post_id
stringlengths 5
7
| domain
stringclasses 69
values | upvote_ratio
float64 0.5
1
| history
stringlengths 11
39.7k
| c_root_id_A
stringlengths 7
7
| c_root_id_B
stringlengths 7
7
| created_at_utc_A
int64 1.27B
1.68B
| created_at_utc_B
int64 1.27B
1.68B
| score_A
int64 -644
43.5k
| score_B
int64 -2,846
43.5k
| human_ref_A
stringlengths 0
18k
| human_ref_B
stringlengths 0
13.6k
| labels
int64 0
1
| seconds_difference
float64 0
346M
| score_ratio
float64 -2,292
2.5M
| metadata_A
stringclasses 1
value | metadata_B
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu56bdg | iu3vu0u | 1,666,976,567 | 1,666,955,359 | 2 | 1 | I struggled with it for a while, too. The best explanation that made it click for me was the advice to think about it like analyzing a foreign language. The key to excising passive voice is identifying “to be” verbs that are being used passively to replace what could otherwise be active verbs. So when looking, I scan for to be verbs (was, is, be, being, etc.) and then see what’s happening in the sentence. So if I see a sentence that reads “the tattered banner was flapping eerily,” I know I can make it active by eliminating the “was.” “The tattered banner flapped eerily.” Basically, “to be” verbs signal the potential use of passive voice. If you see one in a sentence, ask yourself if you can replace it with a non to be verb, which might be quite apparent from the sentence structure. | Are you sure the issue is passive voice and not a matter of them wanting you to write in a more formal/academic tone? Here are two pages I found that might help with writing essays. | 1 | 21,208 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu3wo2a | iu56bdg | 1,666,955,908 | 1,666,976,567 | 0 | 2 | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | I struggled with it for a while, too. The best explanation that made it click for me was the advice to think about it like analyzing a foreign language. The key to excising passive voice is identifying “to be” verbs that are being used passively to replace what could otherwise be active verbs. So when looking, I scan for to be verbs (was, is, be, being, etc.) and then see what’s happening in the sentence. So if I see a sentence that reads “the tattered banner was flapping eerily,” I know I can make it active by eliminating the “was.” “The tattered banner flapped eerily.” Basically, “to be” verbs signal the potential use of passive voice. If you see one in a sentence, ask yourself if you can replace it with a non to be verb, which might be quite apparent from the sentence structure. | 0 | 20,659 | 2,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu40nho | iu56bdg | 1,666,958,349 | 1,666,976,567 | 1 | 2 | Brevity | I struggled with it for a while, too. The best explanation that made it click for me was the advice to think about it like analyzing a foreign language. The key to excising passive voice is identifying “to be” verbs that are being used passively to replace what could otherwise be active verbs. So when looking, I scan for to be verbs (was, is, be, being, etc.) and then see what’s happening in the sentence. So if I see a sentence that reads “the tattered banner was flapping eerily,” I know I can make it active by eliminating the “was.” “The tattered banner flapped eerily.” Basically, “to be” verbs signal the potential use of passive voice. If you see one in a sentence, ask yourself if you can replace it with a non to be verb, which might be quite apparent from the sentence structure. | 0 | 18,218 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu56bdg | iu43vz7 | 1,666,976,567 | 1,666,960,172 | 2 | 1 | I struggled with it for a while, too. The best explanation that made it click for me was the advice to think about it like analyzing a foreign language. The key to excising passive voice is identifying “to be” verbs that are being used passively to replace what could otherwise be active verbs. So when looking, I scan for to be verbs (was, is, be, being, etc.) and then see what’s happening in the sentence. So if I see a sentence that reads “the tattered banner was flapping eerily,” I know I can make it active by eliminating the “was.” “The tattered banner flapped eerily.” Basically, “to be” verbs signal the potential use of passive voice. If you see one in a sentence, ask yourself if you can replace it with a non to be verb, which might be quite apparent from the sentence structure. | Honestly, if you're having problems with this just do an editing pass specifically to change passive to active voice. Keep it in mind while writing but if it is really a problem at least be aware that you'll fix it later (which also helps you be aware of it in the moment you're writing since you know you'll have to do more work after the draft is done) | 1 | 16,395 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu56bdg | iu48u7q | 1,666,976,567 | 1,666,962,660 | 2 | 1 | I struggled with it for a while, too. The best explanation that made it click for me was the advice to think about it like analyzing a foreign language. The key to excising passive voice is identifying “to be” verbs that are being used passively to replace what could otherwise be active verbs. So when looking, I scan for to be verbs (was, is, be, being, etc.) and then see what’s happening in the sentence. So if I see a sentence that reads “the tattered banner was flapping eerily,” I know I can make it active by eliminating the “was.” “The tattered banner flapped eerily.” Basically, “to be” verbs signal the potential use of passive voice. If you see one in a sentence, ask yourself if you can replace it with a non to be verb, which might be quite apparent from the sentence structure. | I'm not an essay writer, but I thought that the field preferred passive voice for essays. Still, getting rid of passive voice doesn't suddenly make things more simple or straightforward. You might want to ask someone in the field and try to clarify if getting rid of passive voice is actually what they want. | 1 | 13,907 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu56bdg | iu4jm7h | 1,666,976,567 | 1,666,967,434 | 2 | 1 | I struggled with it for a while, too. The best explanation that made it click for me was the advice to think about it like analyzing a foreign language. The key to excising passive voice is identifying “to be” verbs that are being used passively to replace what could otherwise be active verbs. So when looking, I scan for to be verbs (was, is, be, being, etc.) and then see what’s happening in the sentence. So if I see a sentence that reads “the tattered banner was flapping eerily,” I know I can make it active by eliminating the “was.” “The tattered banner flapped eerily.” Basically, “to be” verbs signal the potential use of passive voice. If you see one in a sentence, ask yourself if you can replace it with a non to be verb, which might be quite apparent from the sentence structure. | Hemmingway editor has a flag for passive voice. More to the point, it's a matter of being assertive with how you speak/write. In essays and more formal writing you're not asking, or suggesting, or implying. You're telling. You're saying it is what it is. Thinking more absolutely helps squash half your passive sentences, and the rest you can catch with a net made of software. | 1 | 9,133 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu3qhil | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,951,391 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | Passive voice sentences typically run longer than active voice sentences. Tom threw the ball. The ball was thrown by Tom. You are aiming for writing that is simpler and more concise anyway so do an editing pass with the goal of shortening your sentences. | 1 | 62,535 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu3vu0u | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,955,359 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | Are you sure the issue is passive voice and not a matter of them wanting you to write in a more formal/academic tone? Here are two pages I found that might help with writing essays. | 1 | 58,567 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu3wo2a | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,955,908 | 2 | 0 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 58,018 | 2,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu40nho | iu7gwtq | 1,666,958,349 | 1,667,013,926 | 1 | 2 | Brevity | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | 0 | 55,577 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu43vz7 | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,960,172 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | Honestly, if you're having problems with this just do an editing pass specifically to change passive to active voice. Keep it in mind while writing but if it is really a problem at least be aware that you'll fix it later (which also helps you be aware of it in the moment you're writing since you know you'll have to do more work after the draft is done) | 1 | 53,754 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu48u7q | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,962,660 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | I'm not an essay writer, but I thought that the field preferred passive voice for essays. Still, getting rid of passive voice doesn't suddenly make things more simple or straightforward. You might want to ask someone in the field and try to clarify if getting rid of passive voice is actually what they want. | 1 | 51,266 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu4jm7h | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,967,434 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | Hemmingway editor has a flag for passive voice. More to the point, it's a matter of being assertive with how you speak/write. In essays and more formal writing you're not asking, or suggesting, or implying. You're telling. You're saying it is what it is. Thinking more absolutely helps squash half your passive sentences, and the rest you can catch with a net made of software. | 1 | 46,492 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu57ysi | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,977,214 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | Nothing beats a proofreading pass that focuses just on that issue. Review everything you write looking only for passive voice and the matter will improve over time. | 1 | 36,712 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu7gwtq | iu58jd7 | 1,667,013,926 | 1,666,977,440 | 2 | 1 | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | I have Grammarly and it points out passive voice all the time. | 1 | 36,486 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu5zw4l | iu7gwtq | 1,666,988,557 | 1,667,013,926 | 1 | 2 | One thing I do with my stuff is I search for is/are/were/was and ask myself with each one if there's a way to simplify it and make it more direct. It's likely you won't ALWAYS be able to do that, but it helps cut it down quite a bit. The "to be" verb doesn't always indicate passive voice, but a fair amount of the time, it does. Once you start doing it this way, you'll catch yourself every time you go to type the word. It's one of my most effective (and most used) tools as an editor. | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | 0 | 25,369 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu632v8 | iu7gwtq | 1,666,989,906 | 1,667,013,926 | 1 | 2 | It's pretty easy to change passive voice to active: just ask who is doing the described action and rewrite it so that they are the subject. Example: "The signal fires were lit." Who lit these fires? Let's say (fantasy setting) our local warriors are responsible for them. "The warriors lit the signal fires." Easy! However, since you are writing non-fiction essays in the healthcare field, I would advise you to consider carefully whether you need so much active voice. The passive exists for a reason: for cases when the one doing the action is unknown or unimportant. "This methodology was tested in three experiments" is a passive sentence. "Teams of researchers from \[list 3 universities\] tested this methodology in experiments" is an active sentence. If that sentence appeared in an essay, I would say the passive voice was better, unless these experiments were the focus of the essay and each one was subsequently picked apart. The passive voice is commonly used in nonfiction! And people who say "NEVER use the passive voice" don't know what they're talking about. | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | 0 | 24,020 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu69701 | iu7gwtq | 1,666,992,557 | 1,667,013,926 | 1 | 2 | Write the sentences as things/people doing things, rather than things/people having things done to them Ex. Pneumonia was caught by Patient X vs. Patient X caught pneumonia. | I think you’re mixing up passive writing and passive voice. Passive voice is where you reverse the usual sentence structure to hide the actor. 1. The culture was incubated at 37 C. 2. Used sharps are to be disposed in approved sharps containers. 3. The culture failed because the incubator door was not properly shut. These all fail the “by zombies” test, where you can attach “by zombies” to the end and suddenly zombies are doing science for you (and sometimes fucking it up). Passive wording is about word selection* and sentence phrasing. *Never use “whilst” unless it’s tongue in cheek. ;) Edit: Since you’re in health, CDC’s Clear Writing Guidelines or similar resources might help. | 0 | 21,369 | 2 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu3wo2a | iu40nho | 1,666,955,908 | 1,666,958,349 | 0 | 1 | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | Brevity | 0 | 2,441 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu3wo2a | iu43vz7 | 1,666,955,908 | 1,666,960,172 | 0 | 1 | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | Honestly, if you're having problems with this just do an editing pass specifically to change passive to active voice. Keep it in mind while writing but if it is really a problem at least be aware that you'll fix it later (which also helps you be aware of it in the moment you're writing since you know you'll have to do more work after the draft is done) | 0 | 4,264 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu48u7q | iu3wo2a | 1,666,962,660 | 1,666,955,908 | 1 | 0 | I'm not an essay writer, but I thought that the field preferred passive voice for essays. Still, getting rid of passive voice doesn't suddenly make things more simple or straightforward. You might want to ask someone in the field and try to clarify if getting rid of passive voice is actually what they want. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 6,752 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu4jm7h | iu3wo2a | 1,666,967,434 | 1,666,955,908 | 1 | 0 | Hemmingway editor has a flag for passive voice. More to the point, it's a matter of being assertive with how you speak/write. In essays and more formal writing you're not asking, or suggesting, or implying. You're telling. You're saying it is what it is. Thinking more absolutely helps squash half your passive sentences, and the rest you can catch with a net made of software. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 11,526 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu57ysi | iu3wo2a | 1,666,977,214 | 1,666,955,908 | 1 | 0 | Nothing beats a proofreading pass that focuses just on that issue. Review everything you write looking only for passive voice and the matter will improve over time. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 21,306 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu58jd7 | iu3wo2a | 1,666,977,440 | 1,666,955,908 | 1 | 0 | I have Grammarly and it points out passive voice all the time. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 21,532 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu5zw4l | iu3wo2a | 1,666,988,557 | 1,666,955,908 | 1 | 0 | One thing I do with my stuff is I search for is/are/were/was and ask myself with each one if there's a way to simplify it and make it more direct. It's likely you won't ALWAYS be able to do that, but it helps cut it down quite a bit. The "to be" verb doesn't always indicate passive voice, but a fair amount of the time, it does. Once you start doing it this way, you'll catch yourself every time you go to type the word. It's one of my most effective (and most used) tools as an editor. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 32,649 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu3wo2a | iu632v8 | 1,666,955,908 | 1,666,989,906 | 0 | 1 | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | It's pretty easy to change passive voice to active: just ask who is doing the described action and rewrite it so that they are the subject. Example: "The signal fires were lit." Who lit these fires? Let's say (fantasy setting) our local warriors are responsible for them. "The warriors lit the signal fires." Easy! However, since you are writing non-fiction essays in the healthcare field, I would advise you to consider carefully whether you need so much active voice. The passive exists for a reason: for cases when the one doing the action is unknown or unimportant. "This methodology was tested in three experiments" is a passive sentence. "Teams of researchers from \[list 3 universities\] tested this methodology in experiments" is an active sentence. If that sentence appeared in an essay, I would say the passive voice was better, unless these experiments were the focus of the essay and each one was subsequently picked apart. The passive voice is commonly used in nonfiction! And people who say "NEVER use the passive voice" don't know what they're talking about. | 0 | 33,998 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu69701 | iu3wo2a | 1,666,992,557 | 1,666,955,908 | 1 | 0 | Write the sentences as things/people doing things, rather than things/people having things done to them Ex. Pneumonia was caught by Patient X vs. Patient X caught pneumonia. | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | 1 | 36,649 | 1,000 | ||
yfeen0 | writing_train | 0.89 | How to stop using the passive voice? Hi everyone. I've been ruminating and I realised that one of the biggest weaknesses of my essays was the grammar. Specifically the overuse of the passive voice. I'm in the health field, and the style they want is more simple, direct, concise and straightforward. I'm the opposite. I was wondering what I could do to break this habit and actually write more in active voice. I have Grammarly and whilst that's great for making my sentences easier to understand and less wordy, it doesn't do much with my passive voice. Any advice is much appreciated, thanks :) | iu3wo2a | iu7l4vb | 1,666,955,908 | 1,667,016,417 | 0 | 1 | Weasel Words Writing and speaking are ways to inform and educate, and developing the talent to deliver a persuasive idea is a powerful skill. Sadly, like weapons of mass destruction, weasel words can debase language for deception or personal gain. Although it may take practice to remove all weasel words from your vocabulary, it’s worth the effort to produce writing with integrity. The fewer weasel words you use, the stronger your writing will be. Using search remove most instances using * Had * That * A bit * Almost * Basically * Can or Could * Fairly * In a sense * Just * May / Might * Moderately * Often * Quite * Rather * Relatively * Seem(s) * Some or many * Somehow * Somewhat * Usually * most * many * various * some * a lot * several * few * often * probably * huge * tiny * very * fairly * extremely * exceedingly * quite * remarkably * surprisingly * mostly * largely * is a number * are a number * excellent * interestingly * significantly * substantially * clearly * vast * relatively * completely * literally * not rocket science * outside the box * expert * experts * helps * reportedly * arguably * linked to * supports * useful * better * improved * gains * acts * works * effective * efficient * seems * appears * looks * is like * virtually * lots * almost * could * combats * felt * heard * saw * knew * realized * realised * wanted * thought * noticed * seemed * decided * looked * understood * considered * believed * appeared * watched * smelled * touched * wondered * recognized * recognised * wished * supposed * about * just * really * started * began * all * again * that * so * then * rather * only * like * close * even * somehow * sort * pretty * well * back * up * down * anyway * real * already * own * over * ever * be able to * still * bit * far * also * enough * might | Even your post title is in passive voice 😂 | 0 | 60,509 | 1,000 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i494p00 | i490a2u | 1,649,650,150 | 1,649,647,698 | 170 | 21 | I'll tell you what I told my students and you can take it or leave it: It varies from country to country and if you want to make a point/stylistic choice. But I would recommend, if you are American, going with the American standard of of double quotes to start the quotation, then single quotes within the quotation if the person speaking is quoting someone. | I think there’s a difference between British and N. American publishers. But as long as you’re consistent, use whichever makes the most sense to you. | 1 | 2,452 | 8.095238 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i490jl2 | i494p00 | 1,649,647,838 | 1,649,650,150 | 10 | 170 | North American English uses double quotes. The rest of the English-speaking world uses single. | I'll tell you what I told my students and you can take it or leave it: It varies from country to country and if you want to make a point/stylistic choice. But I would recommend, if you are American, going with the American standard of of double quotes to start the quotation, then single quotes within the quotation if the person speaking is quoting someone. | 0 | 2,312 | 17 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i48zw3s | i494p00 | 1,649,647,490 | 1,649,650,150 | 2 | 170 | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | I'll tell you what I told my students and you can take it or leave it: It varies from country to country and if you want to make a point/stylistic choice. But I would recommend, if you are American, going with the American standard of of double quotes to start the quotation, then single quotes within the quotation if the person speaking is quoting someone. | 0 | 2,660 | 85 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i490a2u | i498wv2 | 1,649,647,698 | 1,649,652,709 | 21 | 45 | I think there’s a difference between British and N. American publishers. But as long as you’re consistent, use whichever makes the most sense to you. | I only use single quotes when one character is quoting the words of another. Regular dialogue is double quotes. "I think he said 'take a left at the bridge.' Or maybe it was 'take a left *past* the bridge,' I can't remember specifically." | 0 | 5,011 | 2.142857 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i495xcw | i498wv2 | 1,649,650,886 | 1,649,652,709 | 15 | 45 | Don’t forget, you have the option of adopting your inner James Joyce or Irvine Welsh and using the quotation dash, which is the bigger, badder brother of the em dash. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Quotation_dash | I only use single quotes when one character is quoting the words of another. Regular dialogue is double quotes. "I think he said 'take a left at the bridge.' Or maybe it was 'take a left *past* the bridge,' I can't remember specifically." | 0 | 1,823 | 3 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i490jl2 | i498wv2 | 1,649,647,838 | 1,649,652,709 | 10 | 45 | North American English uses double quotes. The rest of the English-speaking world uses single. | I only use single quotes when one character is quoting the words of another. Regular dialogue is double quotes. "I think he said 'take a left at the bridge.' Or maybe it was 'take a left *past* the bridge,' I can't remember specifically." | 0 | 4,871 | 4.5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i498wv2 | i48zw3s | 1,649,652,709 | 1,649,647,490 | 45 | 2 | I only use single quotes when one character is quoting the words of another. Regular dialogue is double quotes. "I think he said 'take a left at the bridge.' Or maybe it was 'take a left *past* the bridge,' I can't remember specifically." | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | 1 | 5,219 | 22.5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i490a2u | i49ivy8 | 1,649,647,698 | 1,649,659,747 | 21 | 24 | I think there’s a difference between British and N. American publishers. But as long as you’re consistent, use whichever makes the most sense to you. | Single quotes is UK English and double is US English. But in general it's more of a stylistic choice. I write in UK English but use double quotes out of old habit. | 0 | 12,049 | 1.142857 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i495xcw | i49ivy8 | 1,649,650,886 | 1,649,659,747 | 15 | 24 | Don’t forget, you have the option of adopting your inner James Joyce or Irvine Welsh and using the quotation dash, which is the bigger, badder brother of the em dash. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Quotation_dash | Single quotes is UK English and double is US English. But in general it's more of a stylistic choice. I write in UK English but use double quotes out of old habit. | 0 | 8,861 | 1.6 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i49ivy8 | i490jl2 | 1,649,659,747 | 1,649,647,838 | 24 | 10 | Single quotes is UK English and double is US English. But in general it's more of a stylistic choice. I write in UK English but use double quotes out of old habit. | North American English uses double quotes. The rest of the English-speaking world uses single. | 1 | 11,909 | 2.4 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i48zw3s | i49ivy8 | 1,649,647,490 | 1,649,659,747 | 2 | 24 | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | Single quotes is UK English and double is US English. But in general it's more of a stylistic choice. I write in UK English but use double quotes out of old habit. | 0 | 12,257 | 12 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i49ivy8 | i49c3vp | 1,649,659,747 | 1,649,654,810 | 24 | 1 | Single quotes is UK English and double is US English. But in general it's more of a stylistic choice. I write in UK English but use double quotes out of old habit. | Double quotes for current speaking, single quotes for someone saying a quote from another person or book. Italics for inner dialogue. | 1 | 4,937 | 24 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i490a2u | i48zw3s | 1,649,647,698 | 1,649,647,490 | 21 | 2 | I think there’s a difference between British and N. American publishers. But as long as you’re consistent, use whichever makes the most sense to you. | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | 1 | 208 | 10.5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i495xcw | i490jl2 | 1,649,650,886 | 1,649,647,838 | 15 | 10 | Don’t forget, you have the option of adopting your inner James Joyce or Irvine Welsh and using the quotation dash, which is the bigger, badder brother of the em dash. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Quotation_dash | North American English uses double quotes. The rest of the English-speaking world uses single. | 1 | 3,048 | 1.5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i495xcw | i48zw3s | 1,649,650,886 | 1,649,647,490 | 15 | 2 | Don’t forget, you have the option of adopting your inner James Joyce or Irvine Welsh and using the quotation dash, which is the bigger, badder brother of the em dash. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark#Quotation_dash | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | 1 | 3,396 | 7.5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i490jl2 | i48zw3s | 1,649,647,838 | 1,649,647,490 | 10 | 2 | North American English uses double quotes. The rest of the English-speaking world uses single. | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | 1 | 348 | 5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i48zw3s | i49ml15 | 1,649,647,490 | 1,649,662,725 | 2 | 5 | It's stylistic. You can even not use any at all (see: Sally Rooney). | I’m just glad you’re making an effort to separate dialogue. I absolutely love Cormac McCarthy, but I do find his lack of quotation marks takes getting used to. | 0 | 15,235 | 2.5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i49c3vp | i49ml15 | 1,649,654,810 | 1,649,662,725 | 1 | 5 | Double quotes for current speaking, single quotes for someone saying a quote from another person or book. Italics for inner dialogue. | I’m just glad you’re making an effort to separate dialogue. I absolutely love Cormac McCarthy, but I do find his lack of quotation marks takes getting used to. | 0 | 7,915 | 5 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i49c3vp | i4adxa3 | 1,649,654,810 | 1,649,681,720 | 1 | 2 | Double quotes for current speaking, single quotes for someone saying a quote from another person or book. Italics for inner dialogue. | Double quotes for dialogue, single quotes for quotes. "What are you doing in the supply room?" I asked. "Steve said he needed a... a.. 'flux capactor' from here," Fred answered, consulting the hastily-written note on the palm of his hand. I decided then to speak to Steve about the 'hilarious practical jokes' he played on his trainees. | 0 | 26,910 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4adxa3 | i4a34xq | 1,649,681,720 | 1,649,675,709 | 2 | 1 | Double quotes for dialogue, single quotes for quotes. "What are you doing in the supply room?" I asked. "Steve said he needed a... a.. 'flux capactor' from here," Fred answered, consulting the hastily-written note on the palm of his hand. I decided then to speak to Steve about the 'hilarious practical jokes' he played on his trainees. | I'll add that in sci-fi/fantasy single quotes are often used to denote alternate forms of communication, such as telepathy. | 1 | 6,011 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4adczj | i4adxa3 | 1,649,681,442 | 1,649,681,720 | 1 | 2 | Americans use double and the British use single. Based on that you'll know what to do. | Double quotes for dialogue, single quotes for quotes. "What are you doing in the supply room?" I asked. "Steve said he needed a... a.. 