Friday, August 31, 2007

Writing For Fun: How I Met My Wife 1

English is full of prefixes that usually turn a word into the opposite meaning: un, dis, non, etc. However the words with the prefixes don't all work properly without them. This makes English hard to learn and hilarious when these un-prefixed words are used. The semi-famous example below by Jack Winter is one of the best. Here's Part 1.

How I Met My Wife, Jack Winter, The New Yorker, July 25, 1994.

It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.

I was furling my weildy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.

I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I’d have to make bones about it, since I was travelling cognito. Beknowst to me, the hostess, whom I could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving loyalty to her, my manners couldn’t be peccable. Only toward and heard-of behavior would do.

Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or a sung hero were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Writing for Style: Writerisms 3

More Writerisms to Avoid
Copyright © 1995 by C.J. Cherryh

9. Themely English

With apologies to hard-working English teachers, school English is not fiction English. Understand that the meticulous English style you labored over in school, including the use of complete sentences and the structure of classic theme-sentence paragraphs, was directed toward the production of non-fiction reports, resumes, and other non-fiction applications.

What is the first thing you have to do to write fiction? Suspect all the English style guidelines you learned in school and violate the rules as needed. Some rules will turn out to apply; some won't. Be ready to defend your choices. If you are lucky, you will be copyedited. Occasionally the copyeditor will be technically right but fictionally wrong, and you will have to tell your editor why you want that particular expression left alone.

10. Scaffolding and spaghetti.

These are words whose sole function is to hold up other words; useful only if you are floundering in too many "which" clauses as below.

What it was upon close examination was a mass the center of which was suffused with a glow which appeared rubescent to the observers who were amazed and confounded by this untoward manifestation.

Flowery and overstructured.

What they found was a mass, the center of which glowed faintly red. They'd never seen anything like it.

This isn't great lit, but it gets the job done: the first drowns in "which" and "who" clauses. In other words---be suspicious any time you have to support one needed word (rubescent) with a creaking framework of "which" and "what" and "who." Dump the "which-what-who" and take the single descriptive word. Plant it as an adjective in the main sentence.

11. A short cut to "who" and "whom."
  • Nominative: who
  • Possessive: whose
  • Objective: whom

The rule: treat the "who-clause" as a mini-sentence. If you could substitute "he" for the who-whom, it's a "who." If you could substitute "him" for the who-whom it's a "whom." ·

Who do I see? is as wrong as I see he.
Whom do I see? is correct as is I see him.

12. -ness

A substitute for thinking of the right word. "Darkness," "unhappiness," and such come of tacking -ness (or occasionally - ion) onto words. There's often a better answer. Use it as needed. As a general rule, use a major or stand-out vocabulary word only once a paragraph, maybe twice a page and, if truly outre, only once per book. Don't vary your word choice to the point of silliness; see error 3 in the first post of Writerisms.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Writing for Style: Writerisms 2

Copyright © 1995 by C.J. Cherryh

Writing Styles to Avoid

6) Descriptive writerisms. Things that have become "conventions of prose" that personally stop me cold in text.
  • "framed by" followed by hair, tresses, curls, or most anything cute.
  • "swelling bosom"
  • "heart-shaped face"
  • "set off by": see "framed by"
  • "revealed" or "revealed by": see "framed by." Too precious for words when followed by a fashion statement.
  • Mirrors … avoid mirrors, as a basic rule of your life. You get to use them once during your writing career. Save them for more experience. But it doesn't count if they don't reflect … by which I mean see the list above. If you haven't read enough unpublished fiction to have met the infamous mirror scenes in which Our Hero admires his steely blue eyes and manly chin, you can scarcely imagine how bad they can get.
  • limpid pools and farm ponds: I don't care what it is, if it reflects your hero and occasions a description of his manly dimple, it's a mirror.
As a general rule … your viewpoint characters should have less, rather than more, description than anyone else: a reader of different skin or hair color ought to be able to sink into this persona without being continually jolted by contrary information.

Stick to what your observer can observe. One's own blushes can be felt, but not seen, unless one is facing …a mirror. See above.
  • "as he turned, then stepped aside from the descending blow … " First of all, it takes longer to read than to happen: pacing fault. Second, the "then" places action #2 sequentially after #1, which makes the whole evasion sequence a 1-2 which won't work. This guy is dead or the opponent was telegraphing his moves in a panel-by-panel comic book style which won't do for regular prose. Clunky. Slow. Fatally slow.
  • "Again" or worse "once again." Established writers don't tend to overuse this one: it seems like a neo fault, possibly a mental writerly stammer---lacking a next thing to do, our hero does it "again" or "once again" or "even yet." Toss "still" and "yet" onto the pile and use them sparingly.
7) Dead verbs. Colorless verbs.
  • walked
  • turned
  • crossed
  • run, ran
  • go, went, gone
  • leave, left
  • have, had
  • get, got
You can add your own often used colorless verbs: these are verbs that convey an action but don't add any other information. A verb you've had to modify (change) with an adverb is likely inadequate to the job you assigned it to do.

