Is That That Bad?
Nice to see you again! Join in the discussion!I came across this post regarding a point of grammar that sometimes leaves me scratching my head. Is that always necessary? As the post points out, usage often decides its efficacy. That bad, that fat, that great all have their place. As a conjunction, one needs to look closer.
The example as given in the article makes perfect sense. It also brings to light an important aspect of revising. If you’re like me and I know I am, during the initial process of revising, my concentration is on the sound and flow of my work as I read it out loud and identify weak areas. Frankly, I’m not scrutinizing my work at that point to determine how my wording may or may not mislead a reader. My focus is style. Which brings me to the next point in my writing process.
Read a few writing blogs and sooner or later, you’ll stumble upon a post regarding strong versus weak words. I’ve inventoried those words, such as could, get, look, and walk. In an effort to view my work critically, I’ve searched through my list of weak words as they appear in my work. I am then taking the time to examine the sentence/paragraph structure and deciding if I can make it stronger. Sometimes it’s perfectly acceptable to say walk because a substitute like traipse while it will add variation, it may not convene the message properly or be too distracting. So, to my list of words to watch, I will add that.
Miscellaneous Tips
As I’m learning albeit sometimes the hard way, I thought I’d share some tips and lessons I’ve learned. One of the better blogs I’ve come across lately is one of the Writer’s Digest blogs, Questions and Quandaries. How refreshing to get straight from the hip advice about the writing world, even things as mundane as whether to staple or use paper clips. Brian Klems will take your questions too.
Now speaking of the hard way, I received a painful lesson in the school of hard knocks. For some inexplicable reason, Firefox crashed and burned to a cinder on me. I was forced to reinstall it. Now I had thought that I had saved my profile, but alas, I was mistaken. No bookmarks. No passwords. No customized set-up. Start from scratch.
I have been able to get back most of the passwords and bookmarks, though heaven knows I probably had some there that I hadn’t visited in over a year. Good riddance to those. I also installed an add-on with Firefox called Bookmarks On Line. The add-on synchronizes my bookmarks automatically. Peace of mind at last!
Now for the truly miscellaneous stuff. From all my blogging, I’ve noticed several links I tend to use a lot. There are sites like my paintings, my own blog, etc. Rather than having to enter the code all the time, I’ve created a NotePad text file with all those bits of code ready to copy and paste. Saves lots of time.
Going in another direction, when spell checking your documents, don’t forget that Add button. Add the names of your characters, the setting, any scientific/reference type of words. Might have to add the swear words too. That way, you are spelling your own characters’ names properly. Speaking of characters, time I get back to mine.
Character
Back at the desk, working on revisions. I’m very pleased with how my novel is fleshing out. My next task is to make sure that a reader can picture my characters as well as I have. I’ve lost my perspective, you see. I’ve been with these characters day in and day out. I know them, but do the readers know them?
As a guide to my writing, I’ve consulted this character advice article. From Writing World, the article gives some very clear advice on creating memorable, recognizable characters. I wanted to be especially careful with three female characters. They are all blond, but their personalities are strikingly different, at least I hope that is obvious on paper. So now the dissection begins to make sure that they are distinct and that a clear picture exists of them. I’m enjoying this. This is truly the fun part for me.
|
|
|
52,200 / 75,000 |
Another Helpful Website
While I’m careful about backing up my Palm and important directories on my computer, I neglected my bookmarks. Word to self: bookmarks are irreplaceable too. So when Firefox mysteriously crashed and burned last week, I was forced to, eek, uninstall and reinstall the program. I thought I had made the proper back up, but no. The great article I used as a key reference was lost.
I tried to Google it, but no luck. However, in my convoluted surfing, I did come across an absolute treasure of a site, loaded with links with advice and articles for writers. Writing-World.com
has advice for writers of all genres. The advice spans the world of writing from grammar basics to character development to publishing. I spent a whole morning perusing its many topics. Already I have a litany of updates to make on my own mystery. Though we hear these adages many times, it helps to see them in black and white, glaring at you. I’m reminded of the nun who taught us composition and grammar in grade school. Sometimes it’s just this kind of kick in the pants a writer needs to get back to the keyboard and write.
Help For Beginning Writers
I’ve come across several helpful websites in the course of writing my book. How writers managed without the Internet amazes me. Of course, any writer including a mystery or three in their book has to know a bit about the underside of crime and detection. Forensics. One always hopes to find the answers to their burning questions of investigation and forensics right at hand. I’ve stumbled upon a few cop websites during my research. I feel sorry for the beginning writer posting a question on these forums only to get flamed by others, saying you want answers for free? I guess cops have figured out they have a valuable commodity. Not all are like that, of course. There are some very generous people out there willing to share what they know. Such is the case with D. P. Lyle, MD’s website, The Lab.
Lyle generously offers to answer your specific forensics/investigation question within the forum on his site. I, like many others who have posted, have benefited from his experience in the field. What’s especially helpful about this site is that he takes the weird and wild questions. “I have a situation where the victim’s body has been put through a wood chipper, and the remains are found in a plastic container. How would a medical examiner proceed to examine these remains…” Where would you begin?
Lyle answers questions thoroughly and in layman’s terms. For my part, I have been grateful for his answer and will incorporate his facts into my work.
The Bane of Getting It Right
Speaking for myself, finding a blatant error in a book I’m reading especially of a topic that I know something about, is truly vexing. It’s like when you watch a movies depicting a desert scene. There will be that stock footage of an eagle flying overhead, with the scream of a red-tailed hawk in the background. I guess movie makers don’t appreciate the deceptively quieter call of the eagle versus that of a hawk less than half its size.
It reminds me too of a botanist with whom I used to be acquainted. A very intelligent man, he knew his plants extremely well. I remember going to a movie with him and some friends years ago. The setting was sometime in the distant past like 1500s or something. We noticed him chuckling during the movie during a not to particularly funny scene showing a man pushing a cart of vegetables. “That is so wrong,” he said. “Squash wasn’t even domesticated back then.” Alas, the botanist was the only one in possession of such esoteric knowledge.
I plead guilty though of the same arrogance when the topic is one that I have adopted. So as I go back to edit my rough draft, I’m starting to notice those little things that I don’t feel I’m 100% sure about. Since my mystery is set in 1985, I’ve had to research when certain items, icons of pop culture were around. I caught myself in a what would be considered a grave mistake. The original gun I used in my work hadn’t been produced until 1995. Oops!
I want to take the time now to research as many of these tidbits as possible. Heaven forbid I receive the nasty email pointing out my quaff or be the subject of a spiteful blog post. I know that bit about glass houses and all. Living in one myself, I’m going to take out the extra insurance now.
Working a Deadline
My self-appointed deadline approaches. I set my goal for December 31st to finish my revising. At that point, I’ll give my manuscript to my husband to critique. He’ll recognize my sources for various plot elements. He’ll appreciate the sometimes not so politically correct humor of my detective. All of this is why I’ll need someone else outside of our immediate circle to read my book as well.
As I write this though, I’m reminded of Joseph Mallord William Turner, an English romantic painter and watercolorist. He is said to have even gone so far as to correct a painting as it hung in the gallery. It makes me wonder if I too will always desire to make that one correction, to remove that one scene from my book once it’s completed.
As an artist, I tend to let my works go after I’ve completed them. The idea of correcting a work after it is signed is not in my ken. In fact, I withhold signing a painting until I’m completely satisfied. The fact too is that typically after I complete a painting, it goes on auctions. At that point, I no longer own it. Once the image of it is posted, I am not at liberty to correct it. I’m curious to find out how I shall be as an author because my attachment to the work will be longer than it was with a painting. Does one let go of a book just because it’s published? That is one mystery I hope to find out.
Subcribe: Listen
While You’re Surfing
Articles
Writing Samples
For Writers and Readers
Extras
BookSwim