'flux capactor' from here," Fred answered, consulting the hastily-written note on the palm of his hand. I decided then to speak to Steve about the 'hilarious practical jokes' he played on his trainees. | 0 | 278 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4asmxw | i49c3vp | 1,649,688,189 | 1,649,654,810 | 2 | 1 | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | Double quotes for current speaking, single quotes for someone saying a quote from another person or book. Italics for inner dialogue. | 1 | 33,379 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4asmxw | i4a34xq | 1,649,688,189 | 1,649,675,709 | 2 | 1 | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | I'll add that in sci-fi/fantasy single quotes are often used to denote alternate forms of communication, such as telepathy. | 1 | 12,480 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4adczj | i4asmxw | 1,649,681,442 | 1,649,688,189 | 1 | 2 | Americans use double and the British use single. Based on that you'll know what to do. | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | 0 | 6,747 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4afh9e | i4asmxw | 1,649,682,470 | 1,649,688,189 | 1 | 2 | If you really want to go full ham, double quotes for whoever initiates dialogue, single quotes and quotation dashes for subsequent additions to the conversation; "I bet you're all wondering why I gathered you here?" (Protagonist) 'It's a parlor, detective, that's what they're for' -don't be daft, Maria, he knows that *we* know that 'Are we sure? He's been wrong the whole time. It can get tiring, quickly, and you only have a finite number of quotation marks, but I find it refreshing in at least short stories, instead of using the eight flavors of 'said' | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | 0 | 5,719 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4agfsw | i4asmxw | 1,649,682,931 | 1,649,688,189 | 1 | 2 | Americans and Canadians tend to use the double quotes, while Europe and elsewhere do single quotes. It doesn't really matter, so long as you use one of them to distinguish your dialogue and keep it consistent. If you plan on publishing internationally, I think that's something that just gets changed in translation. | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | 0 | 5,258 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4aibv0 | i4asmxw | 1,649,683,799 | 1,649,688,189 | 1 | 2 | I use double quotes normally and single quotes within a quote Example "You know what Josh said the other day? He said 'Oh I love the color of my skin.'" | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | 0 | 4,390 | 2 | ||
u0ya8g | writing_train | 0.92 | Double quotes or single quotes for speech or is it a stylistic choice? I've seen both types of quotes being used in literature for denoting speech. But I'm unsure which to use (at the moment, I'm using double quotes). At this point, I think that it's a stylistic choice but I'm unsure. | i4asmxw | i4ajdta | 1,649,688,189 | 1,649,684,281 | 2 | 1 | Do it like Cormac McCarthy. No quotes. | Amor Towles has entered the chat… | 1 | 3,908 | 2 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokft1 | gnok6ws | 1,613,505,208 | 1,613,505,099 | 101 | 15 | Planning is great, so long as it doesn't prevent progress on the current story. If you're writing a series, it's good to know what's going to happen in future books. Just don't allow yourself to get sidetracked with continual outlining. | Each person uses different ways to create. If it works for you, go for it. Tolkien would create shanties and full languages, a long with folklore for his books. If it’ll help you and keep all the series consistent and in line, it makes sense to. There are plenty of series were the first book was made and then the second and third book had an inconsistency or didn’t seem to follow together because they weren’t originally planned. Do what’s best for you | 1 | 109 | 6.733333 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnokft1 | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,505,208 | 0 | 101 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | Planning is great, so long as it doesn't prevent progress on the current story. If you're writing a series, it's good to know what's going to happen in future books. Just don't allow yourself to get sidetracked with continual outlining. | 0 | 26 | 101,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnozhvc | gnougt9 | 1,613,511,871 | 1,613,509,660 | 8 | 7 | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | 1 | 2,211 | 1.142857 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnozhvc | gnokj0w | 1,613,511,871 | 1,613,505,248 | 8 | 5 | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | What's good and what's bad for YOU nobody here can tell. When you're talking about a series, I assume there's a connection between the books? In that case it could be a very good thing to already know what will happen later on since you can put in every needed information and small hints that will be needed later on. If you finished the first book and then start to plan on the second it may happen that something is missing in the first. Same goes for the third. | 1 | 6,623 | 1.6 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnoldzv | gnozhvc | 1,613,505,630 | 1,613,511,871 | 4 | 8 | For traditional publishing, it’s harder to get a debut book in the door if it’s apart of a series, or so I’ve heard. The best option is to write the first book as a stand alone and then have it also open ended enough to write another book/series. However, if you’re self publishing, it’s good to have a series, and maybe even a few drafts of the next books prepared so you can release in session for hype/reader engagement. I’m no expert though, I recommend checking out subreddits like r/pubtips and r/selfpublish for more info on that kind of thing. It’s all about what you wanna do with it and how you write. | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | 0 | 6,241 | 2 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokxlk | gnozhvc | 1,613,505,425 | 1,613,511,871 | 2 | 8 | As with all things writing: it depends! It can be incredibly helpful to plot out the entire series. My recommendation if you choose to do so is to keep it sparse. Write down the big events, the big character beats, but otherwise leave it blank. Novels change drastically as you write, and rewrite, and rewrite again. Over-plotting can lead to you feeling trapped and unable to make necessary changes, which can end with you abandoning the entire project. One thing to think about: if you're planning to trad publish, it can be difficult to get publishers to agree to multi-book deals. So be prepared to be told you have to make the first book work as a "standalone with sequel potential." But that is really far down the line, so no need to worry about it yet - it's more something to think about once you're ready to query agents. | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | 0 | 6,446 | 4 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnozhvc | gnos6tw | 1,613,511,871 | 1,613,508,656 | 8 | 2 | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | I 100% agree with those saying that keeping your focus on finishing what you’ve got is important. Plan/outline but don’t derail. Depending on whether you want to go the trad route or self-publish, I like to leave the first installment of my wannabe-series books on soft cliffhangers to offer an agent the potential for more while still offering a book that’s capable of standing on its own. *please take my advice with a grain of salt as I am self-published and not trad published. But I’m still hoping and trying to set myself up for success! Good luck to you!! | 1 | 3,215 | 4 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnonaq2 | gnozhvc | 1,613,506,504 | 1,613,511,871 | 1 | 8 | No not at all, especially if your series is in effect one continuous story. Planning it all out at once gives you an idea of how to effectively foreshadow later events and plot points in the series. As long as you don't allow yourself to get too bogged down it's a strong strategy | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | 0 | 5,367 | 8 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnor1bc | gnozhvc | 1,613,508,156 | 1,613,511,871 | 1 | 8 | It's fine, I have 8 or so books planned for one series and around 11 for another. | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | 0 | 3,715 | 8 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnot9pi | gnozhvc | 1,613,509,124 | 1,613,511,871 | 1 | 8 | It's not a bad idea, as long as you remain flexible to changes that may pop up later. | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | 0 | 2,747 | 8 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnozhvc | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,511,871 | 0 | 8 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | Nothing wrong with it but just don't so caught up you don't finish the first book. Plan a rough to semi-polished outline for the series but then dive back into book one. I am what they call a "plantser" so I do get into planning but I let the story take its own course at certain points. Example: I never thought in my original outline I would have the twists I do in the novel. I almost kill off one of the main characters in a random thought that has become the catalyst for the ending of the story. You have to really figure out the process that works best for you. No one here can really say yes or no. Just don't get so involved in planning you never finish the first book. | 0 | 6,689 | 8,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnougt9 | gnokj0w | 1,613,509,660 | 1,613,505,248 | 7 | 5 | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | What's good and what's bad for YOU nobody here can tell. When you're talking about a series, I assume there's a connection between the books? In that case it could be a very good thing to already know what will happen later on since you can put in every needed information and small hints that will be needed later on. If you finished the first book and then start to plan on the second it may happen that something is missing in the first. Same goes for the third. | 1 | 4,412 | 1.4 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnougt9 | gnoldzv | 1,613,509,660 | 1,613,505,630 | 7 | 4 | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | For traditional publishing, it’s harder to get a debut book in the door if it’s apart of a series, or so I’ve heard. The best option is to write the first book as a stand alone and then have it also open ended enough to write another book/series. However, if you’re self publishing, it’s good to have a series, and maybe even a few drafts of the next books prepared so you can release in session for hype/reader engagement. I’m no expert though, I recommend checking out subreddits like r/pubtips and r/selfpublish for more info on that kind of thing. It’s all about what you wanna do with it and how you write. | 1 | 4,030 | 1.75 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnougt9 | gnokxlk | 1,613,509,660 | 1,613,505,425 | 7 | 2 | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | As with all things writing: it depends! It can be incredibly helpful to plot out the entire series. My recommendation if you choose to do so is to keep it sparse. Write down the big events, the big character beats, but otherwise leave it blank. Novels change drastically as you write, and rewrite, and rewrite again. Over-plotting can lead to you feeling trapped and unable to make necessary changes, which can end with you abandoning the entire project. One thing to think about: if you're planning to trad publish, it can be difficult to get publishers to agree to multi-book deals. So be prepared to be told you have to make the first book work as a "standalone with sequel potential." But that is really far down the line, so no need to worry about it yet - it's more something to think about once you're ready to query agents. | 1 | 4,235 | 3.5 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnos6tw | gnougt9 | 1,613,508,656 | 1,613,509,660 | 2 | 7 | I 100% agree with those saying that keeping your focus on finishing what you’ve got is important. Plan/outline but don’t derail. Depending on whether you want to go the trad route or self-publish, I like to leave the first installment of my wannabe-series books on soft cliffhangers to offer an agent the potential for more while still offering a book that’s capable of standing on its own. *please take my advice with a grain of salt as I am self-published and not trad published. But I’m still hoping and trying to set myself up for success! Good luck to you!! | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | 0 | 1,004 | 3.5 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnonaq2 | gnougt9 | 1,613,506,504 | 1,613,509,660 | 1 | 7 | No not at all, especially if your series is in effect one continuous story. Planning it all out at once gives you an idea of how to effectively foreshadow later events and plot points in the series. As long as you don't allow yourself to get too bogged down it's a strong strategy | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | 0 | 3,156 | 7 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnougt9 | gnor1bc | 1,613,509,660 | 1,613,508,156 | 7 | 1 | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | It's fine, I have 8 or so books planned for one series and around 11 for another. | 1 | 1,504 | 7 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnougt9 | gnot9pi | 1,613,509,660 | 1,613,509,124 | 7 | 1 | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | It's not a bad idea, as long as you remain flexible to changes that may pop up later. | 1 | 536 | 7 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnougt9 | gnokdo5 | 1,613,509,660 | 1,613,505,182 | 7 | 0 | This is a common question on this sub and the more experienced writers when it comes to traditional publishing all seem to agree that yeah, planning a whole series is not ideal if you want to use your time wisely. You can be sure that your book is the first on series, but if you’re looking for a traditional way to make it as a writer, you should focus on all the steps it takes to make one good novel, your first, before planning 10 or 12 different ones. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 4,478 | 7,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnokj0w | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,505,248 | 0 | 5 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | What's good and what's bad for YOU nobody here can tell. When you're talking about a series, I assume there's a connection between the books? In that case it could be a very good thing to already know what will happen later on since you can put in every needed information and small hints that will be needed later on. If you finished the first book and then start to plan on the second it may happen that something is missing in the first. Same goes for the third. | 0 | 66 | 5,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnoldzv | gnokxlk | 1,613,505,630 | 1,613,505,425 | 4 | 2 | For traditional publishing, it’s harder to get a debut book in the door if it’s apart of a series, or so I’ve heard. The best option is to write the first book as a stand alone and then have it also open ended enough to write another book/series. However, if you’re self publishing, it’s good to have a series, and maybe even a few drafts of the next books prepared so you can release in session for hype/reader engagement. I’m no expert though, I recommend checking out subreddits like r/pubtips and r/selfpublish for more info on that kind of thing. It’s all about what you wanna do with it and how you write. | As with all things writing: it depends! It can be incredibly helpful to plot out the entire series. My recommendation if you choose to do so is to keep it sparse. Write down the big events, the big character beats, but otherwise leave it blank. Novels change drastically as you write, and rewrite, and rewrite again. Over-plotting can lead to you feeling trapped and unable to make necessary changes, which can end with you abandoning the entire project. One thing to think about: if you're planning to trad publish, it can be difficult to get publishers to agree to multi-book deals. So be prepared to be told you have to make the first book work as a "standalone with sequel potential." But that is really far down the line, so no need to worry about it yet - it's more something to think about once you're ready to query agents. | 1 | 205 | 2 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnoldzv | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,505,630 | 0 | 4 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | For traditional publishing, it’s harder to get a debut book in the door if it’s apart of a series, or so I’ve heard. The best option is to write the first book as a stand alone and then have it also open ended enough to write another book/series. However, if you’re self publishing, it’s good to have a series, and maybe even a few drafts of the next books prepared so you can release in session for hype/reader engagement. I’m no expert though, I recommend checking out subreddits like r/pubtips and r/selfpublish for more info on that kind of thing. It’s all about what you wanna do with it and how you write. | 0 | 448 | 4,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnokxlk | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,505,425 | 0 | 2 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | As with all things writing: it depends! It can be incredibly helpful to plot out the entire series. My recommendation if you choose to do so is to keep it sparse. Write down the big events, the big character beats, but otherwise leave it blank. Novels change drastically as you write, and rewrite, and rewrite again. Over-plotting can lead to you feeling trapped and unable to make necessary changes, which can end with you abandoning the entire project. One thing to think about: if you're planning to trad publish, it can be difficult to get publishers to agree to multi-book deals. So be prepared to be told you have to make the first book work as a "standalone with sequel potential." But that is really far down the line, so no need to worry about it yet - it's more something to think about once you're ready to query agents. | 0 | 243 | 2,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnos6tw | gnonaq2 | 1,613,508,656 | 1,613,506,504 | 2 | 1 | I 100% agree with those saying that keeping your focus on finishing what you’ve got is important. Plan/outline but don’t derail. Depending on whether you want to go the trad route or self-publish, I like to leave the first installment of my wannabe-series books on soft cliffhangers to offer an agent the potential for more while still offering a book that’s capable of standing on its own. *please take my advice with a grain of salt as I am self-published and not trad published. But I’m still hoping and trying to set myself up for success! Good luck to you!! | No not at all, especially if your series is in effect one continuous story. Planning it all out at once gives you an idea of how to effectively foreshadow later events and plot points in the series. As long as you don't allow yourself to get too bogged down it's a strong strategy | 1 | 2,152 | 2 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnos6tw | gnor1bc | 1,613,508,656 | 1,613,508,156 | 2 | 1 | I 100% agree with those saying that keeping your focus on finishing what you’ve got is important. Plan/outline but don’t derail. Depending on whether you want to go the trad route or self-publish, I like to leave the first installment of my wannabe-series books on soft cliffhangers to offer an agent the potential for more while still offering a book that’s capable of standing on its own. *please take my advice with a grain of salt as I am self-published and not trad published. But I’m still hoping and trying to set myself up for success! Good luck to you!! | It's fine, I have 8 or so books planned for one series and around 11 for another. | 1 | 500 | 2 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnos6tw | gnokdo5 | 1,613,508,656 | 1,613,505,182 | 2 | 0 | I 100% agree with those saying that keeping your focus on finishing what you’ve got is important. Plan/outline but don’t derail. Depending on whether you want to go the trad route or self-publish, I like to leave the first installment of my wannabe-series books on soft cliffhangers to offer an agent the potential for more while still offering a book that’s capable of standing on its own. *please take my advice with a grain of salt as I am self-published and not trad published. But I’m still hoping and trying to set myself up for success! Good luck to you!! | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 3,474 | 2,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnonaq2 | gnokdo5 | 1,613,506,504 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | No not at all, especially if your series is in effect one continuous story. Planning it all out at once gives you an idea of how to effectively foreshadow later events and plot points in the series. As long as you don't allow yourself to get too bogged down it's a strong strategy | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 1,322 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnor1bc | gnokdo5 | 1,613,508,156 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | It's fine, I have 8 or so books planned for one series and around 11 for another. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 2,974 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnot9pi | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,509,124 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | It's not a bad idea, as long as you remain flexible to changes that may pop up later. | 0 | 3,942 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnpc48y | gnokdo5 | 1,613,517,827 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | Nah, thats good. It adds depth and prevents you from compremising the story. You’ll prevent bad writing from occuring. The worst writers wrote for the money of it, they never plan past the first book, and plan to end every series at the first book. Only to expand and the fans greive on the expansions. The best writers plan and dive into their stories. Each series is anticipated because its a live world. Since its alive in your head. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 12,645 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnpfmdx | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,519,574 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | If the first book doesn't do so hot, you can move onto the next portion of the series - trying again and again. Best part is if you get a hit, then the rest become valuable because they're more lore and story in the world your hit is set in - making a back catalogue for readers to get. Just make them semi standalone, with enough references that make your reader go, "Who is this guy/gal? He/she gets a *something something* in the sequel/prequel? Now I gotta get that shit." Boom you have a series empire. | 0 | 14,392 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnpi5u5 | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,520,863 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | Nothing inherently wrong with planning future things but keep in mind it could be a giant waste of time and it also might just be you procrastinating. | 0 | 15,681 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnpmxf0 | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,523,319 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | It's better too write things down now when you have the ideas. I've lost many a good idea but thinking I'd remember them. And planning is always good. | 0 | 18,137 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnpph3o | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,524,635 