R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 39

Art of Writing Viewpoints

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Writing Viewpoints.

Below is an excerpt from my book TR
Independent Books Guide to Writing:

Principle

Viewpoint or Point of View is extremely critical to your story. The
Point of View allows the reader to experience someone else’s view of the world.
The POV often determines whether a story is successful or not.

Before looking at the viewpoints let me give you another related principle: Make sure your reader knows when the character is thinking and when he is speaking. And try to avoid ‘he thought’ or ‘she thought’. While occasionally using such phrases is fine, too much of it can create a stilting effect. At the same time you want to keep the identity of the speaker before the reader. This can be done by occasionally having one speaker identify the other, such as ‘James, that’s wrong’. The reader knows it is not James talking.

We are going to take a look at two POV (Point of View). These are 1st
Person and 3rd Person.

First Person

This is essentially the personal pronouns “I”, “Me”, “Mine”. The POV
is from the speaker. He/she tells the story from his/her perspective.
Personally, I don’t like this POV but I have read some excellent books using
that technique.

There are a few advantages to this viewpoint, such as:

Instant involvement: Because the reader is inside the
character’s head all thoughts and actions are immediately known. There is no
delay. Language: Because the reader is inside the head and knows the thoughts of the
character the reader is able to instantly know the education, and class of the
character. Range: How the character thinks. The reader learns a great deal about the
character because every facet of his/her thinking is open to the reader.

But there are also disadvantages; such as:

It
requires the presence of the character
in all scenes. This can cause
difficulty in overall structure and the story itself. But it can be done as
witnessed by successful writers.The
character can’t keep secrets from
the reader. If the character knows something, we do also, which leaves off any
mystery you may want.You cannot include any information that the character doesn’t know. In other
words, you know only what the character knows. No more and no less.The
“I” becomes both you and the character.
This can be troubling.Limited view. Since you only know what the character
knows there is a whole world of unknowns.

First Person, in my opinion, is harder to write and to pull off. Some
authors do and succeed quite well. But it can be unwieldy. Therefore, unless
you have a great deal of experience in writing, I would recommend you stay away
from it.

Third Person

Third Person, in my opinion, is the preferred method to use. It is the
personal pronoun “he”, “she” or “it” viewpoint.

The advantages of this POV are:

An outside view of the person You,
the narrator, can talk about other
facts, events and people. You
can have additional characters in
third person You
can have other POV characters.Unlimited worldview: In the first person you were restricted
by the author’s or character’s thoughts and opinions.But
in third person the narrator and reader
have access to other information – thus expanding the scene.Greater objectivity – in first person you only have the
character’s opinion of self, but in third Person you see much more and can make
better judgments.Hidden information – In the third person the author can keep
some of the facts about the character secret until later in the story. Then as
the story unfolds the author can divulge pertinent and new information about
the character.

But there are disadvantages. These include:

separated involvement.With first person you had instant involvement, but here there
exists separation or distance between the character and the reader.language.It is more difficult to identify the class and education of the character.range.Awkward. The thinking, etc, is not as visible as
it is with first person.

Tip#1: Choose your POV carefully. 1st person identifies with character; 3rd
person identifies with multiple characters.

Tip#2: When conveying a character’s thoughts put it in italics. Not a hard rule but I recommend it.

Example

First
Person: I thought to
myself, What a wonderful day!Third Person: He looked about, smiling. What a wonderful day!

Application

Be careful with your POV. It is very easy to forget which POV you are
using. The result can be disastrous.

I do not recommend First Person, although
many authors have done so successfully. It takes a lot of hard work and skill.
And in my opinion it is too limiting. But if you choose this POV then pay close
attention, follow the rules carefully, and stick with it. You just might be one
of those successful writers!

Be aware that there are many variations of first and third person viewpoints. I recommend you buy a good reference book on the subject. There are many resources, including Writers Digest.

To learn more about writing viewpoints or POVs TR Writing Services is currently giving away – that’s right, it’s FREE! – our TR Guide to Writing. Simply contact us and request a copy (PDF or docx) and we’ll send it to you. While at it, why not request the TR Writing Service booklet? This booklet will tell you about our different plans and prices. (The current discounted plans expire June 30th.)

For more on TR Writing Services contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Writing Good Grammar

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Writing Good Grammar.

Below is an excerpt from my book TR
Independent Books Guide to Writing:

Principle

Your grammar must be perfect!

Right?

Actually that depends on who you talk to and the specifics involved.
Here is my take:

Generally speaking
you want your grammar usage as correct as possible, but there are exceptions. For example, let’s say one of your characters only has a ninth grade
education.

You would not want that character talking like a professor. For that
matter, you really don’t want any of your characters to talk that way unless
they actually are professors.

Now I don’t recommend that you try to imitate slang and accents, but
just be cautious. Maybe allow a character to have a favorite saying. In Perished: The World That Was I had
Methuselah with a favorite saying, “So
God has said, so shall it be.”

Which brings up a related principle: Be consistent. If I later
had someone else using that same phrase it could have been a jolt. Be
consistent.

So here’s the principle: When you are dealing with conversation (or
even thoughts) you can and should be less than perfect but consistent.
Everything else should be perfect.

Aside from speaking, there is the matter of punctuation and spelling.
With the tools available this should never be a problem, but it does occur. It
is therefore necessary to check your spelling and punctuation as often as
possible.

