Write

Articles about craft.

1.0 Is the Loneliest Number – (Why your rough draft is lonely)

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This article from Matt Mullenweg, one of the founding developers of WordPress, is more software directed. But the concept is the same for writing. I am not talking about creating an eBook in a day with no editing, but rather to those people who always wished they could write and use “one more thing” as a means of procrastinating actually doing or completing any writing. This hits home for me, and one of the reasons why I took on this blog was to challenge myself away from this type of thinking. Perhaps if we hold hands and take a breath we can both jump forward together?

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1.0 Is the Loneliest Number

Many entrepreneurs idolize Steve Jobs. He’s such a perfectionist, they say. Nothing leaves the doors of 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino without a polish and finish that makes geeks everywhere drool. No compromise!

I like Apple for the opposite reason: they’re not afraid of getting a rudimentary 1.0 out into the world.

“No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.” — cmdrtaco, Slashdot.org, 2001, reviewing the first iPod

Now Or Later Keys Shows Delay Deadlines And Urgency

I remember my first 1G iPhone. Like a meal you have to wait for, or a line outside a club, the fact that I stood in line for hours made the first time I swiped to unlock the phone that much sweeter. It felt like I was on Star Trek and this was my magical tricorder… a tricorder that constantly dropped calls on AT&T’s network, had a headphone adapter that didn’t fit any of the hundreds of dollars of headphones I owned, ran no applications, had no copy and paste, and was as slow as molasses.

Now, the crazy thing about that release is when the original iPhone went public, flaws and all, you know that in a secret room somewhere on Apple’s campus they had a working prototype of the 3GS with a faster processor, better battery life, normal headphone jack… a perfect everything. Steve Jobs was probably already carrying around one in his pocket. How painful it must have been to have everyone criticizing them for all the flaws they had already fixed but couldn’t release yet because they were waiting for component prices to come down or for some bugs to be worked out of the app store.

“$400 for an Mp3 Player! I’d call it the Cube 2.0 as it wont sell, and be killed off in a short time… and it’s not really functional. Uuhh Steve, can I have a PDA now?” — elitemacor, macrumors.com, 2001, responding to the original iPod announcement

Or, I wonder, are they really quite zen about the whole thing? There is a dark time in WordPress development history, a lost year. Version 2.0 was released on December 31st, 2005, and version 2.1 came out on January 22nd, 2007. Now just from the dates, you might imagine that perhaps we had some sort of rift in the open source community, that all the volunteers left or that perhaps WordPress just slowed down. In fact it was just the opposite, 2006 was a breakthrough year for WP in many ways: WP was downloaded 1.5 million times that year, and we were starting to get some high-profile blogs switching over. The growing prominence had attracted scores of new developers to the project and we were committing new functionality and fixes faster than we ever had before.

What killed us was “one more thing.” We could have easily done three major releases that year if we had drawn a line in the sand, said “finished,” and shipped the darn thing. The problem is that the longer it’s been since your last release the more pressure and anticipation there is, so you’re more likely to try to slip in just one more thing or a fix that will make a feature really shine. For some projects, this literally goes on forever.

“hey – heres an idea Apple – rather than enter the world of gimmicks and toys, why dont you spend a little more time sorting out your pathetically expensive and crap server line up? or are you really aiming to become a glorified consumer gimmicks firm?” — Pants, macrumors.com, 2001

I imagine prior to the launch of the iPod, or the iPhone, there were teams saying the same thing: the copy + paste guys are *so close* to being ready and we know Walt Mossberg is going to ding us for this so let’s just not ship to the manufacturers in China for just a few more weeks… The Apple teams were probably embarrassed. But if you’re not embarrassed when you ship your first version you waited too long.

A beautiful thing about Apple is how quickly they obsolete their own products. I imagine this also makes the discipline of getting things out there easier. Like I mentioned before, the longer it’s been since the last release the more pressure there is, but if you know that if your bit of code doesn’t make this version but there’s the +0.1 coming out in 6 weeks, then it’s not that bad. It’s like flights from San Francisco to LA, if you miss one you know there’s another one an hour later so it’s not a big deal. Amazon has done a fantastic job of this with the Kindle as well, with a new model every year.

Read the full post on Matt Mullenweg and maybe show a rough draft to someone?

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

Self Editing 4 Fiction #1 ~ Intro

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Today’s post by Stef Mcdaid, off of her blog WriteIntoPrint . It is the first part of a nine part series on content editing, but the whole series is available now and well worth reading.  I have bookmarked it myself to go back and reread.

