Tag: daily fix

Not All Is Possessive

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[found on grammarphobia.com; by The Grammarphobia Blog]

 Nouns: Possessive vs Genitive

“Normally, nouns used with numbers to form adjectival phrases are singular, as in “two-inch rain,” “three-year-old boy,” “two-dollar word,” “eight-volume biography,” and “four-star restaurant.”

However, where a plural noun is used by tradition to form such a phrase, it’s generally followed by an apostrophe, as in “the Thirty Years’ War” and “the Hundred Years’ War.”

The plural followed by an apostrophe is also used in phrases like “ten dollars’ worth” or “five years’ experience” or “two days’ time.”

Apostrophe constructions like these aren’t “possessive” in the sense of ownership; strictly speaking, they’re genitive.”

To learn more from grammarphobia.com, click here.

[found on http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/08/sui-genitive.html]

Punctuation Is Your Friend . . .

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[found on thepunctuationguide.com]

 . . .

“An ellipsis is a set of three periods ( . . . ) indicating an omission. Each period should have a single space on either side, except when adjacent to a quotation mark, in which case there should be no space.”

—

“The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons—in each case to slightly different effect.

Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity is likely to result.

Do not mistake the em dash (—) for the slightly narrower en dash (–) or the even narrower hyphen (-). Those marks serve different purposes and are further explained in other sections.”

!

“The most flagrant way a writer demonstrates contempt for his readers is by ignoring punctuation altogether. A close second is the abundant use of the exclamation point. Some writers even use three or more exclamation points, lest the reader not fully grasp the significance of what is being said.  To be effective, the exclamation point should be used in moderation.”

[ found on http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/index.html ]

Book On Sports? Excellent.

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[found on ehow.com; by Vyvyan Lynn]

“Writing a sports book requires planning. For instance, in order to write a book about University of Georgia football, you have to decide if you will write about a certain time period in the history of the university’s football program or if your book will encompass the entire history of the program.

You could write specifically about the coaches, outstanding players or one outstanding player, such as Herschel Walker. Writing a project plan saves time in the long run and also meshes the creative process together with the business process.

The business process keeps you thinking about writing to your reader or target audience so that your finished product is marketable.”

For more on sports writing from Vyvyan Lynn, click HERE.

[found on http://www.ehow.com/how_7716241_write-sports-book.html]

Prologue, Wherefore Art Thou?

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[found on writermag.com; by Bharti Kirchner]

“• How do you make a transition from the prologue to the opening chapter? A prologue raises questions and is often imbued with conflict, none of which will be immediately resolved. “I think that bridging is the most challenging aspect of writing a prologue,” Barnes says. “How did you adjust the tension once you’re building the story scene by scene? It’s not very often that readers can tolerate the intensity of presentation and emotion found in some prologues for the next 300 pages. The transition is the most difficult, and I often polish and tweak the few pages of a prologue more than I do any other set of pages in the book.”

• Should you use a prologue or not? “The most common mistake I see when writers try to use prologues is that they’re simply writing Chapter 1 and calling it a prologue,” Shortridge says. “If the text actually begins the story in place and time, if it is followed by the same story it begins, then it’s not a prologue and shouldn’t be treated as such.

“I think some early writers feel that prologues have a certain cachet, a sense of sophistication, when in fact they are simply a tool we get to use to introduce disparate elements into the beginning of a story. Not all stories should have prologues, and in fact, probably very few of them are served well by them.”

• Alternatives to prologues. Although a prologue has benefits, some readers skip them, deeming them optional, and plunge straightaway into the first chapter. Some industry professionals, too, frown upon prologues.

“Basically editors and most agents hate prologues,” says agent Andrea Brown, president of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. “They are sorely overused and seem like a cheap device. Much better for authors to be creative—come up with ways around them and start the novel with a great first chapter.”

What are your options then? Well, you can incorporate a past incident that was highlighted in the prologue into the main story line. You can dole out the data presented in the prologue a little at a time throughout the book without overburdening any single passage. “A skilled historical novelist won’t need to lay out a solid chunk of history [in a prologue] because the necessary historical details will be woven seamlessly through the story,” Donsbach says. This suggestion can work with any genre.

In the final analysis, use a prologue if it can enhance your narrative. When in doubt, leave it out.”

