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Sherzahd
2 hours ago
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0 miles · Cape Town
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I used to read a lot. I learned how to read at 5, by the time I was 10 I was reading novels, not kids books, classics mostly. I've always loved reading, so yes, I do read quite a lot. I don't read as a writing resource though, mostly just for the love of the written word. I read about things I would probably never write about, but in some ways it does inspire me and it influences my writing style in subtle ways.
I have to admit though, that I haven't done much reading over the last year, most of what I've read are online stories and e-zine stories.
I have to admit though, that I haven't done much reading over the last year, most of what I've read are online stories and e-zine stories.
Administration
Yes, ask her. I will see what I can find in my old teaching logs. Such a shame I lost all of the stories I wrote as teaching aids when my old pc crashed. If I can't find any, I might write some new ones for her. It's been a while since I've written for kids though.
And yes, that is very flattering indeed. I am sure that your poems inspire quite a few people, I know that they've inspired me.
And yes, that is very flattering indeed. I am sure that your poems inspire quite a few people, I know that they've inspired me.
Administration
Quote by DirtyMartini
Here is something that may be of interest to some here...I got an e-mail from the girl who translated my poem "What A Difference A Year Can Make" into Chinese...she wrote...
"By the way, can you tell me where I can find some good stories in English or something like fables or moral lessons that can teach youngsters how to be a good citizen or things like that.
I would like to translate some of them to let more Chinese people share.
Thank you.
Zhang"
Haven't given it a whole lot of thought yet, just got the e-mail tonight...was thinking maybe something by Steffanie or something along those lines...but, I'm open to suggestions here...
If you can think of something, and want it considered...let me know in a PM...
This is your big chance to teach the children of China how to be good citizens...
I'm not sure what age group she is targeting, but in my experience the best teaching stories for children of all ages are fables. There are some very good Chinese fables as well, her kids might relate to those. African and Arabian ones are rather good too. I mostly used Grimm's fairytales (that was my teaching bible), they have just the right balance to teach kids in a fun way. I will try to find a few that are I've always used in my teaching.
YAY!!! No more chatting to myself.... Administration
I think that there is a time and place for proper names, like any other thing in writing, if it is overused, then it kills the pace of your story.
The food thing makes sense as well, but one thing I do when writing about food is focus on the aroma, not sure where that fits in. Of course if you are writing erotica, then smell, taste and texture is a good way of arousing your reader's senses.
I do agree about the insignificant details (more commonly known as fluff) killing the pace of your story. If the details are revelant to getting to know your character, then just keep ot simple and fun. I do find that at times when there is fluff writing and it is entertaining fluff, the reader doesn't really mind. Or is that just me?
Hmm....
forgotten what the other points were.
And Alan, if I had the pipe, it would not be passed. Some things were just not meant to be shared. Expecting me to pass the pipe would be like me asking for the keys to your martini cabinet.
Point proven with that dialogue though, that's what I meant by entertaining fluff.
The food thing makes sense as well, but one thing I do when writing about food is focus on the aroma, not sure where that fits in. Of course if you are writing erotica, then smell, taste and texture is a good way of arousing your reader's senses.
I do agree about the insignificant details (more commonly known as fluff) killing the pace of your story. If the details are revelant to getting to know your character, then just keep ot simple and fun. I do find that at times when there is fluff writing and it is entertaining fluff, the reader doesn't really mind. Or is that just me?
Hmm....
forgotten what the other points were. And Alan, if I had the pipe, it would not be passed. Some things were just not meant to be shared. Expecting me to pass the pipe would be like me asking for the keys to your martini cabinet.
Point proven with that dialogue though, that's what I meant by entertaining fluff.
Administration
Thank you for bringing up this topic, it is something of concern for all serious writers.
Here is one link that some of you might find useful. Courtesy of my good friend Alan, but since he isn't here right now, I will post it.
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/08/solicitation-alerts-justfiction-edition.html
Okay, so it's two links...
https://www.justfiction-edition.com/site/faq/32
Here is one link that some of you might find useful. Courtesy of my good friend Alan, but since he isn't here right now, I will post it.
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/08/solicitation-alerts-justfiction-edition.html
Okay, so it's two links...
https://www.justfiction-edition.com/site/faq/32
Administration
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.
Well... that attitude is one way of NOT getting your name on the 'special pets list'.
Try messaging a moderator, like the rest of us does. If your profile is complete, then surely it must just be an oversight.
