Activity for aparente001
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit | Post #39360 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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Bravo, and thank you A very nice start. I'm psyched. Thank you. (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39359 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Writing slurred speech P.G. Wodehouse succeeded with this. I don't think you can do better than Wodehouse as a model. Here's a thought: Think of how an artist starts with an outline of a house, and then conveys to the viewer that the wall is made of brick. He can do this by drawing approximately four bricks (in a clus... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39358 |
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— | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39358 |
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— | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39358 |
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— | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39358 |
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— | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39358 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What innovative techniques can make a textbook for learning a foreign language "pop"? I'll describe two memorable language books: 1) A slim volume printed on WWII thin paper, published I think by the U of Chicago. Each lesson (chapter) presented about a dozen vocabulary items and a grammar topic. There was a short dialogue and a short narrative, both of which illustrated the gram... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Authorship when author leaves the organization that published the article? A friend wrote an article. She was an employee of a medium-sized national non-profit organization (in the US). The article was published and was sold at a very affordable cost by the organization. It was also made available online by the organization. My friend was always listed as the author. Some ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How much work does a (nonfiction) ghostwriter typically do? In wikipedia I read that Cary Elwes co-wrote a screenplay. I imagine that when you co-write a screenplay, the work might be just as collaborative, i.e. non-independent, as when you publish a book with your byline along with a "with" byline. So it seems quite plausible that the ghost writer / co-writ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to add more details to a novel I think it's easier to cut than to add. Therefore, since you seem to be very good at outlining and sticking to your outline (yay!), perhaps you would benefit from adding more branches to your tree, i.e. your outline. So -- see if you can add some subplots, built around side characters. Perhaps it w... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Intellectual rights for a guest blog submission I have written several guest blog posts for a website with a large readership. I didn't ask for payment because the site is set up primarily as a public service in the special interest area. Now I have written a guest blog post that I would like to re-use (possibly in a slightly different form) in a... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Do 'text walls' scare off readers? There are two kinds of density of text. It is common to find one author (e.g. Karl Marx) writing text that is dense in both senses, but let's tease the two types apart: 1. One way of making text dense is to write long, convoluted sentences that the reader has to go back over one or more times to fig... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: What other kinds of writers are there besides plotters and pantsers? You can set yourself a problem and then set out to solve it. Similar to how a modern composer might choose a 12 tone row and then start working with it. When you do this, as you play with your row, you manipulate it and transform it. For example, you might define certain characters or a certain confl... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Short Story Outline Issues You will need two documents open at the same time, one on the left, one on the right. Let's say the manuscript in its current form is on the left. Now, on the right, jot down some notes about the first paragraph -- what's going on in this paragraph? Do that for each paragraph. Now close the manusc... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Is it a bad idea to adopt an 'English' pen name as an Asian American writer to reach a wider audience? When you're ready to submit your manuscript, try submitting it a couple of times with your actual name, and a couple of times with a more mainstream pen name. A non-scientific, albeit interesting, experiment! If you are planning to run it past some beta readers first, you can do this experiment at t... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Approaches to finding critique group for creative nonfiction How does one go about finding and joining a critique group for nonfiction? I'm writing two different non-fiction books: - A collection of pieces written by a relative, collected and edited by me. Some are essays, some are scientific articles reprinted from the original journals, some are memoirs, s... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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What are these script formats called? I have found two ways of formatting a script for a play. 1. Character names go in the middle of the page, on a separate line. Example: http://filmschoolonline.com/sample\lessons/sample\script\page.htm 2. Character names go flush left, and then there's a tab to the dialogue. Example: http://www.thew... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Is there a way to improve my grammar without so much cost? In person would be great if you can find a class, or a person willing to help you. Do not neglect to consider auditing a class. This is much cheaper than enrolling. A community college Writing Center would a great place to hang out and get help. At the university in my town, there is a program for ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Is it okay to publish some material in blog first, then incorporate into book? I write occasional guest blog posts for a special interest blog with a very large readership. I don't get paid but that's okay, I have a strong interest in the special interest area, and it's very satisfying to share information in (cough) what I consider is a well written way. My hope is that this ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Software for writing theater-like scenes I do my writing in MS Word. I must incorporate some theater-like scenes into a book. In the theater-like scenes, there will be three to five characters speaking lines. Very, very occasionally a tiny bit of narration. Do I need different software, or maybe a Word plugin? (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Is it needed to add breaks in a depressive story? Please distinguish between writing for yourself (e.g. a journal) and writing for readers. If you want to writ for readers, then imagine your target readers as you write, and communicate something to them. My first target readers were the members of my book club. You just have to find an imaginary (... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to write from a rich "bad boy's" perspective? I just heard a Fresh Air podcast yesterday about this. (I'm a bit behind in my listening.) In 'You're The Worst,' Even The Most Flawed Characters Find Love The writer talks about using side characters to criticize the self-centeredness of their friends, the protagonists. I recommend listening to th... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Writing Montage in Novels If you are drawing a house, and you want to convey a sense of the texture and detail of the building material used, you can draw three bricks in the middle of an expanse of wall. You don't have to draw all the bricks in the whole wall. Pick out the bricks you want to draw; talk about them. You can s... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Ways of describing new characters? Perhaps it would help if you had an image or a spreadsheet-style description of each character handy. Then you could dribble out bits of description as things are unfolding. For example, when introduced, perhaps all we know is that M is the protagonist's sister. But as things develop, maybe we'll fin... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to introduce alien flora/fauna without turning the fiction into a biology book? There is another option, and that is to go ahead and describe, describe, describe. A beautifully written natural history book or article is a pleasure to read. Here is some inspiration to help you prepare for this approach: the Best of Natural History podcasts, Saving Species and Would You Eat an Ali... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Is it bad to divert from the topic in a paragraph and continue in the next? I think you're confusing being organized in persuasive or technical writing, where it's important to stick to the topic sentence, with creative writing. By the way, I wish you had given us a less yucky, less confusing example. (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to make a choice more sadistic? The toughest dilemmas I have faced are the ones where I spin my wheels, going around and around because of doubt. So you have to set it up in such a way that there is no satisfactory choice. The common approach to the situation you described in your pre-edit question is for Ed to be highly motivated... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Should an author have one website or two? I have seen that sometimes an author will have one website with a lot of content and a separate website that does nothing but offer the book(s) for sale. What are the advantages of this approach? What are the advantages of having only one website, and offering the book for sale directly on that websi... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Need recommendation re: online resume format Pretend you are writing an email, and that the recipient will read it as plain text. "To put spacing between sections, hit 'enter' instead of using the space bar.... To highlight subheadings, use all caps. In lieu of bullet points, use "-" or "\" characters" (How to Format a Resume for Online Applica... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Resurrecting a story: Rewrite or Edit? I wouldn't rewrite it if you don't have to. Perhaps you could start by reading your existing draft and making notes, perhaps in the form of an outline, as you go along. If you didn't leave yourself an outline of the second half before you set it aside, then it might be helpful to make an outline befo... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: I have a hard time staying focused on a single novel > I keep getting different great ideas that would fit in different stories. You may jot down the idea when it occurs to you, along with a note about which story you'd like to add it to. Jotting something down doesn't take much time. Resist the urge to figure out where in the other story it should g... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How much detail when writing technical documentation? 1. If you're working in a group, check the level of detail of existing documentation, and ask for guidance from your group leader, or a co-worker who seems to know what's what. 2. Picture an imaginary reader. Write a description of this ideal reader -- why is s/he reading your documentation, and wha... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How to stop viewing your story as a film Conveying your ideas through written words is like carrying on a dialogue with someone through old-fashioned letters, or through email. Notice that the classic big authors received and wrote a lot of letters. You can get quick feedback about the understandability and impact of your written words thro... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How Can I Make a Great Plot? Analyze some books you found particularly satisfying. This will help you identify what works well for you as a good plot. (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How do I handle a backstory big enough to be a story of its own? If I understood your question correctly, there is a fourth option: Tell the main story, with small sections referring back to parts of the backstory as needed, peppered wherever it makes sense in your main story. As preparation for doing this, you would make a careful outline of the backstory for y... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Is it good to repeat the same form of event? I didn't completely understand your problem description... but I think you're talking about repeating a certain plot element in a new book. The Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout feature certain elements that get repeated. But there's a different twist each time. The new twist keeps it interesting, but t... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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I need a good simile to demonstrate a distortion of the facts I am writing a persuasive argument in rebuttal of a specific document. I'm tired of the word "distortion," and this time I want to say it with a simile. Please help me find a good simile for this situation. Context: the document I'm rebutting states > The court determined that Student B exhibited a... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: To Cut or not to Cut, that is the Question I think you can intersperse non-fictional material in a book, but it would be helpful if you could start with something that engages your reader with your characters first. I think your book will be more satisfying to you if you can implement your vision for it -- with perhaps some revision -- rather... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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Has standard manuscript format changed since 2011? This question was asked in 2011: Do editors still expect Courier font in book submissions for publication? A couple people said they found a monospace font helpful to have space to insert editing symbols. Nowadays, with more and more submitting being done electronically, does font matter? (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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Format for electronic download sales: letter sized pdf okay? I would like to self-publish a book and sell it through Amazon, and also make it available in a variety of electronic formats. I recently bought a book for $35 as an electronic download from the author's own website. It was a great book, about exactly what I was interested in. There were a few imper... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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How to distinguish two different voices in one book? A relative (who is no longer living) wrote a number of autobiographical pieces which I would like to publish in a book. I would like to include four or five chapters written by myself, that would supplement the relative's memories. In addition, some chapters will require a small amount of text writte... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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How to prepare a manuscript for submission? When my book is ready to give to some volunteer readers/reviewers: Suppose some of the reviewers want a hard copy. What's the best way to prepare the hard copy for them? Is this the same as the best way to prepare a manuscript to send to an agent or publisher? (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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Recommend binding for book to stay open I would like to self-publish a book with a binding that allows for the book to stay open if you put it down on a desk. What would be an affordable way of accomplishing this? Perhaps you need to know the size of the book in order to answer this. 8 by 11 would be too big, but the standard paperback wo... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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Editing a memoir A relative (who is no longer living) wrote a number of autobiographical pieces which I would like to publish in a book. They're very good but they need a fair amount of editing. I would like to include some chapters written by myself, that would supplement the relative's memories. How to I put my nam... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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Where to put a pronunciation key? In a recent answer, "pronunciation key" was mentioned. I would like to provide a pronunciation key in my book. It would be about half a page. Where should I put it? I'm concerned that if I put it at the end, people won't notice it, and will get ingrained in their mispronunciation of certain key name... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How can I Switch Protagonists Between Books? Consider Almanzo in the Laura Ingalls Wilder classic children's novels. He is a member of the cast of characters in most of the books. But somewhere along the line he got a book of his own, that tells the story of his childhood. We are predisposed to like him because we know he will marry our primar... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: Tactics to get past getting stuck? Two ideas for you. 1. Go for a much shorter work, plan it out, and then pick a day when you've got plenty of time to focus on your project, so you can write the whole thing in one sitting. 2. Join a writers group. Write to a very specific imaginary audience (your groupmates). (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |