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Quote by DirtyMartini
Hey Lisa...are there any openings for chat room moderators at the moment?
I'd really like to get my Chat Room Moderator badge next...
It'd be a pretty quiet job!
I've never used a chat room before, but next time I see someone in there I'm going to drop in and say hello.
Active Ink Slinger
That was interesting. I don't completely agree with two of them, but I can see where he's coming from.
1. Proper Names Within Dialogue
I've used names in dialogue before but only because it's the way I was taught to greet people. When I first see someone I say hello and use their name, so I've done the same in my stories. I'll have to go back and take a look at that again!
2. Chit-Chat
Skip the pleasantries when two people meet. Avoid the weather talk. The how-have-you-beens. Instead, opt for something like this:
After a few minutes of catching up Laura popped the question she’d come for.
“Are you having an affair with my husband?” she asked.
I would've started with the dialogue rather than "After a few minutes..." The dialogue would've been a stronger way to start in my opinion.
There were some good tips in there.
1. Proper Names Within Dialogue
I've used names in dialogue before but only because it's the way I was taught to greet people. When I first see someone I say hello and use their name, so I've done the same in my stories. I'll have to go back and take a look at that again!
2. Chit-Chat
Skip the pleasantries when two people meet. Avoid the weather talk. The how-have-you-beens. Instead, opt for something like this:
After a few minutes of catching up Laura popped the question she’d come for.
“Are you having an affair with my husband?” she asked.
I would've started with the dialogue rather than "After a few minutes..." The dialogue would've been a stronger way to start in my opinion.
There were some good tips in there.
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by ladysharonQuote by DirtyMartiniQuote by ladysharon
Who's neck do i have to wring to get it?
Lol...that's the attitude...
I think you need to post a Playlist and at least one video...you really have to have everything...
that's bullshit. i have that on my profile. guess i have to be someone's special pet in order to get stuff done around here.
In future, please use the Contact Us link to report any problems you're experiencing with the site, and if you have any complaints about the way the site's being run, please send me a PM. I'm currently checking in to this problem with Gav. A couple of members are missing their Editor's Pick badges too, so it's not something that's just happening to you.
Active Ink Slinger
Do you remember the first story you wrote and what age you were when you began writing?
I wrote my first romance novel when I was thirteen, inspired by the Sweet Dreams teen romance books I used to devour.
When I look back at it now it's very awkward and embarrassing, but we've all got to start somewhere!
How did you get started writing?
I wrote my first romance novel when I was thirteen, inspired by the Sweet Dreams teen romance books I used to devour.
When I look back at it now it's very awkward and embarrassing, but we've all got to start somewhere! How did you get started writing?
Active Ink Slinger
Yas's posts regarding the seven deadly sins of writing inspired this question. When you look back at your earliest work, is there a noticeable difference between how you wrote then and the way you write now? Has your style changed, tightened or become more descriptive? Have you stopped making errors that you used to make when you first started?
Active Ink Slinger
Because the paragraph's in Fred's POV, there'd need to be some kind of physical indication that Joe felt good about his hand because Fred can't know what Joe's actually thinking, or which cards he's holding. If the paragraph went something like, "The smile on Joe's face indicated he was happy with his hand" it would still get the point across, but remain in Fred's POV.
I've read novels before where the POVs shift, but the author usually dedicates an entire chapter to one person, then switches to another in the next chapter to make it clear who's telling the story. I like reading different "voices" in novels, but I also prefer it when there's a clear break between one person and the next.
I've read novels before where the POVs shift, but the author usually dedicates an entire chapter to one person, then switches to another in the next chapter to make it clear who's telling the story. I like reading different "voices" in novels, but I also prefer it when there's a clear break between one person and the next.
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by AutumnWriter
The seven cardinal sins committed by fiction writers: (I confess to having committed every single one, but I'm going straight.)
Thanks for posting the list, AutumnWriter, and for the explanations. Using adverbs was always one of my problems, but I've trained myself to use only two or three of them in an entire story. Do you notice the more you write, the less likely you are to make these mistakes?
Active Ink Slinger
I don't see the point in censoring the word. If they find the word offensive the poem either should be returned to you with the option to replace it with something they find acceptable, or returned to you with a note that it's not suitable for their site.
It's surprising that they accept erotic poetry but they won't accept one containing an "offensive" word.
It's surprising that they accept erotic poetry but they won't accept one containing an "offensive" word.
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by DirtyMartini
Interesting note...OK, I find it interesting...one of the things I've become aware of in the last several months since reading blogs and writing groups, is the number of people who enter writing contests in an effort to become "published"...this is especially true among poetry people...
