) before I take the usual "paperback" route. Is this a wise choice? Also what would I need to do? (steps).
I'm working on a sci-fi novel, and it contains a lot of fictional creatures, which are in some ways separate from the novel because I came up with them a while before I actually got the idea to wri...
Can writing in the third-person limited omniscient POV include internal monologue and character thoughts?
From my experience, not explicitly. But a technical writer does need to understand what they are writing about in order to communicate it effectively. If you'd like a book on the subject, Technica...
The odds are against you, but them some people do make it. They all use the hero's journey structure - see http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html
Do they still make hardware-based word processors? I would like a portable, no-frills dedicated machine for writing. The Neo from Alpha Smart looks close but $150 seems excessive for calculator p...
I am just starting my first screen writing class and I got an assignment that says: Exposition and Ammunition – back story. I have been searching online but I don't get it. Can someone explain it f...
I thought about writing fantasy story from the perspective of the evil antagonist (think from Sauron's perspective). So my bad guy will be the protagonist and my good guys will be the antagonist. I...
I am a lawyer from California and I can tell you there are very specific requirements to writing a valid Will. If you mess up (and people often do) the whole things winds up in Probate Court and co...
I'm reading one of those accounting books that is best described by a reviewer who said it was like "going through WWI trench warfare". So here is what I did thanks to a friend who suggested this ...
Well, there is a book and a movie adaptation :- '12 Angry Men'. That one exactly does what you have in your mind. none of the character's names are used. there are 12+ characters in the plot! Hope ...
I'm an online tutor. I don't know that online writing classes "do" help improve writing skills, but I know they can. It's a matter of finding a tutor who is not only skilled, but compatible with ...
I think part of the difficulty with the sentence can be corrected by emphasizing the problem being reported: Using the print functionality after doing a search in the Web Product Provider (...
First remember that for many readers "Colonel" and "Sergeant" are just as alien as "Oberst" and "Feldwebel". A civilian who doesn't know rank may well assume both are just some kind of soldier. T...
I wrote a similar story recently, leaving the character nameless as a method of dehumanisation as opposed to implimenting mystery. I think the best way to do it is to use more thought-based 1st per...
I think most people identify better with someone who has failings - as noted by other respondents. Keep in mind the trope "Jack of all trades, master of none". Most "average" people gain a little b...
Be sensual. Describe how thinks feel, look, smell. In a story, put the reader in a setting and make them feel like they're really there. Include small, realistic details to further the illusion. B...
Over the years, my English professors seem to have agreed on one thing: that I'm a superb technical writer, but terrible at eliciting emotional response in something like a story or an argumentativ...