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A lot has happened in the publishing industry over the last 25 years. The traditional industry has contracted due to competition from independently published authors (and the surreptitious surge into the publishing market by Amazon).Two angry men with crumpled paper

But even 20 years ago, publishers had (mainly) gravitated to being “printers”, in that they no longer provided their authors with editing services – perhaps a proofread, but authors had to edit for themselves and/or hire freelance editors to ensure their novels reached full potential.

And now we have ePub.

We have technology and communications that have reduced the editing fees of freelancers by more than half (think MS word ‘track changes’ tools rather than printed-out manuscripts edited redline style; e-mail rather than snail mail). Nowadays, editors can provide a good (much faster) service for as little as $10-15 per thousand words if the manuscript they deal with is in reasonable shape.

Reasonable shape.

Which is why self editing is important even if you intend to employ an editor to polish your work – the quotation you receive will be in direct proportion to the time the freelancer estimates it will take to complete the work. Also, the end result will sparkle more brightly as a consequence.

And even if you are yet to put pen to paper, the tricks and tips you will learn in the series will be well worth reading before you begin to write (prevention is better/easier than cure).

Of course, many writers cannot afford an editor, but that doesn’t mean their end result will suffer unduly – the trick is to learn to think like an editor; learn the artifices and apply them (invisibly) to your work.

Which is the object of this series. I will format the advice in the same style as one of my old favourite books written for authors who intend to self edit: Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. Twenty years on, and the book is still the best all-round guide for new authors, in my opinion.

Introduction.

Firstly, please remember that the guidance given comprises general principles only; there are no rules to writing but it pays to know the general principles before deviating from them as an experienced writer.

Are you ready to edit? This is the most important question.

“Do I feel happy with it?” is the first filter to apply.

In a perfect world one would put the manuscript away for at least a few months and peruse it with fresh eyes. But perhaps that’s not viable, maybe the premise will be out of fashion or whatever – things move so much faster with ePub.

Did you rush the ending? I’m asking this because over the years I have encountered a lot of rushed endings. You know who you are – now go back and fill it out properly…

Have you tied up all loose ends? Look, I invested a lot of time at Uncle Ernie’s bedside after he dived in front of that bus to save the MC – you could at least tell me what happened to him…

Read the full series on WriteIntoPrint.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

Infographic: Why writers make great friends

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Today’s offering is from the FreelancersUnion site, (because not all writers are book writers), which shares this lovely post on why writers make great friends. Written by Brendan Brown, the founder of Global English Editing and The Expert Editor, two online editing and proofreading companies.

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Friends are important in so many ways. They help mold us as people and will be the first to intervene when our heads get too big, or taste in clothes too poor.

However, do writers make good friends?

On the one hand, writers are prone to alcoholism, cigarette addiction, and severe bouts of melancholy (at least according to the internet and stereotyping).

Nevertheless, I think writers have certain qualities that other civilians cannot match as friends. As an editor I have made friends with plenty of writers, and every one of them has added value to my life in some weird and wonderful ways.

The infographic below outlines 8 little-known reasons why writers make great friends.

1. Writers are knowledgeable

‘Knowledgeable’ probably wasn’t on your list of most desirable traits in a potential friend, but think about it. Nobody likes awkward silence. Lulls in conversation tend to come about when there’s nothing to talk about, but writers are often repositories of information ranging from the random to the hilarious (and inevitably the tedious).

When you’re at a party, sit next to the writer and you’ll hit the conversational jackpot: they’ll not only be up to date on the latest world events, but will also fill you in on what Kim Kardashian’s booty has to do with feminism.

2. Writers are great plus-ones at dinner parties

Offer a writer free food and they’ll rarely flake out on you.

Some might be in need of a good meal, being that they survive near the breadline on a daily basis or have been trying to finish NaNoWriMo and preparing food simply wasn’t an option.

Others may well be well on their way to a successful career in journalism or travel writing, but have never quite shaken those nightmares about being strangled in their sleep by ramen noodles. A catered-for dinner party is like therapy for them.

3. It’s hard to bore a writer

Most of your friends are probably fed up with hearing about your ex or how unreasonable your coworkers are. Instead of venting to them, turn to your writer friend.

Writers lap this stuff up. For you it’s catharsis, for them primary research. They’re probably working on a series of essays about how the monotony of everyday life is crushing the creativity out of a generation. Get ready for engaged questioning – “but why do you think you feel that way? Do you think there are societal forces preying on your mind, creating an unrealistic image of who you should be?”

If your rant is their brainstorm session and you’re helping each other out, isn’t back scratching what friendship’s all about?

