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But that begs the question about it this is really how we want to do things....

No it doesn't. It RAISES the question, which is what you should have written. "Begs the question" means something entirely different.

http://begthequestion.info/
http://www.writersdigest.com/e...

http://www.writersdigest.com/o...

https://english.stackexchange....

https://www.newyorker.com/book...

http://grammarist.com/eggcorns...

Grammar nazis REPRESENT!

HEIL WEBSTER!

#SayNoToJive

I Agree. I am currently looking for work. I will not accept employment with any company unless I can see the current pee-test results from the CEO COO CIO CFO and where applicable, Chairman of the Board. They are all more likely to damage the company through impaired capacity/judgement than is a mid-leveler like me.

Why does the 'show me your test' demand seem reasonable in one organizational "direction" but not in the other? ...by the way, I think you mean to say "Drugs that AFFECT mental processes... Affect mental processes."

  http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/affect-vs-effect-2
Q: Could you share some insight on the proper usage of the words affect and effect?—Charlene Clark

The misuse of the words “affect” and “effect” is such an epidemic that some folks are considering assembling regional support groups to deal with the problem. But while the words are often used incorrectly, deciding whether to use affect or effect isn’t as tough to as you may think. Let me explain.

“Affect” is generally used as a verb: A affects B. The eye-patch affected my vision. In this sentence, the eye-patch (A) influenced my vision (B).

“Effect,” on the other hand, is almost exclusively used as a noun: A had an effect on B. Acting like a pirate has had a negative effect on my social life.

Sorry, should have said "numbers nine and lower" instead of "lower than 10."

http://www.writersdigest.com/e...

Can't copyright titles and 'pixel' as a word is too generic to trademark. Ignore the take down.

http://www.writersdigest.com/e...

Q: Iâ(TM)ve been working on a book and the title is very importantâ"I use it as the URL for my blog, for a weekly column I write, etc., and I want people to identify it with me. Can I copyright a title so others canâ(TM)t use it? â"Anonymous

A: Copyrights cover works fixed in a tangible format, but because titles are typically short, they donâ(TM)t fall under copyright protection. So no, you canâ(TM)t copyright a title to a book, song or movie. But you can trademark a title, which may give you the protection you seek.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states that a trademark protects words, phrases, symbols or designs identifying the source of the goods or services of one party and distinguishing them from those of others. Brand names like Pepsi, Xerox and Band-Aid are all protected. So is the Nike âoeswoosh.â But more relevant to us, book titles such as The Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter and the Sorcererâ(TM)s Stone are trademarked.

Unlike copyright protection, which is granted the minute your work is written down, trademarks arenâ(TM)t handed out so freely. In fact, if the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office doesnâ(TM)t consider your title (or brand) a distinctive mark that is indisputably distinguishable from others, you will not be granted trademark protection. This is why you see so many books with the sameâ"or very similarâ"titles. Many of the terms are considered too generic or arbitrary to warrant protection.

Trademarks are not only intended to protect the creator, but also the consumer. Trademarks keep others from confusing a well-known work on the bookstore shelves with others. For example, Harry Potter is such a popular, distinguishable character by J.K. Rowling that youâ(TM)d expect any title with his name in it to be written by her (or, at least, a book approved by her). Itâ(TM)s not only her work, but itâ(TM)s become her brand.

So if you use the title of your book as the title of your blog, column, etc., it could be considered your brand identifier. And if you find success, you could qualify for trademark protection.

Sorry, it got eaten while editing

Also, notably, book titles are not copyrightable even though they may arguably be the most important part of the work. Neither are slogans, recipes, telephone directories, or substantially non-creative works. There are good and bad APIs, and you can do a creative interpretation of an API (a poetic reading, perhaps) which may be copyrightable, but the API itself is not a sufficiently creative work.

Same thing here - no problem. Compared to "cleaner" languages like Latin, German, Spanish or even French, English grammar is pure voodoo. According to the grammar sites I googled up, the subtle difference between "which" and "that" (which I didn't explain very well above) is a very common source of confusion:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/which-versus-that-0
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/which-vs-that

the following magazines, time permitting:

Print Magazine
Communication Arts
Dwell
Step Inside Design
MacWorld
MacAddict
Writer's Digest
Maxim

Of course, it's rare that I actually get to READ them all, but I like to at least have the material available to me.

Also, if you pick up any copy of the Writers Digest you will note that there are a lot of reminder ads such like: "When using a term such as Kleenex remember that is a brand name. Use the full name or the generic 'facial tissue' instead".

You should approach writing as a completely different business. Bad or exploitative contracts happen in every business if you aren't careful. The Writer's Digest is a good source of info. If you are dealing with a blockbuster property, an agent makes sense. There usually isn't enough money in technical books to interest an agent, though, so I suspect that you can still negotiate it yourself successfully.

I enjoy writing, but I do not plan on supporting myself by it. With some effort, one can make $20-30K per year writing. Not enough for many /.ers.

However, my experience was that writing a technical book or two makes you an expert...and a little more competitive in employment or contract positions. So the real payback is not from the publisher, but from organizations who want to employ an expert.

Before writing, also consider the odds of getting published in various genres. I think that something like nine non-fiction titles are published for every fiction book. Non-fiction covers everything, like recipes, travel, self-help, history, coffee table picture books, as well as computer books.

However, if you poll people who say they want to write, or those who take writing classes, the ratio is reversed. IMHO - and there are no real numbers to back this up AFAIK - there are ten would-be fiction writers for every non-fiction writer, and they are competing for a tenth of the contracts. As a result, contract negotiations - and the whole relationship - for fiction works are definitely one-sided.

If you do decide to write, plan your time management first. Then, for nonfiction, write a query letter to the publisher. Then, with skill and luck, you will have the problem of having to negotiate a contract.

You can so have time travel without paradox. It all depends on your "game" rules. Check out the GURPS RPG book Time Travel or read Time Travel by Paul J. Nahin, which is a reference book for SF writers. It's sold by Writer's Digest, who don't seem to allow direct linking.

If you don't allow paradox, then you get some really odd things like the Observer Effect where you can change anything if and only if you don't already know the outcome. Alternate worlds are another way to avoid paradox, when you time travel, you basically create a new stream.

The original Wells story had no paradoxical elements, although that became all the rage later ("By His Bootstraps" and "All you Zombies" by Heinlien are probably the templates).

BTW, I did think the Time Breakers series was quite good.

Everybody here seems to be focusing on the sci-fi/fantasy authors, and not many others. Probably because most people here read mostly sci-fi and fantasy books. Everybodies top ten list will be based on his or her personal taste. The list at www.writersdigest.com of the publicly voted best 100 writers of the century includes alot of sci-fi/fantasy greats, but aslo includes many other authors who are equally good. I think any one of the people on this list could be in a top five list.

Interseting to note too that the preivious list was English authors only. We, in the english-speaking world, sometimes seem to forget that there are other languages on the planet, each with authors of equal worth.