Administration
The Sixth Deadly Sin: Dangling Modifiers
Dangling modifiers are hard to explain, but they often create illogical, even confusing sentences. The best way to describe it would be when a writer unintentionally says something he or she never intended to.
For example:
While still a boy, my Aunt Clara and I went hiking in the mountains.
Can you see the clumsiness of this sentence? It sounds like he is implying that his Aunt Clara was a boy when they went hiking in the mountains (yes, I know that in this day and age that is entirely plausible, but I am sure that you get what I mean).
Let me use another example:
Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the frisbee.
Did I just throw a dog into the air? Can you see how comical a dangling or misplaced modifier can sound?
And another:
Walking back from the carnival, my keys were lost.
As you can see, I’ve trained my keys to walk itself back from the carnival.
Now while I am certain that most of our readers are smart enough to figure out what we are trying to say, it isn’t their job to work things out, it is our task to keep our storylines clear and uncluttered. A story is about bringing across a message, sometimes the message can be serious, so if your reader gets a chuckle out of misplaced words, the overall effect is lost. Any time you draw attention to how you’ve said something instead of what you’ve said, the link between writer and reader is lost.
How do we avoid dangling or misplacing modifiers?
First you need to recognize your modifying phrase (it’s usually the first descriptive phrase in the sentence).
Then find the first noun after this phrase (it should be the noun you are trying to modify).
Make sure that your modifying phrase and your noun matches each other logically.
If it does not, rewrite the sentence so it makes sense.
Allow me to fix the examples:
While still a boy, I went hiking in the mountains with my Aunt Clara.
Having been thrown in the air, the frisbee was caught by the dog.
Walking back from the carnival, I lost my keys.
In conclusion, if your modifying phrase is describing or elaborating on a specific noun, place it immediately beside the word you are modifying.
Dangling modifiers are hard to explain, but they often create illogical, even confusing
sentences. The best way to describe it would be when a writer unintentionally says something he or she never intended to. For example:
While still a boy, my Aunt Clara and I went hiking in the mountains.
Can you see the clumsiness of this sentence? It sounds like he is implying that his Aunt Clara was a boy when they went hiking in the mountains (yes, I know that in this day and age that is entirely plausible, but I am sure that you get what I mean).
Let me use another example:
Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the frisbee.
Did I just throw a dog into the air? Can you see how comical a dangling or misplaced modifier can sound?
And another:
Walking back from the carnival, my keys were lost.
As you can see, I’ve trained my keys to walk itself back from the carnival.
Now while I am certain that most of our readers are smart enough to figure out what we are trying to say, it isn’t their job to work things out, it is our task to keep our storylines clear and uncluttered. A story is about bringing across a message, sometimes the message can be serious, so if your reader gets a chuckle out of misplaced words, the overall effect is lost. Any time you draw attention to how you’ve said something instead of what you’ve said, the link between writer and reader is lost.
How do we avoid dangling or misplacing modifiers?
First you need to recognize your modifying phrase (it’s usually the first descriptive phrase in the sentence).
Then find the first noun after this phrase (it should be the noun you are trying to modify).
Make sure that your modifying phrase and your noun matches each other logically.
If it does not, rewrite the sentence so it makes sense.
Allow me to fix the examples:
While still a boy, I went hiking in the mountains with my Aunt Clara.
Having been thrown in the air, the frisbee was caught by the dog.
Walking back from the carnival, I lost my keys.
In conclusion, if your modifying phrase is describing or elaborating on a specific noun, place it immediately beside the word you are modifying.
Administration
Fifth Deadly Sin: Ambiguous Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
Personal Pronouns: I, me, she, he, it, you, her, him, we, they, them
Possessive Pronouns: Its, his, hers, yours, ours, theirs
Relative Pronouns: That, who, whose, which, whoever, whichever
Reflexive Pronouns: Himself, herself, myself, yourself, ourselves, themselves
The above list is merely to demonstrate what a pronoun is, as well as to refer back to once my explanations become too confusing.
A poorly chosen pronoun can obscure the meaning of a sentence, so always be sure that your chosen pronoun refers to a specific noun, as ambiguous use of a pronoun creates confusion.
For example:
The cakes delivered by the caterers were damaged, so I sent them back to the confectioner.
This is a classic example of an ambiguous pronoun. What am I talking about? Did I send the cakes back? Or did I send the caterers back? Are you confused? Good. You should be.
