Tag: Writing

Tip POE Through the Tulips

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[found on grammar.yourdictionary.com]

Tips for Writing Poems:

  • “Know your purpose. Why are you writing a poem and what do you want it to do?
  • Pick a subject. You do not have to pick a stereotypical poetry topic such as nature, animals, love, or some sort of darker topic. Poems can be written about any topic under the sun.
  • Choose a pattern. You might choose to use free verse, rhyming couplets, or an epic poetry style. It’s better to let the words flow with the style, than to return later and try to fit your already-written ideas into a totally new scheme.
  • Avoid clichés. These are sayings that have been overused, like busy as a bee, or blind as a bat.
  • Use imagery. Paint with your words and use concrete words that appeal to the senses. Abstract words can not give the reader a good picture of what you are trying to say.
  • Use similes and metaphors. Similes compare two things, like “you are sweet as honey” and usually use the word “like” or “as.” Metaphors state that one thing is another thing, like “you are a pig.” Things being compared in a metaphor have at least one thing in common but are very different in other ways.”
[found on http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/tips-on-writing-poems.html]

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.

Foundational Dreams

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” . . . if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary . . . and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

— Henry David Thoreau

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/]