So, I'm a thirty year old guy who has spent the majority of his life openly and continuously telling anyone who even looked like they had a modicum of interest that he wants to write a book. Fiction, philosophy, fantasy, something. The problem is, once I've finished work and I go home I'm also a thirty year old secret slacker who finds that every time he tries to actually sit down and write, I go through something like these stages.
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posted by rudhraigh
on Oct 17, 2011 -
63 answers
How should I manage my workflow for researching and writing a nonfiction book using Evernote and other tools?
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posted by incandescentman
on Oct 16, 2011 -
2 answers
Copywriters and other creatives: how do you protect yourself when dealing with clients who suck up time with extensive revisions, general indecisiveness, or just plain bad judgment? My larger projects can handle some ballooning of time in one direction or another, and for my big national clients there is always client awareness of my expertise and what it's worth. My problem is with taking on smaller clients who seem great at first, but then balk at suggestions, revise good writing into terrible, etc...
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posted by mdiskin
on Oct 14, 2011 -
22 answers
So I have the opportunity to be considered for a job as a technical writer. As a test, I need to write and submit a document, several pages long, explaining how to do something (the industry cliche is "How to make a cup of tea". I'm having trouble finding examples of well-written technical writing exercises like these (not to copy, obviously, but to get a feel for the style that I need to use). Can you help?
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posted by rubbish bin night
on Oct 12, 2011 -
9 answers
A science fiction story that I have uploaded as a free kindle download to Amazon has has somehow taken off (it's at #619 in the free kindle store and is rising fast).
How do I best capitalize on this?
posted by thatwhichfalls
on Oct 12, 2011 -
8 answers
How do I deal with my impending success? Is there any way I can feel like less of a fraud, and can anyone who has been through this before give me tips to move the process along?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 11, 2011 -
21 answers
I'm looking for more poets like Frederick Seidel. I recently read Seidel's
Arabia in the previous issue of
The Paris Review and was drawn to his, what I would term "Lad Poetry" - with lad being the antonym of chick, as in chick lit.
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posted by lrnarabic
on Oct 10, 2011 -
4 answers
I love the idea of using Mont Blanc ink in pilot G2's, but I prefer pens with caps. Do any capped pens work with this wonderful trick?
posted by Strass
on Oct 9, 2011 -
6 answers
How do you write about religion historically? I'm writing my history honors thesis on evangelical Christians, but all of my drafts sound theological and not historical. When I try to fix the problem, I end up just reciting facts.
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posted by kingfishers catch fire
on Oct 8, 2011 -
15 answers
I'd like to get into freelance writing in a specialist area - I have the specialist bit down, but need the other part spelled out for me.
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posted by carbide
on Oct 3, 2011 -
6 answers
I'm really good at predicting the end of most movies and books. I easily see foreshadowing, symbolism, and archetypes. How can I parlay this skill into a creative job?
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posted by dchrssyr
on Oct 2, 2011 -
27 answers
So, I want to be a grant writer. I'm a published author many times over, and have no problem with the actual writing/convincing stuff, but it seems that is the least important part of the process.
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posted by timsteil
on Sep 26, 2011 -
9 answers
How important is context to getting work done? What are effective ways to manipulate context to get more done?
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posted by parudox
on Sep 24, 2011 -
11 answers
I'm trying to remember where I would have read this. I remember a discussion of the omnipotence/omniscience of a writer in relation to his story world and its characters -- I think the book must have been about writing fiction. There was a particular example having to do with Time, and how a writer who is interrupted by a knock at the door leaves his character, who was about to sit down (or set the table or something), mid-sentence and in a state of limbo. Come to think of it, maybe this was about philosophy or theology... I may have gotten some/all of the details wrong. Any of that sound familiar?
posted by Cortes
on Sep 20, 2011 -
10 answers
I'm considering using
Devonthink Pro for research and article writing. Looks very interesting. And MeFites out there already using it with great success? Would love some tips and pointers about what your process is like. Thanks!
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posted by chasing
on Sep 18, 2011 -
7 answers
I'm looking for examples of websites that have successfully enhanced a research community (academic or artistic) with a dynamic online/social/mutual-portfolio presence. Blog and social media based hubs, perhaps, that showcase the possibilities of web portfolio/research integration for
academic and
creative purposes.
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posted by 0bvious
on Sep 16, 2011 -
3 answers
Unique approaches to nonfiction storytelling. In
Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder, Lawrence Weschler tells the saga of how a strange museum came into being. He interweaves stories of the museum's founder with stories of the artifacts displayed. The effect is a comfortable narrative of seemingly diverse and difficult topics.
