Wednesday 21 October 2009

A Great Mystery Series: Whitechapel



Last night, I watched a series called Whitechapel. It was brilliant. Being a mystery writer, an avid fan of serial killers, and of course, Jack the Ripper, I loved he three part series. I haven't read much on the conspiracy theories of the identity of JTR but, I think this show delves into most. One of my favorite characters, besides the quirky DI Chandler played by Rupert Penny Jones, was that of Edward Buchan played by Steve Pemberton. Buchan was a Ripperologist who helped the detectives with events that happened 120 years in the past. Great movie.

You can watch the movie on youtube.com here.

SLEEPING WITH SKELETONS

I have a few things to blog today. First, I have to make a shout out about a great book I read. It's called 'Sleeping with Skeletons.' Full of what I love: spys, intrigue, action, and love. Right now, the author is blogging about the book. She really knows her craft. Get over there and read it.






The site: here

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Punctuation I Hate -- the ugly semicolon.

I review many writer's manuscripts and the one thing I hate to see most: semicolons. Personally, I think they're ugly. I see a comma or a period, my eyes flow over them nicely, but I see the ';' and I want to vomit. Maybe it's just me. Yeah, probably just me. My eye doesn't flow nicely over it. It's like a repeated slap in the face.

I am going home;(slap) I intend to stay there.
It rained heavily during the afternoon;(slap) we managed to have our picnic anyway.
 
So what can be done? Because frankly, my cheek is starting to hurt. I like what this man has to say: "Any separation of independent clauses in fiction I feel is better crafted with two well written sentences rather than a singular crammed one." (Source here
 
 
So for my face's sake, let's just make better sentences, shall we?

Monday 19 October 2009

The Yuri Code

In my second book, I have a code that a man named Yuri made for my character Sophia to crack. He gave her objects that will lead her to a book. See if you can crack the code from the objects below. Feel free to ask questions or tell your answer in the comments.

You need to figure out the title of a popular book from these photos and the publisher. If you have the title, you will know the author. The pictures are in no particular order.

Here is the excerpt from my book:


With the cup of coffee settled within sniffing distance, she opened the bag and took out the items she retrieved from the forest. A bible? She unwrapped the plastic from the black soft-bound book and flipped through it. What is this supposed to mean?

Everything with Yuri had to be complicated. The informant was old school: no emails, never meeting in person, everything was a code -- a secret. He would never give her the answer; she had to figure out the key first. Based on her previous communications, she knew the answer she looked for would be in a book. She flipped to the marker in the bible; it opened to the book of Psalms, first chapter. What did the book of verse mean? Was she looking for a specific scripture?

She put the book down and picked up the penny. A plain, copper penny put forward many options. Crowned portcullis with chains and the head of the Queen? Did the penny symbolize the number one or money in general? More questions than answers at this point.

Laying out the rest of the items, she picked up the pictures. An old car and a ship – that would take research.

ann elle altman




 

 

 

How do you format a manuscript?

Source: here

Novel:
  • Page Information
     
    • Margins -- 1.5 inches all the way around
       
    • Font -- Courier, Courier New, or other clean monospace serif font from 10-12 pt. (I use 12 pt. Dark Courier.)
       
    • Line spacing -- Double-space
       
    • Paragraph indent -- first line, 5 pt.
       
    • Header -- right justified, contains the following information:

      Last name/ TITLE/ page#

      A header does not belong on the cover page.
      Start headers on page one of the actual manuscript.
       
  • Cover page -- depends on whether you're agented or not.
     
    • Unagented:
       
      • Contact information -- Name and address, phone number and e-mail address in the top left corner of the page, single spaced, left-justified
      • Title -- centered, just above the middle of the page
      • by -- centered and one double-spaced line beneath the title
      • Name or pen name -- centered and one double-spaced line beneath the word by
      • Word count -- centered and rounded to the nearest thousand, one double-spaced line beneath your name or pen name
         
    • Agented:
       
      • Title -- centered, just above the middle of the page
      • by -- centered and one double-spaced line beneath the title
      • Name or pen name -- centered and one double-spaced line beneath the word by
      • Word count -- centered and rounded to the nearest thousand, one double-spaced line beneath your name or pen name
      • Agent's contact information -- Name, business name, mailing address, phone number (e-mail address if you have the agent's okay first), left justified, single spaced, bottom of the page
         
  • First page
     
    • Header -- should be in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and page number should be 1.
       
