Category: Daily Fix

A Proposition for Prepositions

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Which prepositions  go with which words? This is what the CMS has to say:

“You fill A with B but instill B into A; you replace A with B but substitute B for A; you prefix A to B but preface B with A; you force A into B but enforce B on A; finally, A implies B, so you infer B from A. And that’s only the beginning of it.”    
— Chicago Manual of Style [regarding idiomatic uses of prepositions]

 

List of prepositions

 

A through D

  1. aboard
  2. about
  3. above
  4. absent
  5. across
  6. after
  7. against
  8. along
  9. alongside
  10. amid
  11. amidst
  12. among
  13. anti
  14. around
  15. as
  16. at
  17. atop
  18. before
  19. behind
  20. below
  21. beneath
  22. beside
  23. besides
  24. between
  25. beyond
  26. but
  27. by
  28. concerning
  29. considering
  30. despite
  31. down
  32. during

 

E through M

    1. except
    2. excepting
    3. excluding
    4. following
    5. for
    6. from
    7. in
    8. in front of
    9. inside
    10. instead of
    11. into
    12. like
    13. mid
    14. minus

N through R

    1. near
    2. next
    3. of
    4. off
    5. on
    6. on top of
    7. onto
    8. opposite
    9. out of
    10. outside
    11. over
    12. past
    13. per
    14. plus
    15. regarding
    16. round

S through W

  1. save
  2. since
  3. than
  4. through
  5. till
  6. times
  7. to
  8. toward
  9. towards
  10. under
  11. underneath
  12. unlike
  13. until
  14. up
  15. upon
  16. versus
  17. via
  18. with
  19. within
  20. without

 

 

Why Can’t I Italicize My Punctuation?

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[found on the-word-blog.com; by Heather]

“The Rule (According to CMS 6.3): Punctuation should appear in the same font or typeface as the general body text of a document. So if you have a roman sentence that contains an italicized word followed by a comma, the comma should appear in roman.”

To read Heather explain about the exceptions to this rule, click HERE.

 

[Found on http://the-word-blog.com/2009/04/28/formatting-ink-italics-punctuation/]

Back Up Your Work

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What is the first rule of having a writing project? Back up your work. Your writing should be backed up in four different places not including your computer.

1) Online storage

Not only is your work stored online (protected), but you can access it from your mobile devices as well. This allows you to continue your research and writing anywhere, and anytime. Here are some examples of online storage:

2) USB Thumb/Flash drive

This is a drive to attach to your keychain, or toss in your makeup bag. Although they aren’t saved in real-time like the online servers, it still is an excellent idea to have it as a backup. Flash drives can be bought online or in stores ($6-$150). They can range in storage size from 4 GB – 128 GB, and are the physical size of a ChapStick. Here are a few types:

3) External drive

An external drive is capable of storing much more than a few files. Usually, then can store the backup of your entire computer, plus room for other files. You can find desktop as well as portable versions, both online and in stores. The storage size runs from 250 GB – 4 TB ($70-$1000). Here are some examples of external hard drives:

4) Email to yourself

This is sometimes referred to as the modern poor-man’s copyright. However, don’t rely on that as being so. Here is a link about the true rules of copyrights. Emailing it to yourself does, however, allow you to be sure you have another copy stored in case the unthinkable happens.

When emailing the document to yourself, include information that will make it easily searchable (in case you need to find that version in later years). Most email providers can search the text in the emails if you include:

    • Book Title
    • Last updated as of (00/00/0000)

If you have these backups, then if your computer is misplaced or crashes, you still have your work. If you are out of town, you still have your work. If a flood takes out all the online storages, you still have your work. Daily, remember to back up your backups. Always.

LOL, My Bad, Ain’t Y’all Busted?

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You’re a writer. Don’t be a jargon-peddling, slang-spewing, colloquialism-bantering quibbler….because your readers just might give up on you. How do you avoid those things? Start by figuring out what they are…

Jargon (type of shorthand between a closed group): See examples.

    • Code Eight – Term that means officer needs help immediately
    • SCOTUS – Supreme Court of the United States
    • LOL – Laugh out loud
    • NPO – A patient should not take anything by mouth

Slang (casual language; playful and trendy): See an article on the why-nots.

    • My bad
    • Busted
    • Bromance
    • Supersize

Colloquialism (words that are region-specific): See the definition.

    • Reckon
    • Yonder
    • Ain’t
    • Y’all

With these now safely under your belt of understanding, your readers will thank you. Go forth, dear writer!

Foreword, Preface, Introduction…Oh my!

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[found on kunzonpublishing.com; by Joseph C. Kunz, Jr.]