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | i don’t see it as a bad thing. personally, it motivates me to finish the current story i’m working on! | 0 | 19,453 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnpqfge | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,525,130 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | i suggest planning the first book then having vague plans for the rest of the series. i feel like i overplanned my series. there's always going to be stuff you can't predict like certain things working better or worse. it can also be good to leave yourself open to finish the series at any time, or extend it longer if it's still working. one thing i do think is good though is at least knowing the sort of ending you're building toward. but that is also the thign where the specifics will change the most over the course of fully creating the story. | 0 | 19,948 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnpsilp | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,526,212 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | My two cents? I set out to write a 5 book series. Took months to create an outline and some interesting characters. A few weeks into writing the first book, I realized it could all be said in a single novel. It’s been said before but... Just Write! | 0 | 21,030 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnq5b36 | gnokdo5 | 1,613,532,986 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | Not a book series but look at Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama definitely spent at least a few years planning the entire story. There's no problem with planning a whole series but you need to be able to connect everything effectively. If you can create a great outline of a story, and are able to connect those events well, you get a great story. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 27,804 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnqdv7r | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,537,819 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | A plan is never bad, but never fully stick to the plan. Remember, battles only go as planned until first contact. | 0 | 32,637 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnqr8hh | gnokdo5 | 1,613,546,797 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | I planned to write my story in one book so I wouldn't end up with a trilogy, but then I realised that because of its lenght I had to split it in three. I still think of it as one very interconnected narrative, so I plan a lot of set-ups and payoffs and forshadowing throughout the books, and sometimes I work on the structure of book 2 and 3, but I give myself a time limit if in that moment I was supposed to be working on the revision for book 1. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 41,615 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnr4sc7 | gnokdo5 | 1,613,559,723 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | It's good if you have a plan with you and if it's not affecting your current work, go for it. Also, try connecting what you working on today with what you are planning for future. If it's connecting and the results are what you were looking for, then go for it! Else, you need to give a thought again. Also, the future plans shouldn't have an impact on what you writing today because people will only look forward to the coming series if they will find the present one worth it. Think wisely and if it's hard to manage , forget the future planning and focus on the present writing. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 54,541 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gnram4m | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,564,801 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | Yes, because of a few things. One thing is creatively. A lot of times I see writers feel they have to put boring set up or can’t put that cool thing in the novel because it happens in book three. This will basically make your books lesser. As an addendum to that, if you’ve never written a novel before, or you’ve only written a few, you don’t generally have any idea how much detail is going to be in a book so your plan for future books might be off the mark. The other reason is business related. You might not be able to publish the first book of a series, and so all the time you’ve spent on future books has now been wasted. I always say that focusing on one book, making that book the best it can be, making sure it’s full of exciting and fun things, is better for you to focus on. For both reasons. | 0 | 59,619 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnrhbu0 | gnokdo5 | 1,613,569,305 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | I think it's a good idea. Planning ahead can help you know what to include (or not) in the first book. Of course, 20,000 word outlines are probably too much—at least they would be for me. But some idea of where you're going is helpful. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 64,123 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnrn7es | gnokdo5 | 1,613,572,569 | 1,613,505,182 | 1 | 0 | I only want to add on to whats written here by saying that I think Easter eggs and hidden plotlines are the butter on my crossaint, so if mapping out the series helps you do that, I would say go for it! But, you know, unexpected things happen so don't cling to The Plan if something turns out Naturally Different. | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | 1 | 67,387 | 1,000 | ||
llbxgj | writing_train | 0.91 | Is it bad for me to plan a whole series before even finishing the first book? Hi all, so I’m writing a book that is the first in a fantasy series with many themes. However I haven’t even finished the first book in this series and have started planning the next few books in the series. I’ve done this so I can build up these themes in the first book and foreshadow these events, however I fear that I’ll get too excited and want to just move on to these books immediately. However my question is if planning these new books ahead of the first book is a bad plan. So is it bad for me to write a whole roadmap of books that are planned for after the first book? | gnokdo5 | gns5524 | 1,613,505,182 | 1,613,580,727 | 0 | 1 | Absolutely not. In fact, a lot of writers do this. Just don’t be too attached to your plans, because writing tends to take a life of its own. | tl;dr- **Planning is good, but focusing on the future and excessively hyping yourself for what comes next may be bad and lead to disappointment. However, every writer is different and has different approaches, so do as you will.** I had a similar mindset when writing my own short series (I'm currently writing the third and last book). Though it's very good to plan ahead as you should definitely know what comes next and not ad-lib things (though that's not to say good things can't come out of it), try not to get swept up in building up things for the next book or future events. I feel because of my excitement and hype for writing that second book in my own series, the quality seemed drastically lower than what I expected; I'm currently revising it because of this. However, focusing on one book at a time can lead to some really great things and in-depth development. In this third book I'm writing, I feel that I've been able to write better and more sincerely than my last two projects. Though I attribute this to the improvement of my writing abilities over time, I feel like a big factor of it is not having to foreshadow anything or prepare for what's next. All I have to do is focus on what I'm currently doing. | 0 | 75,545 | 1,000 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.