Tip: Be consistent. If Bob is talking like a country boy on page 2 and a professor on
page 132, you better have shown a transformation. Your reader will spot
inconsistencies!

Example

The boys is clothed alike. [This is poor grammar.]

The boys are clothed alike. [Much better.]

“You guys look the same.” [OK.]

“The boys is clothed alike,” Martha said. [Ok, if this is consistent with Martha’s education and you’re emphasizing it.]

Tip #1: A rule of thumb is that grammar rules don’t have to be followed
rigidly when verbal conversation is taking place or when someone is thinking.

While there are some purists who’d disagree with that tip it is true.
Don’t believe me. Listen to people as they talk to one another. They simply
don’t talk like some cutaway from your most recent English language book. Nor
do they think that way. In fact their speech often denotes who they are.

Some authors go all out and embed a character’s speech with all sorts
of idioms. That is fine but to carry it throughout the book might prove to be a
heavy task. I suggest a more practical way.

In my novel Perished: The World That Was I peppered Methuselah’s conversations with ‘So God has said, so shall it be’. That was a major departure from anyone else. For the most part his speech was pretty common, easily understood. But phrases like that and the manner in which he talked spoke of his wealth and authority. In other words I let the character’s personality dominate and come through his speech.

As for thinking, I suggest that you italicize the words. This immediately tells the reader that this is different than verbalizing. It should also reduce the need to add ‘she thought’ or ‘he thought’.

Tip#2: Don’t use slang or social media in your language. Slang is both
geographical and time restricted. You use a slang word in New York and it may
mean something altogether different in Michigan or Florida. Of course, if your
character is a New Yorker you might be able to get away with it. But then you
have another problem. Slang is not constant. So what you knew as slang ten,
twenty years ago may no longer be in use. Your use, therefore, of old slang in
a modern setting can confuse your reader.

Best to stay away from slang altogether.

Application

Both my wife and I try to watch our grammar usage. One of the tools we
use is Microsoft Word’s grammar checker. It’s not perfect, but it helps. Also,
we use the spell check, but it is not always up-to-date. So we make use of the
‘Add to Dictionary’ tool.

Other resources are grammar books (especially older versions that really emphasized good grammar), and the internet (not the way people talk on the internet like FaceBook, but information about grammar).

Make use of as many resources as needed. And pay attention to grammar
and punctuation when editing.

To learn more about grammar and other aspects of writing TR Writing Services is currently giving away – that’s right, it’s FREE! – our TR Guide to Writing. Simply contact us and request a copy (PDF) and we’ll send it to you. While at it why not request the TR Writing Service booklet? This booklet will tell you about our different plans and prices. (The current plan discounts expire June 30th.)

For more on TR Writing Services contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of
I.C.E.S. (Book Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

How to Start Writing Career

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at How to start writing career.

To learn more about writing contact TR
Writing Services at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

You’ve got an idea for a book, be it non-fiction or fiction. All you
need to do is sit down write the book and you’re done. Right? Wrong.

What Should I do to
start a career as a writer?

Well, you could try just writing your book starting right now. But
while it seems easy, that method would probably prove very exhaustive and
tiring. Here are some tips.

First, ask yourself why you want to write. Is it because there’s money
to be made? Well, there’s no guarantee that you’ll make money. Is it because
your idea is the best idea ever? Well, that’s dubious. Is it because you have a
real desire to write? Now you’re talking, but that raises other questions.

Assuming you have a
desire to write, what experience or skill do you have?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you have to start out with
experience or skill, but it certainly helps. Can you handle basic grammar and
spelling needs? There are books on grammar and dictionaries for spelling that
should help you with that.

In fact, I would suggest you invest in a simple dictionary at first
and later get a combination dictionary/thesaurus. Both of those should be
considered essential tools. Books on grammar, spelling, and even on novel
writing are excellent helps.

What I’m saying is that you need to have writing aids available to
you. You might think you don’t need them, but you do no matter your education
or experience.

Then I can start
writing?

Sure you can, but you might want to set up a space in your house,
apartment, or condo that is meant for you to write. You should consider a desk,
writing table, or even a lap table. Having your own private space is conducive
to good writing. Also having your files, resource books, etc. nearby can be a
good help.

Now I can write?

There’s nothing stopping you, but there are other things you should
consider before you begin. One thing that many writers suggest is that you
check out on the internet and see if the book you plan on writing has already
been written and check out what genre you are in. There’s truth in that. For
example, the title itself may already have been used. You might want to have a
new or fresh title.

It’s possible someone else has already written a book with the plot
you’re thinking of. That doesn’t mean you can’t write the story you have in
mind, but it might mean that you need a fresh twist on the plot so that it is
different.

Surely now I can
write?

Like I said, there’s nothing stopping you. However, you might want to
set yourself up as a businessperson. The moment you commit yourself to writing
a book you are a businessman or businesswoman. You need to set yourself up so
that you not only have a concept of making money, but have a plan for receiving
it, tracking it, and making use of it. And don’t forget that eventually you’ll
need to market your book

Wow! I don’t have a
clue how to start!

That’s fine. There are a lot of businesses out there willing to help
you. Unfortunately most are not cheap. Some are expensive and misleading. They
promise you a best seller within weeks! It sounds great, but in this day and
age unlikely.

