Friday, August 26, 2011

How to Write Good

How to Write Good
1. Avoid alliteration. Always.

2. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

3. Employ the vernacular.

4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

5. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

6. Remember to never split an infinitive.

7. Contractions aren't necessary.

8. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

9. One should never generalize.

10. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

11. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

12. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

13. Be more or less specific.

14. Understatement is always best.

15. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

16. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

17. The passive voice is to be avoided.

18. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

19. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

20. Who needs rhetorical questions?

21. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

22. Don't never use a double negation.

23. capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with point

24. Do not put statements in the negative form.

25. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.

26. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.

27. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

28. A writer must not shift your point of view.

29. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)

30. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!

31. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to the irantecedents.

32. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

33. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

34. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

35. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

36. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

37. Always pick on the correct idiom.

38. The adverb always follows the verb.

39. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; They're old hat; seek viable alternatives.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Writer's Joke Corner


A visitor to a certain college paused to admire the new Hemingway Hall that had been built on campus.
"It's a pleasure to see a building named for Ernest Hemingway," he said.
"Actually," said his guide, "it's named for Joshua Hemingway. No relation."
The visitor was astonished. "Was Joshua Hemingway a writer, also?"
"Yes, indeed," said his guide. "He wrote a check."

Have a sci fi day everyone! TLH

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Funny Video

The Muppets have always been a favorite of mine. They still make me laugh. Here is a video I found scrolling through other blogs. It is from the group OK Go. They are performing The Muppet Show theme song:



Have a sci fi day everyone! TLH

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A Boost in Confidence for Writers


By Adelaide Kwaning:

There are times when writers feel discouraged, perhaps even frustrated. Writing is not easy. It takes a certain amount of skill to string together sentences that both you and your reader can enjoy. The trouble with writing is it’s not good enough to just put words on paper. They have to be coherent and captivating. However, it seems that in most cases the woes of writing come from within us.

People are usually their own worst critic, especially writers. We are determined to change the world with our words and we feel that we must do it the first time around. However, you need to remember that you do not have to get it “right” the first time.

Writing is a process, a process that takes time. You will write, rewrite and then rewrite again. Fast writing is helpful, but do not believe the myth that it is essential to your success as a writer. Unless you are a prodigy, and most of us aren’t, your first draft is not your best. Yet many people feel that they have to be perfect the first time around.

I encounter many writers who produce documents and then angrily moan when they have to revise them; upset that they were unable to have it perfect when they began the writing process. Do they not realize that they are still in it?

It can’t be denied that it would be wonderful to create a masterpiece in one quick sweep. But there is no writer’s magic wand. You have to accept this. Tell yourself right now, “I don’t have to get it the first time around”. Say it over and over again until it sticks. It takes time to create no matter what you are doing; you need to have compassion for yourself. Perfection comes with practice and so does confidence.

The more time you spend developing each paragraph and correcting careless mistakes the better your piece will be. This results in a confidence boost and an enthusiasm to continue to create. Do not feel discouraged if it is taking you longer to complete your final draft. You will be more pleased when the final result of your work is something that you took time to create rather than producing a low quality piece that you know is unsatisfactory to your reader but, most importantly, to you.

The winners of the writing game are not the ones who finish first. This is not about speed. Your main goal should be to create something that you can enjoy and as an added bonus something that your readers can enjoy. This does not happen when you try to produce documents at warp speed. It happens when you take your time to have a well written final product.

Monday, August 22, 2011

A Writer's Woes


By Robert...

The advent of the computer and its word processing program was a revolutionary development to many writers.  As a matter of fact, legend has it that many older writers resist modern technology, and they cling to, and use, their old Royal or IBM typewriters.

My imagination tells me that forcing an accomplished writer like, say, Margaret,  to make the switch from the old to the new, had it taken place in Biblical times, might have gone something like this ....


Click here to see the whole article

These words are music to the ears of those using new technologies. It is an adantage over the rest. As a new, up and coming writer/author, I feel the need to stay on top of the latest and greatest when it comes to technology. Believe me, I still have a lot to learn but I am willing and hope this will help in my pursuit of becoming a well known published author with best selling novels!

Have a sci fi day everyone! TLH