What are some other narrative strategies for relating an informative and entertaining nonfiction story? I'm not looking for book recommendations but details of interesting and
accessible approaches to odd material that may be biographical.
posted by Jason and Laszlo
on Sep 12, 2011 -
12 answers
What kind of online platform can I use to run a PhD writing/goal setting group?
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posted by SNWidget
on Sep 12, 2011 -
6 answers
Naming filter: Help me name a blog devoted to publishing great exercises, activities, and assignments by and for instructors of college composition and literature classes.
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posted by cymru_j
on Sep 6, 2011 -
12 answers
I am trying to remember an elementary school book that had a teacher who gave his students an in class writing assignment about why life is worth living, but none of the students write an essay that is good enough for him, so he rides his motorcycle off a cliff the next day.
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posted by weewooweewoo
on Sep 6, 2011 -
2 answers
What Linux-compatible word processor should I be using? Looking for a LibreOffice/OpenOffice alternative...
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posted by Jeanne
on Sep 1, 2011 -
8 answers
How do I successfully develop a morning writing routine without giving up my night owl lifestyle? Is this even feasible?
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posted by christopherious
on Sep 1, 2011 -
9 answers
I like ClicheFinder and use it often to help me brainstorm clever titles for events and programs. What are some other sites that aggregate common word associations and turns of phrase? Or more general creative wordplay?
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posted by Miko
on Sep 1, 2011 -
8 answers
Freelance Writing Filter: I've been out of the freelance writing market for about three years. I want to go back. I just got an offer to write some online content, and I need to know how much to charge based on a range provided by the company.
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posted by xenophile
on Sep 1, 2011 -
5 answers
Which novels and short stories, from any genre, since WWII, have been the most influential on prose style in "literary fiction"?
posted by shivohum
on Aug 26, 2011 -
19 answers
What's the next step in online freelance writing beyond sites like Textbroker.com? A friend wants to quit his retail job in order to write about 20-30 hours a week while going to school.
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posted by pekala
on Aug 24, 2011 -
5 answers
When native speakers of languages with accent marks write, is it usual to write out a word or sentence and then put in the accents or does one put the accent in when writing the actual letter.
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posted by xetere
on Aug 21, 2011 -
18 answers
Need help figuring out a complicated "how much to charge for an article" situation.
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 21, 2011 -
2 answers
I'm writing a technical book - and intending to self publish, mostly electronically. OSX - Best of class software? For writing? For publishing? Other deeper writing and self publishing questions inside!
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posted by filmgeek
on Aug 15, 2011 -
6 answers
Do you know any examples of evocative food writing that is focused on how specific foods awaken the writer's memory or otherwise serve to connect time and history with what we eat? Think Proust's famous
madeleine, or Nigel Slater's Toast: the Story of a Boy's Hunger. I am especially interested in accounts from non-white, non-American or non-European, and female authors.
posted by liketitanic
on Aug 11, 2011 -
25 answers
I haven't lost the ability to correspond at a level higher than most ten-year-olds. I never had it to begin with.
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posted by jsturgill
on Aug 8, 2011 -
5 answers
Help. I am a junior academic but I'm not as good of a writer as I'd like to be and I'd like to change that.
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 7, 2011 -
9 answers
I'm a freelance writer who needs to tactfully end a business relationship with a web design firm. Help me walk away relatively unscathed.
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posted by shiggins
on Jul 30, 2011 -
15 answers
I want to buy a manual typewriter, that I will not have trouble finding paper/ink/ribbons for...
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posted by sawyerrrr
on Jul 29, 2011 -
11 answers
Are there any podcasts that focus on writing? I'm not looking for shows that just feature different stories every week, I am looking for ones that feature writers talking about the craft of writing.
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posted by Think_Long
on Jul 28, 2011 -
12 answers
Community blogging filter... Need hive input on a replacement for Open Salon.
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posted by FauxScot
on Jul 26, 2011 -
1 answer
What politically neutral book(s) should I read on multiculturalism and Islam, immigration/integration politics and/or ethnic/religious tensions in Europe?
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posted by goodnewsfortheinsane
on Jul 25, 2011 -
11 answers
I seem to have volunteered to write a regular newspaper column on the Arts in my local community. I have a mentor who will find topics for me and introduce me to the right people. What I need now is resources / examples and anything that I might not have thought to ask about (including pitching to the paper).
posted by b33j
on Jul 22, 2011 -
3 answers