To read the complete article on prologues, or to read more excellent articles from writermag.com, click here.

[found on http://www.writermag.com/2012/05/07/the-pleasures-and-perils-of-prologues]

5 Ways To Become Visible Online

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[found on cindyratzlaff.com; by Cindy Ratzlaff]

“Five Strategies for Boosting Visibility Through Search

1.  Match Your Content to Your Brand Promise.  This is your number one strategy. Google and other search engines factor into your credibility whether or not people re-enter their search terms after being directed to your content. In other words, if Google recommends your content to someone who searches for “life coaching,” but finds that most of the people who click on your site need to search again because you don’t share any thoughts about life coaching, why to engage a life coach, what life coaching can do for people or any other relevant material, then Google will downgrade your reliability on this topic. Make sure that the content you are posting is a good fit for the keywords you are using. “Bacon” is a great search term. Everybody likes bacon. But if you don’t sell bacon, teach bacon recipes, share bacon-related news or in any other way talk about bacon, Google will penalize you for using the term “bacon” as a keyword.

2. Create a Positive Digital Footprint.  Create a detailed profile on LinkedIn with a keyword optimized bio, photo and clear descriptions of your current business as well as links to previous work. Connect your blog and consider connecting your Slideshare account so you can easily demonstrate authority by sharing presentations through Slideshare. Upload a current professional head shot and make sure that potential customers or client can easily identify you, understand exactly what you offer and connect with you. Create social media profiles with keyword optimized bios and the same or a similar photo on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and depending on your brand, Pinterest. Demonstrate authority in your field by communicating in your true brand voice on each of these platforms with consistency, clarity and authenticity.

3.  Pay Attention to the Metadata. The individual keywords and phrases you use as descriptions on social media sites, blog posts and websites are metadata. Metadata is what helps search engines find you and recommend you when people search for what you have to offer. When people are searching for what you have to offer on search engines like Google, they are highly predisposed to take an action. They’ve professed a need, hopefully been pointed to your home base and now it’s up to you to convert.  Think about metadata like digital breadcrumbs. You are leaving a trail so people can find you.

4.  Create a Path to Purchase.  You’ve optimized your keywords, left digital breadcrumbs, put out your welcome mat through social media and now you have people on your website. What do you want them to do next; sign up for a newsletter, buy a product, book a discovery session with you?  Make their next action step crystal clear and easy to take. Add your opt in box to the landing page. Welcome them to your site with a video that gives them an opportunity to know, like and trust you. Give them an incentive to stay through a free offer.  But you need to know and you need to project the exact next step you want people to take. Don’t leave them guessing.

5.  Dare to be an Actual Person. There are many sophisticate ways to help verify your authorship to search engines and these are two quick and easy ones I recommend doing right away.  Create a G+ account for yourself.  Hyperlink your G+ account to your byline (see above where I’ve done this) in your blog posts to help Google verify that you are who you say you are.  Link your YouTube account to your G+ account as well for the same reason.  Authority trumps nearly everything in search.”

For more excellent tips from Cindy Ratzlaff, click here.

[found on http://cindyratzlaff.com/blog/personal-branding/5-strategies-to-boost-your-brand-visibility-and-rank-through-search]

Grand Opening—Or Nothing At All

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[found on hatrack.com; by Orson Scott Card]

“If you mess up the opening, nothing you do later in the story will fix it. And because mistakes in the opening will reverberate through the rest of the story, when you finally do fix the opening you usually have to throw out and redo everything that you wrote after it. With rare exceptions, you simply have to get the opening right before you can go on.

But what is the “opening”? The first sentence? Having a good first sentence is nice, but it’s not the opening. By definition, the first sentence is in the first paragraph, and the first paragraph is free. That is, the first paragraph of a story does not have to be in the same voice or mood or tone as the rest of the work. The first paragraph is important for setting the scene, for giving vital information that allows what follows to make sense. But the real opening is after that first paragraph — when the story starts in earnest.”

For more amazing tips on writing from Uncle Orson’s Writing Class, click here.

[found on http://hatrack.com/writingclass/lessons/1998-10-29.shtml]

Tips For New Writers

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[found on karenkingsbury.com; by Karen Kingsbury]

“4. Read Other Books Similar to Yours

If you want to write a mystery, read mysteries. If you want to write a Christian romance, read Christian romances. If you want to write a Christian general fiction, such as Karen Kingsbury’s works—read Karen Kingsbury’s books. You get the idea. You must be well versed in the type of genre you wish to write. Editors and agents will expect this.

