Minimizing the Importance of Style
You may reduce the impact and likability of a great story idea by being lax in its execution. If your unpolished style makes readers try too hard to figure out what you’re expressing, you may lose them. Follow basic style, grammar and punctuation rules to create prose that’s easier to read and understand.
Too Many Elements in One Paragraph
Cramming too much in one paragraph has been a big problem in many submissions we’ve read. This can confuse readers. Separate elements to simplify interpretation for your audience. People will give up if they can’t figure out who’s talking, thinking and acting.
• Put each person’s dialogue in a separate paragraph.
• Limit descriptions of a character’s thoughts, actions or observations in his or her dialogue paragraph. Put long details of each of these three elements in separate paragraphs.
• Never include one character’s thoughts, actions or observations in someone else’s dialogue paragraph.
• Attribute dialogue occasionally.
• Shorten too-long paragraphs. When you write in our digest-size format, you see how long paragraphs will be when published. A page with just one or two excessively long paragraphs looks like a daunting task for the reader.
Style, Grammar and Punctuation Mistakes
• Change scenes after a time lapse in the present, when moving to different location and when changing POV.
• Strive for a balance between dialogue, actions, thoughts, feelings and observations.
• Don’t mention anything that you don’t tie up by the end.
• Characters need to react to what others’ say and do.
• In third person, don’t use “I” when expressing a character’s thoughts. That’s clear in that POV.
• Don’t follow someone’s thoughts with: , she thought. That’s clear in her POV.
• Divide run-on sentences into easier-to-digest sections. Don’t just add a comma and keep on going for multiple lines.
• I saw lots of subsequent sentences starting with the same word. Repetitious words and sentence structure make your writing sound stilted.
• Watch out for passive voice. Things don’t just happen; someone or something has to enact them. Readers feel a stronger connection when characters behave, relate and think actively.
• Subjects and verbs must agree. Make sure a plural noun doesn’t have a singular verb or vice versa. Don’t refer to one person as they.
• Many people used misplaced modifiers and misused there and it. Refer to my Storyteller Tips Blog 4 for details.
• None of these words end in an “s”: toward, backward, forward, upward, downward, anyway.
• Don’t write that a character’s eyes darted, bounced, peered, cut, etc. Use gaze instead so eyeballs are flying around.
• Replace “alright” with “all right.”
• Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.
• Limit incomplete sentences to an occasional dialogue comment or thought. (“No problem.” “Will do.” Never again.) Note: A complete sentence (independent clause) has both subject and verb.
• When you combine two independent clauses in one sentence, separate them with: , and/but. (Holly opened the door, and she screamed.)
• But to join an independent clause and a dependent one in one sentence with and/but, omit the comma. (Holly opened the door and screamed.)
• A dependent clause requires a comma before an independent one. (When Holly opened the door, she screamed.)
• An independent clause must precede and follow a semi-colon. (Holly opened the door; she screamed.)
• Commas and periods go inside quotation marks. Place other punctuation according to construction.
• Wrong dialogue punctuation style: “I’m glad.” He said. Change to one sentence: “I’m glad,” he said.
• Missing comma when addressing people: “Hi Tom.” Change to: “Hi, Tom.”
• Read more advice on these topics in my Storyteller Tips blog before you begin writing or making corrections.
• Don’t add or omit punctuation arbitrarily. Search the web for help with any other questions I haven’t answered in my blogs.
What’s Next?
Practice the writing tips in this and my other blog posts. Keep checking the Cliffhanger Books website for announcements of selected stories, publication dates and future anthologies in this and other genres.
Showing posts with label punctuation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label punctuation. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Monday, September 21, 2009
Storyteller Tips 4: Style and Grammar
Writing Right
This is the final entry in Cliffhanger Books’ four-part writing series. If you’re a submitting author, it will help your short story conform to our standards. Sloppy style, grammar, syntax and punctuation can cancel out an otherwise intriguing story’s value. I’m a very picky copy editor, so following these rules will make your polished manuscript require fewer changes. That will improve your chance of acceptance in our upcoming anthologies as well as other publishers’ books. You’ll even find out why it and there are the two most misused words in the English language. Avoid these frequent mistakes to enhance your writing style today.
Pesky Style and Grammar Rules
In addition to enthralling ideas, well-written and edited stories follow basic grammar principles. While many style variations exist, Cliffhanger Books will follow those listed below for consistency throughout our anthologies. Correct typos, improper usage and passive voice before submission. MS Word will check spelling, grammar, style and punctuation, but so should you because it may be wrong. Ignore suggested changes if you know better or I’ve instructed otherwise.
Style
• In most cases, put dialogue, actions, observations and thoughts in separate paragraphs.
• Write in complete sentences as a rule except for some one-word or brief dialogue/thoughts and occasionally for emphasis. You may interrupt dialogue/thoughts or leave them unfinished if you end the sentence by inserting the symbol special character Ellipsis with a final period or the Em Dash.
• Alter the stilted pattern of starting subsequent sentences and paragraphs with the same word.
• Avoid run-on sentences by splitting. You may start sentences with And or But when informality is appropriate.
• The English language features so many wonderful words, why repeat the same ones? Use synonyms for variety.
• Spell out all words including numbers, states and anything else you might abbreviate.
Grammar
• Use correct grammar unless a character’s educational level or social station calls for inept expression, syntax, slang or regional dialect.
