tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post1300564262914271756..comments2024-03-28T06:59:34.982-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Insta-Poll: Is The Bedeviling In The Details?Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-15696899626587031202010-08-22T04:05:54.672-06:002010-08-22T04:05:54.672-06:00I’m the same, Sharla. It’s picky but for good reas...I’m the same, Sharla. It’s picky but for good reason. Without separating the beginning, middle, and end of an action—like she started walking, she walked, and she arrived at the door, you lose that distinction and can’t work with hit. “She started reaching for him but stopped, her mind drifting to the day he betrayed her, and slowly brought her hand to her chest. She was once again somberly aware of who was standing in front of her.” It implies more tentativeness in the action which serves to capture the sentiment in it. <br /><br />Or “The two stopped talking and he walked to the door.” Unless anything else is said the character is going to reach the door. “The two stopped talking and he started walking to the door.” The character has not reached the door yet but is on his way there. Something could happen before he reaches the door. In the first example, a break in the actions would need to happen to show that something happened before he reached the door, or it is left to be read into. ““The two stopped talking and he walked to the door. But, when he least expected it, the light fixture in the ceiling fell and crashed on his head.” (Cheesy, I know, its just an example). The second example, “The two stopped talking and he started walking to the door. Only two steps along, the light fixture in the ceiling fell and crashed on his head.”<br />I agree it’s a detailed consideration, and much easier to say “He walked, She ran, etc. ...) I suppose the question being, should one defer to writing that is easier? That question can make for a hot blog discussion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-61008917464854995322010-08-21T08:28:51.070-06:002010-08-21T08:28:51.070-06:00Over here from Sharla's place!
A pet peeve of...Over here from Sharla's place!<br /><br />A pet peeve of mine that's really way too picky:<br /><br />She/he/I started . . . or It started . . .<br /><br />"I started to run" - if you are running you are running, once you start, it's already running.<br /><br />She started to walk to the door. Isn't she just walking to the door?<br /><br />"It started to rain" - same thing -it's either raining or not...<br /><br />Laugh - I know - isn't that picky of me? But I've "started to" rip the started to out of my work.<br /><br />What I have to watch is: She watched Jade slip on her shoes; instead of: Jade slipped on her shoes. It's implied the narrator is watching this action, but for some reason, I want my characters to watch everything ...rip out!Kathryn Magendiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12863595228298349863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85381345441750577192010-08-21T05:30:58.338-06:002010-08-21T05:30:58.338-06:00I try to avoid using hyphens unless it changes the...I try to avoid using hyphens unless it changes the meaning of the sentence. But overall, considering these details takes more time than people imagine. When writing a first draft it's easy to become so focused on the story, and pouring out pages, that details are overlooked. I edit them out later. Tenses, a juggling act of points in time in the story—narration versus character dialogue and reference to occurrences at different points in time.<br />I'm on my fourth novel and have varied in style in each. I know, consistency is important, but it offers the experience of having done it. Maybe it's because each of my novels is different than the other.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-68203363917890615962010-08-20T23:43:59.231-06:002010-08-20T23:43:59.231-06:00I was an excellent speller until the year I took s...I was an excellent speller until the year I took shorthand, which relies on phonetic script. We were actually taught to not listen to the context of the conversation but only the sounds the person was making. It wrecked spelling and also comprehension.<br /><br />Elle<br /><a href="http://hearwritenow.com/word-4-writers/" rel="nofollow">Word 4 Writers on HearWriteNow</a><br /><a href="http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Blood-Red Pencil</a>Elle Carter Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266309723919011181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-48437753121178214232010-08-20T19:30:42.130-06:002010-08-20T19:30:42.130-06:00I was switched from my left hand to my right and t...I was switched from my left hand to my right and that same year they stopped teaching phonics. I couldn't read at all in the 3rd grade, so my mother taught me using phonics and we played many word games. <br /><br />I have made it a habit to memorize rules in terms that make sense to me. But I still have trouble with then and than, so much so that I keep an explanation in a word file.<br /><br />But the really funny thing that I have started doing is nothing more then habit. (Did I get then right?)<br /><br />When typing my blog or sending an e-mail I often write king when I mean kind because I've typed king so much in my epic fantasy. I correct it of course before sending it off.<br /><br />Nancy<br /><a href="http://nrwilliams.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">N. R. Williams, fantasy author</a>N. R. Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02174506528962095858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-76220470935739754582010-08-20T13:09:25.528-06:002010-08-20T13:09:25.528-06:00Great post and reminder of some of the basic probl...Great post and reminder of some of the basic problems with writing. Your comment about the smooth sentences applies to fiction, too. That convoluted sentence would be just as bad in a novel as in a news story. I still refer to Strunk & White a lot when writing and editing. Being concise is always good. LOLMaryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-74838585107888286532010-08-20T12:23:05.454-06:002010-08-20T12:23:05.454-06:00I have a laundry list of habit words that creep in...I have a laundry list of habit words that creep into my dialog and narrative. Thank goodness for Word's "Find" function.<br /><br /><a href="http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Patricia</a>Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-4270822234934110052010-08-20T11:43:38.882-06:002010-08-20T11:43:38.882-06:00Problems with its/it's and lie/lay really anno...Problems with its/it's and lie/lay really annoy me!!!<br /><a href="http://ann-jen.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"><i>Ann</i></a>Ann Besthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14628616245339887301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-64831996967990514172010-08-20T11:40:30.662-06:002010-08-20T11:40:30.662-06:00I have to tell you that I appreciate hyphens. Am s...I have to tell you that I appreciate hyphens. Am sick of staring at a word only to finally conclude that it needed a hypen to make sense. The first time I really noticed this was with "miniseries". What the hell are min-NIGH-zer-eez? Gack!Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-64118003647805290062010-08-20T11:36:57.277-06:002010-08-20T11:36:57.277-06:00My second grade teacher told us that there is no s...My second grade teacher told us that there is no such words as 'than'... it is always spelled 'then'. Imagine my horror when I found out she was wrong. :)<br /><br />I have trouble in Hyphenation Nation. I have been booted out of the country.M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13164868597888824692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-83606473178250379742010-08-20T11:21:39.863-06:002010-08-20T11:21:39.863-06:00I always mess up peace and piece
Cold As Heaven...I always mess up peace and piece <br /><br /><a href="http://cold-as-heaven.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> Cold As Heaven </a>CA Heavenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07558100567878233142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-71012418941806511952010-08-20T11:13:10.063-06:002010-08-20T11:13:10.063-06:00I'm a Homonym Homicider. I like to blame my f...I'm a Homonym Homicider. I like to blame my first grade teacher who taught reading by phonics (decades before "Hooked on Phonics.") <br /><br />I suspect that my mind operates by the sound of words instead sight, which screws me on homonyms. I don't spell worth a damn, either, but spell checkers help on that. <br /><br />I wish there were a good "commonly mis-used words" checker that would flag homonyms. I know most of them, but have a very tough time seeing mistakes in my own work.<br /><br /> Also, I didn't much like to old battle axe and her "Brownies." I still remember: "G is for the jug brownie, ga, ga, ga."M. Mark Miller's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03069174487279032814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-57633260338975732092010-08-20T10:41:58.022-06:002010-08-20T10:41:58.022-06:00Great post, Jim. Had to read aloud to my husband t...Great post, Jim. Had to read aloud to my husband the one on tangled tenses and we had a good laugh. And thanks for the Dragnet memories--loved Joe Friday! hahahaKathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-21334517319005534022010-08-20T09:35:15.678-06:002010-08-20T09:35:15.678-06:00I'm the hellspawn hyphener. I use them too of...I'm the hellspawn hyphener. I use them too often, or I don't use one at all and write things like "ex football player" or "ex husband." I generally will either refer to AP or Chicago Manual to determine which is correct when I'm cleaning up the copy. <br /><br />And while I know the difference between homonyms, I sometimes have trouble getting the right one down on the page (affect/effect and principle/principal are my main foibles). So I double check when cleaning up the copy.<br /><br />My biggest peeve when reading something is the comma splice bonanza. Gah. Makes you go crosseyed when you try to follow those smooshed-together sentences.<br /><br />Another peeve? It is "it's/ its." I get so annoyed at that one. yes, ironically, I do it all the time and have to correct the error. In fact, I specifically search for "it's" to double check myself.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.com