Avoid the Truth about the Author
Searching my notes, lesson plans, and textbooks for idea to help
make writing stronger, better, and more powerful, I found a
collection of different tips, all which are helpful. However,
these are just a few possibilities; I am writing an article, not
a book. From Writer's Digest, page 12, a quote from G.K.
Chesterton sums up the need for these ideas: "A good novel tells
us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth
about its author."
Although, the quote mentions a novel, any fiction writing can be
inserted. Let's look at some things that help our writing tell
the truth about its hero and not about the author.
Use correct grammar, including punctuation, spelling, and
capitalization. One area where the lack of the author appears is
the way quotation marks are used or misused. Note the following
tips:
1. Quotation marks set off dialogue. A quote within a quote uses
single marks: "John said, 'You're all wrong.'"
2. Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks,
whether single or double marks: "I really don't understand what
you mean," John replied. "Mary said, 'You left the door
unlocked.'"
3. If dialogue from the same speaker continues from one
paragraph to the next, do not use end quotation marks until the
end of the final paragraph of speech. Do use opening quotes at
the beginning of each paragraph of dialogue. Remember that each
time a different person speaks, a new paragraph is needed.
That just a few tips concerning quotation marks. A good
reference for punctuation should be checked for others.
According to Writer's Digest, November 2005, "Written
dialogue and nonfiction quotes need structure so your readers
can easily follow the story - and using quotation marks
incorrectly can cause a lot of confusion."
Another area of grammar that often is misused is the
prepositions between, among, and amongst. One of my pet peeves
is hearing or reading "just between John and I" or "just between
you and I." Between, just as among, is a preposition but used
between two people or objects, requiring the object form of a
pronoun. Therefore, the correct usage is between John and me or
between you and me. Among requires more than two objects or
people. Amongst is archaic, meaning it's no longer used. Between
or among should be used instead. In fact, anytime a pronoun is
the object of a preposition, the pronoun should be the objective
case: me, us, him, her, them. You is used for both the
nominative case (subject) and objective case.
Avoid those exclamation marks! They should be used rarely,
seldom in fact, and then only in dialogue. If a author has
written well, then no attention is needed to announce something
is important.
I've been asked why an author shouldn't use cliches,
generalities, or stereotypes in writing. According to William G.
Tapply, in "Don't be a SHOWOFF," The Writer, November
2005, page 20: "Cliches . . . . call unwarranted attention to
the lazy, uncreative writer. Banish them from your writing."
Not only do strong active verbs add to one's writing, but so do
nouns that create strong images, colorful ideas, and/or precise
people, places, and things. (Constance Hale,The Writer,
November 2005, page 38}.
I hope the tips I've given help you make your heroes and writing
stronger and better. Writing in itself is full of action and
adventure. We don't need to make reading more hazardous than
necessary.
Sources:
1. The Writer, November, 2005 2. Writer's Digest,
November, 2005 3. Various grammar textbooks 4. Notes and lesson
plans from Vivian Zabel