Posts by aparente001
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 ...
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 ...
Either one is plausible. Work backwards from where your plot needs to get to.
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 k...
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. Picture an imaginary r...
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...
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 w...
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 ro...
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...
I have found two ways of formatting a script for a play. Character names go in the middle of the page, on a separate line. Example: http://filmschoolonline.com/sample_lessons/sample_script_page....
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...
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 char...
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 int...
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...
What you might be able to do locally, and this might be really fun -- would be to serialize your work in a local English newspaper or magazine. Think of Dickens!
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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 i...
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 ...
Ken is not in the basement or the attic, or anywhere near the upper floors. The garden? It could be, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. How can she feel it? Has she looked for him in any...
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 ...
Two ideas for you. 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. Join a wr...
Crime drama. Wikipedia told me so. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_%28TV_series%29 @JStrange88 led me to it.