4. Writers ‘get’ rejection

Even when they professionally benefit from your pain, writers are compassionate. Not because they’re inherently better than regular civilians, but because they’ve been through it all too: mind-melting jobs in call centers, getting dumped for spending too much time on their work, and being isolated from human contact for days or weeks at a time while writing.

Writers know your pain. Most of all, though, writers get rejected a lot.

You got turned down for a promotion this week? Your writer friend probably got turned down for three article pitches today. When you need a shoulder to cry on, writers are there to be your friend. But most importantly, they’ll insist you get back up on your feet and try again.

5. You might get a character named after you

Look at your friendship with a writer as a potential investment in future notoriety. If you’re in your writer friend’s inner circle while they’re working on a novel, you might get a character named after, or even loosely based on, you.

There are many examples of this, known as Tuckerization, but a notable one is Philip K. Dick naming fellow author Poul Anderson in his short story “Waterspider”.

Read the full post on FreelancersUnion .

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

The 58 most commonly misused words and phrases

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Today’s post is by Richard Feloni, off of the Independent website, on November 30, 2015.  In the article, Richard reviews linguist Steven Pinker‘s “The Sense of Style” and the most commonly misused words and phrases, some of which you will find in the recent post Quick Hacks for the Top Misused Words.

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Whether you’re trying to sound sophisticated or simply repeating what you’ve heard, word fails are all too common and can make smart people sound dumb.smiley-emoticons-face-vector-smart-expression_X1ZqT-_L

In his latest book, “The Sense of Style,” Harvard cognitive scientist and linguist Steven Pinker explores the most common words and phrases that people stumble over.

The book is like a modern version of Strunk and White’s classic “The Elements of Style,” but one based on linguistics and updated for the 21st century.

Since there is no definitive body governing the rules of the English language like there is for the French language, for example, matters of style and grammar have always remained relatively debatable. Pinker’s rules and preferences are no different, but the majority of the words and phrases he identifies are agreed upon and can help your writing and speaking.

We’ve highlighted the most common mistakes according to Pinker using examples directly from his book along with some of our own.

Here are the main ones to look out for:

• Adverse means detrimental and does not mean averse or disinclined.

Correct: “There were adverse effects.” / “I’m not averse to doing that.”

• Appraise means to ascertain the value of and does not mean to apprise or to inform.

Correct: “I appraised the jewels.” / “I apprised him of the situation.”

• As far as means the same as but cannot be used the same way as as for.

Correct: “As far as the money is concerned …” / As for the money …

• Begs the question means assumes what it should be proving and does not mean raises the question.

Correct: “When I asked the dealer why I should pay more for the German car, he said I would be getting ‘German quality,’ but that just begs the question.”

• Bemused means bewildered and does not mean amused.

Correct: The unnecessarily complex plot left me bemused. / The silly comedy amused me.

Read the full post on the Independent website

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

What Is the Most Important Thing To Do When You Finish Nanowrimo Or Any Other Writing?

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It is the beginning of December and for those of us who NaNoWriMo’d that means we have made it to the end! Congratulations to those who met the goal of 50K words or beyond. To any of you who did not quite make it, this is truly one of those times when you get props for making the attempt and better luck next year.

The rush of counting down those last words or those last steps until you make your goal is addicting. Being done is wonderful! Then there is the temptation to rush to send it to an editor or god forbid trying to publish it. But the most important thing to do next is

Stop.Stop Button As Symbol For Panic Or Warning

Take a breather. Go do something else. Connect with family. Binge watch a show. Clean. Sleep! Anything but what you were doing. Don’t be stingy, give yourself enough time for a real breather. The manuscript or project will still be there, just like you left it. Except now you have fresh eyes and clear mind to look at your work again.

After you have given yourself a break, there is one more step that you should do. This is one I pull from my experience as a software engineer and the software life cycle. This is how you get more out of your hard work.

Evaluate the performance. What does that mean, especially with writing? With software you are usually evaluating the performance of the application, but you are also evaluating the whole process of development. With writing you are not evaluating the words, but your writing process.

Take time to look back at what you have accomplished. Did you meet your goal? What worked well? What do you need to improve? By taking a moment to be introspective and review your efforts you can greatly improve your work and yourself.

For example, this is my eighth year of doing NaNoWriMo and I did make the 50K goal. I have one year I did not complete the required words, so every year I do manage to make it is a pat on the back. Looking back after a breather, I find that my storytelling has grown immensely, with a depth of character that surprised me. I am now inspired to continue to work on this story due to that success.

This introspection also showed me that I need to grow in two areas. I still struggle with having dialogue that flows. Moving forward I will be looking for articles and help in that area. I also need to improve my work/life balance because to be honest I did most of my words in the last three days. It is nice to know that if my life depended on it, I can whip out 15k words in a day but I don’t want to do that again. But now I know what to spend my time focusing on to grow as a writer.

We often push ourselves or get caught up in the moment and rush to the next whatever. But by stopping and giving our brains a chance to rest, then looking at our work and ourselves we actually improve more so than by just pushing forward blindly.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

The Top Seven Arguments Against Using Profanity in Your Writing (And Why They’re Dumb as Fuck)

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Today’s post is by Robert Bevan, off the site Caverns and Creatures on November 28, 2015.  Warning, cuss words ahead!

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The Top Seven Arguments Against Using Profanity in Your Writing (And Why They’re Dumb as Fuck)

Earlier this week, a writer friend of mine shared one of my blog posts on his timeline. Incidentally, this was the same post that first caught the attention of Phil Elmore. It got someone else’s attention this time. Here’s a comment someone left on that Facebook post.

That one like was from me. I knew then what this week's blog post was going to be about.

That one like was from me. I knew then what this week’s blog post was going to be about.

And so I embarked on a mission to discover what it is about “bad” language that gets people so riled up. Here’s what I found…

7. It’s lazy.

What’s lazier than parroting some bullshit your high school English teacher told you fifteen years ago, and trying to pass that off as some kind of intellectual argument?

As many times as I’ve seen or heard this argument raised, I’ve never seen anyone show a specific example of what they’re talking about, then provide a suggestion on how it might be improved.

"Fuck that. I'd rather just call you lazy."

“Fuck that. I’d rather just call you lazy.”

I’m afraid that won’t do, Mr. GoGettter. In order to drive this point home, I’m afraid a single example isn’t enough. You’re going to need to provide enough examples to establish a pattern, and demonstrate that profanity can be singled out as the sole source of laziness.

Otherwise, you’re just talking out of your fat, lazy ass.

6. It shows a lack of intelligence and/or creativity.

This is complete and utter horseshit. I don’t even know what it’s supposed to mean.

Every time you write a word or a sentence, you are rejecting an infinite number of words or sentences you could have used in its place. There are no true synonyms. Every word or combination of words carries its own connotations in a given context. As a writer, it’s your job to choose the words and combinations of words which most closely paint a picture in the reader’s mind. If some of those words happen to be the ones which society has arbitrarily deemed “bad”, so be it.

By the logic of this argument, you could say the same thing about any word in any sentence ever written.

In the recently released Critical Failures IV: The Phantom Pinas, a character says, “Randy, you already done shit in the chili.”

This wasn’t the result of me crapping out the first thing that popped into my head and saying “Fuck it. That’s good enough.” There are other ways I could have had this character express that Randy had been the catalyst of a situation which was now beyond his control. Hell, I could have said that very thing, but it wouldn’t have been true to the character. She isn’t the type to say “catalyst of a situation.”

I could have gone with, “Randy, you already done scrambled that egg.”, but I felt the phrase I chose instead more accurately reflected the character’s personality and upbringing.

Comparing those two metaphors, “shit in the chili” is objectively more creative, because “You can’t unscramble an egg” is a much more known saying. This would still be the case if the word “shit” were replaced with “poop” or “defecate”, which tells us that the vulgarity of the word “shit” is not a means with which to measure the writer’s creativity. And your inability to come up with a competent counter-argument lends credit to the writer’s intelligence.

Read the full post on Caverns and Creatures.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

ALAN MOORE – advice to unpublished authors.

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Today’s post is quick video from author Alan Moore with some great advice to unpublished authors and honestly authors in general. I love his accent <3.

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[quote]If you write everyday, then you are a writer[/quote]

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

Writers, we need to stop saying this

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Today’s post by J.H. Moncrieff, off of her site J.H. Moncrieff Tales of Terror and Suspense. Since I am way behind on my NaNoWriMo numbers, I especially feel her. Writers are people who have stories in them that want to be told. Sometimes they get written into text, sometimes they don’t.

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 Writers, we need to stop saying this

Usually I limit myself to one writing-related post per month.

But something has been irritating the living hell out of me for years, and the more time that passes, the angrier I get.

So, lest I morph into some female version of The Incredible Hulk, I’ll expel that rage here, as a semi-productive rant. Because if I can stop just one person from saying this, it will be fury well spent.

Ready to hear the most destructive thing writers say to each other? Here it is…

“Writers write.”

Seems simple. How on earth could anyone feel like a sack of mucus drowned by pond scum after hearing those two words? Let me explain.

From the time we pick up our crayons and scrawl a story rather than a picture, we identify with the word writer. It’s not just what we do–for many of us, it becomes who we are. And if you’re a writer, you’re probably also by turns highly sensitive, insecure, and self-loathing.