    • Chapter header -- can be anywhere from one to six double-spaced lines down from the top of the page, and can be centered or left justified. You can title your chapters, or just write Chapter One or Chapter 1.
       
    • Body text -- drop down two double-spaced lines to begin your story.
       
    • Scene breaks -- drop down two double-spaced lines, insert and center the # character, drop down two more double-spaced lines, and begin your new scene.
       
    • Subsequent chapters -- start each chapter on a fresh page. Keep chapter formatting and titling consistent with your first chapter.
Short work
  • Page Information
     
    • Margins -- 1.5 inches all the way around
       
    • Font -- Courier, Courier New, or other clean monospace serif font from 10-12 pt. (I use 12 pt. Dark Courier.)
       
    • Line spacing -- Double-space
       
    • Paragraph indent -- first line, 5 pt.
       
    • Header -- right justified, contains the following information:

      Last name/ TITLE/ page#

      A header does not belong on the title page. Start headers on page two of the actual manuscript. First labeled page number should be 2.
       
  • Cover page
     
    • Do not use a cover page with short work, either fiction or non-fiction
       
  • First page
     
    • Contact information -- Name and address, phone number and e-mail address in the top left corner of the page, single spaced, left-justified

    • Word count -- top line, right justified (you'll have to do this with a table if you're working with a word processor), either exact count, or rounded to the nearest ten
       
    • Title -- drop down four double-spaced lines, centered
       
    • by -- centered and one double-spaced line beneath the title
       
    • Name or pen name -- centered and one double-spaced line beneath the word by
       
    • Body of the story or article -- drop down two lines and begin.
       
    • Scene or section breaks -- drop down two double-spaced lines, insert and center the # character, drop down two more double-spaced lines, and begin your new scene.
       
  • Second and subsequent pages
     
    • Header -- should be in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and page number should be 2.
       
    • Body text -- begins on the first line, doublespaced throughout.

Saturday 17 October 2009

Characters that we love...

I'm in the middle of editing my second book. A book I think is absolutely fabulous -- I think it's wrong to love your own writing this much -- and I'm afraid that eventually, I will be brought back down to earth. Ah, well, I write because I have to. If I didn't, I would go crazy. My characters want me to tell their story. So what option do I have.

Now, about characters...what can I say about characters? I think this: You know your characters are real and you know them well if they manage to surprise you every once in awhile. I love writing a chapter, and in my mind I know exactly where it's going, and then bam! my character pulls a stunt. Although I'm the writer and I could just push the delete button on their actions, I know I can't. Because I know that's exactly what they would do in that situation.

I just have to change the plot to match the characters.

That, in my opinion, is how I know I know my characters really well.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

The best style is the style you don't notice.  ~Somerset Maugham

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Creative Writing Tips—Checklist

Source here


Action/reaction

Write actions and their reactions in chronological order.

Not: She read the letter after she opened it.
But: She opened the letter and read it.

Adverbs

Do a search for "ly" and edit as many adverbs as possible. The strongest, most powerful writing uses few adverbs because adverbs assist weak verbs, which should be replaced with stronger, more accurate verbs.

Not: He spoke softly and gently.
But: He whispered.


Another way to resolve the "adverb problem" is to rewrite the sentence.
Not: He wrote magnificently, and his essays gained the respect of all.
But: He wrote magnificent essays, respected by all.


Begin at left margin

It is customary to begin a story or novel at the left margin, and to return to the left margin for each new chapter or scene. Leave one extra space between scenes.

Begin to

Don't have characters "begin to" do things. Have them take direct action.
Not: They began to speak
But: They spoke...
Crying, sobbing and tears


Crying, sobbing, and tears are considered clichéd and melodramatic. How else can you show the emotion?

Not: "Please don't do it," she cried, and fell sobbing to her knees.
But: Her grip on his arm tightened and her voice grew raspy. "Please don't do it."


Decide to

Don't have people “decide to” do things. Just have them take action.

Not: After lunch, she decided to go for a long walk.
But: After lunch, she went for a long walk.


Dialogue

For more natural dialogue, write in short sentences, use contractions, forgo pleasantries, and compress your dialogue. Edit dialogue to its barest essentials, and don’t overuse names.

Not: "Well hello there, Jackie. What a pleasure it is to see you again. I was just wondering, Jackie, if I would ever see you again on this trip or if I would have to wait until we got back to London to give you a call."
But: "Jackie! I wondered if I'd see you again."

More tension in dialogue also makes it snappier and more interesting. Use the following techniques to increase tension:


  1. Have characters talk at cross purposes, so that one character either misunderstands or is purposely nonresponsive.
    Not: "Did Tom find Jack?"
    "Yes, I think he did."
    But: "Did Tom find Jack?"
    "Nobody gets up as early as Jack." Or: "Were you looking for him, too?'

  2. Avoid direct responses in favour of oblique ones.
    Not: "What time were you there?"
    "Eight o’clock."

    But: "What time were you there?"
    "The time is irrelevant. The better question is what can we do about it?"


Going to be

Wordy. Use "will" instead.

Not: She is going to be angry.
Better: She will be angry.


"ing" constructions

One way to make writing more polished and sophisticated is to use only occasional participial phrases. There is nothing ungrammatical about a properly placed participial phrase, but beginning writers tend to overuse them. Instead, separate the ideas into two sentences, or use conjunctions to join them.

Not: Lifting heavy tires all day, he wrenched his back.
But: His job requires him to lift heavy tires all day. That’s how he wrenched his back.
Not: Jogging down the street, he saw Shirley and her daughter get into a car.
But: He jogged down the street and saw Shirley and her daughter get into a car.

I’m not going to

This is wordy. Write “I won’t” instead.

Indenting dialogue


Create a new paragraph when dialogue changes from one character to another. You may add the character's thoughts and actions after their dialogue without beginning a new paragraph.


Intensifiers


These are the words placed before adjectives and adverbs in an attempt to intensify an effect. Search for such words as very, so, quite, extremely, really, and absolutely. We're very hungry. Thank you so much. The play was extremely good, etc. Removing them almost always improves the sentence.


Internalization


Showing a character's thoughts through internalizations often helps resolve the problem of too much telling.

Not: Alice felt frustrated by their slowness because she needed to be home in ten minutes.
But: Alice checked her watch again. She had to be home in ten minutes. Why wouldn't he get on with the lecture?


It

Be specific and name the "it" wherever possible.


Italicizing internalizations

Use italics sparingly. They're seldom needed for internalizations. You never use quotation marks around thoughts, so readers will understand that the internalization is not spoken. Also, don't have characters speak thoughts to themselves, in the first person, as if another character were present.

Not: "I've got myself in a real jam this time. But there's a wall up ahead. Maybe I can climb it and get out, but I sure hope there are no dogs on the other side."
But: Burt massaged his forehead. He'd got himself in a jam this time. Maybe he could climb the wall and get out, presuming there were no dogs on the other side.


Knew

This is another one of those times when you can cut right to the action.

Not: He knew she'd be right over.
But: She'd be right over.


Name repetition

People don't often repeat names in real life, so they shouldn't in dialogue.


Overwriting

Remove extraneous details. If you want a character to get in his car and drive away, don't have him insert the key in the lock, twist it, lift the door handle, open the door, and sit. Have him start the car and drive away.


Passive verbs

Too many passive verbs slow and weaken a narrative with wordiness—tighten and strengthen your sentences by naming who did what. This is where your list of creative writing tips will help. Add is, was, were, am, and are to your personal checklist and change as many passive verbs as possible to the active form.

Not: The papers were laid on the desk.
But: Morgan laid the papers on the desk.

Not: What was most worrying to her...
But: What most worried her...


Qualifiers

Like intensifiers, these words qualify adjectives and verbs. Look for such words as just, sort of, quite, somewhat, usually, always, and never. They’re unnecessary. Let them proliferate, if they must, as you write the first draft, but weed them out in the second.

Repetition

Don't repeat words in close proximity unless you do it for deliberate effect. Find a synonym for one of them.

Not: "Okay, I'll meet you at your place." She placed the receiver back in its cradle...
But: "Okay, I'll meet you at your place." She set the receiver back in its cradle...


Saw/sees that

Wordy and unnecessary.

Not: He saw that she crossed the street.
But: She crossed the street.


Seem


Not: The fruit seemed ripe so he ate it.
But: He bit into the ripe pear.

Not: The car seemed to bounce along the road.
But: The car bounced along the rutted road.


Speaker attributions

If you remove unnecessary speaker attributions, you can also eliminate the "ing" constructions that often follow. For a more polished feel, eliminate as many speaker attributions as possible, and only use them if not using them will confuse readers. Show who speaks through character action, and when you do need a speaker attribution, stick to "said," and "asked." Never use speaker attributions as verbs meant to convey action. Keep action separate.

Not: "Take it," Betty said, pushing the book on him.
But: Betty pushed the book on him. "Take it."

Not: "I like it that way," Joe coughed, laughing and winking.
But: "I like it that way." Joe laughed and winked at her.


Thinker's attributions

Don't use "thinker's attributions" in the third person limited POV. If a character internalizes (interior monologue), the context lets readers know his words are thought, not spoken.

Not: I've got him now, Tom thought.
But: Tom struggled with his fishing line. There he is, I've got him now.


Things

Always edit the word "thing" or "things" and replace with a more specific word.

Tuesday 6 October 2009

THE CODES TO MY LATEST BOOK





Friday 2 October 2009

Eliminate Weak Verb-Adverb Combinations

Article by Trent Lorcher 
 
Adverbs muddle good writing when overused. Writers assume adverb use makes for good writing. They're wrong. Adverbs equal lazy writing.
  • Define adverb and instruct students to copy the definition in their notebook and at the top of their rough drafts, if necessary. An adverb modifies verbs, adjective, or other adverbs. They answer the questions where, when, how, and to what extent. A special kind of adverb, called an intensifier, defines the degree of an adjective or another adverb. Intensifiers always precede the adjective or adverb it modifies (Definitions courtesy of Grammar Usage and Mechanic Book, McDougall Littel, 2007. p. 16). Common examples of intensifiers include very, somewhat, quite, rather. If the overuse of adverbs represent lazy writing, the use of intensifiers represents sleeping in until noon, not showering, sitting on the couch, ordering food to go, and watching TV all day.
  • Instruct students to read their rough drafts and circle, highlight, or underline adverbs and the words they modify. If you are not using this lesson for a specific revision, feel free to cut and paste my horrible introduction and use that as an example of over-adverbatizing.
  • Instruct students to look for intensifiers and words ending in ly, if they are struggling.

It's time to start using strong verbs.
  • Volunteer students to write examples of sentences containing adverbs on the board. Make sure they or you identify what the adverb is modifying. Identifying what is being modified will help students create strong verbs and will make for a more effective word choice lesson plan.
  • Discuss ways to eliminate adverbs by identifying which question the adverb answers.
    • The teacher looked menacingly at the disruptive student (menacingly answers how) becomes The teacher glared at the hooligan.
    • The student was quite pleased with himself (quite is an intensifier) becomes The student was pleased with himself.
    • He foolishly invested in bad real estate becomes He speculated in real estate.
TIP: I'm not suggesting you automatically eliminate all adverbs from your writing. However, each adverb should be viewed suspiciously. Finally, If the adverb can be easily eliminated without dramatically changing the meaning of the passage then it should be immediately removed and carefully scrutinized when revising.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/14426.aspx#ixzz0Sohb4hGw

Thursday 1 October 2009

Clean Up Preposition Clutter

Excerpts from
Painless Writing
by Jeffrey Strausser
Preposition Overuse

  • Ruins your style
  • Detracts from your hard work
  • Creates wordy, confusing sentences
Identifying Prepositions

Common Prepositions

  • By
  • Under
  • For
  • Near
  • About
  • On
  • Against
  • To
  • With
  • Next
  • Inside

  • Because
  • During
  • From
  • Like
  • Over
  • In
  • Until
  • Across
  • Above
  • Toward
  • Outside
How many are too many?

  • No easy rule—the real test is in the reading
  • If your sentences contain only a few verbs, especially verbs in the passive voice, and many prepositions, your essay is probably wordy and confusing
  • If your writing contains 20% to 25% prepositions, you probably have used too many
Painless Technique No. 1 

  • Make your writing clearer and more interesting by eliminating unnecessary prepositional phrases.
Prepositional Phrases

  • A preposition and a noun acting as the preposition’s object.
  • The preposition depicts a relationship to the noun
Examples

  • On the beach
  • Near the desk
  • Against the wind
  • From the beginning
  • Under the table

  • Off the cuff
  • During his speech
  • Across the continent
  • Toward the end
  • Until the last
Excessive Use

By virtue of learning to write better, you will open a whole new world with reference to career opportunities. It is of importance that students realize that writers will be needed by the education and business communities. In the present, both of these sectors have expressed disappointment in the writing skills of those employed. Make no mistake about it; people who can write well are demanded by employers everywhere.
Step 1: Eliminate Compound   Prepositional Phrases

  • Define: A series of prepositional phrases that act as one preposition
  • Examples:
    • with regard to
    • with respect to
    • in reference to
    • in connection with
    • for the purposes of
Simplify

  • Compound
    • at that point in time
    • by means of
    • by reason of
    • during the course of
    • from the point of view of
    • in accordance with
    • in relation to
    • on the basis of
    • with reference to
    • for the purposes of
    • in favor of
    • in terms of


  • Simple
    • then, now
    • by
    • because of
    • during
    • from, for
    • by, under
    • about, concerning
    • by, from
    • about, concerning
    • for, under
    • for
    • in
Step 2: Where possible, convert into participles.

  • Prepositional Phrase
    • In the attempt to
    • In the fear of failure
    • In response to
  • Participle
    • Attempting
    • Fearing failure
    • Responding to
Step 3: Convert to Adverbs

The writer’s novels were of critical acclaim.
The writer’s novels were critically acclaimed.

His actions were under close control.
His actions were closely controlled.


Step 4: Convert to Adjectives

It is the nature of humans to admire beauty.
It is human nature to admire beauty.

The response of the audience was silence.
The audience’s response was silence.

The response of the class to the teacher’s joke was many groans.
The class’s response to the teacher’s joke was many groans.


Step 5: Write in the active voice.

The exam scores were tabulated by the teacher.
The teacher tabulated the exam scores.

The baseball card was purchased by the collector.
The collector purchased the baseball card.

His success was resented by his teammates.
His teammates resented his success.

The grounds were observed by means of hidden cameras.
Hidden cameras observed the grounds.
Applying the 5-step process

  • Extreme overuse my require changing the entire paragraph structure.
  • You may need to chop a long sentence into two or three sentences,
  • or convert several offending simple sentences into a concise compound sentences.
  • Remember you can always simply eliminate prepositions if they do not contribute meaning or action.
The 5 Steps

  • Replace compound prepositional phrases with simple prepositions.
  • Where possible, convert prepositional phrases into participles.
  • Where possible, convert prepositional phrases into adverbs.
  • Where possible, convert prepositional phrases into adjectives.
  • Write selected passive voice sentences in the active.
Identify the Prepositional Phrases

By virtue of learning to write better, you will open a whole new world with reference to career opportunities. It is of importance that students realize that writers will be needed by the education and business communities. In the present, both of these sectors have expressed disappointment in the writing skills of those employed. Make no mistake about it; people who can write well are demanded by employers everywhere.

1st sentence

By virtue of learning to write better, you will open a whole new world with reference to career opportunities.

Compound prepositional phrase: adds nothing to the sentence, so eliminate it (Step One).
Compound prepositional phrase: convert to participle, regarding (Steps One & Two).

1st Sentence Rewrite

  • Learning to write better will open a whole new world regarding career opportunities.
2nd sentence  

It is of importance that students realize that writers will be needed by the education and business communities.

Convert to one-word adjective, important (Step Four).
Written in passive voice—rewrite in the active (Step Five).
2nd sentence rewrite

  • Students must realize that the education and business communities will need writers.
3rd sentence

In the present, both of these sectors have expressed disappointment in the writing skills of those employed.

Convert to adverb, presently (Step Three).
Eliminate.
Combine the two phrases: their employees’ writing skills.


3rd sentence rewrite

  • Presently, both sectors have expressed disappointment in their employee’s writing skills.
Last sentence

Make no mistake about it; people who can write well are demanded by employers everywhere.

Passive voice. Rewrite:
    Employers everywhere are demanding people who can write well.
Last sentence rewrite

Make no mistake about it; employers everywhere are demanding people who can write well.
New paragraph

Learning to write better will open a whole new world regarding career opportunities. Students must realize that the education and business communities will need writers. Presently, both sectors have expressed disappointment in their employee’s writing skills. Make no mistake about it; employers everywhere are demanding people who can write well.