| Subject | Date Asked |
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| murder mystery | 11/8/2009 |
Q: What is the best way to start a murder mystery
A: There is no "best" way to start a murder mystery. What's most important in a mystery--or any written ...
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| really need help | 10/4/2009 |
Q: tiny strands of hair, extremely weird scaly skin, 7 rotting teeth that are wonky, extremely strong, ...
A: Chelsie! Your monster sounds crazy! :) How about this: Your monster is super ugly and scary, but ...
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| Question on writing prose | 10/1/2009 |
Q: I apologize ahead of time if my question is too broad. For the past few years, I've been writing ...
A: I can understand why your prose might be jarring if you've been writing screenplays. I think I would ...
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| revision | 9/23/2009 |
Q: I got your point. Seeing the lack of tension, I put in a new paragraph and deleted the old. ...
A: Oh, sorry. I could have sworn someone named Demetrius sent me a story (sci-fi) a while ago for ...
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| revision | 9/22/2009 |
Q: I got your point. Seeing the lack of tension, I put in a new paragraph and deleted the old. ...
A: I don't think you should hang everything you do on my every word. You are the writer. You need to ...
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| short story collections - length | 9/18/2009 |
Q: I'm wondering if there is a mininum length for a new book of collected short stories which agents ...
A: I don't know this for sure in all cases, but my guess is that publishers aren't too concerned with ...
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| revision | 9/17/2009 |
Q: I got your point. Seeing the lack of tension, I put in a new paragraph and deleted the old. ...
A: Your voice in the first paragraph is MUCH better than before...it's natural and I am interested in ...
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| Flash Fiction | 8/28/2009 |
Q: you said you would be happy to critique one of my stories. This is a short flash fiction piece. When ...
A: The Products WE BEGAN (why caps here?) shop class in blank-white aprons and finished it with ...
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| theme of story | 8/8/2009 |
Q: I just got an idea for another short story, a Twilight Zone type. What's bugging me a bit is that ...
A: I wouldn't worry about that. Just write the story! Don't edit yourself and just write. If you can ...
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| Writing currency in dialogue | 7/18/2009 |
Q: What are the guidelines for writing currency in dialogue? Example: "They vary from fifty thousand ...
A: It depends on the style of the publisher. Many publishers have their own in-house styles that can ...
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| Help Me | 7/16/2009 |
Q: Can you help me please?
A: Magazines, both literary and general, publish short stories. There are publishers that also publish ...
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| Selling Short Stories | 6/29/2009 |
Q: My daughter has started writing short fiction stories she is nearly 11 years old but i think her ...
A: John, I hope I can help. She could start by submitting her stories to magazines that accept stories ...
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| Copywriting?? | 5/25/2009 |
Q: This may sound like a ridiculous question or two but nonetheless I shall still ask! I belong to an ...
A: Your questions are not at all ridiculous! There is a lot of confusion regarding copyright. I am not ...
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| Cheating? | 3/20/2009 |
Q: Well what is your definition of cheating,you don't have to answer? ANSWER: My definition of ...
A: I don't think that example is cheating. You were just repeating an answer that the class had already ...
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| Cheating? | 3/17/2009 |
Q: Well can I ask you just one more question really quick? ANSWER: Is this a joke? ---------- ...
A: I asked if this is a joke because you have asked me a number of similar questions about the same ...
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| Cheating? | 3/12/2009 |
Q: Well I was taking a spelling test the other day and the guy behind me kept saying the answers to me ...
A: I don't know. Should he? I think you should ask your teacher about it. I won't be answering any ...
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| Book idea | 1/26/2009 |
Q: I have a book idea about teaching beginning writers on how to write in the style of their favorite ...
A: Enzo, Your book idea sounds interesting. Whether or not a publisher would publish it has nothing to ...
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| free lance writing | 1/7/2009 |
Q: I have over 5 years experience in geneology research.I also have experience in some native american ...
A: Sheryl, You should not have to pay to be a freelance writer! People pay freelancers to write, not ...
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| My story | 12/11/2008 |
Q: I wrote a short story for children. Is it best to put it in book form, or publish it as a short ...
A: One is not necessarily better than the other; you could put it in book form or publish it as a short ...
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| Writing Revelation | 11/25/2008 |
Q: I have written a story about a student who is a Christian and his dad calls him needing help on ...
A: It sounds to me like your main character simply feels bad about the way he treated his dad and thus ...
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| Writing short stories... | 11/20/2008 |
Q: I was hoping you could help me. I've been writing a short story for a while now and was was planning ...
A: You do not have to pay agents to look at your work, and if an "agent" asks for money, they are not ...
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| Writing short stories... | 11/13/2008 |
Q: I was hoping you could help me. I've been writing a short story for a while now and was was planning ...
A: You could send your story to literary agents to see if any will take you on as an author, but ...