My wife and I recently started a new service that is offered by our business T&R Independent Books. It is called TR Writing Services. And it is designed to help the beginning or even the established writer get their book written and published. This service is available at very reasonable prices. Want more information, contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com and we’ll send a free booklet on our different plans and a free copy of our TR Writing Guide.

You’ll guide me?

Yes, to an extent. I will be honest with you and do my best to steer you in the right direction. But we don’t believe that you have to do things our way. In the end you are the boss. But we will certainly keep you informed about what we know or think is right. We’ll also help you set up a KDP account if you don’t have one. If you’re going with KDP then we’ll be right with you through the publication process. We are unable to offer that concerning other publishing platforms, but we are experienced with KDP.

I am currently developing a FREE Writing Course that will cover the business of writing, writing itself, websites, and publishing. Hope to have it available in near future. If you’re interested in the course just write me at my email address (below) and I’ll send a link once the course is ready.

For more on TR Writing Services contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), Black Death (Book Four), or Rise of I.C.E.S. (Book
Five), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and we’ll send you a PDF
of the book.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

The Writing Game

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at The Writing Game.

To learn more about writing contact TR
Writing Services at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

When considering what to write about I came
up with the title before I actually knew about the content. That’s completely
different from my usual practice, but it is what it is.

So
What Is the Writing Game?

Well for starters it is everything you find
in the Guide to Writing. So I can’t give you an excerpt because that would
entail 101 pages if you include the book cover, front pages, and back pages. So
this blog is going to look at the subject a little differently than you may
expect.

To me the Writing Game begins early in life.
Reflect back on your childhood memories. For starters did you like to read? Did
you like to write?

Those are fairly common questions, but I want you to look deeper. Are there stories buried in your past, in your childhood (or adulthood for that matter) that are bursting to be told? As I sit here typing I’m also reflecting on my childhood. Now in my case I had epilepsy and was on heavy medication until after my first stint in the ninth grade (I flunked it and then was taken off medications and I did much better afterward).

So much of my childhood is a mystery to me.
But the later years (teens and twenties) are much more open to me. So I have
memories. There are some good and some bad memories. Are they bursting to be
told? Bursting, no. But I am intrigued by the possibilities and may someday
write novels based on individual events.

Actually, when I am writing a novel, whether
it’s Bible based or Speculative Fiction, I draw from life experiences throughout
my life. Perhaps I draw from my feelings, my experiences, my hopes, or my
fears. This is my opening point: Your life experiences are a natural resource.

It is this opening point that is the basis
for the idea that everyone has a story in them. Everyone therefore has the
potential to become a writer.

But
what about skills?

As a Christian I believe there are basically
two times that we are equipped to become what God wants us to become. The first
time is at birth. Everyone is born with certain qualities and innate
tendencies. For example, someone who becomes an artist may have been born with
an innate skill or interest in drawing. It may also show up in childhood.

In my case, because I was on heavy
medication I didn’t play much in sports. I did play in Little League Baseball,
but I had no real talent and I wasn’t pushed because I might have blacked out
or something. But I did have a lively imagination!

Imagination is not really considered a
skill, but it is a necessary ingredient for anyone desiring to be a writer. I
spent much of my childhood living in imaginary worlds. Now you might say that
is normal for children, and it is. However, in my case it was probably more
pronounced than in other children.

Many of my childhood dreams centered on
Flash Gordon, Roy Rogers, and other TV heroes. There was also a Navy Officer
that entered my daydreams. I not only enjoyed their adventures on television
but I made up stories where I was the hero acting out stories that involved
villains and others from their shows. But while the characters were well known
the story lines became my own. By the time I was in my mid-teens I was desiring
to be a writer.

I didn’t start acquiring actual writing
skills until I was in my twenties. I subscribed for a while to a writing course
and began learning the fundamentals of writing. This lasted until I was unable
to afford the service anymore. But I continued to attempt to write. Although
all ended in failure I learned how to better write.

Failures
are good?

 Yes.
In the game of writing failure is a key ingredient. Failure, when combined with
a strong desire to succeed, teaches you first of all not to quit. I don’t know
how many stories I attempted and failed at, but I never gave up on the goal to
be a writer. Instead I doubled down and learned from my mistakes, which were
many.

It is this stage of life that led my wife
and I to start TR Writing Service. Through this service I can use my failures
and successes to help both new and struggling writers with their careers.

The
Second Birth changed my life.

In 1973 I asked Jesus into my heart and He gloriously saved me. Now I had eternal life. But there was something else impacted. With the Holy Spirit indwelling me and the Holy Bible available to me I began wanting to glorify God in my writing. And it immediately showed!

I continued to fail, learn, and retry until in the year 2000 God opened my eyes to an opportunity for writing. I was reading the Book of Genesis about Noah and the Flood. I realized that here was a story to be told. Thus I began writing the ‘story behind the story‘ that was eventually published as Refuge: The Genesis Chronicles. That story would later feed into my novel Perished: The World That Was, which in turn launched the series The World That Was and my writing career.

In
short, God re-equipped me!

By that I mean I was originally equipped to
write by being born with a desire to write and some raw writing skills. Now God
equipped me with new skills that took 27 years to develop and another 3 years
to bear fruit. Thus it took 30 years of Christian living to undo the first 30
years of Christ-less living!

