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Questions in the Writing & Language category.
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May 18
NovelFilter: please help me identify a novel which begins with a suicide - there is a wealthy (they have a cook & a maid) family dinner, someone leaves to go to the restroom, finds the daughter in a pool of blood. I also remember that the father continues to chew on his food as he stares in shock at the body, an uneaten ice-cream cake, and possibly that the suicide results in the narrator marrying the daughter's fiance.
That's all I got - any ideas?
posted by forallmankind at 4:30 PM - 2 answers
It was published pre1980. It might have been Hansel & Gretel, or Oliver Twist. At least one of the characters (possibly two) had
white blonde hair. The skin wasn't creamy, more rosy, pinkish - a real contrast. The clothing was not contemporary. It was a fairly realistic style. Oh, the hair was shaggy, shoulder length at the most.
posted by b33j at 6:17 AM - 3 answers
May 17
At what point did the phrase
"I'm/you're/we're hosed" come into play in the US vernacular? Earliest record? From pop culture somewhere? Are there regions of the US that did not ever use this turn of phrase?
posted by juniperesque at 9:26 AM - 17 answers
Looking to confirm that the following and variations are grammatically correct and the grammatical reasoning why: He put the spoon on the mat, then put the fork to the side.
[more inside]posted by angrycat at 7:51 AM - 7 answers
May 15
Does Murakami's collection *After the Quake* mention the Great KantÅ earthquake or include anything about tensions between ethnic Koreans and the Japanese?
posted by slowlikemolasses at 9:43 PM - 2 answers
Years ago, quite possibly while I was still in high school, I read a humorous essay in which the writer was able to complete a day's worth of household chores by creatively procrastinating. I have NO recollection of the author or the title.
[more inside]posted by tantrumthecat at 9:07 AM - 11 answers
May 13
Due to persistant recommendations on AskMe, I am finally reading (well, listening to) The Golden Compass. It's amazing. Now I want to read
about The Golden Compass.
[more inside]posted by latkes at 7:41 PM - 15 answers
I'm trying to learn more about contemporary Indonesia, and I'd love book & essay recommendations, especially of narrative non-fiction with a strong first person narrative voice! (But I'd also love suggestions of fiction, good travelogues, podcasts, blogs, zines, films, academic articles--really anything that doesn't demand prior in depth knowledge.)
[more inside]posted by tapir-whorf at 9:04 AM - 4 answers
May 12
What's the word for the useless filler reticulations on spaceships?
I think it was coined by the model builders of Millennium Falcon or Star Destroyer. --(I'm certain this question has been asked and answered here before. No luck in the FU Google machine. )--Thanks!
posted by at the crossroads at 9:56 PM - 4 answers
I'm asking this for an acquaintance trying to find a children's book from the '90s (or possibly earlier) which centers around a cafeteria meal that is not what it seems.
[more inside]posted by queensissy at 12:15 PM - 3 answers
I read the first six Young Jedi Academy books, but only a few of the adult expanded universe novels... and the ones I read I don't remember. What should I read before the new movie comes out in 2015?
[more inside]posted by spunweb at 10:57 AM - 10 answers
May 11
Are there some established practices for writing credits (cast and crew) on theater productions? In my case, I make weekly audioplays and have five to ten people helping me each week, with some people working in multiple roles. So I don't need to do too much here. But I'd like to present the project and the people that work on it professionally. And I'd like to be fair and consistent in how people are credited, avoiding angst and hurt feelings.
[more inside]posted by ErikH2000 at 2:54 PM - 5 answers
I was convinced to start a blog under my real name, for the purposes of being visible on the internet in a positive light while applying for jobs. Unfortunately, now it's up, I hate it and never want to write anything there. Since my partner is sick of me wailing about it, I thought I'd ask you guys for tips on
low-effort ways to post on a blog with a general theme of 'interesting science news'.
[more inside]posted by daisyk at 3:16 AM - 7 answers
May 10
Hey! Any of you Latin aficionados care to help me translate?
I'm looking for a phrase that means something like "(Administrative/Bureaucratic/Decision-Making) Power IS (the greatest form of) Power.
It's for a faux-sigil for someone who just got a big promotion to an administrative leadership role.
posted by lalalana at 4:50 PM - 4 answers
May 8
It's actually a series. The protagonist is a female detective, who seems to be in love with her ex-husband, and at some point has to live with him and his new wife because she is injured. I think she has lived with her elderly mother, too. Sorry, not much to go on!
posted by cherrybounce at 5:44 PM - 4 answers
May 7
I heard this short story on audio on a family car trip ~15 years ago, give or take a few years. I'm pretty sure it was a horror story. I don't know if it was targeted towards kids, but I was elementary aged when I heard it. Two kids, a carnival, and a evil being in the clouds.
[more inside]posted by tan_coul at 9:38 PM - 2 answers
I remember reading a short story about a futuristic treatment which causes long-life (1000 years?). In the story, a young couple gets the treatment, and we follow their lives up through old age. The only particular I remember has the couple bored with nothing else to learn or experience, and they sit, playing million piece all-white jigsaw puzzles to pass the time.
[more inside]posted by klausman at 8:46 PM - 4 answers
I need help coming up with a titular character of my book, someone who is sympathetic and sounds like a reasonable person to ask for advice.
[more inside]posted by philosophistry at 12:51 PM - 25 answers
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