Yesterday, I crafted a RegEx that finds double words (aka “the the”). This is something that’s pretty useless if you write or edit in a relatively recent word processor — and maybe I’d better start doing an edit pass in one of those — but I share it here in case it’s useful to you.

(\b[A-z’‘’]+\b]) \1

Don’t do a replace-all with that. Until you’re confident it’s not picking up false positives … and probably not even then.

Not every RegEx implementation will allow you to reference a capture group inside the search term so be sure to intentionally put a “the the” in the text somewhere to make sure it’s working correctly for you.

If I get a moment, I’ll explain what it’s doing so you can make adjustments if you need to.

#AmWriting #AmEditing #WritingCommunity #Writing #RegEx

Yesterday, I crafted a RegEx that finds double words (aka “the the”). This is something that’s pretty useless if you write or edit in a relatively recent word processor — and maybe I’d better start doing an edit pass in one of those — but I share it here in case it’s useful to you.

(\b[A-z’‘’]+\b]) \1

Don’t do a replace-all with that. Until you’re confident it’s not picking up false positives … and probably not even then.

Not every RegEx implementation will allow you to reference a capture group inside the search term so be sure to intentionally put a “the the” in the text somewhere to make sure it’s working correctly for you.

If I get a moment, I’ll explain what it’s doing so you can make adjustments if you need to.

#AmWriting #AmEditing #WritingCommunity #Writing #RegEx

Today, at 21:30 PM, I'll be part of an hour-long reading session at Rainbow Space Magic. Queer authors read queer stories. Fun for all!
#writingcommunity #reading #lgbtqia #rainbowspacemagic

Today, at 21:30 PM, I'll be part of an hour-long reading session at Rainbow Space Magic. Queer authors read queer stories. Fun for all!
#writingcommunity #reading #lgbtqia #rainbowspacemagic

Well, by accident I spotted a 1998 file named Greg Bear's Pep Talk.doc in Time Machine on my Mac and decided to use #Finder to find it.

Nope.

After plenty research on how-to, some Apple, some Stack Exchange etc., I've come to the conclusion that Finder #Search is broken. It won't find the file even if it is the default directory for the search, and certainly not when searching This Mac.

I found a tip to use Spotlight (I have Tahoe installed). #Spotlight actually works like a charm, finding by the time I typed the b in Greg Bear. What gives, #Apple? Are you abandoning Finder Search?

#mac #macintosh #writer #author #writersOfMastodon #writingcommunity

#reading #question
Do you know any novels (not graphic novels) with goth main characters?
It doesn't matter what genre - romance, mystery, thriller, horror, urban fantasy, young adult, new adult ...
But no Dark Romance please.
Bonus points if there are also queer characters - not necessarily the goth character(s), but that would be nice, too.

Currently, I am reading the YA novel "You've Goth My Heart" by L.C. Rosen and am enjoying it. 🖤

Please #boost.

#writingcommunity #goth #gothic #books

#ScribesAndMakers 9/29. What is your proudest or best moment with your creative endeavour this month?

Publishing another book from my back-log: A Goblin's Plight.

It never had priority. It never felt "good enough". But editing it showed me that it wasn't bad, either, and since I managed to cobble together a somewhat decent cover on Canva, I decided to send it into the world.

As a friend said: It'll never find readers on your hard drive.

https://books2read.com/MCGoblinsPlight

#WritingCommunity
#Reading

#reading #question
Do you know any novels (not graphic novels) with goth main characters?
It doesn't matter what genre - romance, mystery, thriller, horror, urban fantasy, young adult, new adult ...
But no Dark Romance please.
Bonus points if there are also queer characters - not necessarily the goth character(s), but that would be nice, too.

Currently, I am reading the YA novel "You've Goth My Heart" by L.C. Rosen and am enjoying it. 🖤

Please #boost.

#writingcommunity #goth #gothic #books

#WritersCoffeeClub 28
add to a work after it’s “finished”

I like how the quotes ostensively provide a definition for the word.

To this point, I’ve never added to a work after its final edit, meaning the point when I’m ready to begin formatting.

I’m painstaking in all my stages of preparation in an effort to avoid having to fix mistakes. I also don’t meddle with a published book. It becomes canon, & I’ve too many other works wanting my attention.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 9/29. What is your proudest or best moment with your creative endeavour this month?

Publishing another book from my back-log: A Goblin's Plight.

It never had priority. It never felt "good enough". But editing it showed me that it wasn't bad, either, and since I managed to cobble together a somewhat decent cover on Canva, I decided to send it into the world.

As a friend said: It'll never find readers on your hard drive.

https://books2read.com/MCGoblinsPlight

#WritingCommunity
#Reading

Fediverse #GameDev folks, #MastoArt artists, #WritingCommunity writers, other creative folk -

In about a week I'll need to be writing the next Exilian community newsletter, and we could do with some more new projects to talk about! If you've something you'd like more eyes on - your art portfolio, your comic, your game, etc - then please do drop a post about it on the Exilian forum within the next week and we'd love to write it up for our members to read about!

(Boosts on this very appreciated)

#WritersCoffeeClub 28
add to a work after it’s “finished”

I like how the quotes ostensively provide a definition for the word.

To this point, I’ve never added to a work after its final edit, meaning the point when I’m ready to begin formatting.

I’m painstaking in all my stages of preparation in an effort to avoid having to fix mistakes. I also don’t meddle with a published book. It becomes canon, & I’ve too many other works wanting my attention.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Writers: Do you outline meticulously—or do you let your plot flop around like a wounded fish until it figures out what it wants to be? Asking for my manuscript.

#WriterQuestions #PlotFlop #CreativeChaos #writingcommunity

Fediverse #GameDev folks, #MastoArt artists, #WritingCommunity writers, other creative folk -

In about a week I'll need to be writing the next Exilian community newsletter, and we could do with some more new projects to talk about! If you've something you'd like more eyes on - your art portfolio, your comic, your game, etc - then please do drop a post about it on the Exilian forum within the next week and we'd love to write it up for our members to read about!

(Boosts on this very appreciated)

Does anyone have a *method* for where to cut off your chapters?

Do you end on specific kinds of story beats? Do you have a rough length they conform to? Do you have to have accomplished something to make it a chapter?

I have ZERO intuitive sense of when chapters ought to end, and it's driving me batty.

#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting #Scriberspace

Nota bene:

"Point of view characters" are not required. Many books have omniscient narrators and "head hop" as a matter of course. Saladin Ahmed's EMPIRE OF THE CRESCENT MOON does this, and it won *all* the awards.

If you *like* to work with POV characters then please do! But there's no rule saying you have to.

Just saying.

#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting #Scriberspace