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| essay help | 11/2/2008 |
Q: I have to write an essay relating the events of a typical day in college. It's supposed to be like a ...
A: Only you can come up with the ideas if the essay is supposed to be like a "letter to a friend." Just ...
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| Short stories on a diet | 7/27/2008 |
Q: I've just finished writing a series of stories (‘Hey world here I come!’) and read somewhere that ...
A: Marcy, Wow--I didn't know there was a specific word count for short stories! That's a new one on ...
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| Original ideas | 7/4/2008 |
Q: My question is how do writers come up with original ideas? It seems that every topic under the sun ...
A: That's a good question--how DO writers come up with original ideas? You're right that every topic ...
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| the creative process... | 7/4/2008 |
Q: I feel at best I'm at it's will. Without it life seems almost dull and boring and the moments when ...
A: Wow, this is quite a question! How do you spur the creative process? I think keeping an open mind ...
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| inquiry: How to sell articles to magazines | 5/29/2008 |
Q: Good day! I need information on the following questions. 1) What is the correct format in writing ...
A: Amram! I will try my best to answer all of your questions. (By the way, one thing you may want to ...
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| question please | 5/18/2008 |
Q: 1- when I writing stories , how can I get a reference for my work to evaluate my work ? 2- whats ...
A: 1- Are you asking how you get someone to evaluate your work? If so, then then the answer is that you ...
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| Taking the next step. | 5/2/2008 |
Q: Considering your background, I thought this may be of interest to you... In a perfect world, ...
A: To submit your work to journals or magazines, find those that will publish the type of writing ...
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| Short story collections | 5/1/2008 |
Q: I have a book I have written, which is basically collection of short stories with a common theme ...
A: Find an agent that represents short fiction. You could also skip the agent and go straight to ...
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| No degree | 3/29/2008 |
Q: How serious can I expect to be taken as a writer with a great ability to tell stories, but no ...
A: If you are a writer with great ability, you don't need a degree to be taken seriously. You can ...
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| short story- script | 3/23/2008 |
Q: how to write a script.
A: You've asked a question that requires a very long and involved answer. Unfortunately, I don't have ...
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| raymond carver short stories | 3/13/2008 |
Q: i love short stories and i am thinking of writing my own one i was just inspired with short cuts and ...
A: Nafisa, Sorry it took me so long to respond, but a friend of mine needed help, and I've been down ...
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| length | 1/2/2008 |
Q: What is the standard acceptable length for a short story?
A: I'm sorry that my answer was not satisfactory. Samantha
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| new writers | 12/27/2007 |
Q: I just finished a story and am frankly unsure what to do next.never written before.
A: Well, the answer to your question depends on your goal. I'm assuming you mean that you want to ...
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| short piece of writing | 11/23/2007 |
Q: "I am writing a short piece of writing that is similar to a passage in Moby Dick of Herman Melville. ...
A: You are obviously a practiced writer. The only advice I would give is that you are too writerly at ...
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| Short stories/books | 7/13/2007 |
Q: If you take the little paragraphs I wrote, which I came up with myself, sometimes they press ENTER ...
A: So, your question is this: "Is the reader supposed to take a quick breather before reading the next ...
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| Short stories/books | 7/9/2007 |
Q: If you take the little paragraphs I wrote, which I came up with myself, sometimes they press ENTER ...
A: I can't make heads or tails of what you're asking......"The little paragraphs" you wrote are not ...
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| Degree in Creative Writing | 4/28/2007 |
Q: Samantha- I am an adult learner currently working towards a B.A. in Creative Writing. I have also ...
A: First I recommend consulting an advisor if the college provides them to students. They can help you ...
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| style or candidness | 11/20/2006 |
Q: Very beautiful. it however raised certain questions, answers to which I need. In choosing a style ...
A: I'm not sure writers "choose" a style. I think a writer develops a style and voice as they write, ...
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| style or candidness | 11/11/2006 |
Q: I would love to know if in writing a short story one should be most concerned with style or ...
A: I think style is the most important aspect. Style can be elaborate or plain: it depends upon the ...
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| need to ask | 10/23/2006 |
Q: i have some features make me feel that i can be a writer or have the talent but i didnt want to lie ...
A: It sounds like you have the qualities of a good writer, but your writing itself needs some work. You ...
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| Question about grammar in MS Word | 10/18/2006 |
Q: What the hell does 'Fragment (consider revising)' in Microsoft Word mean? Thanks, Glenn Houston.
A: "Fragment" refers to a sentence fragment. A sentence fragment is simply an incomplete sentence. I ...
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| Re: Your thoughtful reply | 8/23/2006 |
Q: Samantha, I was thrille to recieve your reply and to hear about your life. I must admit tht, ...
A: Well, it is clear you must have a natural talent with words because your piece was moving. Just a ...
