You are hereNovember 2009
November 2009
#5: Negation Use
This is another comment sparked Grammar Guide:
Ok, whilst going through some writing of mine. I came up against this.
Negation Use What the hell is Negation use. :\
To make it easier, here is the sentence.
Never one for backing down, it wasn’t until the second film had been in the cinema and a friend had lent us the DVD of the Fellowship of the Ring that I succumbed to my curiosity.
Please help. I've no idea what's negative about this sentence?
#5: Reviewing vs. Critiquing
As a responsible author, you should feel the need to help other writers. Then again, all you might feel is a desire to improve your own skills. You can do both with one activity: reading! You can't remain a good writer unless you are aware of what other writers are doing with your genre, with your language, and with the universe for fanfiction. I haven't found an advice book yet that doesn't stress the importance of reading. As Stephen King says: "If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." (On Writing 147)
#5: Characters: Brainstorming Exercises for Creating Characters
"Back up a minute. My main character is new. I don't know its eye color much less its goal in life." Don't panic. You probably have a better grasp on your new characters than you think you do. You just need the framework to organize the ideas. And just like there are many ways to organize your brainstorming, there are many ways to help you organize your brainstorming on your characters.
#4: Ratings, Sex, and Violence
WHY RATE YOUR FANFIC?
Not all material is suitable for all readers. Some want sex in graphic detail; others are grossed out. Some feel violence adds a sense of realism; other would rather explore the softer side of the characters. In an effort to be fair, you should set the reader's expectations with a rating and support it with a disclaimer. But we'll cover the "please don't sue me" plea in another tutorial. This one is all about ratings, and what place sex and violence have in your story.
WHAT ARE THE RATINGS?
#4: Run-on Sentences
This is the comment that sparked this Grammar Guide:
Yeah gotta say that's true. I mean recently I had a review for a story that said it had run on sentences.
What the hell is a run on sentence? I couldn't even begin to tell you exactly which sentences are running and which are standing still in my fics Unless they were physically pointed out to me, but then who's got the time to do that. We've all got busy lives to lead.
Busy lives, true, but asking for a definition gets an answer.
