Activity for Monica Cellio
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: How to better imply time and place changes? One way to convey time is with signposts: > She buried her head in the pillow as she smacked the alarm clock for the third time. > > He fumbled with his key in the lock, glowering at the burnt-out porch light. "Gotta remember to fix that before leaving for work tomorrow," he muttered. > > Over din... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Where can I find a market for "offbeat" short stories about God's relationship with us? Speculative stories about God, or gods, can show up in the realm of speculative fiction, science fiction, or fantasy. Consider the following examples: - Some of the stories in Wandering Stars, ed. Jack Dann - Larry Niven's version of the Inferno trilogy - Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth - Isaac ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to keep documents with example full date timeless You are concerned that a document containing a recent, past date (like from last year) will make readers think your document is out of date. One way to address that is to use dates that are obviously not recent -- Jan 1 1970, Dec 31 2037, etc. If you have a section in the frontmatter about document ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Can I use a phrase from song lyrics as the title of my book? Short phrases like that can't usually be copyrighted. The link is from the US government, but I believe it to be the same for most of the Berne Convention countries. Of course you should consult your local law on this. In this specific case, there's already a TV show by that name), so they apparentl... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Starting a sentence with the name of a program or command-line tool: capitalization? Rule #1 in technical documentation is: don't mislead the reader. If the command or function name begins with a lowercase letter, capitalizing it is an error -- it's not "Cat" but "cat". The Microsoft Manual of Style specifies that literal elements like this should be written with their correct case. ... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How do I announce an area-restricted feature without discouraging the rest of my visitors? You can cast it as an early report on your beta launch, or as a preview of your forthcoming launch. Assuming that you're restricting it now so you can work the kinks out before spreading more widely, it helps to also talk about what you've learned -- we found and fixed this performance problem at sca... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How to communicate two elements of different general syntactic/semantic type in the same sentence? The problem you're having is in attaching the final clause: > NAME is...that helps...by rating...and helps... . When the reader gets to the "and" he's expecting it to bind to the "by" -- NAME helps by doing two things, rating and...helping. But the next word is "helps", which doesn't fit that patte... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Preserve "The Reveal" vs lying to the reader You appear to be writing your "the story so far" from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, hence your concern abut lying. Instead, describe events through a character lens. You can do this by writing these parts from the point of view of a particular character -- treat it as a speech, diary,... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Should I use contractions in a technical tutorial? It depends on how formal the context is. If you're writing a short blog post about getting started with a new game, "you'll" probably won't be out of place. If you're writing a tutorial as part of the documentation set for expensive enterprise software, it's more common in my experience to avoid cont... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: Adding links as foot notes A citation is a pointer to a source. While a URL is technically that, when universities say "citation" they mean something following a formal citation format. A citation typically includes an author, the title of the work, a publisher, and the date of publication. A URL, on the other hand, contains n... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: Is a QR card linked to the PDF of a book a good idea? PDFs use a fixed layout that doesn't scale with the device or window size, so they're not as friendly for smaller screens. Some people do read PDFs on some phones, though -- some screens are pretty big and some people have good eyes and can read the small page. Also, some of your readers might be usi... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: How do I show a long amount of time has passed? One way to show passage of time is by referring to time-based events. Over the course of a year you can use seasons for this; if we see your characters walking through the snow, and next see them walking through the fall leaves, we know that at least half a year has passed. For multi-year spans, look... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: Tool to batch convert DOI to citations? I haven't tested this (which would require registering with them and obtaining an ID), but CrossRef provides a web service that appears to do what you need. From the documentation: > Crossref query: > > https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?pid=username:password&id=10.1006/jmbi.2000.4282 > > Like... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What word processor is recommended for writing a technical (programming) book? You haven't specified any preferences for format (source or output), and that's going to be relevant. If it's up to you, for your source I recommend a text (not binary-format) markup language -- HTML, XML, LaTeX, or similar. A text source works well with source control, works with grep/find/search, a... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is it acceptable to ask a question in an argumentative paper? This is a rhetorical question and, used well, can enhance the essay. The key to using this device is to first raise a question, issue, or concern that the reader might reasonably have, and then to address it. You are, essentially, putting a question in the "mouth" of your reader so that you can go on... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How I should handle gender-neutral pronouns in technical writing? Using "he/she" will annoy some of your readers; using singular "they" will annoy others. And referring to a user as "it" will seem weird to most people. What I do is to write around the problem wherever possible. First off, if you're referring to the user of your API, it's better to write in secon... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Two perspectives in a non-fiction book One approach is to write separate chapters (maybe alternating, but maybe in this case more from her?) with the writer identified at the beginning of each. A similar approach was taken in the Jumper novels by Stephen Gould; each chapter is "titled" with the name of the point-of-view character for that... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Maintaining readers over time with serialized fiction? I am one of several authors on a fairly new shared blog. The blog has a mix of serialized and one-shot posts. Because it's a new blog (2.5 months, 30 posts so far), there is quite a variety of posts and authors (though all on the broader theme for the blog) and we're not yet at the point where author... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is it necessary to explain what is written in upcoming chapters? First, if your institution has a style guide, follow its recommendations if there are any. But assuming it is silent on this point or you don't have one: It's helpful to provide an outline of the rest of the report. If you have a table of contents already that might be good enough (I've seen TRs wit... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Should I put diagrams into a formal essay? There are a few relevant factors: Use diagrams when they add value I see plenty of formal writing that includes diagrams -- technical flow diagrams, trend graphs, timelines, resource-allocation charts, and more. The main question you should be asking yourself is: does this diagram add value? Does i... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How can I convey something without going into details? You can imply rather than say things with descriptions. For example: > He picked his way down the garbage-strewn street, stepping aside to yield to an over-sized rat. The reek of stale beer and body odor assaulted his nostrils. He averted his eyes as he passed alleys; no good could come of that. It ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Format keyboard keys in documents I am assuming that your organization does not have an official style guide, or that this is a personal project. (If you are bound by a style guide, consult it.) I am also assuming that you aren't using a semantic markup already; if you're using a DTD/schema/tool/markdown that already has a notion of ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How long is too long for a blog post? A longer post can work on a blog that usually tends toward shorter posts if you take some care in structuring it. "Here are 20,000 words, plus equations" may send some people to the "back" button right off, but a five-minute introduction followed by an expansion can satisfy both audiences -- those lo... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to cite nonpersonal email "Private" doesn't mean just one recipient; it just means "not public". When you throw a by-invitation party in your home it's a private affair even if there are 50 people there. Email is the same way. The bigger problem here is that the person you're citing didn't write directly to you. So if you ci... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to work on a new software feature that affects different topics It depends, but probably you want the distributed approach where the chapter on X tells you everything you need to know about X, even if some of that is only relevant if you're using feature Y. However, if Y is a corner case or involves a lot of changes to several other features, you might be better ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How do I get rid of the tic of paired adjectives, predicates, etc.? When I'm editing technical documentation (and, ideally, when I'm writing it in the first place), I try to make every word earn its place. If both words in your phrases need to be there to make your point, then don't worry about it -- that's not a tic but the writing process. In the case of pairs (or... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What do I put on my copyright page when self-publishing? If you're self-publishing and not doing it through a company, use your real name: "Copyright (C) 2015 John Doe". Under the Berne Convention (which applies in most countries), you own the copyright from the moment of creation until you assign it away. You have no need to assign it away, so you don't n... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: When Dialogue is used for more than one character? No. All that is required is that the reader know who is speaking. The conventions of dialogue do a good job of that. > Bob continued, "blah blah blah." > > "But wait", Sue asked, "what about blah blah blah?" > > "Blah!" > > "Blah?" > > He growled, "no, blah!" And so on. Each change of speaker ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: Which citation style do I use if I'm writing a religious book? Consider how your reader will use the book. In an academic work (which this is not), readers: - are likely to already be familiar with the cited works (they're also researchers in this field, after all) - will rely on the works you cite to evaluate your work (they care about those citations) - re... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: I have three dead-end chapters. Should I keep them or remove them? While there might be a payoff coming in the fourth chapter, if readers get frustrated enough on the way there, some of them will bail and never finish your book. So while you can ask your reviewers to forge ahead and read the rest, you can't assume readers will. Consider one of the following two app... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: How could collaborative writing in one world work? A supplement to this answer: All the shared-world anthologies I've read had "framing" stories written by the primary author, the one who came up with most of the setting and is driving the process. For example, Eric Flint wrote or co-wrote several of the 1632 novels, including the first one, and Rob... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: How to create a functional document for in-house reference? In many ways you approach this the same way you would approach any other new project: - Review any available high-level descriptions (like functional specifications) and user stories: what is this thing and how are people meant to use it? - Identify your key contact (if you don't have one, ask your... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Technical writer degree with an English BA? Why not test the hypothesis, starting with the negative test? You are unhappy in your current career. You have some background but nothing official. A BA in English might or might not be a meaningful credential (in my experience it depends on the school and the program's focus -- literature is proba... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Ethics of incorporating a supplier's technical documentation into one's own documentation? I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. First, check any license terms that accompany Company S's documentation. They might have published it with the intention that other vendors will incorporate it (e.g. some Apache platforms), or they might not intend that but allow it under their license... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Who do I cite as my source? You cite the (or a) source that you used. If you read it in Book A and that book says it came from Book B, you cite Book A because that's your source. If you choose to follow the reference and see it in Book B yourself, then you could cite either A or B (you used both). In that kind of situation, it'... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: What's the common practice for warranty chapters in technical manuals? This is a decision you need to make in consultation with your company's legal advisors. The ability to defend against claims is affected by both what the warranty says and how prominent it is. A separate document or appendix that people are less likely to read might cause problems in this area. (Neve... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Using a foreign language that uses a different written alphabet Rules? No, not beyond any that your publisher or editor might have. But one factor to consider is that, assuming you're not publishing in a specialized or foreign market, your readers probably won't know how to pronounce the words in a different alphabet -- you can't sound things out if you don't kno... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Any Good Method for Calculating Word Count Based on An Outline? Outlines vary in how much text they cover; some people might write a multi-page outline for the same content for which another would write: > Boy meets girl. > Boy loses girl. > Boy goes to mad-scientist school and builds a new girl. So the only way to know how your outlines map to word count i... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: How do you effectively denote a non-"heading-ed" transition into a concluding section? This is almost never done in my experience (which is mostly with technical documentation and some journal articles), for the reason implicit in your question: it's confusing. Once you start carving off sub-sections, the expectation is that each such subsection runs until the next division or the end ... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: In what order should I describe a setting? I largely agree with this answer, to which I add: 1. Order of perception by your POV character fits nicely into all the other stuff that you're telling through that POV, so it's a good place to start. 2. On rare, special occasions, you can get extra impact by violating that: > The cool breeze thro... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Is Blogging considered a form of creative writing? I think you're being tripped up by some mistaken impressions. First, you suggest that ungrammatical and/or persuasive writing is "creative". Maybe some of it is, but that's hardly the definition of the term. There is plenty of creative writing that follows the rules and conventions of its language, ... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: Any advice on how to learn DITA for technical writing? I don't know how much benefit you'll get on a resume from having read about, as opposed to used, DITA, but some knowledge is better than none. DITA is both a specific framework and an approach. My documentation group is currently working through the book DITA Best Practices: A Roadmap for Writing, E... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: "That's when" vs "That was when." From a strictly grammatical point Lauren's answer is right -- you're talking about something that happened in the past, so "that was" is correct. However, dialogue is often more colloquial and a first-person narrative can be more like dialogue than strict narrative. If you're trying to evoke the fee... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: Use of realism in a fictional setting Realism has several components. Different ones dominate in different genres/settings and among individual readers. - (Real) setting accuracy: If you're describing a real place or a time in history, people who know something about that will respond based on how closely you match what they know. If th... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: Editing: Those darn comma splices That's not a comma splice; that's a statement followed by an elaboration.1 The second does not stand alone, so a semicolon there would be incorrect. This would be a comma splice: > It had been a thousand years since the Razzies had known the horrors of the king's might, it was a thousand years sinc... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: How do I explain a lack of sufficient data in my essay? As this answer says, it's important to state your assumptions, whatever they are. Sometimes there just isn't enough data, though, and I understand your question to be about what to do in that case. There are two basic approaches: - Only write about things you can back up. For example, Consumer Repo... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: Should embedded figures/images be placed before or after they are referred to in text? This depends in part on the type of writing (technical reference manual? novel with illustrations? etc) and how people will read it (printed book? online?). If a reader follows a reasonable path1 through the document, there should never be a point where he's looking at something incomprehensible. Th... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: What Self Publishing Company should I contact? You don't need a publishing house for that (and anyway your intended distribution is too low for such companies to be interested). You just want to self-publish your work. When I self-published a book (making, ultimately, about 300 copies), I went to a commercial duplication place that could do prod... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: Using species from another novel, in my novel, copyright infringment? Elves and dwarves are all over fantasy fiction. Here's one compilation found by Googling "fantasy novels with elves". They are generic mythological creatures. If anything these tropes are overused; Tolkien used them well so his works are the benchmarks against which others are often measured, but he ... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: What is the average cost of software for DITA authoring? DITA is an XML format, so any editor or IDE that supports XML will work for you. Options with good XML support range from Eclipse (free) to Oxygen and Epic (several hundred dollars per seat). Of course, anybody who's comfortable getting up close and personal with the XML can use Emacs, vim, or Notepa... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |