Questions tagged [discussion]
The question you're asking is designed to solicit opinions or best-practices on a particular topic, with the goal of reaching community consensus.
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questions
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Is asking to proof read text for a specific issue on topic?
I understand I can't just ask a proofreading question.
I want to ask a question if I am using dialog tags well. I see a lot of discussion about it, but I can't understand is my writing makes the ...
10
votes
5answers
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NaNoWriMo participants
I decided to enter into the NaNoWriMo! If anyone here has entered into it, let's get support for each other going! Maybe we can exchange ID's or talk about struggles on this thread. Apologies if this ...
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3answers
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Defining “professional”
One of the key concepts that keeps coming up in our discussions of the site and its future is that of professionalism. Some, myself included, want to see a more professional focus for this site. ...
16
votes
2answers
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New rule on what to write questions
This post is to capture our new rules on what to write questions, as proposed in Getting Writers out of its Rut.
There are several kinds of questions that can be characterized as "what to write" ...
11
votes
8answers
480 views
Writing challenge: It's Magic! - 22 Oct 2017 - 12 Nov 2017
Welcome to another Writing Challenge!
In line with the previous one, this includes a topic, a prompt, and also a challenge!
Topic
Write about something magical as a major element. It does not have ...
4
votes
0answers
54 views
A proposed follow-up to boost Writing Challenge and Promote Writers.SE together
I bumped into a few old interesting meta questions/posts: What questions should be compiled into Writers.SE ebook? and Writing Contests. Alternatively, I am also witnessing newer trends and ...
6
votes
2answers
53 views
Research Type Questions
With us trying to review and re-tool our site, one thing has become unclear to me which is how to handle research based questions. Some times I read on meta that it should be open to help the site ...
21
votes
11answers
579 views
Getting Writers out of its Rut
This site is in a rut. It has been in beta for six and half years. The most obvious factor preventing us from graduating is our questions per day stat. All our other statistics are excellent. (https://...
16
votes
9answers
362 views
Writing challenge: Something new! - 26 Sep 2017 - 17 Oct 2017
Welcome to another Writing Challenge!
In line with the previous one, this includes both a topic and a prompt - but this time, also an actual challenge!
Topic
Write something involving something new ...
13
votes
1answer
144 views
What are we doing for National Novel Writing Month this year?
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). In the past, we've encouraged NaNo specific questions and provided chat room support for writers. Are we doing that again this year?
7
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3answers
87 views
Improving our information scent
One of the ongoing issues for this site is that it is attracting only a fraction of its intended audience. In particular, it is attracting mostly questions related to fiction and very few questions ...
15
votes
4answers
379 views
What have our users published?
What have our users put out in the world recently? And how did Writing.SE help you do it?
Anything published through a traditional publisher or self-published is fine here. (We may refine this after ...
26
votes
6answers
468 views
Should we change our name?
This is done. See: This site is now Writing
Back when Writers was created, the convention on Stack Exchange was to name sites for their audiences -- Programmers, Super User, Webmasters, Database ...
3
votes
2answers
52 views
Why was the elegy question put on hold?
I have written an elegy, how to describe subjects in detail? asks about introducing characters who are referenced in an elegy. (The OP asks about writing a preface, though I suspect that's not the ...
7
votes
2answers
107 views
Would publication announcements be appropriate for Meta?
Since we now have writing challenges on Meta it occurs to me to ask if another activity of interest to writers would also be appropriate here: announcing the publication of books we have written. This ...
9
votes
7answers
233 views
Writing challenge: Trees - 4 Sep 2017 - 24 Sep 2017
Welcome to another Writing Challenge!
In line with the previous one, this includes both a challenge and a prompt.
Challenge
Write something involving trees as a major element.
Prompt
[...] ...
4
votes
3answers
136 views
Should we create a sandbox for questions
I mean, WB: SE has one, and when I skimmed through the meta site, I couldn't find any trace of a sandbox. Should we make one?
