Search found 225 matches
- Sat Jan 03, 2015 7:21 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer -- GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
- Replies: 30
- Views: 29015
Re: Be a Better Writer -- GENDER NEUTRAL LANGUAGE
Jan, I agree that this is an important issue. I taught it at the graduate level for 10 years. I also fully appreciate the things you said you did not want to get into. So, I will only touch on one of those tangentially in order to explain the reason that I would tweak one point in your lesson. I thi...
- Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:57 pm
- Forum: Ann's Grammar Basics
- Topic: Jesus's or Jesus' ?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 9977
Re: Jesus's or Jesus' ?
I agree with Deb’s answer. But I note that several style manuals disagree with her and me. Also, to answer your question, there ARE rules for this. In the case of “Jesus,” two rules actually apply. Some manuals invoke the classical/biblical name rule, whereby you don’t add the apostrophe to classica...
- Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:57 am
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer -- COMING OF AGE STORY
- Replies: 27
- Views: 24669
Re: Be a Better Writer -- COMING OF AGE STORY
Except line 5 is too short. "And thus learned a lesson sine qua non" would be better.
And now back to your regularly scheduled class.
And now back to your regularly scheduled class.
- Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:34 am
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer -- COMING OF AGE STORY
- Replies: 27
- Views: 24669
Re: Be a Better Writer -- COMING OF AGE STORY
OK. How about a Coming of Age limerick:
There once was a lad from Azerbaijan
Who traveled to Rostov-on-Don.
Big adventures he sought.
But disappointment it brought,
A lesson sine qua non.
There once was a lad from Azerbaijan
Who traveled to Rostov-on-Don.
Big adventures he sought.
But disappointment it brought,
A lesson sine qua non.
- Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:47 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer -- COMING OF AGE STORY
- Replies: 27
- Views: 24669
Re: Be a Better Writer -- COMING OF AGE STORY
So, I looked up "Bildungsroman" on m-w.com and was reminded of your lesson "Rhyming Beyond the Basics." Under "Rhymes with Bildungsroman" I found this: abutilon, Agamemnon, anticodon, antiproton, archenteron, arrière-ban, asyndeton, automaton, Azerbaijan, Bellerophon, c...
- Tue Nov 04, 2014 11:28 pm
- Forum: Rules, Ratings, Judges and Official Info
- Topic: "Language deemed inappropriate for Christian readers"
- Replies: 13
- Views: 15639
Re: "Language deemed inappropriate for Christian readers"
Mike, Tough, tough issues. The first question is what OUGHT Christian writers write. Or more precisely, what ought SOME Christian writers write. Which is complicated by the issue of what they ought to be ALLOWED to write. Until recently the “allowed” part dealt with what Christian publishing houses ...
- Tue Nov 04, 2014 7:46 pm
- Forum: Rules, Ratings, Judges and Official Info
- Topic: "Language deemed inappropriate for Christian readers"
- Replies: 13
- Views: 15639
Re: "Language deemed inappropriate for Christian readers"
Sex is always a little dicey around here. Part of what I do for a living is fight pornography, so I would never submit anything that I thought was inappropriate, yet I had an entry disqualified for content (before the current owners took over--but I don't know whether that would have made a differen...
- Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:03 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--CONTEMPORARY FICTION
- Replies: 19
- Views: 22368
Re: Be a Better Writer--CONTEMPORARY FICTION
A question, a thought, and a question about the thought. What differences—if any—do you see between secular contemporary fiction and Christian contemporary fiction? I know your advice is geared towards the Challenge, but as I thought about what Christian publishers want, I thought of something that ...
- Fri Oct 10, 2014 2:36 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--A FEW LOOSE ENDS
- Replies: 24
- Views: 23075
Re: Be a Better Writer--A FEW LOOSE ENDS
How NOT to get rid of adverbs explained here. Scroll down to "Justice Kennedy and Ernest Hemingway."
- Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:35 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Jan's New Writing Lessons--TIGHT WRITING
- Replies: 102
- Views: 253978
Re: Jan's New Writing Lessons--TIGHT WRITING
It's funny that this thread got active again this week while I was working a brief that I filed last night.
First draft, 23 pages; page limit, 15; at stake $450,000.00.
First draft, 23 pages; page limit, 15; at stake $450,000.00.
- Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:58 am
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
- Replies: 50
- Views: 57900
Re: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
Quick, somebody else submit some sentences!
- Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:21 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
- Replies: 50
- Views: 57900
Re: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
Yes, that's better & many other things might work better than my original.CatLin wrote:I also stumbled a bit reading "unknown smile", but the explanation helped. I've awakened with a smile on my lips before, so I know what you mean. Maybe "unconscious"?
- Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:12 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
- Replies: 50
- Views: 57900
Re: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
Jan, Well, I could play the writer’s nuclear but (usually) stupid card: “you’re fire…” :D Googling “blinked open” produces 370,000+ hits so people use it. (But that doesn’t mean a writer should.) But to go to the heart of the writer-editor debate, as I indicated, I would dig in only if my research s...
- Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:05 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
- Replies: 50
- Views: 57900
Re: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
Jan, Great stuff! Your point about ‘fluttered” vs. “flew” is interesting. I never considered the “girly” issue. This shows the value of editors and/or (preferably “and”) beta readers. If I got this feedback elsewhere, I would probably counter with “What about ‘Todd’s eyes BLINKED open’”? What do you...
- Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:34 pm
- Forum: Jan's Writing Basics
- Topic: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
- Replies: 50
- Views: 57900
Re: Be a Better Writer--USING IMAGERY
Well, even when I write multiple drafts of something (that will be submitted to an editor), I expect to get corrections (and/or suggestions); I certainly expect it when I dash something off, as I did here. (I think I made 2 changes from my original banging-out.) Since you asked, Jan, here are my tho...