8) Colorless verb with inadequate adverb: "He walked slowly across the room." More informative verb with no adverb:
  • "He trudged across the room"
  • "He paced across the room"
  • "He stalked across the room"
Each one a different meaning, different situation. But please see problem 3 in the previous post and don't go overboard.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Writing for Style: Writerisms and Other Sins 1

Copyright © 1995 by C.J. Cherryh

Writerisms: overused and misused language. In more direct words: find 'em, root 'em out, and look at your prose without the underbrush.

1) am, is, are, was, were, being, be, been … combined with "by" or with "by … someone" implied but not stated. Such structures are passives. In general, limit passive verb use to one or two per book. The word "by" followed by a person is an easy flag for passives.

2) am, is, are, was, were, being, be, been … combined with an adjective. "He was sad as he walked about the apartment." "He moped about the apartment." A single colorful verb is stronger than any was + adjective; but don't slide to the polar opposite and overuse colorful verbs. There are writers that vastly overuse the "be" verb; if you are one, fix it. If you aren't one---don't, because overfixing it will commit the next error.

3) florid verbs. "The car grumbled its way to the curb" is on the verge of being so colorful it's distracting. {Florid fr. Lat. floreo, to flower.}

If a manuscript looks as if it's sprouted leaves and branches, if every verb is "unusual," if the vocabulary is more interesting than the story … There are vocabulary-addicts who will praise your prose for this but not many who can simultaneously admire your verbs as verbs and follow your story, especially if it has content. Fix it by going to more ordinary verbs.

The car is not a main actor and not one you necessarily need to make into a character. If its action is ordinary and transparent, don't use an odd expression. This is prose. This statement also goes for unusual descriptions and odd adjectives, nouns, and adverbs.

5) odd connectives. Some writers overuse "as" and "then" in an attempt to avoid "and" or "but," which themselves can become a tic. But "as" is only for truly simultaneous action. The common deck of conjunctions available is:
  • when (temporal)
  • if (conditional)
  • since (ambiguous between temporal and causal)
  • although (concessive)
  • because (causal)
  • and (connective)
  • but (contrasting)
  • as (contemporaneous action or sub for "because") while (roughly equal to "as")
These are the ones I can think of. If you use some too much and others practically never, be more even-handed.

Then
, BTW, is originally more of an adverb than a proper conjunction, although it seems to be drifting toward use as a conjunction.

However
is really a peculiar conjunction, demanding in most finicky usage to be placed *after* the subject of the clause. Don't forget the correlatives:

  • either … or
  • neither … nor, and
  • not only … but also
  • so that
  • in order that, and
  • the far shorter and occasionally merciful infinitive: to … {verb}something.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Presentation Tip: Create An Outline

From Wilder’s Presentations at: www.wilderpresentations.com

The first step in developing a presentation is to create a Presentation Overview that includes your objective and key messages. The second step, before creating your slides, is to take the information from your Presentation Overview and make a one-slide summary/outline.

You can present it at the beginning of your talk or at the end, depending on your audience’s attention span and ability to wait until the end of the presentation to have it all summarized.

“No, no”, you say, “I do the executive summary after I make my slides. Why is doing it first important?”

Summary/outlines are not just for old maid grammarians. They are a useful way to organize your thinking. If you do your summary/outline first, you can check it against your Presentation Overview. If the information is not relevant to the Overview, then you should probably leave it out.

You will save yourself time and sound more organized, and therefore knowledgeable, in front of your audience. Here are three executive summaries formats to get you started. Don’t use long sentences—simply convey the essence of your message.

Strategy Recommendation Executive Summary
  • Present Situation
  • Desired Outcome
  • Strategy to Reach the Outcome
  • Key Reasons for this Strategy
  • Next Steps

Change Proposal Executive Summary
  • What’s Not Working Now
  • Recommended Change
  • Benefits of Change
  • Next Steps to Implementation

Selling Executive Summary
  • Market Situation
  • Our Response
  1. Design Feature
  2. Design Feature
  3. Design Feature
  • Our Product
  • Benefits for You
  1. Benefit
  2. Benefit
  3. Benefit

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Writing for Style: Paragraphs 3

Signposts and Transitions

Two very important elements of paragraphing are signposts and transitions. Signposts are internal aids to assist readers; they usually consist of several sentences or a paragraph outlining what the article has covered and where the article will be going.

Transitions are usually sentences that link one idea to the next. Transitions can be used at the end a paragraph or the beginning of the following paragraph to smooth the flow from one to the next and help the reader interpret ideas the way you want.

Some transitions lead your reader forward and imply the building of an idea or thought, while others make your reader compare ideas or draw conclusions from the preceding thoughts.

To Add: and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further, furthermore, nor, too, next, lastly, what's more, moreover, in addition, first (second, etc.)

