Writer's Tip: Polishing

I don't do it often, but once in a while, I treat myself to a manicure or a pedicure. Just the sight of my elegant fingernails or sassy toenails makes me beam. It's ridiculously inconsequential when taking in the broad scope of life, but it makes me feel so much better.
Adequate. More equipped to meet the task I must face and conquer that puppy.

You better believe I'll be sporting a new mani/pedi before ACFW conference next fall and homeschool prom this spring! Oh yeah!

It's the same thing with my manuscript. I know I've mentioned some of these tips before, but they are a timely reminder for me! This isn't the revision part of my project - the rewriting that takes my draft and puts it in a completed story form. I've finished major rewrites, but now I'm on a word hunt for any extra faux pas that I can fix.

First, I look for verb choices. I do a FIND action in Word and look for all of my wases and weres. Some of them need to stay, but I go through all of them to see if an alternative is better. I do the same thing with could, should, and would.

Next, a search for my pet words comes up. Mine are at least, and just. But I'm also guilty of repeating great words too quickly. It's not that they're pets. They got into my head and got used again to close to where they had been used before. That's a hard one because I don't know what word they are. It and that are search subjects, too. If I can eliminate them entirely, I do.

I don't stop with that polish, though. Checking out the beginnings of my paragraphs and my sentences to look for too much repetition is essential.

Finally, I check the endings of my sentences and especially my paragraphs to make sure I ended on strong words. Ideally, the strongest of the sentence.

So I'm putting on the final clear coats and giving Cat's Eyes a quick buff before placing it on my shelf. No, I'm not done with it. This one's good. It will be on a real shelf some day. But now it needs a brother or a sister to join it! :)

What are some of the key ways you polish?

Writing Tip: Ellipses

This week’s writing tip is about ellipses, the dot-dot-dots that are often added to writing. To me, the ellipsis is a mood-maker for the sentence. It stutters showing confusion or intense emotion. It can also drift into silence, indicating a wandering mind or distracted situation.

The correct way to write an ellipsis is to space at the end of the word that precedes the mark, then add the three periods, and follow them

with another space before the next word. *** Okay, I'd been corrected this summer by an author who knows her stuff, but I've learned that according to Chicago Manual of Style that spaces are correct between the periods. Looking like this . . . thanks David!*** If there is no next word because the conversation ebbs in the middle of a sentence, the final period is all that is necessary.

Here are examples of the two situations described:

“What do you mean he isn’t there? Where could he . . .  I mean, are you sure?”

 “Like a cloud, dancing across the water. That’s what I feel like. So very sleepy. I could just
      drift off without . . . ”

Another use of an ellipsis is in the case of an interruption. Sometimes the topic never comes back around as in this example.

“Whatever the noise was it was awfully loud. I thought the sky was about . . . ”
“Did you hear that?” Chris’s outburst filled the room as he ran in, his muddy boots spraying
       clumps of dirt all over Ma’s rug.

Sometimes the interruption, like part of an argument, has a finish to it.

“All I know is I sat here calmly reading and you . . . ”
“I didn’t do anything except walk into the room.”
“. . . you demanded my attention with every stomp and sigh. Okay, what do you want?”

In that case, as you can see, the ellipsis ends the first section of the interruption and begins the second half of that sentence. It wouldn’t work if more than just the interruption itself was stuck into the section. At that point, the first part should be entirely restated and then finished.

I double checked my data with my new copy of the Chicago Manual of Style! (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE getting presents!) And with some of you guys looking over my shoulder, I know we're gonna make sure the information is right!

Do you have any other examples of ellipsis use?

Blessings!

Write Tip: It's a Process - New Goals!

I teach a high school writing class. Have had some of the brightest writers involved, but every year, I have to teach them the Writing Process. We spend a while discussing Planning tricks, ways to get their thoughts in order and collect some topics for their writing. They find out quickly that turning in a Draft is unacceptable. (I have a pretty high standard.) After only a few classes, they start taking advantage of sending their work to me for notes on Revision. I'll usually give them some Edit notes as well before they turn in their Final Work.

My students have figured it out. They now completely realize the benefits of each step in the process.

I've learned the benefits, too.

Writer Tip - 3 Ways to Use Dashes

LAST WEEK, I talked about sentences that go on and on. Like the energizer bunny, these guys can make a reader tired, confused, and ready to run screaming into the night.

Too melodramatic? You're probably right. And it's only 10:15, so I can't go claiming sleepiness as the blame for my random jaunts. I think I'll blame my dog. :) For more about the hound, see my article from YESTERDAY.

Run-on sentences, especially the comma-splice kind, are such easy ruts

Writing Tip - Pre-Writing

I've been reading a lot about outlining this week. First, in an email course I got, and then from a question I had from a student.

I've said it before, I'm not a "pantser", a seat-of-the-pants writer who is so stinking creative that everything just flows out in perfect order. I know some of them, am in awe of their abilities (and their memories), but I could never hope to be one.

Because I have a lousy memory and because the

Writing Tip ... Comma, Comma, Comma, Commaandgo!

LAST DAY! Don't forget to follow my blog at the link to be entered in the drawing for Elizabeth Goddard's latest book, Freezing Point.



This just makes me laugh! I found it posted on Facebook, shared by Nancy Sullivan.

Commas have got to be one of the most confusing little jots around. They're like jewelry to our sentences, but it's hard to know when they're actually necessary.

So I did a little research. Unfortunately, this isn't an all-encompassing list - mostly because commas fall more in the usage area than in the grammar rules area.

Unravel the Mystery of Grammar!

I love my critique group. Like superheroes they open their laptops and design wit and wisdom through every line! With their help, I will avoid the neon signs marking novice writing and glaring amateurish errors. Here's what I learned just last night:

• Make every word count.
• Keep statements turned toward the positive side.
• Cut up three-line sentences.
• Start sentences with intention.
• End with strong words.
• Avoid using pronouns to begin or end sentences.
• Avoid using it or this anytime
• Avoid repeating words - oops.
• Use a comma before the word "and."
• Don't apply quotations marks outside of dialogue - oops, again.
• Action verbs intensify sentences.
• Eliminate passive, helping verb usage with -ing words following.

Checklist gold, the expert suggestions from this group confirm one major truth.

 . . . I still have a lot to learn!

What suggestions can you add to the list? What grammatical tidbit wormed it's way into your noggin lately?