From the first publication to now (2019) it’s been 16 years of learning, failing, and learning. I have published 11 novels (6 Bible based & 4 Speculative Fiction, and 1 American History) plus I am currently working on 3 new novels (1 Bible based and 2 Speculative Fiction). Actually 1 Speculative Fiction novel (Rise of I.C.E.S.) is being published now with availability within days.

So
we now have Life Experiences and Talent, what else do we need?

In one word: Determination! There are thousands of men and women who want to write and actually attempt it yet quit! Why? They didn’t get the sales they wanted, someone gave them a negative review, a relative discouraged them, and so forth. What they need to do is get back up, learn from the bad things said and even the good things said. Determination is the fuel that will cause you to grow.

Finally,
there is Opportunity.

Some of you are saying but I never get the opportunity. But I’m here to say that’s no excuse. Whether you use TR Writing Services or some other program you have the opportunity. In this day and age you can write, publish, and market your own book.

In the game of writing you control the game. You have little control over sales, but you have great control over the writing and publishing of your book. And there are ways and means of marketing your book available. If you have all the talent in the world and all the skills but never seize the opportunity you are guaranteeing failure. Permanent failure. On the other hand you have unlimited opportunity available to you every day!

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews. Please note that the Rise of I.C.E.S. is being published now and should be available in a few days.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Writing Scenes Part 3

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Writing Scenes part 3.

Below is an excerpt from my book TR
Independent Books Guide to Writing:

Principle

The ending scene either draws the scene to a conclusion or sets the
reader up for the next scene. Sometimes, when having multiple subplots, you
need the scene to at least temporarily draw to a close because in the next
scene you will be viewing a different subplot.

Ending Scenes, therefore, are very important to your story and should
not be approached carelessly. Unless you are creating suspense or something
akin to it, the reader should not be left dangling aimlessly. You might lose
him/her. At the same time you want the reader’s anticipation to be alive. This
is a fine line, but I would err on the side of mystery.

In some respects it is because of the anticipation factor that the
Ending Scene is so critical. So spend some time thinking about it. Does the
scene draw to a satisfying close? Do you, as the reader, want to continue
reading? Is there anything that can be done to improve the scene?

Tip: Whether you are closing a scene or
pointing to the next scene you want your reader desiring more.

Example

&&&

Adam awoke. 
Something caused me to wake up. 
What was it?  Wait – Eden River.  That is it! 
I must have been dreaming about Eden River.

Gently disengaging himself from Woman, he
got up.  Being as quiet as possible, he
headed for the river where he found a comfortable knoll.  From this position, he had a good view of the
river.  It must be about a half-mile
across!  I never realized that.  Tomorrow, I will take Woman and we will
follow the river to its beginning.

In silence, he continued watching the river,
estimating its size.  The question was
its length.  A glitter caught his
eye.  He smiled as he realized that the
moon’s light seemed to dance on the river’s surface.

After awhile, he returned to Woman where he
lay down and was soon fast asleep.

&&&

You will notice that I have again used the
same example. There’s actually a plan here. While it is not the perfect scene
it embodies all three aspects of good scene writing: Opening, Middle, and
Ending.

The ending is actually very short: ‘After
awhile, he returned to Woman where he lay down and was soon fast asleep.’

In this case the scene was drawn to a close.
The body or middle had already pointed to the next scene so that would have
been redundant.

Please note once again that the scene
started and ended with a separator, in this case the ‘&&&’. The
separator is extremely important. (I had one book where the publisher removed
the separators and left only line feeds. That was terrible!)

Application

As mentioned in the Middle Scene application you should keep in mind
that each scene plays an integral part in your story and, in this case, the
ending is very important. The reader should be experiencing whatever emotion
you want him or her to feel.

Scenes (Opening, Middle, and Ending) play a crucial role in your story. In effect, this is where ‘page turning’ occurs. The reader’s desire for more action, feeling, or whatever is satisfied yet not completely fulfilled. You want them wanting more.

Don’t let that scare you, though. As mentioned previously, when
writing your first draft don’t focus on your scenes. Let the story
spontaneously write itself if possible. Then go back and edit.

In these edits you concern yourself with scenes. Don’t fall in love
with a scene. If it’s not working, change or delete it. Or even move it.

I often move scenes around. Sometimes I move them to an altogether different chapter so that the story moves better. This is ok to do, but this also requires more diligence on your part. Why? Because when you move a scene from one location to another it impacts both locations which means you need to examine the surrounding parts to make sure that there’s no reference to it before it happens! Also, you want to make sure that your scenes fall in proper order. I handle this at the time of making the move, primarily because I might forget that I moved it!

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Writing Scenes Part 2

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Writing Scenes – part 2.

Below is an excerpt from my book TR
Independent Books Guide to Writing:

Principle

The middle of your scene is primarily where the bulk of the story occurs. The opening of the scene prepared the reader for what was about to occur and now it is happening. And the closing scene will bring it to either an end or a continuing.

While it is true that the middle of the scene usually falls into the middle of the scene (duh), sometimes writers actually begin their scene in the middle. And that is an important thing to remember.

Don’t be stuck in your approach to scenes; experiment with moving the parts around. See what works best. Opening the scene with the middle sometimes works, while at other times it won’t.

That said, it is usually best to have the middle actually take place
in the middle. Let the opening set it up.

It is in the middle of the scene where you will see and, hopefully, feel the character’s response to the opening. What is the character going to do in response? Is their further action?

Tip: A middle
scene is usually the bulk of the scene’s story. It is also usually the longest.
It is where the response to the opening
unfolds.

Example

&&&

Adam awoke. Something caused me to wake
up. What was it? Wait – Eden River. That is it!  I must have been dreaming about Eden River.

Gently disengaging himself from Woman, he
got up. Being as quiet as possible, he headed for the river where he found a
comfortable knoll.  From this position,
he had a good view of the river. It must be about a half-mile across! I
never realized that. Tomorrow, I will take Woman and we will follow the
river to its beginning.

In silence, he continued watching the river,
estimating its size.  The question was
its length.  A glitter caught his
eye.  He smiled as he realized that the
moon’s light seemed to dance on the river’s surface.

After awhile, he returned to Woman where he
lay down and was soon fast asleep.

&&&

This is the same example I used for showing
the opening of the scene earlier in the book. This time I want you to take note
of the middle scene. Notice that beginning at ‘Gently disengaging’ and ending
at ‘on the river’s surface’ Adam is responding to his dream and goes to observe
the river. During this time he views the river, mulls over the river’s width,
and makes plans for the future.

All of this occurs in a single scene.

Application

You shouldn’t put too much thought into this in your first draft.
Write your story (a chapter or two or the entire book) then go back and examine
the individual scenes. And don’t try to be perfect, you’ll need to do another
edit later anyhow.

Keep in mind that each scene plays an integral part in your story and the middle is very important.

The above was a short scene depicted in the book. Scenes can be short (like above) or longer. It all depends on your story. One thing I hope you’ve caught is that the scene does not have to be a fireball. I chose a mundane scene because often your scenes will be mundane. At some point these mundane scenes will culminate in an action scene.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Is An Open Primary System for Floridians?

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Is An Open Primary System for Floridians?

So what is an Open Primary?

Here in Florida they are pushing for One
Open Primary. My understanding of this is that a single Open Primary would
replace individual party primaries. The idea is to allow everyone the
opportunity to vote for who would represent the various parties. It would
appear that Independents could vote on who represents the Democratic Party and
who represents the Republican Party. Basically sometime in the future we may
only have one party rule. But isn’t that what they have in Russia?

Normally in answering a question like ‘Is an
Open Primary for Floridians’  I would
take a look at both sides, but I’ve noticed that the ‘Yes’ side already is
flooding us with their arguments. So instead of recapping their arguments I
will be looking primarily at the ‘No’ side, which in effect tells us what the
‘Yes’ side’s arguments are.

The following is just my opinion.

The
purpose of a primary is to select a candidate that represents a particular
Party

The whole idea of a primary is to select a man or
woman who best represents the party’s governmental view. We have Democratic,
Republican, Libertarian, Progressive, and more parties each favoring a
particular brand or theme. Historically speaking the party primaries have
served as platforms within a party for various political views vying for
control of the party.

In my opinion an Open Primary would dilute the free
discussion of ideas within a party. And I might note that the Open Primary
System is probably responsible for the dilution of representative democracy in
our country. In recent years we’ve seen a rise in the elections of demagogues
and others who use emotion rather than facts to carry the day. I think it is
not surprising that California is sending to Washington Representatives and
Senators who are more interested in camera time than in actually solving
issues.

An
Open Primary allows independents and opposition party members to influence who
the party’s nominee is

By having an Open Primary you allow people who do
not subscribe to the Party’s view of government to create an alternative view
thus subverting the Party Platform. This is contrary to the concept of parties
in general and to having a primary in the first place. Eventually this could
result in One Party rule!

Political
Parties are not private clubs; they are organizations representing a view

Private clubs are essentially social and restrict
membership whereas Political Parties are open to anyone who wants to join.
Someone who’s been a lifetime Democrat could switch to the Republican Party and
vice-versa. This has happened in the past and will in the future. It is our
right to change our minds.

Moreover joining a party makes a statement. For
instance, if you join the Democratic Party you join the party of leftist ideas,
rich Hollywood types, the filthy rich, and socialists. Or you can join the
Republican Party of rightist ideas, the middle class businessman, the middle
class worker, and those who believe in the right to succeed.

Open
Primaries hinder 3rd Parties

It would be pointless to join a 3rd Party if there
were Open Primaries. You join a 3rd Party because they champion a cause you
think is important. That cause loses out in an Open Primary System. In the long
term the Open Primary System will make it almost impossible to form a new
Party. Most of the 3rd parties currently existing I would have nothing to do
with, but I believe they have a right to exist and a purpose to perform.

An
Open Primary destroys the historical party system

Historically we have had at least two parties. We’ve
seen parties rise and fall with the times. We’ve seen parties change their
concept of government. We’ve seen parties start because of a cause (for
example, the Republican Party embraced the end of slavery). In an Open Primary
we might still have slavery; we might still have women without the right to
vote. In other words an Open Primary suppresses new views that don’t agree with
the dominate view. In the diluted primary where everyone can vote you really
don’t have a multi-party system because eventually it won’t matter. There will
be a single party.

We live in a country where everyone has the right to
have a view, the Open Primary campaigns as though it is what they want but the
opposite is what is achieved. Look at the states that have Open Primaries.
California, for example, is a Democratic state and most likely will remain so;
this is not always the case but it can become the case. Don’t look just at what
now is happening but look at the end result.