So you’re a writer. It’s not just what you do; it’s who you are. And then you read a blog post, or some “How to Write Kewl Stuff” book, or perhaps an ill-thought Tweet.

“Writers write.”

And it makes you feel like absolute crap.

Read the full post on J.H. Moncrieff Tales of Terror and Suspense.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

Writing The Perfect Scene

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Today’s post by Randy Ingermanson – “the Snowflake Guy” originally appeared on his site, Advanced Fiction Writing. Need to learn how to structure a scene or just a refresher, then this article is for you!

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Writing The Perfect Scene

Having trouble making the scenes in your novel work their magic? In this article, I’ll show you how to write the “perfect” scene.

Maybe you think it’s impossible to write the perfect scene. After all, who can choose every word perfectly, every thought, every sentence, every paragraph? What does perfection mean, anyway?

Honestly, I don’t know. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Style is a matter of taste.

But structure is pretty well understood. Maybe you can’t write the perfectly styled scene. But you can write the perfectly structured scene. And that’s a whale of a lot better than writing a badly structured scene.

The Two Levels of Scene Structure

A scene has two levels of structure, and only two. They are:

  • The large-scale structure of the scene
  • The small-scale structure of the scene

This may seem obvious, but by the end of this article, I hope to convince you that it’s terribly profound. If you then want to fling large quantities of cash at me in gratitude, please don’t. I’d really rather have a check. With plenty of zeroes. I am going to steal insights from Dwight Swain’s book, Techniques of the Selling Writer. This is quite simply the finest book ever written on how to write fiction. If you don’t have this book, you are robbing yourself blind. I will be giving you the high points in this article, but there is really no substitute for reading the book and digesting it.

Before we begin, we need to understand how we keep score. How do we know what perfection is? The answer is based on understanding your reader’s motivation for reading.

Your reader is reading your fiction because you provide him or her with a powerful emotional experience. If you’re writing a romance, you must create in your reader the illusion that she is falling in love herself. If you’re writing a thriller, you must create in your reader the illusion that he is in mortal danger and has only the tiniest chance of saving his life (and all of humanity). If you’re writing a fantasy, you must create in your reader the illusion that she is actually in another world where all is different and wonderful and magical. And so on for all the other genres.

If you fail to create these emotions in your reader, then you have failed. If you create these emotions in your reader, then you have succeeded. The better you create the desired emotional experience in your reader, the better your fiction. Perfection in writing comes when you have created the fullest possible emotional experience for your reader.

Read the full post on Advanced Fiction Writing.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

Quick Hacks for the Top Misused Words

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I know I am guilty of some of these. Please be aware that this is not the deep cuts of grammar rules and there are always exceptions. English is such a messy language! However, these tips will help you the majority of time.

  • Adverse vs Averse

Adverse means the results are not good, while averse means unwilling.

Example: I am averse to trying nuclear weapons on the giant hypnotoad as the effects might be adverse.

  • Affect vs Effect

Affect is a verb implying action or change. Effect is usually a noun. When you affect something it produces an effect.

Example: The electricity from the power lines is affecting the giant hypnotoad! It has produced the effect of making the hypnotoad grow larger!

  • HypnotoadEnsure vs Insure

Ensure means to make sure something happens. Insure is what you do when you purchase insurance.

Example: We need to ensure that the giant hypnotoad does as little damage as possible. I hope the people whose houses it has destroyed were insured.

  • Every day Everyday

Every day is an adverb while everyday is an adjective that means common. Put the word single between the words every and day in the sentence, and if the sentence still makes sense then you should use two words.

Example: I am tired of getting up every day and finding new monsters attacking our town!

I am tired of getting up every single day and finding new monsters attacking our town! Correct.

Example: Monsters attacking our town has become an every day occurrence!

Monsters attacking our town has become an every single day occurrence! Incorrect.

Monsters attacking our town has become an everyday occurrence! Correct.

  • Fewer vs Less

If the subject is plural then you use fewer. If the subject is singular you use less.

Example: We have less chance of fighting the giant hypnotoad, now that we have fewer guns.

  • Farther vs Further

Farther* always refers to distance. Further relates to amount or time.

Example: We need to move everyone farther away from the giant hypnotoad, and then we can further discuss the plans to end this menace.

  • It’s vs Its

It’s is the contraction form of “it is” while its is the possessive pronoun. Replace the word in a sentence with “It is” and see if that makes sense.

Example: It’s a giant hypnotoad, coming to destroy Metropolis!

It is a giant hypnotoad, coming to destroy Metropolis! Correct.

