What are the legal rights and obligations of someone reading aloud in public from a published book?
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 24, 2012 -
5 answers
I have an ~18 hour flight ahead of me and I am compiling a
DIY ebook of longform journalism/non-fiction for my Kindle to get me through it. So, what is the best thing you read this year?
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posted by AceRock
on Dec 21, 2012 -
11 answers
I'm looking for an essay I read in a textbook. This would've been in the late 90s and it was a middle school Literature textbook. The essay was about writing. I remember that it included a bit about how you can't ask writers about writing for the same reason you can't ask the sea about itself (it will just gurgle at you). It also had a bit about breaking the rules when writing, talking about how writing guides tell you never to open a story with dialogue but then gave an example of a classic novel that opened with dialogue in French.
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posted by NoraReed
on Dec 20, 2012 -
2 answers
I've always had communications-related jobs, but they never seem to be the right fit. I'm a great writer (although I have a love/hate relationship with writing), but I also helping enjoy helping people and interacting with people, etc., and writing is a pretty solitary job. (Well, PR isn't, but that's one area I want to stay away from, as well as fundraising). Have any other writer-types who are like me found a solution? (Oh, and I don't want to take on grad-school loans right now.)
posted by trillian
on Dec 14, 2012 -
15 answers
I've been asked to put together a longish reading list for a BA Art/Literature module, and I'd love some ideas for texts outside my current knowledge. The list should cover a series of genres and contexts, with writing from, and about, the history and theory of art, journalism, academia, design, architecture and film. Writing on design and architecture are particularly outside my knowledge. What innovative and critically significant writings can you recommend across any of these subject areas?
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posted by 0bvious
on Dec 14, 2012 -
8 answers
Looking for essays and books you have found most helpful in improving your writing - in particular, style, critical analysis, and conveying a strong message. I've read "Politics and the English Language" and The Elements of Style, and found them both really helpful. Thanks!
posted by mossicle
on Dec 12, 2012 -
15 answers
When I was in college, I really loved writing papers and now I find that I miss the chance to study small topics in depth. How could I make that into a career?
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posted by youcancallmeal
on Dec 10, 2012 -
23 answers
Creating an index of first lines, from a group of many poems, each stored in a seperate .txt file. Are there any applications or scripts that would help me to do that?
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posted by dylan_k
on Dec 8, 2012 -
7 answers
Wrote an article for publication on the web. Billed the client for the article, but did not specify any charges for re-use of the article elsewhere. Now the client just got back to me, saying that they liked it so much they want to use the article on another website which was not specified in the original contract. What should I do next?
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posted by micketymoc
on Dec 7, 2012 -
4 answers
I would like access to a supplemental resource for a textbook that I purchased, for non-school-related use, but only instructors for a course can have access.
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posted by zeek321
on Dec 6, 2012 -
3 answers
I recently finished writing a novel and want to find an agent to represent it. But wait--my question isn't what you might expect: I don't want advice about finding an agent, publisher, etc. I just want some advice on dealing with the unbearable tension of the submissions process. What can I do to distract myself or otherwise feel like I'm not just sitting around waiting for responses that will likely never come?
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posted by saulgoodman
on Dec 5, 2012 -
7 answers
How can I become better at remembering references to cite in my academic writing? I know how to use APA style, but when I need to write I can remember theories and details, but not where I actually READ those theories. HALP!
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posted by MultiFaceted
on Dec 5, 2012 -
14 answers
Wet concrete being poured outside our house. I want to write something in it!! This is a two part question. a) Is this a terrible idea, and if so, why? and b) I'd love some creative suggestions for what to write!
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posted by Spyder's Game
on Dec 3, 2012 -
65 answers
How do you edit writing written in a different dialect than your own? I'm very soon going to be responsible for editing some English technical/business writing by a team in a highly multilingual south-Asian country.
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posted by TheNewWazoo
on Dec 2, 2012 -
10 answers
How can I create a "tap essay" app (such as Robin Sloan's
Fish without learning Objective C? I'm a poet, not a programmer!
The idea is pretty simple: an app that shows styled text on a page that you tap to go to the next page with the occasional option to tweet the current line, etc.
posted by fncll
on Nov 30, 2012 -
5 answers
A world with binary suns and multiple satellites that can still be livable by a diverse (even lush) assortment of life forms - true or not?
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posted by batmonkey
on Nov 30, 2012 -
11 answers
There's a particular sort of humor writer I like. Can you recommend more books in this style? Mid-century, writing about domestic matters, female, personal.
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posted by The corpse in the library
on Nov 30, 2012 -
15 answers
Would the Chromebook be right for me as a writing device? I'm looking to replace my old netbook I use for writing with something more swish and it looks to fit the bill, however I'm not a Google Docs user - how easy is it to transition to from using OpenOffice/Word? How well does the local storage/offline working option work? How easy is it to export Word files and how well does formatting carry over? Is there anything else i need to know?
posted by Artw
on Nov 27, 2012 -
10 answers
Years ago Jack Hart, the esteemed editor and writing coach at
The Oregonian, posted the rough drafts of Tom Hallman's Pulitzer winning story
The Boy Behind the Mask somewhere
online. Perhaps to a writers'/journalists' forum or mailing list. One editor's reaction to seeing the progression of the story through the drafts was to call it the most instructive lesson he'd ever had in newspaper writing. Help me track down those drafts!
posted by AceRock
on Nov 26, 2012 -
0 answers
what tools and platforms exist right now which humanists can use to do collaborative research? what models exist of successful humanities collaboration?