The cakes delivered by the caterers were damaged, so I sent the cakes back to the confectioner. Better?
Let us try that again… (trust me, I have seen this line in a story… names have been changed to protect the identity of the owner of said tarts)
Katie told Mary that her tarts were delicious.
Once again, who are we talking about? Does Katie or Mary have delicious tarts?
Katie told Mary that Mary’s tarts were delicious.
Alternately, you can use dialogue…
Katie says, “Mary, your tarts are delicious.”
Is the ambiguity clear or do I need better examples?
Point I am trying to make? If even a hint of ambiguity exists, use a noun instead.
While we are on the subject of pronouns, please indulge me while I touch on something we call “Agreement error”.
A pronoun agreement error refers to instances where the pronoun doesn’t match the noun it refers to.
I can see you scratching your head; let me use an example…
If every politician avoided this in their speeches . . .
Can you see the error here? It is okay if you do not, I will explain.
“Every politician” (the noun) is a singular noun
BUT…. “their” (the pronoun) refers to a plural noun
If every politician avoided this in his/her speeches . . . (both singular)
If all politicians avoided this in their speeches . . . (both plural)
How do we fix this? First thing you do is identify all the pronouns in your sentence. Next you find the nouns they represent. A singular noun requires a singular pronoun; a plural noun requires a plural pronoun. The same rule applies for gender pronouns.
And just when you thought I was done… I just remembered, there is one more thing I need to mention.
Reflexive pronouns can be very tricky to get right. Reflexive pronouns should only be used when referring back to the subject, and will always end in self (singular) or selves (plural).
Examples explain things much better than I do, so…
My sister and myself went shopping.
My sister and I went shopping.
Can you tell which example is correct? In the first example, “myself “ is not referring back to any particular noun, therefore this is incorrect. The second example would thus be correct.
Let me demonstrate where reflexive pronouns may be used.
She called me herself. Or She herself called me. – herself refers back to the word “She”, which is a noun.
You yourselves are responsible for the trouble you are in. Once again, “yourselves' refers back to the noun “You”.
I baked it myself. Or I myself baked it. – Once again… can you see the pattern forming?
I think I have said more than I should have, probably guilty of verbosity, so I will let it rest here.
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
Personal Pronouns: I, me, she, he, it, you, her, him, we, they, them
Possessive Pronouns: Its, his, hers, yours, ours, theirs
Relative Pronouns: That, who, whose, which, whoever, whichever
Reflexive Pronouns: Himself, herself, myself, yourself, ourselves, themselves
The above list is merely to demonstrate what a pronoun is, as well as to refer back to once my explanations become too confusing.
A poorly chosen pronoun can obscure the meaning of a sentence, so always be sure that your chosen pronoun refers to a specific noun, as ambiguous use of a pronoun creates confusion.
For example:
The cakes delivered by the caterers were damaged, so I sent them back to the confectioner.
This is a classic example of an ambiguous pronoun. What am I talking about? Did I send the cakes back? Or did I send the caterers back? Are you confused? Good. You should be.
The cakes delivered by the caterers were damaged, so I sent the cakes back to the confectioner. Better?
Let us try that again… (trust me, I have seen this line in a story… names have been changed to protect the identity of the owner of said tarts)
Katie told Mary that her tarts were delicious.
Once again, who are we talking about? Does Katie or Mary have delicious tarts?
Katie told Mary that Mary’s tarts were delicious.
Alternately, you can use dialogue…
Katie says, “Mary, your tarts are delicious.”
Is the ambiguity clear or do I need better examples?
Point I am trying to make? If even a hint of ambiguity exists, use a noun instead.
While we are on the subject of pronouns, please indulge me while I touch on something we call “Agreement error”.
A pronoun agreement error refers to instances where the pronoun doesn’t match the noun it refers to.
I can see you scratching your head; let me use an example…
If every politician avoided this in their speeches . . .
Can you see the error here? It is okay if you do not, I will explain.
“Every politician” (the noun) is a singular noun
BUT…. “their” (the pronoun) refers to a plural noun
If every politician avoided this in his/her speeches . . . (both singular)
If all politicians avoided this in their speeches . . . (both plural)
How do we fix this? First thing you do is identify all the pronouns in your sentence. Next you find the nouns they represent. A singular noun requires a singular pronoun; a plural noun requires a plural pronoun. The same rule applies for gender pronouns.