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| Word Count and Layout | 8/21/2006 |
Q: Samantha, I am a story teller and Poet and, in spite of how many times I hear, "You should be ...
A: Well, I am not a published writer in terms of my fiction, but I am sending some things out--probably ...
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| novel - writing workshops | 3/20/2006 |
Q: I am very curious about the writing industry and would of course love to be amongst those who can ...
A: I think before you shell out the money to attend the workshop, it might be better to find a local ...
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| Short Story Crit | 3/2/2006 |
Q: Here is my short story called 'The Trial' Thank you so much for agreeing to take a look. I am ...
A: Well, you are obviously a good writer, and your story moves along at a good pace. The ending is also ...
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| Sex and blogs and rock n roll | 2/21/2006 |
Q: Sam. I hope you're having a funday. I have a headache. London is grey and miserable.if I've got ONE ...
A: What are you doing in London? Anyway, about the agent....I don't know much about that....I would ...
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| question | 9/3/2005 |
Q: I am translator and want translate short short story. please help me find short short story on ...
A: We are having some difficulty communicating, and I apologize for not understanding your request. If ...
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| question | 9/2/2005 |
Q: My mean is short short story. I will wait samantha Best
A: You write short short stories and want to know where to publish them? I would try a book called ...
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| Writing a movie... | 8/10/2005 |
Q: Hey I was wanting to make a somewhat short movie for the fun and accomplishment of it, I wanted ...
A: Well, I'm not an expert on writing movie scripts, but I can give you some honest feedback on your ...
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| copyrights on short stories | 3/30/2005 |
Q: Does anybody buy short stories or how would I get someone to publish one?can you copywrite short ...
A: You asked, "does anybody buy short stories?" Do you mean will a publisher pay you for a short story? ...
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| short story writing | 2/25/2005 |
Q: I have two questions. The first concerns the treatment of time in short stories...Do you have ...
A: I'm not sure what you mean by treatment of time. Are you talking point of view, tense, flashbacks? I ...
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| writing conversation into the story | 12/16/2004 |
Q: I am an aspiring author working on short stories. I have a difficult time crafting conversations in ...
A: I would be happy to answer your question, but first I have a question for you: When you say you have ...
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| need honest feedback | 12/5/2004 |
Q: So very nice of you! Here it is. /Sergei Montreal is white. Just a few days ago the city looked ...
A: Wow! You ARE a writer. You have a strong voice, style, and flow. I honestly think you should keep on ...
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| Short stories | 11/7/2004 |
Q: My name is Sara and I was just wondering if you were able to help me go about publishing my short ...
A: The first thing you should do is get a book called Writers' Market. This book lists all of the ...
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| Short 1-3 page double spaced stories | 9/26/2004 |
Q: I write some black, some humor on varied subjects short 1-3 pages double spaced. Of course I think ...
A: First, let me start off by saying you have a good writing voice. I think in general terms, you have ...
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| Looking for a Short Story | 9/9/2004 |
Q: Apologies. I phrased the question poorly. The collection book was different authors and one was ...
A: Sorry, I have not heard of it. However, because the short story you're looking for sounds like ...
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| Looking for a Short Story | 9/9/2004 |
Q: I had read a short story collection book in JHS ~ 12-15 years ago with Guy De Maupassant's The ...
A: Someone wrote to me with this information regarding yourIt is called Examination Day by Henry ...
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| feedback | 9/3/2004 |
Q: I read somewhere that a writer should never pay for feedback on his/her work. But where can a writer ...
A: I don't know that you should "never" pay for feedback. I don't know much about "critique services," ...
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| Fees? | 7/23/2004 |
Q: Prust: I have just graduated with a BA Writing degree, and find I am embarrassingly ignorant about ...
A: That's a great question. And you sort of answered it for yourself regarding literary journals, ...
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| Research | 6/30/2004 |
Q: I'm writing a story set in California, but I'd like to know how you would research this area ...
A: My first instinct is to say, "write what you know." If you have never visited the area you're ...
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| Plagiarism | 6/8/2004 |
Q: recently my friend and I have been accused of plagiarism despite the fact that we included a work ...
A: Though I don't know all the details of your story, it sounds to me like a case of bad citing. ...
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| writing short stories | 3/23/2004 |
Q: What if your writing style is similar to Jackie Collins (graphic, blunt, realistic, and you don't ...
A: I'm not sure I'm the best person to give you advice about breaking into the short story world with a ...
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| Mistakes | 12/2/2003 |
Q: I am a young aspiring writer. I've been told I write well. I like to write short stories and ...
A: Congratulations on having your commentary published! You should be proud of that. To answer your ...
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| what info to put in letter to an editor | 10/25/2003 |
Q: i hope this is a suitable question , your listed experience made you the best person to ask. i ...
A: , The letter you're asking about is called a "query letter." Query letters are used to get an ...
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