5
votes
4answers
92 views
Why are examples of writing and critiques off topic again?
I came across an off-topic question where someone had asked for help tightening up a piece of prose. It was flagged as off topic and I found it peculiar. In other exchange sites you might have a ...
10
votes
3answers
178 views
Writing challenge - 9 Aug 2017 - 29 Aug 2017 - Television
Welcome back to the Writing Challenge!
After feedback received, it was decided that the next one should include a prompt. So, here are two options:
Challenge
Write something about television. ...
3
votes
1answer
17 views
Are service questions on topic?
Been noticing today especially a lot of people are asking us for services that they can go to, to find specific needs. To my knowledge of the help and tour pages, asking for services are considered ...
4
votes
2answers
65 views
Why was this question on good and evil in literature put on hold
I am staggered to see that How can I have a war with no "good" or "evil" side? has been put on hold as a what to write question. It is a question about the role of good and evil in ...
12
votes
3answers
171 views
How can we encourage technical writing on this site?
The majority of the site is taken up by questions about fiction, making it unclear that technical-writing is firmly on-topic here. While we've definitely seen more tech questions in recent months, I'd ...
6
votes
3answers
167 views
Can we improve our short network pitch?
All SE sites have a short blurb that appears on network profiles and the list of all sites. Here are some examples:
Ours currently is:
That feels weak to me. First off, I think "professional and ...
12
votes
2answers
252 views
Writing challenge July 02, 2017 - July 23, 2017: Libraries / Prompt
As discussed in this post, we (read: I) have decided to try out having a writing challenge on Meta. The last one - the test run - was, erm... two months ago. ...whoops. Sorry; I know some people have ...
4
votes
1answer
21 views
Definition Words
We have been getting a lot of questions lately asking us to define terms. One of our more recent oneswhat is your definition of the word home was sent over to English SE in which a moderator there ...
9
votes
1answer
114 views
Why is the Writers site still called Beta?
You can tell me if this is not the place to ask this question, but I don't know where else I should.
I've searched for and looked though a couple of older questions about the 'Beta' part in the site'...
10
votes
1answer
72 views
Six-character minimum edit prevents typo corrections
I went to fix an obvious typo in someone's post, and was unable to do so due to the six-character minimum. I'm new to this site, so I want to understand why.
I've read What defines a necessary one-...
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votes
3answers
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Misdirection? - What questions are permitted on this site?
This site's failure is that is focused at providing objective answers within a subjective discipline. To be honest most of the questions are unanswerable.
In other walks of life I'm hearing "How ...
8
votes
3answers
80 views
How did our Meta writing challenge test run go?
We finished our test run for the Meta writing challenges recently - but how did it go?
Was there anything that happened that wasn't expected? Were there any problems? Is there anything that could be ...
5
votes
2answers
154 views
Wait, where's what?
Over the last few days, I've noticed that a few members of Writers have mysteriously gone missing, their names being replaced with 'user:##'. One of those members is what, as I found out from this ...
2
votes
1answer
22 views
Writing for advertising - on or off topic?
If I were looking for feedback on any wording I'd done for an advertising campaign, would this forum be a suitable place to ask it? Or is it more intended for writing for fiction?
16
votes
7answers
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Writing challenge - test run! April 20, 2017 - May 11
Over on this post, it was discussed whether or not we should have writing challenges on Meta. The result: we give it a try, and see how it works. That's the point of this post!
Here's how this will ...
6
votes
1answer
33 views
Are questions about teaching writing on-topic?
I'm an experienced writer, and I am trying to teach some of what I know, in a working environment, to other members of my team. Are questions related to helping others write better on-topic? They're ...
7
votes
0answers
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A Suggestion From an Outsider - Vote Early, Vote Often
While this sort of thing has been said on many sites, I thought it might be worth saying here.
Vote early, vote often.
