Activity for blackbird
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
How do you use the interjection for snorting? How do you use the interjection for snorting? I was told that "snort" is an onomatopoeia, but I disagree. "Haha" and "Heh heh" would be onomatopoeia, because they are pronounced the way they are written. The act of snorting sounds like you are exhaling hair like "Pshht", but "snort" is not an onomato... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should you only use colons and full stops in dialogues? Should you only use colons and full stops in dialogues? I thought about using a semi-colon in one of my dialogues, but I had second thought about it, because when we talk, we don't really differentiate semi-colons from colons, so it almost in a way nonsensical to use semi-colons in dialogues. What do... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is there a good reference book on allegories used in literature? Is there a good reference book on allegories used in literature? I am looking for a reference book that gives references to use of allegories in the creative literature. For example: If a novel uses the allegory of "Adam and Eve", I would like an entry with the name of the book and how the allegory i... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we create our own symbolisms? In the Bible, the apple is a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man and sin. The book itself gave the apple a symbolic meaning. How can you as an author give an object like the apple your own meaning? And how do you make sure that your readers interpret the apple as having you... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is there a "right" way to interpret a novel? If so, how do we make sure our novel is interpreted correctly? Is there a "right" way to interpret a novel? If so, how do we make sure our novel is interpreted correctly? I have been told that there's no way of interpreting the true meaning of a book written by an author, because we don't know the intent they had. So, is there a standard way of making sure a boo... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is there a better way to introduce acronyms through a dialogue? Is there a better way to introduce acronyms through a dialogue? One way of doing it, is to mention what the acronym stands for at the beginning and then use the acronym afterward, but that's a bit weird and unnatural, because people won't say "National Aeronautics and Space Administration" they will ... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we know if a dialogue sounds unnatural without asking for feedback? I wrote a dialogue, but I am not sure if it sounds natural. I try to keep dialogue super simple so that it doesn't feel unnatural, but aside from that, I am not sure if there's any golden rule I can follow to make sure the dialogue I write doesn't sound off. Here's a small excerpt of what I wrote re... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we end a description properly? Sometimes, I have trouble coming up with a way to end a description properly, especially one that's at the very end of a chapter. What are some of the things you can do, especially when the description just describes a set of actions taken by a character? Is there a way of doing this without going in... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we distinguish how a character pronounces a word and how it is spelled in a dialogue? How do we distinguish how a character pronounces a word and how it is spelled in a dialogue? For example, some people pronounce words in a different way than they should, how do you show that in a dialogue? Is there a way to do this properly? Is there a standard way? For example: > "I don't want to... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Use of punctuation in song lyrics? https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/The\Edge\of\Dawn\(Seasons\of\Warfare)) The following is the short version of "The Edge of Dawn". > Reach for my hand, > > I'll soar away > > Into the dawn > > Oh, I wish I could stay > > Here in cherished halls, > > In peaceful days > > I fear the edge of da... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is there a good resource on all different formatting and writing styles throughout history? I noticed writers in the past used a different format, in terms of punctuation, indentation, quotations, spacing, and paragraph length, and the format can be different from author to author and from book to book. So I was wondering if there was a sort of resource book that details all the styles peop... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
What's the proper way of indicating that a car has reached its destination during a dialogue? What's the proper way of indicating that a car has reached its destination during a dialogue? For example, two persons have a conversation, and they reach a destination, is there a standard way to do this? For example: > ... > > "I am not sure if we should really talk about this, because you know,... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Do we have to introduce the character's name before using their names in a dialogue tag? Do we have to introduce the character's name before using their names in a dialogue tag? I am wondering if we can use the names without saying it's a man or a woman, and then making the characters introduce themselves and name themselves before using their names in dialogue tags. For example: > "My... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
What effect does compounding bring when used in the title of a song, poem, story? What effect does compounding bring when used in the title of a song, poem, story? Sometimes, you see word that are made of two conjoined words, and you wonder what's the point of it. Does it make a difference if the title of your song is "bathwater" instead of "bath water"? There's this song by Britn... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How would you write the dialogues of two characters talking in a chat room? How would you write do the dialogues of two characters talking in a chat room? I am seriously wondering about the format. Should it look like regular dialogues, what about emoticons like OWO and ;) and XD? For example: > "Kyle, you're so funny! XD" she wrote. "I can't believe you did that!" > > "Y... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should you avoid redundant information after dialogue? Should we avoid repeating redundant information after a dialogue and is there a way around this? Sometimes, you feel prompted to write the description of an action that follows a line, but that also seems to be redundant, and it leads to some pretty bad prose. How would you work around this? For exa... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? Let's say you have a character and his dad is the President of the United States. In what situation is it appropriate for the character to refer to his dad as "the President"? What if the dad isn't a President, but a m... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we handle pauses in a dialogue? How do we handle pauses in a dialogue? Let's say that character A speaks and then after a pause character A speaks again. How should we separate the two moments, should we write two lines of dialogues or should we cut the two lines of dialogues with a brief description? For example: > "Was the com... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