And just when you thought I was done… I just remembered, there is one more thing I need to mention.
Reflexive pronouns can be very tricky to get right. Reflexive pronouns should only be used when referring back to the subject, and will always end in self (singular) or selves (plural).
Examples explain things much better than I do, so…
My sister and myself went shopping.
My sister and I went shopping.
Can you tell which example is correct? In the first example, “myself “ is not referring back to any particular noun, therefore this is incorrect. The second example would thus be correct.
Let me demonstrate where reflexive pronouns may be used.
She called me herself. Or She herself called me. – herself refers back to the word “She”, which is a noun.
You yourselves are responsible for the trouble you are in. Once again, “yourselves' refers back to the noun “You”.
I baked it myself. Or I myself baked it. – Once again… can you see the pattern forming?
I think I have said more than I should have, probably guilty of verbosity, so I will let it rest here.
Administration
Quote by Louise
I was looking at Dr Suess quotes and this jumped out - funny
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
Dr. Seuss
I love that. I am a huge Dr Suess fan, funny that I've never read that one before. Thank you, I will be using it in the classroom. =d>
Administration
Quote by ladysharon
Yas, I was thinking about adding to your deadly sins list. Wanna discuss it later?
Golly! Looks like this might end up being a list longer than 7..... would love to discuss it, Sharon.
I was inspired by the 7 Deadly Sins you posted, thought it would be a good idea to remind myself of the 7 worst 'sins' I commit when writing. As I worked on these initial 7, I found myself thinking of all the mistakes I've seen other writers make as well. Hmm.... the end is definitely NOT in sight....
Administration
I would like to think that I have progressed. I have come a long way from being the 12 year old writing rhyming verses about butterflies and fluffy clouds. Although, when I speak of progressing, I am not talking about grammar and fancy words, I am talking about my confidence as a writer. I have grown in many ways, so even though I still make the silliest mistakes with grammar and spelling and structure, my images are a lot stronger. I think that is important in writing, to allow your readers to grasp your images with all of their senses.
Oh and to not bore them to tears....
Oh and to not bore them to tears....
Administration
I do apologise for how long it is taking me to complete this, I've had little free time and this is a lot more time consuming than I expected it would be.
I am writing this mostly to remind myself of the countless
mistakes I make when writing. Each of these are 'sins' I have been guilty of, so I hope it can help others as well.
I am writing this mostly to remind myself of the countless
mistakes I make when writing. Each of these are 'sins' I have been guilty of, so I hope it can help others as well. Administration
Fourth Deadly Sin: Incorrect Punctuation of Two Independent Clauses
We all know that proper punctuation is the cornerstone of good writing, but very few of us truly know how to use it. It’s a lot simpler than most of our teachers made it sound, once we learn how to recognise a clause.
A clause is basically words strung together that forms a complete thought, which means that it contains at least one subject and one verb. There are more than one type of clause, but for the purpose here, I will only focus on one type.
An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence.
For example:
I despise lofty women. They often amuse me.
The above clauses each have a subject and a verb and they stand alone, thus they are independent clauses.
Sometimes we combine clauses in a single sentence to emphasize the relationship between ideas, but many of us battle when trying to get the punctuation right. Here are a few simple rules to follow:
Separate independent clauses with a comma when using a coordinating conjunction (but, or, yet, nor, and, etc).
For example:
I despise lofty women, yet they often amuse me.
Separate independent clauses with a semi-colon when no coordinating conjunction is present.
For example:
I despise lofty women; they often amuse me.
Separate independent clauses with a semi-colon when using a conjunctive adverb (also, however, thus, hence, therefore, nevertheless, etc).
For example:
I despise lofty women; nevertheless, they often amuse me.
I have developed a fondness for semi-colons. With a period, the writer has said all he has to say, it’s a ‘read my thought and move along’ punctuation, whereas the semicolon offers a measure of expectancy.
Please note that this has nothing to do with grammar, just my personal view.
Semi-colons should be used sparingly though, and only when the two independent clauses involved are closely related and balanced in length.
We all know that proper punctuation is the cornerstone of good writing, but very few of us truly know how to use it. It’s a lot simpler than most of our teachers made it sound, once we learn how to recognise a clause.
A clause is basically words strung together that forms a complete thought, which means that it contains at least one subject and one verb. There are more than one type of clause, but for the purpose here, I will only focus on one type.