Example: That giant hypnotoad has its own reality show!

That giant hypnotoad has it is own reality show! Incorrect.

That giant hypnotoad has its own reality show! Correct.

  • Lose vs Loose

Lose is a verb and means to misplace or to suffer a loss. Loose means something that is not tight.

Example: We have too much to lose if we don’t beat the giant hypnotoad. So get that bolt loose so we can fix the laser cannon.

  • Me vs Myself vs I

To decide between me and I, change the sentence to having one person and try the words out.

Example: Pat yelled for Chris and I to watch out!

Pat yelled for I to watch out! Incorrect.

Pat yelled for me to watch out! Correct.

Pat yelled for Chris and me to watch out! Correct.

Example: Chris and I dived to the side to avoid the fireball!

Me dived to the side to avoid the fireball! Incorrect.

I dived to the side to avoid the fireball! Correct.

Myself is a reflective pronoun and always the object of a sentence. So if you are talking about yourself (another reflective pronoun) then myself can be used. The other way to test when to use myself is to swap myself out with me and see if works.

Example: If someone knows how to deal with the giant hypnotoad, please contact Pat, Chris, or myself.

Simplified the sentence would read:

Please contact myself. Incorrect.

Please contact I. Incorrect.

Please contact me. Correct.

If someone knows how to deal with the giant purple hypnotoad, please contact Pat, Chris, or me. Correct.

  • Than vs Then

Than is used to compare two different items. Then has a variety of uses. Use than to compare and then any other time.

Example: We are better off using flamethrowers than guns on the giant hypnotoad, as bullets bounce off its skin. Then we better get a move on, before it does any more damage.

  • Their vs There vs They’re

Their is when you are talking about more than one person or something they have. There is a location, and they’re is the contraction form of they are.

Example: Pat and Chris are over there, with their nets. They’re going to try and catch the giant hypnotoad.

Pat and Chris are over there, with their nets. They are going to try and catch the giant hypnotoad.

  • You’re vs Your

You’re is the contraction form of you are while your is a possessive pronoun. Replace the word with you are and see if the sentence still makes sense.

Example: Your car is rolling down that hill right into the giant purple hypnotoad!

You are car is rolling down that hill into the giant purple hypnotoad! Incorrect.

Your car is rolling down that hill into the giant purple hypnotoad! Correct.

Example: Your going to get a reward for saving the city!

You are going to get a reward for saving the city! Correct.

You’re are going to get a reward for saving the city! Correct.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

*unless you are from Massachusetts, in which case farther is the person who married your mother and raised you.

The 37 Basic Plots, According to a Screenwriter of the Silent-Film Era

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Today’s post by Rebecca Onion originally appeared on Slate on October 27, 2015. What do you think, are we all repeating the same plots over and over again?

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In his 1919 manual for screenwriters, Ten Million Photoplay Plots, Wycliff Aber Hill provided this taxonomy of possible types of dramatic “situations,” first running them down in outline form, then describing each more completely and offering possible variations. Hill, who published more than one aid to struggling “scenarists,” positioned himself as an authority on the types of stories that would work well onscreen.

Advertising Hill’s book in a 1922 issue of the Scenario Bulletin Digest (“A Magazine of Information and Instruction for the Photoplaywright”), the manual’s publisher, the Feature Photodrama Company, offered hope to screenwriters feeling stuck for inspiration who might be willing to send away for the volume:

A few hours’ study of this remarkable treatise ought to make it an easy matter to find a cure for your “sick script”; to inject new “pep” and suspense into your story or safely carry it past a “blind alley”; it gives you all the possible information an inspiring [sic] scenarist may require.
Read the full post on Slate including screenshots of the 37 basic plots!

Eight Myths New Writers Need To Stop Believing In

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Portrait of a frustrated student being surrounded with piles of books

As General Manager for Windwalker Media and an independent author service provider, I keep seeing the same mistakes that derail new authors. Here are a few of the biggest ones that I have encountered, out of a lot of love and a little tongue in cheek.

  1. If I write it they will come/but my mommy told me I was special

Perhaps in your heart you know you are the next undiscovered J.K. Rowling, but the fact is she spent many years working her craft and perfecting it before being discovered. Your manuscript is competing against approximately 1,000 new books each day, in the United States alone. You may write it but if you want anyone to read it, you need to make it about your reader and not about you.

  1. But I heard/read everyone is making a lot of money with writing and self-publishing

Nope.

Not even close. Or as my wise old granny used to say, if it sounds too good to be true then they are trying to sell you something. You can make a living as a writer, but it takes time, hard work, and patience. It is a job, just like any other job.