5. Get a Copy of Writer’s Market

This is an informational book that releases new every year and has a list of editors and agents who are acquiring new material.

6. Write a Brief Synopsis for Your Book

Once you’ve finished your book, and you’re happy with it, write a very brief one-sentence or two-sentence synopsis. This will go a long way in helping you convey the story to an editor or agent. Example: Gideon’s Gift is about a sick little girl, an angry homeless man, and the gift that changes both of their lives forever. You need something like this for your book.”

For more tips on writing from Karen Kingsbury, click HERE.

[found on http://www.karenkingsbury.com/about-karen/writing-tips]

Script That Comic

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[found on neilgaiman.com; by Neil Gaiman]

“How do you write comics?

When I decided I wanted to write comics in 1985 I went out and bought Will Eisner’s Comics and Sequential Art. If I were doing it now I’d also buy Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

I’d look at some comics scripts (there’s one reprinted in the back of Dream Country, although there are an almost infinite number of ways to write a comics script, and that’s only one.)

And then I’d read a lot of comics and try to work out what works and what doesn’t and why. And then I’d start drawing some comics for myself, not for people to see, just to figure out how to get from one panel to the next, one page to the next. If you’re going to work with an artist, now’s a good time to go and meet artists.

You’ll do best if you realise that there is a lot to know. Most bad comics are written by people who don’t know that there is anything to learn… (Many of them were written by writers who are successful in other fields.) Having something to say is fairly essential, too.

Good luck. Write good comics.”

For more writing tips from Neil Gaiman, click HERE.

[found on http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/FAQs/Advice_to_Authors]

A Bad Review Can Be Your GOLD

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[found on blog.bookbaby.com]

“A Bad Review Can Be a Learning Experience

Writing a book is a very emotional experience.  A bad review can feel like a personal attack, making you experience anger, hurt or both.  Take a moment (or several days) to work through those feelings.  When you can breathe again, move on.

Resist the urge to casually dismiss a bad review.  Ignoring those hurtful comments might be the best solution for your mindset; however, forgetting what your critics said could seriously hinder your writing.

As you were writing your book, you probably developed a sort of tunnel vision.  Now that the writing process is over, you must remove the blinders.  Find a way to look at the piece objectively and you can turn the bad review into a learning experience.

Sift through all the “I hate this book,” sentiments.  Find the real substance of the review – characters are flat, grammar and punctuation wasn’t perfect.  Take these tips to heart the next time you pick up your pen.  Look for ways to improve your writing.

A Bad Review Can Boost Book Awareness

You’ve heard of the book Fifty Shades of Grey, right?  Why has that particular literary piece drawn your attention?  Because of all the controversy!  People are reading the book just to see what the fuss is about.  Let me tell you, this is the ultimate example of a bad review doing good things for a book.

If you were to go to Amazon right now, you would see Fifty Shades of Grey has received 15,987 reviews.  Of those, nearly 30% are one star reviews!  And guess what, nearly half are 3 stars or less!”

For more tips on writing from BookBaby click HERE.

[found on http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/01/you-can-benefit-from-a-negative-book-review]

Writers Find Accountability

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[found on writersdigest.com; by  Chuck Sambuchino]

“Looking for an accountability partner? A few tips:

1. Go where other writers go. Join a professional writing organization such as SCBWI. Attend retreats and conferences. Browse book festivals. Hang out at bookstores.

2. Think beyond locally. (Donna and I live twelve hours away from each other in different states.) So, strike up conversations on social media. Join online writing groups. Comment on writing blogs….

3. Don’t get hung up on writing genre. Writers are writers. (Apologies to Donna’s husband, but even porn writers are writers.) It doesn’t matter if you write romance novels and your potential accountability partner writes rhymed picture books. What matters is how each of you approach your work, the time each of you is willing to put into your writing, your openness toward learning, and your willingness to accept criticism.

4. Put the word out that you’re looking for a writing buddy, and like everything else in this business, keep plugging away until you find one.”

For more tips on writing from , click HERE.

[found on http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/ready-how-a-critique-and-accountability-partner-can-help-your-writing-and-career]