To Compare or Contrast: whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary, by comparison, where, compared to, up against, balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile, after all, in contrast, although this may be true

To Prove: because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently, furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in fact, in addition, in any case, that is

To Show Exception: yet, still, however, nevertheless, in spite of, despite, of course, once in a while, sometimes

To Show Time: immediately, thereafter, soon, after a few hours, finally, then, later, previously, formerly, first (second, etc.), next, and then

To Repeat: in brief, as I have said, as I have noted, as has been noted

To Emphasize: definitely, extremely, obviously, in fact, indeed, in any case, absolutely, positively, naturally, surprisingly, always, forever, perennially, eternally, never, emphatically, unquestionably, without a doubt, certainly, undeniably, without reservation

To Show Sequence: first, second, third, and so forth. A, B, C, and so forth. next, then, following this, at this time, now, at this point, after, afterward, subsequently, finally, consequently, previously, before this, simultaneously, concurrently, thus, therefore, hence, next, and then, soon

To Give an Example: for example, for instance, in this case, in another case, on this occasion, in this situation, take the case of, to demonstrate, to illustrate, as an illustration, to illustrate

To Summarize or Conclude: in brief, on the whole, summing up, to conclude, in conclusion, as I have shown, as I have said, hence, therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result, consequently, on the whole.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Writing for Style: Paragraphs 2

Elements of a Paragraph

To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following:

  • Unity
  • Coherence
  • A Topic Sentence, and
  • Adequate Development.

As you will see, all of these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.

Unity

The entire paragraph should concern itself with a single focus. If it begins with a one focus or major point of discussion, it should not end with another or wander within different ideas.

Coherence

Coherence is the trait that makes the paragraph easily understandable to a reader. You can help create coherence in your paragraphs by creating logical bridges and verbal bridges.

Logical Bridges

The same topic idea is carried over from sentence to sentence. Successive sentences can be constructed in parallel form.

Verbal Bridges

Key words can be repeated in several sentences. Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences. Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences. Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences

A Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is a sentence that indicates in a general way what idea or thesis the paragraph is about. Although not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic sentences, and despite the fact that topic sentences can occur anywhere in the paragraph (as the first sentence, the last sentence, or somewhere in the middle), an easy way to make sure your reader understands the topic of the paragraph is to put your topic sentence near the beginning of the paragraph. (This is a good general rule for less experienced writers, although it is not the only way to do it).

Regardless of whether you include an explicit topic sentence or not, you should be able to easily summarize what the paragraph is about.

Adequate Development

The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and adequately. Again, this varies from paragraph to paragraph, depending on the author's purpose, but writers should beware of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences. It's a pretty good bet that the paragraph is not fully developed if it is that short.

Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-developed:

  • Use examples and illustrations
  • Cite data (facts, statistics, evidence, details, and others)
  • Examine testimony (what other people say in quotes or paraphrases)
  • Use an anecdote or story
  • Define terms
  • Compare and contrast
  • Evaluate causes and reasons
  • Examine effects and consequences
  • Analyze the topic
  • Describe the topic
  • Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)

How do I know when to start a new paragraph?

You should start a new paragraph:

  • When you begin a new idea or point. If you have an extended idea that spans multiple paragraphs, each new point within that idea should have its own paragraph.
  • To contrast information or ideas. Separate paragraphs can serve to contrast sides in a debate, different points in an argument, or any other difference.
  • To give readers a break. Breaks in paragraphs will help your writing more readable. You should create a break if the paragraph becomes too long or the material is complex.
  • When you are ending your introduction or starting your conclusion. Your introductory and concluding material should always be in a new paragraph, and many introductions and conclusions have multiple paragraphs depending on their content, length, and the writer's purpose.

In Part 3, we will talk about signposts to guide readers and transitions to link paragraphs.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Writing for Style: Paragraphs - Part 1

Revised fronm Purdue OWL at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/606/01/

A paragraph is a collection of related sentences dealing with a single topic, and learning to write good paragraphs will help you as a writer stay on track during your drafting and revision stages.

Good paragraphing also greatly assists your readers in following a piece of writing. You can have fantastic ideas, but if those ideas aren't presented in an organized fashion, you will lose your readers (and fail to achieve your goals in writing).

The Basic Rule: Keep One Idea to One Paragraph

The basic rule of thumb with paragraphing is to keep one idea to one paragraph. You can have one idea and several bits of supporting evidence within a single paragraph. You can also have several points in a single paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic of the paragraph.

If you begin to transition into new ideas, those ideas belong in their own paragraphs. For example, if those points mentioned above start to get long, then perhaps elaborating on each of them and placing them in their own paragraphs is the route to go.

Elements of a Paragraph

To be as effective as possible, a paragraph should contain each of the following:
  • Unity
  • Coherence
  • A Topic Sentence, and
  • Adequate Development.

As you will see in Part 2, all of these traits overlap. Using and adapting them to your individual purposes will help you construct effective paragraphs.