An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence.
For example:
I despise lofty women. They often amuse me.
The above clauses each have a subject and a verb and they stand alone, thus they are independent clauses.
Sometimes we combine clauses in a single sentence to emphasize the relationship between ideas, but many of us battle when trying to get the punctuation right. Here are a few simple rules to follow:
Separate independent clauses with a comma when using a coordinating conjunction (but, or, yet, nor, and, etc).
For example:
I despise lofty women, yet they often amuse me.
Separate independent clauses with a semi-colon when no coordinating conjunction is present.
For example:
I despise lofty women; they often amuse me.
Separate independent clauses with a semi-colon when using a conjunctive adverb (also, however, thus, hence, therefore, nevertheless, etc).
For example:
I despise lofty women; nevertheless, they often amuse me.
I have developed a fondness for semi-colons. With a period, the writer has said all he has to say, it’s a ‘read my thought and move along’ punctuation, whereas the semicolon offers a measure of expectancy.
Please note that this has nothing to do with grammar, just my personal view. Semi-colons should be used sparingly though, and only when the two independent clauses involved are closely related and balanced in length.
Administration
The first story I wrote just for the love of writing was when I was 12 years old. It wasn't really about anything, it was like taking a walk through a forest on a cool autumn day. It was three pages long, of course it was written in long hand, so I cannot be sure of the word count (word count never mattered back then).
The following year our local community paper was having a writing contest and one of my teachers submitted my story, I won second prize. I was chuffed, my parents were proud and my teacher encouraged me to start reading more poetry and prose, thus a writer was born. She mentored me in many ways. In fact, she gave me my very first Shakespeare book of sonnets, which I still treasure.
I have been writing ever since, I've lost count of the amount of poems I have written over the years, but that very first one, the fond memory of that one will always stay with me. I think I will post my very first poem here, even if it does sound like it was written by a child.
The following year our local community paper was having a writing contest and one of my teachers submitted my story, I won second prize. I was chuffed, my parents were proud and my teacher encouraged me to start reading more poetry and prose, thus a writer was born. She mentored me in many ways. In fact, she gave me my very first Shakespeare book of sonnets, which I still treasure.
I have been writing ever since, I've lost count of the amount of poems I have written over the years, but that very first one, the fond memory of that one will always stay with me. I think I will post my very first poem here, even if it does sound like it was written by a child.
Administration
Third Deadly Sin – Verbosity
This is one of the sins that I often find myself guilty of,
as I have proven with this rather wordy forum post. When I talk about verbosity or wordiness, I am not talking about word count; I am talking about when you are saying so much that you lose your readers.
Eliminating wordiness makes for a stronger, more concise writing style that is easier to read. In contrast, a wordy style obscures your ideas and leads to inattention; it may take the form of redundant expressions or phrases that needlessly distracts the reader.
When editing, try eliminating unnecessary words, you may find that your story will stand up without them, making it more concise. Once again, active voice comes into play, as it makes your point as succinctly as possible.
AVOID........................................... USE INSTEAD
For the purpose of............................. For
In spite of the fact that....................... In spite of
In order to.........................................To
Due to the fact that.............................Due to
Because of the fact that.......................Because
Until such time as...............................Until
The reason why is that........................The reason being
First and foremost...............................Firstly
In view of the fact that.........................Since
There are many phrases like these that can be cropped to avoid clumsy sentences.
This is one of the sins that I often find myself guilty of,
as I have proven with this rather wordy forum post. When I talk about verbosity or wordiness, I am not talking about word count; I am talking about when you are saying so much that you lose your readers. Eliminating wordiness makes for a stronger, more concise writing style that is easier to read. In contrast, a wordy style obscures your ideas and leads to inattention; it may take the form of redundant expressions or phrases that needlessly distracts the reader.
When editing, try eliminating unnecessary words, you may find that your story will stand up without them, making it more concise. Once again, active voice comes into play, as it makes your point as succinctly as possible.
AVOID........................................... USE INSTEAD
For the purpose of............................. For
In spite of the fact that....................... In spite of
In order to.........................................To
Due to the fact that.............................Due to
Because of the fact that.......................Because
Until such time as...............................Until
The reason why is that........................The reason being
First and foremost...............................Firstly
In view of the fact that.........................Since
There are many phrases like these that can be cropped to avoid clumsy sentences.