If a question is worthy of an answer, it's worthy of an upvote. If you don't ...
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votes
5answers
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How would having the writing challenges on Meta work out?
Okay, bear with me. This may be a horrible idea, or it could be good - you decide.
For a while, you've had the writing challenges on chat. Great! Good idea! Unfortunately, the chat... isn't so active....
10
votes
2answers
162 views
Do the on topic rules fit non-fiction, particularly technical writing?
This site is supposed to be about all forms of writing equally. But, as has been noted before, it is actually dominated by aspiring and hobbyist fantasy fiction writers. We have discussed how to ...
3
votes
2answers
149 views
What the heck guys?
So, I'm a member on a number of different sites in this network. Every site has its own community, its own culture, its own take on the various rules to form a unique set of required behaviors and ...
3
votes
4answers
136 views
Are offensive stereotypes of medical conditions acceptable for emphasis?
I suggested an edit which was approved by another member of the community, but rejected by the answer's author. Overall this led to a rejection of the edit.
The proposed edit can be seen here.
I ...
2
votes
2answers
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“where to publish?”--on-topic or no?
Can I ask for recommendations of where to submit pieces I've written? Obviously I can google for "creative writing journals" or whatever myself, so I'm more interested in what journals (or whatever) ...
4
votes
1answer
29 views
Advice on a specific case vs answers to the broader question
The most upvoted answer to this question, Who owns the copy if a copywriter provides copy as a paid service?, gives advice (ask a lawyer) rather than answering the question (what are the terms of a ...
2
votes
4answers
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When discussing fiction, should there be more effort to clarify and/or acknowledge the writer's overall goals?
I've noticed that quite a few fiction-related questions are asked here without a clear indication of the writer's ambitions for the work in question. For example, are they trying to produce:
...
2
votes
1answer
30 views
Why is question closed with only two close votes?
This question was closed with only two close votes. I have not participated very long on Writers SE. I'm familiar with other SE sites that require five close votes.
Two seems like a very small ...
4
votes
1answer
35 views
Can I (or someone else) vote to re-open a closed question?
I recently wanted to answer This question, but as I was writing my answer I got a message that the question had been closed due to being off-topic in the "what to write" category (some seemed to ...
7
votes
5answers
79 views
Is it okay not to accept an answer?
In my recent question I have had seven absolutely fantastic answers. Everyone's contributions to the question were outstanding, and I'm proud to have asked something which could have sparked such ...
9
votes
6answers
194 views
Let's advertise Writers.SE on other sites, 2017 edition
In 2015 we made ads for Writers to submit to other sites. In 2016 the formatting requirements changed and we made just two ads, one for Worldbuilding and one for EL&U.
For this year we've ...
2
votes
2answers
52 views
Would questions about debating techniques be on topic?
Is debating technique, i.e. what you do in debate clubs, on topic?
I know it's not exactly writing, but it involves composing and structuring arguments, and seems to have a lot in common with ...
13
votes
1answer
177 views
Literature Stack is now open!
Okay, not precisely a question, but important to many here, I think.
http://literature.stackexchange.com is now in beta and already churning up questions. Given that we get quite a few "discussion of ...
4
votes
3answers
46 views
Should we retag to apply the Fiction tag to more questions?
On this site, the fiction tag has 700+ questions associated with it, but the overwhelming majority of questions here (currently 4800 or so) relate to fiction. While many of the non-fiction-tagged ...
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10answers
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How can we attract questions from all the OTHER writing domains that are on-topic here?
In a comment on Can Writers Graduate? Correlation between voting and progressing?, Mark Baker wrote:
[W]riters is very clearly not doing everything else right because the participation by ...
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4answers
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Can Writers Graduate? Correlation between voting and progressing?
tl dr: Vote early. Vote often. Heck, just vote!
Yes, I'm new to Writers, but not new to SE. I have been a writer for some time, though. You probably wouldn't or couldn't tell it from this Meta post, ...