What are some standards in naming a software/hardware version? I am wondering if how we name a version of a spacecraft differs from how we name a version of a software. For software, I usually see things like "2.0.32.32" or something like that and sometimes they may be preceded by some letter or word. Is there an universal standard for telling how you should for... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Can we dialoguify sounds? Can we dialoguify sounds? By dialoguifying I mean turning something that shouldn't be put in quote when that something correspond to sounds into a dialogue by putting it between quotes and treating it as a dialogue. For example: > "Bang, bang, bang, pow." Celine banged on the door. "Bang, bang, pow... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we follow up a description within a descriptive text with another description? How do we follow up a description within a descriptive text with another description? Let's say you mention A and B in the first sentence, and then follow up with a long description of B, how do you then introduce the description of A without leading to an unpleasant change of flow. For example: > ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we write a movie script with a view towards establishing all of the visual symbolisms and how they should be interpreted? How do we write a movie script with a view towards establishing all of the visual symbolisms and how they should be interpreted? Often, movie scripts often only have dialogues and some very brief descriptions, but they don't describe how the camera should move nor do they mention the symbolisms used... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should we avoid "nonsensical" or "unclear" metaphors? Should we avoid "nonsensical" or "unclear" metaphors? I am not sure if this is a case of "nonsensical" or "unclear" metaphor, but sometimes you have certain phrases that doesn't seem to be suited for a particular metaphor. For example: > They drifted out of the room like small clouds in a sunny sky... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do you transcribe a dialogue when abbreviations are used? How do you transcribe a dialogue when abbreviations are used? For example, when people uses acronyms like FBI or abbreviations like a.m., do we just write them as we write them when they're in a dialogue? I am thinking FBI is FBI even if it's in a dialogue, but I am not sure about a.m. For example... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Why am I getting a strange double quote (“) in Open Office instead of the ordinary one (")? Why am I getting a strange double quote (“) in Open Office instead of the ordinary one (")? Every time I type the double quote, I get the weird version instead of the ordinary one. How do I get the normal one instead when I type it? Is there a way to fix this unwanted behavior? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
What format should I use when beginning a chapter with the time and location of the events? What format should I use when beginning a chapter with the time and location of the events? I was thinking to use: > Nine pm. Sunday, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. but I don't think it looks good, so I was wondering what were the alternatives and which ones were the most popular ones. For example: > ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
When writing an error prompt, how do we tell the user the error happens in a specific tab? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab\(interface)) I have made a medical record application that allows someone to record data about someone, but the application also allows us to add the data of a relative. So basically you can have a tab for the main user, and a tab for a relative like the spouse and ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
When writing an error prompt, should we end the sentence with a exclamation mark or a dot? When writing an error prompt, should we end the sentence with a exclamation mark or a dot? I am writing an application for iPhone and I have some error prompt in my application like "Your password must be 8 character long with alphanumeric characters!" However, I am not completely sold on the idea o... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
What kind of metaphor is "trees in the wind"? What kind of metaphor is "trees in the wind"? > I saw God in the Forest > > Teachin' Tai Chi > > To the trees in the wind > > Bowing to the sea Excerpt from http://www.bensollee.com/panning-for-gold What I find odd is that the reference is "trees in the wind" and not just a word and the referee... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Are there specific rules about caesura that restrict us where we can place them? A caesura is a slight pause that's important in poetry, because for example alexandrines require a caesura in the middle. But the question is where can we put them. I know that we tend to put them in places where there's a punctuation mark like a comma, but there are also authors who put them almost... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
What's wrong with impersonal and lifeless descriptions in a novel? It feels like there is something wrong with using impersonal descriptions in fiction. But what is it? As an example, I'm unhappy with the following passage I wrote, because the descriptions aren't attached to a person's actions. But is that really a bad thing? And if so, how do you get around it? >... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How do we properly manage transitions within a descriptive section? I wrote the following: > She invited him to look out the window, which he did. He looked out of the gray window and saw a field of green vegetables under a lush blue sky. Children were playing in the hills descending and going up them as they played games. Under the mountain, a large silvery river f... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |