Search found 68 matches
- Mon Apr 06, 2015 6:22 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--RESOURCES FOR THE WRITER
- Replies: 13
- Views: 19882
Re: Be a Better Writer--RESOURCES FOR THE WRITER
@Nancy, I used Scrivener to write my first novel. Once the story was pretty much finished and ready for final editing, it was easier to transfer the document to Word and work from there. But for those earlier versions, when I had so many trailing thoughts, Scrivener was a fantastic writing tool, all...
- Mon Mar 02, 2015 1:13 am
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--CHOOSING A POV CHARACTER
- Replies: 16
- Views: 20391
Re: Be a Better Writer--CHOOSING A POV CHARACTER
Regarding question #5... what problems could arise from writing from the POV of an inanimate object. I once wrote about a candelabra named Fernando and as I wrote from his POV, I kept thinking of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast. I also included God, like, God Himself, in the story and I think that...
- Mon Jan 05, 2015 5:53 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer -- GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
- Replies: 30
- Views: 28943
Re: Be a Better Writer -- GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
And this is what many anti-gender neutral folks would say. It's purely a matter of opinion in this case, and you should feel free to use 'mankind' if that feels better to you. You'll want to keep in mind both your audience and your publisher. If your audience consists of many people of a younger ge...
- Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:42 am
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer -- GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
- Replies: 30
- Views: 28943
Re: Be a Better Writer -- GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
Jan, thank you for this lesson! I appreciate the perspective, and the instruction. But since I'm a bit of a rebel, too, I skipped doing the homework. Instead, I have a comment and a question. Comment: It seems like a shame to convert "mankind" into a gender neutral term. Isn't mankind, lik...
- Thu Nov 06, 2014 7:39 pm
- Forum: Ann's Grammar Basics
- Topic: Let's Go!
- Replies: 13
- Views: 17776
Re: Let's Go!
Yes! I see the earlier "Comma" threads. I will check them out.
Thanks![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Thanks
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
- Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:27 pm
- Forum: Ann's Grammar Basics
- Topic: Let's Go!
- Replies: 13
- Views: 17776
Re: Let's Go!
I'm in.
I would love to learn more about 1) the proper use of commas, and 2) proper, creative use of commas (if there is such a thing).
Theresa
![Thumbs Up :thumbs](./images/smilies/icon_thumbsupblue.gif)
I would love to learn more about 1) the proper use of commas, and 2) proper, creative use of commas (if there is such a thing).
Theresa
- Sat Sep 13, 2014 3:38 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
- Replies: 50
- Views: 57611
Re: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
Here's my example of imagery. It's an excerpt from an old Challenge entry (revised for this lesson). Any and all feedback welcome. I fan out my shirt and glance at my sister who is sitting and sweating in the chair next to me. My uncle stands on the other side of the room like an immovable rock. It’...
- Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:13 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM CRITIQUE
- Replies: 7
- Views: 9066
Re: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM CRITIQUE
Hmmm. I posted a reply on Saturday, but I must have gotten distracted (by a squirrel or something) before I submitted it, because it's not here! Then I was struck by a never-ending migraine, and now, finally, I'm out of that dark tunnel. Anyway, what I had said, but failed to submit was that I reall...
- Sat Jul 26, 2014 1:50 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--DEALING WITH NEGATIVE CRITIQUE
- Replies: 48
- Views: 57813
Re: Be a Better Writer--DEALING WITH NEGATIVE CRITIQUE
Jan, what great timing...right when I'm receiving the strongest criticism of my life :wink: Number one says it all. It's important to remember that your writing is not YOU. Writer's become so attached to writing, it can be like walking into a restaurant to meet a bunch of people and they're all like...
- Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:40 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--TELL, DON'T SHOW? WHAT?
- Replies: 42
- Views: 46810
Re: Be a Better Writer--TELL, DON'T SHOW? WHAT?
One of the most overdone "tellings" I notice is the naming of emotions. By simply scanning a document and removing/replacing every instance where an emotion is named, the level of telling would decrease. Sure, there are situations where naming an emotion is appropriate, but in most cases I...
- Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:52 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
- Replies: 44
- Views: 44604
Re: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
On the topic of "learning from the pros," I enjoy reading classics. They take more work to read than today's fiction because they often have way more pages, longer and more complicated sentences, and much bigger paragraphs. And I wouldn't try to copy that aspect of their style, but what I ...
- Sun Jun 08, 2014 4:46 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
- Replies: 44
- Views: 44604
Re: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
Sounds like a good book, Shann!
- Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:08 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
- Replies: 44
- Views: 44604
Re: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
The results of my self-psychoanalysis were fascinating. Here’s a glimpse of it, showing how 1) an interview question led to an inner value, which in turn led to a particular mannerism, and 2) I traced a mannerism back to an inner value and its roots: 1. “Theresa, tell me about your parents.” They we...
- Fri Jun 06, 2014 10:16 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
- Replies: 44
- Views: 44604
Re: Be a Better Writer--LEARNING FROM THE PROS
I'm currently reading a nonfiction book, does that count? I'll comment on it anyway, just in case, because I'm enjoying this book: Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors, by Brandilyn Collins. The methods taught in this book are based on what Brandilyn Collins (a best...
- Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:42 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--A FEW LOOSE ENDS
- Replies: 24
- Views: 23039
Re: Be a Better Writer--A FEW LOOSE ENDS
Well, Steve, it looks like you may have converted me! I could never have pictured myself sitting and counting out my words and sentences, but when you mentioned the Readability Statistics tool, you got my attention. I tested this tool out on a chapter I'm working on, and here were my results: Senten...