“It is essential…to understand the differences between the foreword, preface, and introduction of a book. Each section plays a vital role in the critical and financial success of the book. Without these three sections, a non-fiction book is incomplete, and not giving the readers their money’s worth…

1. The Foreword (Why the reader should read the book)
The foreword is the place for a guest author to show the reader why they should be reading this book.

2. The Preface (How the book came about)
The preface is a place for the book’s author to tell the reader how this book came into being, and why.

3. The Introduction (About the content of the book)
The introduction introduces the material that is covered in the book.”

To read the expanded article from Joseph C. Kunz, Jr., click here.

[found on http://kunzonpublishing.com/2011/10/foreword-vs-preface-vs-introduction-a-guide-for-self-publishers/]

Find the Word, and Magic…!

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[found on tameri.com]

“We believe the greater the vocabulary, the more concise the writing. Unfortunately, readers might not understand what you write. The definitions for some words listed are not the “common” meanings; we have chosen to focus on the words and meanings used to impress audiences.

Serious readers enjoy new words and writers love using the rare greats. Reading teaches vocabulary as we study context at all levels: elemental grammar, plot, setting, and more. Readers thrill at the discovery of new words; writers should thrill at using them wisely. There is more to words than winning at Scrabble™.”

Example of what you’ll find on their site:

“abrogate (v) – void, do away with, repeal

abscond (v) – to depart secretly

abstemious (adj) – moderate in consumption

brook (v) – to endure, tolerate

bucolic (adj) – rustic, pastoral, natural; simple

celerity (n) – speed, rapidity

censure (v) – to rebuke officially

chary (adj) – wary, cautious

diffuse (adj) – spread out, wide-ranging; using too many words

dilate (v) – expand

dilatory (adj) – delaying

enervate (v) – to weaken, to drain, to take vitality from

engender (v) – to create, to produce, to cause

feign (v) – to pretend, act, deceive

fervent (adj) – emotional; zealous

fester (v) – ulcerate; rankle. festering (v)

garner (v) – gather, store up

garrulity (n) – talkativeness

impervious (adj) – resistant, strong, incapable of being affected

impalpable (adj) – imperceptible, intangible

jejune (adj) – poor; unsatisfying

jetsam (n) – object tossed overboard to lighten a ship

kinematic (adj) – relating to motion

knavery (n) – untrustworthiness; lack of principles

libidinous (adj) – lustful

licentious (adj) – sexually immoral

mellifluous (adj) – sweet like/as honey

mendacious (adj) – dishonest. mendacity (n)

nebulous (adj) – vague, cloudy, murky; lacking form

neologism (n) – a new word or usage

neophyte (n) – convert; beginner, novice

obfuscate (v) – to make confusing; to mislead

objurgate (v) – to scold

paucity (n) – scarcity; lack

pedagogue (n) – narrow-minded teacher

quaff (v) – to drink; to quench thirst

qualm (n) – misgiving, reservation

refutation (n) – disproof of opponents arguments

reciprocal (adj) – mutual, shared, exchanged in kind

sanction (n/v) – permission, authorized; a penalty

sanguine (adj) – cheerful; hopeful

sapient (adj) – wise; shrewd

taciturn (adj) – silent; not fond of talking

tantamount (adj) – equivalent in effect or value

taut (adj) – tight, tense

ubiquitous (adj) – everywhere, widespread

ulterior (adj) – unstated; hidden

venerate (v) – to respect. veneration (n)

veracity (n) – truthfulness, honesty

wangle (v) – bring about by manipulation

welter (n/v) – turmoil; to roll, to tumble

xenophobe (n) – one afraid of strangers

xyloid (adj) – like wood

yammer (v) – to talk with a sad tone

zymotic (adj) – of fermentation; caused by disease”

 

[found on http://www.tameri.com/write/coolenglish.html]

Be Thou Funny; Nay, Hilarious!

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[found on thewritepractice.com; by Joe Bunting]

Joe Bunting’s Commandments to Writing Funny”

“1. Thou Shalt Not Worry About Offending

First and most important, if you’re overly concerned about what others will think, don’t try your hand at funny . . . . stay true to your voice and integrity.

2. Thou Shalt Pay Attention to the Mundane

Jerry Seinfield wasn’t funny because he could do impersonations, or was overly animated or creative. He was funny because he told the truth about the mundane….

3. Thou Shalt Take Clichés to Extremes

…when there was report after report about the Occupy Movement marching on streets all over the nation, I wrote Occupy Marches on Sesame Street—twentysomething angst taking on the puppets who lied to them first.

Taking cliches to the extreme is the bedrock to satire.

4. Thou Shalt Use Metaphors and Similes Like the Bubonic Plague

(First, see Commandments 1 and 3.) Metaphors and similes are to funny as Hugh Grant is to romantic comedy.”

To read the entire article by Joe Bunting, click here.