To me, this does not seem particularly cost-effective since most poetry contests charge a $15-25 entry fee, and you can easily enter ten contests a month...
But, the winning entries usually end up getting published in a journal of some sort, and that appeals to a lot of people...
It just does not seem particularly cost-effective to me...but, you would be very surprised how many people actually do it...
I know I was surprised after seeing how many people mention it...
It probably looks good on your writer's resume to have won several contests if you end up submitting your work to a bigger publisher. As you mentioned though, it's an expensive way to go about it. Is this one of the main ways poets get their work in print? I'd imagine it'd be more difficult to have a book of poems accepted by a publisher than it would be to have a novel published.
Active Ink Slinger
Here's a list of explanations for various rights your publisher may request when making an offer for your work:
Know the Rights You've Got Left
Know the Rights You've Got Left
Active Ink Slinger
Here are 20 tips for winning writing contests that you might find helpful.
Active Ink Slinger
Do you tend to ramble sometimes in your writing? Here are some helpful tips on how to streamline your work:
Eight steps to more concise writing
Eight steps to more concise writing
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by DirtyMartini
Btw, there are a lot of writers who cover the topic of editing in their blogs...there is a discussion going on about editing poems right now, and Janice Richards posted this link to her blog...she is a published author who does more than poems...
She has some interesting advice. I particularly liked her suggestion to proof read the different areas during separate sittings rather than proofing everything all at once:
a proofing for spelling,
a proofing for verb usage – tense,
a proofing for punctuation,
a proofing for correct sentence structure,
a proofing for word usage – don’t over use words this is where a thesaurus can be your best friend,
proof for capitalization – proper nouns, and last but not least
proof content area. Did you say what you meant and did you stick with the purpose. Don’t ramble, delete duplications.
Edit: I've just read AutumnWriter's post, who suggested something similar. Very helpful advice.
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by DirtyMartini
First off, I had to look up "passive voice"...and still not sure I completely understand the concept...from the Wikipedia article I looked at, it seems to be a matter of where you place the subject in the sentence...apparently it shifts the emphasis from the doer to the subject, or something like that...
An example of this is if you change "The man was bitten by the dog" to "The dog bit the man" it becomes active rather than passive. Usually if you omit the word "was" and rewrite the sentence, you change it to active voice.
Quote by DirtyMartini
There is a reason for this apparent "rebellious behavior"...again, I was talking to another author here recently and she was talking about how she started editing a story, and compared editing to getting a haircut...you start trimming a bit off here and there, and somehow can't stop...
The problem with that is you can end up bald. She blames it on a "perfectionist" tendency...and I can fully relate...I can be the same way, which is why I don't allow myself to edit a story...I know once I start, there will be a tendency to try to make it "perfect"...and no story will ever be perfect...
I do the same thing, editing so much that sometimes I get sick of my own story because I've read it so many times.
I'm getting better at it though and learning to move on.Quote by DirtyMartini
By far and away the best slogan regarding writing I have yet to read is...
"Don't get it right...get it written..."
I really like that quote. Sometimes it's difficult to keep writing when the work I've just done is far from perfect, but it has to be done if I want to actually finish a story.
Active Ink Slinger
The list below (not written by me) is meant to be an amusing take on the rules of writing, but it's an effective way of getting the points across.
How closely do you follow the rules while writing? Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process, or are you the rebellious type who doesn't like to follow rules at all?
I've just finished reading a novel written by a successful author who uses lots of passive voice in her work. It stands out to me because I've always been of the opinion it's something not looked on favourably by publishers/editors. What do you think?
How closely do you follow the rules while writing? Is it something you think about during the first draft, the editing process, or are you the rebellious type who doesn't like to follow rules at all?
I've just finished reading a novel written by a successful author who uses lots of passive voice in her work. It stands out to me because I've always been of the opinion it's something not looked on favourably by publishers/editors. What do you think?
26 Golden Rules for Writing Well
a checklist for professional writing skills
1. Don’t abbrev.
2. Check to see if you any words out.
3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.
4. About sentence fragments.
5. When dangling, don’t use participles.
6. Don’t use no double negatives.
7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.
8. Just between you and I, case is important.
9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.
10. Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary.
11. Its important to use apostrophe’s right.
12. It’s better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.
13. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.
14. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop
15. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.
16. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.
17. Watch out for irregular verbs that have creeped into our language.
18. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
19. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.
20. A writer mustn’t shift your point of view.
21. Don’t write a run-on sentence you’ve got to punctuate it.
22. A preposition isn’t a good thing to end a sentence with.
23. Avoid cliches like the plague.
24. 1 final thing is to never start a sentence with a number.
25. Always check your work for accuracy and completeness.
ANONYMOUS