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posted by idlethink
on Nov 26, 2012 -
3 answers
Books / resources about monastic life? I am thinking of writing a story set in a completely fictional setting, and I'd like to research more ideas of what life is like in a monastery or abbey.
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posted by marble
on Nov 25, 2012 -
20 answers
As a reader, how do you feel about invented language versus familiar words in imaginary worlds?
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posted by batmonkey
on Nov 21, 2012 -
67 answers
I need help with preparing a letter of interest seeking entry level work at a television news station.
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posted by djduckie
on Nov 20, 2012 -
2 answers
I'm easily distracted by the Internet while I write, but I don't want to shut it off altogether. Please help me cobble together a solution.
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posted by catlet
on Nov 16, 2012 -
9 answers
I am interested in writing a non-fiction book or two (possibly ebooks) in a proven popular style. Where can I find resources, reviews, interviews, commentaries about choosing book structures, layout, language, tone and content that appeal to an aspirational audience?
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posted by vizsla
on Nov 12, 2012 -
3 answers
I would like to write a fictional novel based in actual events that occurred in the West in the 1700s. It would draw extensively from the true story ( which is likely already enhanced through the centuries ). The names would change, though the locations would be actual places.
Is there anything I should be aware of with regards to the "legality" of retelling such a story? Ie. the storyline is not my original creation. I'd be adapting it for my story, but it would have a lot of similarity.
The story is told, with minor variation, in a number of historical sources.
posted by ecorrocio
on Nov 9, 2012 -
10 answers
I've got a thank-you note to write to a friend of my parents'-- already quite late, since the gift was given early last month. Difficulty: since then, the recipient's house was damaged fairly badly by Hurricane Sandy, and she's been struggling with the aftermath. I feel like her current rough situation warrants some sort of extra gesture or comment beyond the usual thank-you boilerplate, but what might that be?
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posted by Bardolph
on Nov 9, 2012 -
8 answers
I'm tutoring a teen girl who loves Maya Angelou and writing her own poetry and I want to make her a book of poems to encourage/inspire her. What poems should I include?
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posted by grokfest
on Nov 7, 2012 -
21 answers
I am putting together a syllabus for a college composition course. I chose "food" as the theme for this semester. I would like to include examples of different kinds of writing about food, ranging from essays to fiction to poetry, as well as some movies. What are your suggestions? I'm open to anything, as long as it has food in it! I already have a list of some of the obvious ones (Michael Pollan, Dinesen's "Babette's Feast," Jiro Dreams of Sushi), but I am hoping the HiveMind can help me make this the most awesome-- and delicious-- writing class ever.
posted by incountrysleep
on Nov 3, 2012 -
62 answers
Researchers, Writers, Grad Students, and Professors: Tell me about your technical setup (hardware and software). What do you use, and what couldn't you live without?
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posted by NotMyselfRightNow
on Nov 2, 2012 -
25 answers
I became a full-time author 2 months ago, and my hands are starting to get stiff. What do I do to prevent wrist/hand injuries?
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posted by sdis
on Nov 1, 2012 -
17 answers
Any experience with selling an article, as opposed to a book, for Kindle on Amazon?
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posted by zenpop
on Oct 31, 2012 -
4 answers
My novel involves a costume party with some guests dressed as recognizable characters from films, TV, etc. I'm clearly not trying to claim them as my own and it's just all Halloween costumes, but am I asking to get sued?
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posted by scaryblackdeath
on Oct 30, 2012 -
4 answers
What are some of the best technical blogs out there in conservation biology, biogeography, evolutionary biology, and ecology?
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posted by Scientist
on Oct 29, 2012 -
4 answers
How do I deal with my bad handwriting, especially when it comes to thank you notes?
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posted by nickhb
on Oct 29, 2012 -
13 answers
Help me find a great writing spot in Toronto, with some very specific requirements.
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posted by lizifer
on Oct 25, 2012 -
16 answers
I'm pretty sure I'm about to lose my job. How do I identify and pursue freelance writing opportunities in short order?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 22, 2012 -
9 answers
I just got an offer to publish my first novel. I know very little about the publishing industry and the business aspect of being an author. Help!
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posted by inire
on Oct 22, 2012 -
13 answers
What are non-clinical, location-independent jobs that advance (or could advance) the cause of reproductive health? How do you get the skills for those jobs? Do they exist?
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posted by c'mon sea legs
on Oct 19, 2012 -
2 answers
What short stories and essays and what methods could I use in mentoring incarcerated youth who would like to improve their writing?
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posted by apophenia
on Oct 17, 2012 -
19 answers