• Refrain from repeating the same sentence structure. Alternate patterns for better flow. Use a subject-verb-object sequence for one sentence. Follow it with a dependent clause-independent clause separated by a comma.
• Make passive voice active. Change “She was watched by the man” to “The man watched her.”
• Use it only as a pronoun with an antecedent as in: “She liked the music. It moved her.” But if it doesn’t mean anything, rewrite. Change “It was cold” to: “The temperature was cold.” I know people talk this way. But with a little practice, you can break this bad habit by being specific.
• There describes a place. If it doesn’t, revise. Replace “There was music playing” with “Music was playing.” Delete the unnecessary words and start with the subject. Change “There were too many choices” to “She had too many choices.” Everyone else may use there inappropriately, but you can avoid that pitfall by being explicit.
• Avoid be verbs. Replace them with vivid action verbs.
• Watch out for misplaced modifiers and split infinitives. Change “He cautiously eyed her” to “He eyed her cautiously” and “She began to heartily laugh” to “She began to laugh heartily.”
Punctuation
• Use just one space, not two, between sentences in a paragraph.
• If you separate one character’s dialogue into two paragraphs, omit the close quote from the first paragraph.
• Place commas and periods inside quotation marks.
• A comma doesn’t belong before the last and in a series or between dependent clauses.
• Use a comma between independent clauses (each has a subject and a verb).
• If you insert the symbol special character Ellipsis at the end of a sentence, add a final period.
• Insert the symbol special character Em Dash to separate thoughts instead of using one or two hyphens.
What’s Next?
If you’ve read my four-part Storyteller Tips and the Cliffhanger Books submission and formatting guidelines on our website, you’re ready to create your original tale. When you’re done, refer to our submission instructions at cliffhangerbooks.com. And remember, your story must reach us by midnight Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009.
Keep checking this blog and the Cliffhanger Books website for more details, selected stories, publication dates and future anthologies in this and other genres.
This is the final entry in Cliffhanger Books’ four-part writing series. If you’re a submitting author, it will help your short story conform to our standards. Sloppy style, grammar, syntax and punctuation can cancel out an otherwise intriguing story’s value. I’m a very picky copy editor, so following these rules will make your polished manuscript require fewer changes. That will improve your chance of acceptance in our upcoming anthologies as well as other publishers’ books. You’ll even find out why it and there are the two most misused words in the English language. Avoid these frequent mistakes to enhance your writing style today.
Pesky Style and Grammar Rules
In addition to enthralling ideas, well-written and edited stories follow basic grammar principles. While many style variations exist, Cliffhanger Books will follow those listed below for consistency throughout our anthologies. Correct typos, improper usage and passive voice before submission. MS Word will check spelling, grammar, style and punctuation, but so should you because it may be wrong. Ignore suggested changes if you know better or I’ve instructed otherwise.
Style
• In most cases, put dialogue, actions, observations and thoughts in separate paragraphs.
• Write in complete sentences as a rule except for some one-word or brief dialogue/thoughts and occasionally for emphasis. You may interrupt dialogue/thoughts or leave them unfinished if you end the sentence by inserting the symbol special character Ellipsis with a final period or the Em Dash.
• Alter the stilted pattern of starting subsequent sentences and paragraphs with the same word.
• Avoid run-on sentences by splitting. You may start sentences with And or But when informality is appropriate.
• The English language features so many wonderful words, why repeat the same ones? Use synonyms for variety.
• Spell out all words including numbers, states and anything else you might abbreviate.
Grammar
• Use correct grammar unless a character’s educational level or social station calls for inept expression, syntax, slang or regional dialect.
• Refrain from repeating the same sentence structure. Alternate patterns for better flow. Use a subject-verb-object sequence for one sentence. Follow it with a dependent clause-independent clause separated by a comma.
• Make passive voice active. Change “She was watched by the man” to “The man watched her.”
• Use it only as a pronoun with an antecedent as in: “She liked the music. It moved her.” But if it doesn’t mean anything, rewrite. Change “It was cold” to: “The temperature was cold.” I know people talk this way. But with a little practice, you can break this bad habit by being specific.
• There describes a place. If it doesn’t, revise. Replace “There was music playing” with “Music was playing.” Delete the unnecessary words and start with the subject. Change “There were too many choices” to “She had too many choices.” Everyone else may use there inappropriately, but you can avoid that pitfall by being explicit.
• Avoid be verbs. Replace them with vivid action verbs.
• Watch out for misplaced modifiers and split infinitives. Change “He cautiously eyed her” to “He eyed her cautiously” and “She began to heartily laugh” to “She began to laugh heartily.”
Punctuation
• Use just one space, not two, between sentences in a paragraph.
• If you separate one character’s dialogue into two paragraphs, omit the close quote from the first paragraph.
• Place commas and periods inside quotation marks.
• A comma doesn’t belong before the last and in a series or between dependent clauses.
• Use a comma between independent clauses (each has a subject and a verb).
• If you insert the symbol special character Ellipsis at the end of a sentence, add a final period.
• Insert the symbol special character Em Dash to separate thoughts instead of using one or two hyphens.
What’s Next?
If you’ve read my four-part Storyteller Tips and the Cliffhanger Books submission and formatting guidelines on our website, you’re ready to create your original tale. When you’re done, refer to our submission instructions at cliffhangerbooks.com. And remember, your story must reach us by midnight Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009.
Keep checking this blog and the Cliffhanger Books website for more details, selected stories, publication dates and future anthologies in this and other genres.
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