  1. I can just figure it out as I go along

The best time to start planning is before you even write one word.

Why are you writing? What is the goal? To make money or to be famous – see above. The best reason is because writing is your passion and you have a story that wants to be told. Understanding why you need to write, will help you figure out some of the next steps.

Who is your target reader? Write for them, not you, in their language.

This is also when you start to put together a marketing plan. By doing a little work ahead of time, you will save yourself many hours of frustration.

  1. I don’t need a marketing plan, my books is so awesome it will sell itself!

Killing this myth will save you so much trouble down the road.

How are you going to distribute your book? EBooks, print, print on demand? Combination? If you plan on just publishing an eBook, then you might be able to get away with a clean and well formatted MS Word document. However, print and print on demand will require someone who knows how to set up your manuscript per the requirements for the company printing your book.

What is your target genre? If you want to succeed and stand out from the 1000 of books you need to find your niche and promote that. Don’t be a romance writer. Instead be an Edwardian period piece romance that specializes in clean Christian bodice rippers. Writing a historical novel? Specify and be an expert in crooked New York politicians in the early 1800s. By finding your niche, you are also finding the people who are going to want to read your book, and help your rankings.

Do you want to try self-publishing or find an agent go the traditional route. Depending on what you choose, your approach will be different. There are many articles that can describe the benefits and disadvantages of both. Perhaps you will try one path and then switch over. The point is to know ahead of time what your options are.

How are you going to market your book? This is the perfect time to start thinking and to start marketing, before you are ready to publish. Good marketing takes time, much longer than you realize. Think of the worst pushiest salesperson you have ever dealt with. Don’t be them. Social media is a great tool but should only be a part of your marketing plan. Start a blog, build friendships, and solve problems. Build real connections over time, and then when the time comes to promote your book, you will have some solid cheerleaders in your corner.

  1. I can save money by:

Self-editing – If you go on Amazon and look at the number one reason for lost stars, it will be because someone tried to self-edit. After having spent so much time staring at the pages during the writing process, you will miss errors. Typos, grammatical errors, bad sentence structures all upset readers. Upset readers leave bad reviews, which don’t go away. By the way, there are two types of editors, content editors for proof reading and grammar errors and developmental editors which help you make your story flow better. Both are worth every penny.

Design my own book cover – This sounds easy, open up MS Paint, add the title and your name in different fancy fonts, throw in a piece of clip art and voila! Ok, maybe you know the difference between san serif and serif fonts and how they should be used, but it is really easy to tell when someone does their own artwork. If you don’t care enough to invest in your story, why should customers care to read it?

A good cover design will complement your story. This is often the first thing that a customer will see, and it needs to give them information about your book at a glance. A professional will make sure the cover work well as a thumbnail.

Do my own layout – If you are going to offer your book in print, then know there are so many little details that go into making a print book great. Pictures are managed completely differently between an eBook and print book. Alternating headers, gutters, font choices, and a variety of other important details are all items that a professional will handle and that all add up to a quality product.

Have my cousin do the work – The same thing goes for asking a friend or a relative to do any work for you. Unless they are a professional and you are paying them the same rate as any other job, don’t. They might not have the heart to tell you the truth or the skill set needed, so it isn’t worth your reputation. Hire a professional, there are very reasonably priced ones out there.

  1. Nobody cares about the description, I don’t need to spend a lot of time on it

If you have gotten a customer to read your book description, congratulations! It means they are interested in your book and this is your opportunity to really impress them. Start with a one or two sentence summary and then expand with a couple of paragraphs below that lets the reader know more detail about your book. Include any awards or quotes promoting your book. Don’t blow it with typos, run on sentences AND QUIT YELLING AT EVERYONE WITH BOLDED ALLCAPS!

  1. I can write my book and get it published in a weekend!

Every part of building your final product will take longer than you expect, especially if you want to produce a quality book that people will want to read. Don’t use this as an excuse to cut corners, but as motivation to plan ahead! Most decent editors and eBook creators are booked for weeks in advanced, if not months.

  1. Once I put my book up for sale, the reviews will come rolling in

It takes about 50 reviews for Amazon’s algorithm to really start noticing your title and rise in rankings. Customers prefer books that already have reviews, so they can get some idea of the quality of the book. Getting the first few reviews can be painful, especially if you just sit there and wait.

If you have started your marketing and building of relationships before now, then you can offer copies of your book for honest reviews. Don’t be tempted to cheat and pay for reviews. Amazon especially is cracking down on purchased reviews and if your book can’t stand on its own merit, then the paid reviews won’t help you anyway.

This list isn’t meant to discourage you, in fact the hope is to empower you to avoid some of the mistakes that will slow your success down.

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com

Book Design Basics: Quotation Marks and Primes

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Today’s post by  originally appeared on his blog on October 25, 2015.

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Book Design Basics: Quotation Marks and Primes

smart-quotes-preferredWrit­ers often ask about the dif­fer­ence be­tween “straight” or “dumb” quo­ta­tion marks and tra­di­tional print­ers’ quotes, com­monly re­ferred to as “smart quotes” or “curly quotes.” Add in the need to dis­tin­guish be­tween left sin­gle quotes and apos­tro­phes, and the primes used to spec­ify feet and inches or min­utes and sec­onds and you end up with a ty­po­graphic co­nun­drum that con­founds many a ca­pa­ble au­thor. This ar­ti­cle ex­am­ines the var­i­ous types of quotes and primes and ex­plains how to use them.

Book De­sign Ba­sics: Straight or Dumb Quotes

Straight quotes evolved to fa­cil­i­tate in­for­mal writ­ing sit­u­a­tions. When typ­ing into a dis­cus­sion forum, twit­ter feed, or com­ment box, use your apos­tro­phe and dou­ble-quote keys for all the spe­cial char­ac­ters (ex­cept the “de­grees” sym­bol.) “Dumb” text ed­i­tors don’t try to fig­ure out which di­rec­tion to slant your punc­tu­a­tion. “Dumb” writ­ers don’t have to go to the “in­sert spe­cial char­ac­ters” di­a­log box or re­mem­ber spe­cial key se­quences for each type of mark.

Con­sider the var­i­ous punc­tu­a­tion styles needed to ren­der the fol­low­ing ex­am­ple:

straight quotation marks example

Straight quotes make it quick and easy to ex­press a thought. You don’t have to be a ty­pog­ra­pher to make your­self un­der­stood. In the right sit­u­a­tions, “dumb quotes” are a smart idea.

Read the full post on The Worlds Greatest Book.

How Writing Makes People Smarter Supported By Science

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This post by  originally appeared on Lifehacker. We all knew this anyways, but it is nice to have your views supported by science!

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Everyone should write—not just professional writers.

You might say it’s easy for me to say that because I’m a writer. A singer can just as easily say, “Well, I believe that everyone should learn to sing.” But, out of all the creative means of expressions available to human beings, none intrinsically champions critical thinking, enhances creativity and improves clarity of thought quite like writing. Writing makes us smarter.

Here are some reasons (backed by science) why that is so:

1. Writing helps us untangle the messiness in our minds and allows for clearer thinking.

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful things about writing. In her book, Why We Write, curator Meredith Maran interviewed writers on why they write. Nearly all of them gave self-serving reasons, but there was a delightful, recurring motive of why people write: Writing provides a pocket of time in the present moment to reflect, digest and think deeply.

Joan Didion, author of Play It as It Lays said, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.”

Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City explained, “I write to explain myself to myself. It’s a way of processing my disasters, sorting out the messiness of life to lend symmetry and meaning to it.”

It’s not uncommon for one to think they have totally grasped a concept until they write it down and realize there are aspects of the concept they hadn’t quite thought about.

Writing, then, is a way to organize our thoughts. It allows us to reflect and helps us gain new insights and achieve new perspectives. You think more deeply when you write, and that helps you see things more clearly.

Read the full post on Lifehacker.

Six Easy Tips for Self-Editing Your Fiction

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This post by Kristen Lamb originally appeared on her blog on 8/21/13 but has some really good self-editing tips.

There are a lot of hurdles to writing great fiction, which is why it’s always important to keep reading and writing. We only get better by DOING. Today we’re going to talk about some self-editing tips to help you clean up your book before you hire an editor.

When I worked as an editor, I found it frustrating when I couldn’t even GET to the story because I was too distracted by these all too common oopses.

There are many editors who charge by the hour. If they’re spending their time fixing blunders you could’ve easily repaired yourself? You’re burning cash and time. Yet, correct these problems, and editors can more easily get to the MEAT of your novel. This means you will spend less money and get far higher value.

#1 The Brutal Truth about Adverbs, Metaphors and Similes

I have never met an adverb, simile, or metaphor I didn’t LOVE. I totally dig description, but it can present problems.

First of all, adverbs are not ALL evil. Redundant adverbs are evil. If someone shouts loudly? How else are they going to shout? Whispering quietly? Really? O_o Ah, but if they whisper seductively? The adverb seductively gives us a quality to the whisper that isn’t already implied by the verb.

Check your work for adverbs and kill the redundant ones. Kill them. Dead.

Read the full post on Kristen Lamb‘s site.