There
is no such thing as a non-partisan organization or person

Non-partisan means ‘not biased or partisan,
especially toward any particular political group’. This is essentially
impossible. Yes people and organizations claim to be non-partisan but take a
look at their record. If you do that you will find that while a person or
organization may say they are non-partisan their overall record favors one view
or another. It is the way we humans are. We get passionate about things!

The Democratic Party may have some
conservatives (back in the mid 1900s there were Conservative Democrats) but the
Party is still liberal and the opposite is true of the Republican Party. And
this is good for the country. People want to associate with people who think
like they do. And when they enter the public forum their views get expressed
and the Primary System is where those views are expressed, examined, and either
chosen or refused. But in the One Open Primary that is not necessarily true.

It is my opinion that the One Open Primary
concept favors the Liberal movement. It preaches one thing, but practices
something altogether different.

Independents
have the right to register with a party and vote in that party’s primary

Also the Independents have the right not to
participate in any party primary. In my opinion this is the stronger position
to be in. Because the nominee of the respective parties are going to have to
appeal to the Independents and bring along their constituents! Almost all
elections are that way.

Here in Florida Ron DeSantis won the Republican nomination for Governor by embracing President Trump and his policies. It drew in both existing and new voters who saw the President as one who championed the little guy and traditional values. But in the general election he had to reach out to others, which he did and without losing the Republican base. I contend this made him a better candidate and possibly a better Governor. In an Open Primary who knows who would have won the Republican nomination?

Open
Primaries don’t really force candidates to speak to ‘all’ the people

That’s a joke. Again using the Florida election, if Ron DeSantis had to speak to all the people, and the other candidates did this along with him, we would have ended up with a very weak candidate; probably one that never actually ran in the election. It could have been a liberal voted in by crossover leftists and liberal leaning Independents.

The Open Primary System may be why we get such weak candidates. These weak candidates try to be all things to all people, they give speeches against people rather than promoting ideas that will actually help. A good example of this is the movement toward socialism. Instead of honest debate on the merits and history of socialism it ends up being a raucous attack on honest working people and the promotion of ideas that have no chance of helping America but sound good to the uninformed. A robust debate would demonstrate this, but this won’t happen in an Open Primary System.

The above are my opinions based on 55 years of observations as a voting adult. Could I be wrong? Of course. You make up your own mind, but as you do you might want to revisit our country’s history. I contend that the multi-party system has served us well and that an Open Primary is a step toward one party rule.

A further thing to study is the current malaise in Washington D.C. where the Democrats still haven’t gotten over their defeat in 2016. Along with an Open Primary System they also want election by popular vote which our forefathers correctly saw as an evil to be avoided. Basically it allows a few states like New York and California to determine who our rulers will be.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always
looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was (Book
One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem (Book
Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Writing Scenes Part 1

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Writing Scenes – part 1.

Below is an excerpt from my book TR Independent Books Guide to Writing:

Principle

Scenes are like the pieces of a crossword puzzle. Individually they may be interesting but when placed in the proper place then they form an integral part of the puzzle. Before they had little meaning but now a complete picture is shown.

Each scene, in a sense, is a miniature story. While by itself it can’t stand, it does have something to contribute. Basically each scene should have four parts: Plot, Character, Theme, and Suspense.

How long should a
scene be?

The answer to this is in the context. For example, Plot, technical
information, and scenic descriptions should all be short scenes. On the other
hand, conversation, emotion, and suspense often require longer scenes. Don’t
over think it. If you are a reader as well as a writer you will likely know what
works best for your scenes and ultimately what works best for you.

There are many ways to start a scene. Books have been written on
crafting and you should build a library on writing. But a good start is to
consider using these techniques:

begin with actionbegin with
conversationbegin in the middlebegin with a
promise or anticipationbegin with a
problembegin with the
setting itselfbegin with the time
of day

These are just seven techniques.

Tip #1: Before and after writing a scene consider
the four parts (Plot, Character, Theme, and Suspense).

Tip #2: No matter how you write your scenes you
need to clearly separate them. I use
the ampersand (&) or the asterisk (*), some use (xxx), and others use other
markers. But don’t use blanks!

Example

&&&

Adam awoke. 
Something caused me to wake up. 
What was it?  Wait – Eden River.  That is it! 
I must have been dreaming about Eden River.

Gently disengaging himself from Woman, he
got up.  Being as quiet as possible, he
headed for the river where he found a comfortable knoll.  From this position, he had a good view of the
river.  It must be about a half-mile
across!  I never realized that.  Tomorrow, I will take Woman and we will
follow the river to its beginning.

In silence, he continued watching the river,
estimating its size.  The question was
its length.  A glitter caught his eye.  He smiled as he realized that the moon’s
light seemed to dance on the river’s surface.

After awhile, he returned to Woman where he
lay down and was soon fast asleep.

&&&

The above scene is taken from Perished: The World That Was which takes place in the Garden of Eden. Notice that it is a brief scene (scenes can vary in length), it relates to the Plot, concerns Adam, and sets up the reader for the following event (exploring the river). More importantly the scene is separated from the following scene which may or may not be related.

Did you notice how the scene started? It
began with ‘Adam awoke’. While not the most exciting beginning it does denote
sudden action. It attracts the reader’s attention with an implied ‘something is
about to happen’. In other words, it opened with action, although mild. This is
acceptable, but if you can liven it up do so.

The sooner you get to action in your scene the better. But beware that the action is appropriate
to your character(s).

And I used separators before and after!

Application

When writing a scene you want this mini-story to excite, intrigue or
provide necessary information to your readers. In the example above the scene
prepared the reader for Adam and Eve’s exploration of the Eden River
plus it gave information about the river itself.

By itself it didn’t seem very important but it provided a solid intro
to what became an interesting and exciting journey for the two of them. Not to
mention the reader.

When you break your story up into scenes it becomes easier to edit,
move, or even delete scenes as deemed necessary.

Note: in Tip #2 I said never use blanks. Some authors do and they are successful. My problem with blanks is that it is easy for the eye to pass over them and the reader doesn’t realize a change of scenes has taken place. That has happened to me. The result was that I had to go back to the beginning of the scene and clarify who and what is taking place.

Part 2 or the Middle Scene will be next as we study scenes.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Do You Desire to be an Independent Author?

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Do You Desire to be an Independent Author?

Independence.

(Below is an excerpt from my book TR Independent Books Guide to Writing)

This is one of the most common motivational
factors in anyone’s arsenal.

We have an inner desire to be independent,
to be free to do our own thing. Think of a baby or young child, they often have
an “I’d rather do it myself” attitude that needs to be broken. Hopefully it
will be tamed rather than merely broken.

This desire to be independent can lead to bad decisions, but it can also lead to great decision making!

Tip: The desire to be independent can lead to bad decisions, but it can also lead to great decision making!

Example

Shortly after my first novel was published I began to see the
advantages of self-publishing. Although the publisher did an excellent job on
my book and even offered marketing tools for me to use at attractive prices, I
was the one expected to do the work.

This is true of most writers unless they are famous in their own right
or have an agent. But for those of us relatively unknown and not having an
agent, it is a true experience.

I had the desire to do it myself, but lacked the knowhow. As time
passed others (publishers) still published my books and collected money in the
process.

But the day came when I decided to make the jump.

Application

My wife and I are a team. Up until recently I wrote the books and she
critiqued them. But then her own desire to write began to surface. And it
wasn’t to merely copy me but to establish her own writing career in her own
genre.

In the summer of 2014 I took her out to eat at the Big M Supper Club
(better known as McDonald’s). As you can see I didn’t spare any expense.

I had an idea I wanted to share with her. For eleven years I had an independent online bookstore. And it had enjoyed success up until we moved to Florida to take care of her mother. The care of her mother who had Alzheimer’s became a full time job thus requiring the closing of the store. The store was gone but the idea of having independence never died.

What was my new
idea?

In short, I wanted share the new idea of the two of us forming a new
business with her as the President (she has an MBA) and myself serving as the
Vice President. I prayed to God before presenting this idea because I didn’t
know how she’d react. She’d always been supportive of my writing career but
would she support getting involved this way?

But Teresa jumped at it. She had long wanted her own business. Even
within the bookstore she’d had a division devoted to creating and selling
cards. The concept of having a business in partnership with me was the spark
that was needed.

We decided upon T&R Independent Books because ‘T’ would stand for
Teresa, while ‘R’ would stand for Ronald, Independent marked us as unique, and
books obviously referred to our product. T&R Independent Books represented
everything we wanted to be as writers!

I learned at this time that she also wanted to write novels. I was
delighted. That meant our new company would have two authors providing the
merchandise to be sold. So we formed the company. Then happy days, right? Not
exactly. Like any new business we had growing pains, which in this case
involved an unexpected heart attack.

But we persevered and worked our way through the whole experience. At
first our efforts were directed in getting the company organized and ready to
do business. By the summer of 2016 we had published two books (nonfiction and a
novel). And since then we have continued to work to publish new books and
Teresa (aka Tess) began seriously working on her debut novel.

Whatever success God sends our way the formation of T&R
Independent Books marked us as entrepreneurs.

And now we’ve added TR Writing Services. This endeavor is for the
purpose of helping writers like you. At one time we thought of starting an
academy but this book pretty well covers that need. But how about a low cost
service that enables the beginning or struggling author to get their book
crafted with good grammar, spelling, book cover, and published. These kinds of
services are usually expensive but we decided to offer a service that most
people could afford. So on February 11, 2019 TR Writing Services was launched.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

When is Good Grammar Correct?

Every week I deal with different subjects in this blog. I also post my blog to my Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld. This week I am taking a look at Is Good Grammar Good Enough?

I have over time written a good deal about
writing. I’ve covered numerous subjects including publishing and marketing.
Having recently written TR Independent
Books Guide to Writing I’ve decided to take one particular aspect of writing
and focus on it. If you’d like a free copy of the book simply write me
at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com, request the book by name and whether you want
the Word version or PDF version. I will promptly email you a copy. This book is
not available at retail.

In today’s blog I’d like to take a look at
grammar, so I’ve copied the chapter that deals with the subject in general
(other chapters deal with certain aspects).

So let’s talk grammar. If you were writing
for a college course or a college professor you might be expected to write perfect grammar. Less than perfect
might have disastrous consequences. But when you are writing novels good grammar may be more desirable
than perfect grammar.

Huh?

To understand what I mean you must
understand what perfect grammar is. In perfect grammar you are not allowed
mistakes. In addition, perfect grammar has rules that must be followed
religiously. It requires a very rigid structure. But good grammar may at times
be perfect (as when the storyteller is narrating) and other times less than
perfect (as when characters are talking or thinking). That’s a simplistic
explanation but it will do for now.

Let me put it another way; perfect grammar is usually stilted whereas imperfect grammar brings a certain aliveness to the story. In a story with multiple characters you don’t want all your characters to sound alike.

In my speculative fiction series Christland there are robots and androids. There are also humans. Humans tend to use contractions like ‘isn’t’, ‘don’t’, or ‘haven’t’. But androids use a more perfect grammar and say ‘is not’, ‘do not’, or ‘have not’. Same meanings but spoken differently. I constantly check to make sure that the androids never use contractions unless desired.

It’s the same thing with humans. In the
series World That Was I had
Methuselah use an expression, ‘So God has said, so shall it be’. This becomes a
phrase he uses and is therefore identified with him. No other character uses
it.

Is it good grammar?

It doesn’t matter. It is something he says.

And that is an important distinction. When
someone is talking or thinking their grammar may or may not be good let alone
perfect, but it must be consistent! The only acceptable reason for
inconsistency would be a change in the character like having matured, gotten
educated, or some such thing. There must be a reason that the reader sees and
understands!

So here is a chapter from the book.

Watch Your Grammar

Principle

Your grammar must be perfect!

Right?

Actually that depends on who you talk to and the specifics involved.
Here is my take:

Generally speaking
you want your grammar usage as correct as possible, but there are exceptions. For example, let’s say one of your characters only has a ninth grade
education.

You would not want that character talking like a professor. For that
matter, you really don’t want any of your characters to talk that way unless
they actually are professors.

Now I don’t recommend that you try to imitate slang and accents, but
just be cautious. Maybe allow a character to have a favorite saying. In Perished: The World That Was I had
Methuselah with a favorite saying, “So
God has said, so shall it be.”

Which brings up a related principle: Be consistent. If I later
had someone else using that same phrase it could have been a jolt. Be
consistent.

So here’s the principle: When you are dealing with conversation (or
even thoughts) you can and should be less than perfect but consistent.
Everything else should be perfect.

Aside from speaking, there is the matter of punctuation and spelling. With the tools available this should never be a problem, but it does occur. It is therefore necessary to check your spelling and punctuation as often as possible.

Tip: Be consistent. If Bob is talking like a country boy on page 2 and a professor on page 132 then you better have shown a transformation. Because your reader will spot inconsistencies.

Example

The boys is clothed alike. [This is poor grammar.]

The boys are clothed alike. [Much better.]

“You guys look the same.” [OK.]

“The boys is clothed alike,” Martha said. [OK, if this is consistent
with Martha’s education and you’re emphasizing it.]

A rule of thumb is that grammar rules don’t have to be followed rigidly when verbal conversation is taking place or when someone is thinking. (This is an argument for emphasizing thoughts with italics.)

Tip: A rule of thumb is that grammar rules don’t have to be followed rigidly when verbal conversation is taking place or when someone is thinking.

Application

Both my wife and I try to watch our grammar usage. One of the tools we
use is Microsoft Word’s grammar checker. It’s not perfect, but it helps. Also,
we use the spell check, but it is not always up-to-date. So we make use of the
‘Add to Dictionary’ tool.

Other resources are grammar books (especially older versions that really
emphasized good grammar), and the internet.

Make use of as many resources as needed. And pay attention to grammar and punctuation when editing.

Tip #2: Don’t use slang or social media language. It might be good on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media but not in a book unless the language belongs to the character(s).

That was the chapter on Grammar, but actually the subject of grammar
is more extensive than that, which is why other chapters deal with some
particulars of grammar. For instance, you can include scenes within that
subject. The book has chapters on the Starting Scene, the Middle Scene, and the
Ending Scene. You could also include viewpoint (there are chapters on the
different viewpoints). Grammar is broad and yet specific.

One of the various resources (yes, there’s a chapter on that also) an
author needs a Grammar book that includes capitalization, sentence structure,
and a whole lot more.

But a key principle that you should remember is what was stated
earlier: Generally speaking you want your
grammar usage as correct as possible, but there are exceptions. It is your
job as an author to find those exceptions, such as conversation, and use them
to enliven your story!

Conclusion.

So, is good grammar good enough? Yes, if you’re careful and
consistent.

Hope you enjoyed this little excursion into grammar. In the future I
will periodically visit a subject found in the writing guide. In the meantime
don’t forget that the book is free, easy to read, and the entire book is only
101 pages. And if you’d like to know more about our Writing Services simply
request a free copy of our booklet TR Writing Services and we will send you a
copy absolutely free and with no obligations.

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am
always looking for book reviews. Whether it is Perished The World That Was
(Book One), World of Noah and the Ark (Book Two), World of Shem
(Book Three), World of Abraham (Book Four) or Death Ship (Book One), Pauline A New Home (Book Two), Task
Force Hunter (Book Three), or Black Death (Book Four), I value your reviews.

If you would like to review any of these books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an
appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email
make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy
(PDF or ePub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick
Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing
Services providing help to struggling and/or new
authors to write and publish their books. In addition he is the author of
several books and is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative
Fiction. For more information on him or his books visit his Amazon Authors Page. He is also
co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. To reply to any blog you have the
option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.