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Activity for Cyn‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Answer A: Can I use the passive voice to avoid referring to myself in a scientific report?
You've pretty much got the 3 choices. Use first person with active voice, use passive voice, or use 3rd person stating "the author" (or "the writer," "the researcher," etc). I will say it depends on the field. I too was taught that only the latter two were acceptable (and mostly the passive voice on...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Early investment in a character who "learns better"
As it happens, I'm also writing a middle-grade novel with an unlikeable character. He's not the main character but he's one of the secondary ones. He has a full arc where he changes and so far two chapters are 3rd person from his point of view (in his head). He's a bully and somewhat racist and a tot...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: How to describe movement in zero-G?
I second the idea to use videos astronauts have made. Some are made for school children to teach about the concepts (worthwhile for adults too) and others are on different topics/for different audiences but show them being in that environment. I would urge you to be cautious of using movies and such....
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Attributing TV media sources in online, AP style, journalistic articles
While that's fine, I wouldn't require online citations. Hszmv's description is how I would go. Don't forget the channel. A number and city if it is local, the company if it is not local. Examples: ABC7 News, KGO Bay Area and San Francisco BBC World News America CCN International Include the ...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Class/Course Names in Fiction
Most schools have their courses listed on their website. Middle Schools/Junior High, High School, Colleges. And the course titles vary. I've never seen Two though. I would do it to match how schools do it. My 8th grade daughter is currently taking "Math 1." This is actually 9th grade math. In our cu...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Is my story pacing too fast?
Several comments, in no particular order: 1) Sometimes the problem with pacing is in the transitions from scene to scene and not in the actual pace of the action. A few extra words at each transition might make a world of difference. 2) Read your chapter out loud to people. That really forces you t...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: A children's book that takes 25 minutes to read out loud - is it too long?
I agree that you're fine. Longer would be fine too. I will add that generally it is word count that gives you the length ranges for each age category (not that they're strict but that publishers will generally want books within the ranges). I've done a fair bit of reading out loud. To my own daughte...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: What resources are available for amateur writers who need an editor and can’t afford one?
Join a writing group. This is much better than using friends because everyone commits to reading what you wrote and commenting on it, because you're doing the same for them. It also makes you actually sit down and write. My group meets about once a month and 3 of us present one month and 3 of us the...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Everything I write ends up being a rhyming poem, or lyrics maybe
You might consider starting a blog and posting your work there. After a while, maybe look for some anthologies accepting submissions (there are many that benefit charities and will have themes like mental illness, as well as others that might work for you).
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: What is genre, and why should we care?
I said what I did in the other thread because of a little word that no one has actually said. Just. Some genres are descriptive: Mystery, fantasy. And those plus others are treated as "genre fiction" (a term that means, "not a serious literary book," despite the fact that we can all come up with mu...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Can a book with a lot of action be annoying?
Yes. Write it anyway. Because here you are at the very beginning of a novel second guessing yourself. At this stage, the most important thing is that you are sitting down writing. So write. When you are further into the story, go back and reassess. Maybe the action works, maybe it needs to be cut d...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: If a main character is writing the story, can I change who writes the story in the next chapter?
Well written changes in perspective are fine. Yes, I've been confused by poorly written ones. All it takes is a very small orienting hint, but some writers leave it out. I can't remember the actual books but there have been times I've started a new section only to realize the person is different from...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: What genre my wife is writing?
Sounds like straight-forward contemporary adult fiction. Good luck to her!
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Writing about a topic which you don't have personal experience in
The short answer is: you live. You gain experience over time. Some things you'll never experience and some you already have. Knowing a drug addict is still personal experience, it's just from a different angle. Reading about different experiences helps but you'll be best off just meeting a lot of dif...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: Ways to make money off trash?
I wrote up this answer then saw the comment that this question belongs on Worldbuilding. Whoops! I am going back and forth between the sites now and I thought it was Worldbuilding. I'll still put it in but I agree with the comments above. Lots of people make art from found objects. You can sell...
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over 5 years ago
Answer A: What team do I need to start creating comics?
What you need first is a market. Who are you publishing comics for and how will you pay for it? Lots of people create comics anthologies, for example. These are very popular and can be published as e-books or printed books or both. You can do this as print-on-demand or you can print a lot of copies ...
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over 5 years ago