#IWSG: Writing Rules

... Yes, writing RULES the universe, but rules can ruin writing. When do you follow the rules and when do you break them? Well, that is certainly open for debate.

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

It's essential to know the rules and to choose consciously when breaking them, but there are SO many rules ... is it even realistic to know them all? No. That's why it's crucial to study and read and revisit the craft of writing as often as possible. The one rule I wish I'd never read is the one about split infinitives. I struggle constantly with them. They plague my writing - not by choice, but by personal blindness to them. Thank heavens for terrific critique partners who catch them for me.

Here are two more writing "rules" --- do you follow these?

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10 Books to Improve Your #Writing Skills

Want to know how to write well?

Read.

A lot.

 

Read award-winning and best-selling works of fiction within your chosen genre.
 

And …

 

Read books on the craft of writing. Read them with a highlighter and pencil in hand. Mark up the pages of the book, flag key passages, and take notes on how to implement the ideas into your own writing. Study and practice and read some more. That’s the formula for writing well. ... At least I *think* it is. ... I'm still striving to improve my own writing skills on a daily basis. ;)
 

 

Here are ten of my favorite books on the craft of writing:

THE FIRE IN FICTION by Donald Maass

HOOKED by Les Edgerton

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk & White

SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Browne & King

SAVE THE CAT! by Blake Snyder

THE STORY BOOK by David Baboulene

WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES by Deborah Halverson

WRITING IRRISISTIBLE KIDLIT by Mary Kole

HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD THRILLER by James Frey

ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King

 

 

What’s your favorite book on the craft of writing?
 

5 Inspiring Quotes for #Writing

Need a little push to get your writing off the ground today?

 

Here are five of my favorite quotes on the topic:


"Wounded villains often wear their wounds like a badge and use them to justify their villainy." -- James Frey (HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD THRILLER)

"Whether or hero is skilled or not, it's the relative size of the challenge that makes these stories work. And one rule of thumb is: The badder the bad guy, the greater the heroics." -- Blake Snyder (SAVE THE CAT)

"If your every sentence admits a doubt, your writing will lack authority. Save the auxiliaries would, should, could, may, might, and can for situation involving real uncertainty." -- Strunk & White (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE)

"Whatever drives the main character ... make sure it is an inner conflict as powerful as any outer conflict could hope to be: urgent, unavoidable, and full of an emotional appeal that anyone can feel." -- Donald Maass (WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL)

"YA writers must master ... a youthful sensibility. Young people are learning to be self-aware rather than self-centric, and their appreciation of others' places ... in the world is still maturing. ... see the world as youngsters see it, letting that view influence your phrasing and sentiments." -- Deborah Halverson (WRITING YA FICTION FOR DUMMIES)


How about you? Do you have a favorite writing quote? Share it in the comments. :) Happy writing!

Omit Needless Words

Yep. I'm still in the revision trenches and working hard to tighten up my manuscript.

Every time I come across a phrase like: "She did not listen to me." I cringe, because Strunk and White's words pop into my head:

Omit needless words.

Sounds so simple.

And yet, I forget it so often. I'm a rambler, and I like to use a lot of words, but when writing a manuscript ... a lot of unnecessary words does not make it better!

She did not listen to me. = She ignored me.

That cuts the word count in half! That's just one sentence. Imagine how much tighter you could make the entire manuscript!

Here are some more examples:
Do not forget = Remember
A guy thumped his fingers against the microphone. = A guy thumped the microphone.
She put her hands on my shoulders. = She grabbed my shoulders.
He pointed his finger at me. = He pointed at me.
He snapped his fingers. = He snapped.

I'm not telling you to write only two and three word sentences, but I am telling (suggesting and kindly encouraging) you to omit needless words. Cut out the words, phrases, and scenes that readers skip or skim over. Make your manuscript as tight as possible.

Are you writing this weekend? Going camping? Me? I'll be revising.

Writing Tip: Show What the Character is Doing

Seems simple. Right?

But how many times have you written something like: "She just could not make herself go to the party." or "He did not want to play baseball."

Sometimes sentences like these are necessary, but if you overuse these nondescript phrases, you will lose the reader. They won't be able to connect to the character or the story, because you're not showing what the character is doing.

Pull your readers into the story by putting "statements in positive form."

According to the ever popular book, THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, by Strunk & White, "Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, noncommittal language. Use the word not as a means of denial or in antithesis, never as a means of evasion" (page 19).

When you overuse the word not, your writing is weakened, and "Consciously or unconsciously, the reader is dissatisfied with being told only what is not; the reader wishes to be told what is. Hence, as a rule, it is better to express even a negative in positive form" (page 20).

For example:
not honest = dishonest
not important = trifling
did not remember = forgot

And to rework the two sentences from above:
"She refused to go to the party, because she dreaded seeing her birth dad again."
"He wanted to practice the piano so that one day he'd play in sold-out venues."

When you go back to your manuscript, highlight the word not and any contraction with it (like couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't) and change the sentence to a positive statement showing what the character IS doing. You'll find that your reader will be able to connect with your story on a deeper level.

What do you think? Do you agree with Strunk & White that sentences are stronger in a positive form?

E is for ELEMENTS OF STYLE

 

So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


E is for ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White

When I attended my first writers' conference, one of the most helpful tips was to read this little book. What a timeless gem. I continue to read it multiple times during manuscript revisions to keep it fresh in my memory. 