[found on http://thewritepractice.com/four-commandments-to-writing-funny/]

Research How-To…and Why

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[found on copyblogger.com; by  ]

“I’m going to talk about research. No, research is not very fun, and it’s never glamorous, but it matters. A lot.

If you want to be able to make compelling case for something — whether it’s in a book, on a blog, or in a multi-million dollar VC pitch — you need stories that frame your arguments, rich anecdotes to compliment tangible examples, and impressive data so you can empirically crush counter arguments.

But good research doesn’t just magically appear. Stories, anecdotes and data have to be found before you can use them.

You have to hunt them down like a shark, chasing the scent of blood across the vast ocean of information. The bad news is that this is an unenviable task … but the good news is that it’s not impossible.

It’s not even that hard … once you learn what you’re doing — and I’m going to teach you those skills.

By the time I was 21, my research had been used by #1 New York Times Bestselling authors like Robert Greene, Tim Ferriss, and Tucker Max. Was I a slave to study? Did I have to become a library hermit to accomplish this? No, I did it all in my spare time–on the side, with just a few hours of work a week.

Here’s how I did it …

Step 1: Prepare long before gameday [sic]

…This is the mark you must aim for as a researcher, to not only have enough material — and to know where the rest of what you haven’t read will be located — on hand to do your work….

Step 2: Learn to search (Google) like a pro

…How do you find a needle in haystack? Get rid of the extra hay….

Step 3: Go down the rabbit hole (embrace serendipity)

…One of my rules as a reader is to read one book mentioned in or cited in every book that I read. It not only solves the problem of ‘what to read next’ but it sends you on a journey down the rabbit hole….

Step 4: When in doubt, turn to the classics

…The Classics are “classic” for a reason. They’ve survived the test of time….

Step 5: Keep a commonplace book

…a book of quotes, sentences, metaphors and  miscellany that he could use at a moment’s notice….”

To read the entire article from , click here.

[found on http://www.copyblogger.com/content-marketing-research/]

Children’s Books—Authors Speak

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[found on parents.com; by Jaclyn A. Zinn]

“If you ask a hundred different authors how they got published, you’ll get a hundred different stories,” says Pam Mu?oz Ryan, author of Mice and Beans, one of Child’s 50 Best Books of 2001. But aspiring writers — and fans — can learn and be inspired by the tales of those who’ve flourished in the field….

“The hardest thing to learn is how to communicate with your audience,” says Hoeye. “You can’t lose your voice. You must have a distinct sense of who you are and who you’re trying to talk to.” One way he honed his skills was by writing letters. “My first book, Time Stops for No Mouse, started as a series of letters to my wife who was traveling in Africa,” says Hoeye. “I didn’t know I was writing a book. It was just a way of entertaining her, but it kept growing and growing. To write a book straight through can be bewildering and intimidating.”

“Ideas come to me from everywhere-my own life, sometimes folktales,” says dePaola. “Strega Nonacame to me out of the blue, but I often get ideas from kids. The Quicksand Book is a good example of that. Children will come up to me and say, `Why don’t you write a story about….'”

“Rejection can be devastating,” says Janet Stevens, author of And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon, a Child Best Book of 2001. “You can get your heart broken. The main thing to realize is that there are so many different editors with different tastes. You have to remove yourself from it emotionally and just keep trying. You don’t have to be the best author and win all the awards; you just have to appeal to kids — that’s what’s most important.”

To read more from the authors of children’s books on parents.com, click here.

[found on http://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/books/secrets-of-successful-childrens-book-authors/]

A Writer’s Time Management

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[found on wrwdc.com; By Joan Whetzel]

“Many writers find time management at least a minor issue, while for others it may be a major issue, especially those who can never seem to find the time to write. The following tips may not completely get rid of all writing time management issues, but hopefully they will reduce the time management problems to a minimum.

1. Track Your Time. If you find you simply have no idea where the time went on a consistent basis, then it’s time to start tracking your time. Take a week or two to record how you spend your time from the time you get up in the morning until you go to bed. Use a spiral notebook, split into columns: left hand column for the start and end time, middle column for a brief description of each activity, and the right hand column for the amount of time to complete that activity. Record the day and date at the top of each page. Then go through the journal to determine where you can shave time off activities (or remove them from your routine) in order to create more time for writing.

2. Set Goals. Goals give writers something to aim for. It could be a minimum word or paragraph count per day, a minimum word or page count per week, or a minimum article count per month. Meeting your goals will keep your writing progress moving forward.

3. Set Aside Time Just for Research. Having to keep stopping to research facts that you don’t know disrupts any writing schedule, cuts down on the available writing time, and distracts writers from their writing goals. Set aside a regular time to research the information you need to do your writing for the week. Then your writing time will be available for writing only….”

To read the complete article by Joan Whetzel, click here.

[found on http://wrwdc.com/15-time-management-tips-for-writers/]