Rob Bignell's Blog, page 253

Use comma before coordinating conjunction

All too often, writers think a conjunction is enough to connect two sentences together. Others think a conjunction always needs a comma. You risk confusing readers should such an error be made.

Whenever you have two parts of a sentence connected by a conjunction (and, but, or, yet), and both parts could stand on their own as a complete sentence, a comma is needed before the conjunction. For example:

I planned to go the hotel pool, but I forgot to pack my swimsuit.

In this example, I planned to go the hotel pool and I forgot to pack my swimsuit could be complete sentences on their own. So a comma is needed before the conjunction but.

But is called a coordinating conjunction. The two parts of the sentence appearing on either side of but are called independent clauses.

If one part of the above sentence could not stand on its own, however, no comma would be needed before the conjunction. For example:

I planned to go the hotel pool but forgot to pack my swimsuit.

While I planned to go the hotel pool is a complete sentence, forgot to pack my swimsuit isn���t. Therefore, no comma is needed.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

One or three? Nonetheless vs. none the less
How to properly use a semicolon (wink, wink)
Make tables readable in your self-published book
Five Great Quotations about the Writing Process
Writing Inspiration: Seek another's advice

Four writing prompts: Resistance

Good stories center on the clashing of characters��� goals and motivations. Sometimes a character���s goals and motivations arise from overcoming suppression. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on resistance.

Man vs. nature
Our protagonist is ordered to secretly escort an important dignitary through an extremely dangerous terrain. What challenges of nature must the protagonist overcome to accomplish his mission? What if the greatest obstacle he faces is a human conspiracy involving the dignitary?

Man vs. man
How does our main character deny an attraction that he and another character, who is a real mismatch, feel for one another? Why are they mismatched? What do they find attractive about one another? How do they resist this attraction? How do they ultimately come together?

Man vs. society
What if two characters form a bond with one another despite their disparate backgrounds? Why and how does this bond form? What resistance does this connection face from society? How do they ensure their bond survives in spite of the prevailing, prejudiced culture?

Man vs. himself
Is the power of passion greater than the force of expectation? What if our protagonist must decide between his personal desire for freedom and what her family/culture require of him? Which will he choose?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

How to create an interesting villain for your story
Develop complex antagonist to maximize conflict
Rotate third-person limited to avoid issues

Five Great Quotations about Craft of Writing

���Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin to breathe.��� - Stephen King

���Don���t use words too big for the subject. Don���t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you���ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.��� - C.S. Lewis

���And I love Jane Austen���s use of language too ��� the way she takes her time to develop a phrase and gives it room to grow, so that these clever, complex statements form slowly and then bloom in my mind. Beethoven does the same thing with his cadence and phrasing and structure. It���s a fact: Jane Austen is musical. And so���s Yeats. And Wordsworth. All the great writers are musical.��� - Andrew Clements

���Maugham then offers the greatest advice anyone could give to a young author: ���At the end of an interrogation sentence, place a question mark. You���d be surprised how effective it can be.������ - Woody Allen

���I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.��� - Dorothy Allison

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

Five Great Quotations about the Writing Process
Five Great Quotations about Novels
Five Great Quotations about Craft of Writing
Make tables readable in your self-published book

Improve writing by knowing parts of speech

When revising your writing, you likely will run across grammar issues: should you use who���s or whose; is it wrack my brain or rack my brain; does a word pair in which the first one ends in ly require a hyphen?

The answers to many of these questions are fairly easy to find on the Internet and this blog (Each Wednesday, the entry is a grammar tip.). Those answers, however, almost always contain references to the words��� parts of speech, that is their syntactic function in a sentence. Knowing what those parts of speech are can help you better understand, utilize and remember the advice found in your research.

There generally are nine parts of speech in English.

Noun
This is a person, place or thing, as in John, Los Angeles, chair. There are a lot of different types of nouns and ways to classify them; perhaps the most important to know is proper vs. common nouns. Proper nouns are names of specific people and places and are always capitalized, as in the Empire State Building, while common nouns are a general class of items, as in furniture.

Pronoun
These words are used in place of a noun, such as I, me, he, she, her, him, they, them. Generally, the noun the pronoun replaces must be used previously in the text.

Adjective
This class of words describe either a noun or a pronoun by telling which one (that chair), what kind (rich people), or how many (two drinks).

Article
There are but three articles, which most grammarians consider a special class of adjectives, and they always appear before nouns ��� the, a, an.

Preposition
This word combines with either a noun or a pronoun to form a phrase that tells something more about the noun or pronoun. Common prepositions are from, over, under to, with.

Verb
A verb either shows something in action ��� run, jump, skip ��� or that it exists ��� is, am, are, was, be. The former are active voice verbs while the latter are passive voice or being verbs.

Adverbs
These words can describe either a verb, an adjective or another adverb. They general tell when (it starts now), how (run quickly), where (looked around) and to what degree (barely audible).

Conjunctions
There are very few conjunctions ��� and, but, or, nor. They link groups of words together to help us better understand their relationship.

Interjection
Usually a single or a short phrase, an interjection expresses strong feelings or emotions and typically is followed by an exclamation point ��� Hey! Look out! Ouch!

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

Flow of knowledge: Pore vs. pour
Ought to be illegal: Copyright v. copywrite
No more anguish: Wrack vs. rack

Four writing prompts: Finding meaning

Good stories center on the clashing of characters��� goals and motivations. Sometimes a character���s goals and motivations arise from seeking a life that is grander or purposeful. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on finding meaning.

Man vs. nature
Our main character, attempting to make his life rise above the mediocre, decides to go on a great adventure that tests and proves his mettle (think John Mayer���s ���Walt Grace���s Submarine Test, January 1967���). How does he achieve his dream in spite of initial failure and the unexpected challenges nature throws at him? How does accomplishing this impossible task give his life meaning?

Man vs. society
Our protagonist struggles between deciding which is more fulfilling ��� a contemplative life or one of the flesh. How does society pull him toward one of the flesh? In following the ways of society, how much of his individuality must he give up?

Man vs. God(s)
Can material success in life guarantee anything about one���s soul? What if a man believes it will only to find that it may not? Why would he initially believe it does (perhaps he views wealth as God���s blessing for his character)? How does he come to the realization that material wealth may not equal salvation, and how does this affect his views on life���s purpose and meaning?

Man vs. himself
What if our main character resists learning the purpose of his life because he is afraid to know the truth? Why is he fearful of this? What forces compel him to learn the truth and to face the real nature of existence?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

How to create an interesting villain for your story
Develop complex antagonist to maximize conflict
Rotate third-person limited to avoid issues

Five Great Quotations about Writer���s Block

������Writer���s block��� is just a fancy way of saying ���I don���t feel like doing any work today.������ - Meagan Spooner

���I���ve always said ���Writer���s Block��� is a myth. There is no such thing as writer���s block, only writers trying to force something that isn���t ready yet.��� - Julie Ann Dawson

���Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.��� - Stephen King

���Never say you can���t be a writer or a script writer, remember how well, characters in your dreams said their dialogues.��� ��� Dipesh Nepal

���Plumbers don���t get plumber���s block, and doctors don���t get doctor���s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?��� - Philip Pullman

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

Five Great Quotations about the Writing Process
Five Great Quotations about Bad Writing
Five Great Quotations about Story Ideas

Package of tips: Wrap up, wrapup and wrap-up

Here���s some advice that more editors ought to put a little bow on and give to more writers: the difference between wrap up, wrapup and wrap-up.

Wrap up is a verb that means to place colorful paper around or to finish up. For example, Dawn decided to wrap up her sister���s birthday gift in gold paper or We���ll wrap up the investigation here in just a few minutes.

Wrapup, however, is a noun. It refers to a brief statement that summarizes the most important information. To wit, The news anchor gave her wrapup of the day���s news at 11 p.m.

Wrap-up is an alternate way of spelling wrapup.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

What are the different levels of editing?
Common questions about publishing ebooks
Promote your book by hosting guest bloggers
Writing Inspiration: Revise and continue
Writing Inspiration: Seek another's advice

Four writing prompts: Reclaiming

Good stories center on the clashing of characters��� goals and motivations. Sometimes a character���s goals and motivations arise from recovering a way of life, a loved one, or lost values. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on reclaiming.

Man vs. nature
To regain his birthright, our exiled main character must return to his land and reclaim it. Doing so, however, requires that he take on several challenges of nature ��� unfriendly environments, dangerous creatures. What do each of these challenges symbolize to show that our main character is worthy to recover his position (for example, tests of courage, endurance, intelligence, etc.)?

Man vs. man
The main character���s daughter is kidnapped. Who would kidnap her and for what purpose? How does the main character first locate where she is being held and then rescue her? Perhaps he needs to draw favors upon a team of old companions whose lives are in disarray?

Man vs. society
Our protagonist is sent to retrieve a device that would provide its holder with great power. How does he locate this device, and what if he decides, upon learning about its full potential, that no one should have it? How does he keep the device from the very people who hired him to recover it?

Man vs. himself
Your main character has suffered a serious accident. How does he recover from it, even though he may never be able to fully lead the life he once led? How does he handle his self-doubts?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

Questions to ask yourself when plotting a story
Zip two disparate stories into one tale
How to create an interesting villain for your story

Five Quotes about Writing as Self-Discovery

���Just as a good rain clears the air, a good writing day clears the psyche.��� - Julia Cameron

���Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It���s a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.��� - Harper Lee

���Words writers choose are like a glimmering reflection into our souls.��� - Lee Bice-Matheson

���Writing is like giving birth to yourself.��� - Marty Rubin

���A story is a letter that the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.��� - Carlos Ruiz Zaf��n

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

Five Great Quotations about the Writing Process
Writing Inspiration: Seek another's advice
Writing Inspiration: Who are you?
Make tables readable in your self-published book
Four ways to write a great tweet that sells books

No more errors in your writing: Less vs. fewer

If you want to be a member of the Grammar Police, just grab a red pen and head down to your local supermarket. Once inside, look for a sign that says something like 10 Items or Less. 

What���s the error? It should be 10 Items or Fewer.

Always use fewer for quantifiable objects. As ���items��� can be counted, they are quantifiable. Because of this, you take fewer pretzels and fewer vacation days.

Use less when what you���re discussing what isn���t quantifiable or countable, when you���re talking about something that is nebulous or generalized. So to successfully diet, you would eat less junk food, and your stupid boss doesn���t care if vacation means less stress in your life.

On second thought, before going down to the supermarket to cross out less and write fewer in its place, first check your own writing for this mistake.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.



<A HREF="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widg... Widgets</A>

Related articles

Writing Inspiration: Seek another's advice
Five Great Quotations about the Writing Process
Every word I write is a seed that I may nurture into a small, beautiful poem or a tall, soaring tree
Narrowing definitions: Aisle vs. isle
Common questions about publishing ebooks