Is there a book you refer back to often to help you with your writing?

GRAMMAR: Apostrophe S

[Originally posted on March 16, 2012.]

- - - - - -

There is a BIG difference between a plural noun and a possessive noun.

Right?

For example: Hero's vs. Heroes

...

The hero's sword is big and shiny.

source: www.marvel.com

The heroes band together to fight for their right to wear spandex.

source: www.trackingwonder.com

What?

It seems obvious to you?

What about the possessive singular form of Charles?

Well ... according to THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White, the correct answer is:
Charles's friend

Did you get it right?

That tricky little apostrophe S can get the best of us sometimes.

What about you?
Do you ever struggle with possessive nouns?

Vulgarisms

Seriously.
What is a vulgarism and how does it relate to grammar?


According to merriam-webster.com:
A vulgarism is "... a word or expression originated or used chiefly by illiterate persons."

:-)

Okay.


Strunk & White think vulgarisms include wrong word choices:
Wrong: small, home-type hotels
Right: small, homelike hotels
(THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, p. 62).


Punctuation can also be used in error and result in a vulgarism:
"Question marks . . . have their own vulgarism, an attempt to attribute sarcasm to a word by putting a query in brackets after it: 'We attended a really cultured (?) dinner-party last night, at which the other guests could talk of nothing but film stars and football pools.' This habit should be strangled at birth. . . .

"There is, however, one other misuse of the question mark that deserves more serious comment, namely its intrusion in indirect questions, such as:

He asked me why I was so silent?

This is definitely wrong. The original question mark of 'Why are you so silent?' must give way to a full-stop [period] when the question is converted by 'He asked me' into its indirect form, for the sentence as a whole has now become a statement."
(C.V. Carey, Mind the Stop. Pelican Books, 1971)


...

So, really, any grammar error would be like fingernails on a chalkboard to an astute person of grammatical expertise (not me, by the way).

A vulgarism.


Does making an word choice error, punctuation error, or grammar error designate you as an illiterate person?

Prepositions

(originally posted March 2012) ...



I was taught in high school (a gazillion years ago) to never end a sentence with a preposition. Okay. It requires effort, but it is very possible. Nonetheless, best-selling authors leaving those little critters at the end of sentences all the time.

Then I read Strunk & White (I know ... I quote their advice like it's the Bible):

"Years ago, students were warned not to end a sentence with a preposition; time, of course, has softened that rigid decree. Not only is the proposition acceptable at the end, sometimes it is more effective in that spot than anywhere else" (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, pp.77-78).

What do you think?
Do you even care where writers place their prepositions?
Or do you just want to read a great plot?

I KIND OF like you ...

"Kind of. Except in familiar style, not to be used as a substitute for rather or something like. Restrict it to its literal sense: 'Amber is a kind of fossil resin'; 'I dislike that kind of publicity.'" (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, p.51)

Does Your Writing Lack Authority?

"If your every sentence admits a doubt, your writing will lack authority. Save the auxiliaries would, should, could, may, might, and can for situations involving real uncertainty" - Strunk & White (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, p. 20).

...
Well, there's some revision inspiration. I'm going to highlight these doubt-filled words in my manuscript and reconsider my word choices. Great advice from Strunk & White.

Does your writing lack authority? Do you think it matters?

Good Grammar

My son, a high school senior, asked me to proof read one of his AP Literature papers. Sure. No problem.

Right?

... until he questioned the grammar changes I'd made with a red pen ...

Ha.

At a writer's conference I went to in 2010, an agent said that THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White was highly recognized and referred to in the publishing industry.

So, I use it and refer back to it regularly. I also google grammar issues and if I can find two or more educational sites that agree upon a grammar standard, I go with that.

What book of rules or internet resources do you rely on for good grammar?

Or were you simply born a grammar expert?

..........


Editorial Note: Please consider giving a book or a buck to the BOOK DRIVE FOR TEENAGERS! If everyone from the AtoZ Challenge gave a single dollar ... we'd have a huge donation for this high school library. My goal is to donate 500 books (plus monetary contributions). So far we've raised $50 and received 12 books!

Yes, I'm going to keep reminding you for the ENTIRE month of April. Because I'm PUSHY like that. And it's a GOOD cause! Please pass the word and let's hit the goal before the end of the month! To easily donate, just click the "DONATE" button on this blog's side bar. THANKS!! :-)  

..........

CRAFT: Word Choice Pt II

Right ... so ... more on the topic of revising. (Can you tell where my mind has been lately?)

The other day, I grabbed my handy-dandy copy of THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE and flipped through my highlighted and tabbed pages. I wanted to make this the best revision of this ms possible! Page 73 reads:

"Avoid the use of qualifiers. Rather, very, little, pretty -- these are the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words."


Yikes.

So, I used the "find" feature in MS Word and searched for these words. Holy Smokes! I thought I knew better than to use the word "very" in my writing. But there it was. Over and over AGAIN.

I did decide to leave the word "very" every once in a while in dialogue, but I deleted it from everywhere else. I almost didn't search for the word "pretty" because I thought I never used the word. Imagine my surprise when it showed up over and over AGAIN in my ms.

I think sometimes our mind becomes blind to certain words. Unnecessary words.

What do you think?

Do you think rather, very, little, and pretty are the "leeches" of prose?