| Fun stuff |
[04 Apr 2013|06:05pm] |
Taken from FB, these are fun and informative articles from a site called Mental Floss. The first one shows one of the many reasons English is such a difficult language to grasp (sometimes even for those who grow up speaking it).
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And the next one will resonate with flisties from both sides of the pond....
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| both vs. each |
[03 Apr 2013|11:00am] |
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What is the difference in using both to each?
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| Fun and interesting resources |
[18 Mar 2013|10:20am] |
Links to two sites with writerly stuff - the first one shows (cleverly) the 7 basic plots that we see over and over. Which is not to say you shouldn't use them - they are how things usually go in a good story. The challenge for us is to use them in original ways so that the story develops as it should, but in such a way that it seems fresh. ETA turns out I had only seen a portion of the entry. I'm hoping it is large enough to read in this photobucket version.
More ETA - *sigh* okay the whole thing is too small to read, but I think you can see this part (which is all I originally intended to post)
And the second one and it's accompanying artwork is more tongue in cheek and amusing, but still quite useful as it shows us 42 Essential Third Act Twists (meant for plays, but obviously adaptable to any story)
http://dresdencodak.com/2009/05/11/42-essential-3rd-act-twists/
Enjoy!
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| grammar question |
[08 Mar 2013|12:48pm] |
"Leaving for school, my dad drove me to Penn State."
Since "my dad" is the subject of the sentence, is it saying that "my dad" was leaving for school?
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| But Stephen King says to do it this way.... |
[01 Feb 2013|09:32am] |
I love this. Many essays or lists on writing advice from well-known authors make me cringe. Yes, there are some things you should/shouldn't do, but in something as creative as writing nothing is cut and dried. There are no "musts", there is what works for you and your style, and for your audience. Anyone reading writing advice should learn to weed through it and pick out the things that make sense for you and ignore the things that seem silly or too dogmatic.
Which, BTW, is not to say that you can or should disregard generally accepted "rules" for writing well. It's good to know what they are and why they exist. Then, when you understand why a particular "rule" is important, you can make an informed decision about when and where to ignore it. An example might be "never use an epithet; always use the name or a pronoun". Okay, yes, a whole story of paragraphs full of "the blond vampire" or even "the vampire" when "Spike" or "he" would have worked can make you want to scream "I know what he is!!!!" However, if you've got a long scene between, say Spike and Xander, and there is a lot of room for pronoun confusion ("he"? "him"? "his"? who he? which him? whose?) and yet repeating their names with each change of character begins to seem ridiculous, then an occasional "the vampire" might be warranted - particularly if his being a vampire is somewhat important to the scene. Moderation in everything might be the lesson to take away from most writing advice. And know what you're doing and have a good reason for it.
Said good reason NOT being because some published author you've read does it like that...
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| Vice Versa... |
[05 Jan 2013|09:05pm] |
Here's a doozy I'm seeing high and low, lately:
Vice vs. Vise
Vice is an immoral or wicked habit or characteristic. It is something that occurs often in fic, or at least the fic that I like to read. ;-)
Vise is a tool that holds something tightly. In many fics, one character will hold another in a vise-like grip. Vice may be involved, but the hold itself is the vise.
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| a (sorta?) daily doozy |
[05 Jan 2013|09:05am] |
I was going to do something on canon/fanon soon, but haven't managed to sort out my thoughts yet. In lieu of that, here's a worthy addition to our frequently confused words list; one that I snagged from  aadler who apparently has a list of his own. :)
"Grammar/language peeve of the day:
flaunt/flout
Not sure where this one comes from, other than people simply not bothering to learn the actual meanings of words that sound vaguely similar, but here goes.
flaunt: to display ostentatiously or impudently [flaunting his superiority]
flout: to treat with contemptuous disregard [flouting the rules]
Get it? One is a display, the other is a treatment. Sound alike, but nowhere near the same usage or meaning."
~~~~~~~~
I really need to stop calling these "daily" doozies, don't I? *sigh*
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| Betas |
[19 Dec 2012|02:06pm] |
Posted this on DW while LJ was having it's little fit of "emergency repairs", but I think it will reach more people here. As you may or may not know, we have thread on here for betas. I'm not sure how often, if ever, it's been updated, but I'd like to ask everyone who is on it to please update your information (or take yourself off if you are no longer willing) and to encourage any newer members to consider offering this service. I keep telling authors "you really should have a beta", but when they ask me where or how they can find one, I end up dithering with no good answers because I'm only too aware of how quickly the beta lists here and at the BSV go out of date.
Little help? Thanks.
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| I really wish I knew grammar... |
[02 Dec 2012|01:45pm] |
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Which of these if correct? (Yes, I'm assuming one is right.) And, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, what is it I'm not getting about grammar that I'm not sure which way to go?
By the time magic returned to the world, Willow's hands shook with age, her skin so translucent it almost glowed, and her hair, what was left of it, a greasy looking gray.
By the time magic returned to the world, Willow's hands shook with age, her skin was so translucent it almost glowed, and her hair, what was left of it, was a greasy looking gray.
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| Loooong discussion about self-editing |
[17 Nov 2012|07:07pm] |
During the course of doing some beta and editing work, I’ve been reminded of something that it seems many authors don’t bother to do. Something that kind of boggles my mind. Proofread their own stuff! Good self-editing of both fanfic and original fiction is vitally important to all writers, whether your intended audience is a small group of readers who love your genre and pairing, or a much larger group of readers who will be reading your work because they think they will like it.
Behind the cut are some thoughts on the importance of self-editing, as well as some suggestions about doing it effectively.
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| Good stuff |
[16 Nov 2012|05:08pm] |
This is important information to have. I remember hearing some of the font advice years ago from at a WriterConUK presentation. Good stuff to be aware of while writing.
ETA - and here is the actual, you know, link to the information... link
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| Bad mod! |
[14 Nov 2012|08:12am] |
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I know I haven't been keeping this up very well lately, but here's a link that you might enjoy or learn something from. More later. I promise!
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