Hello again, fellow friends! Of course, you know it is I, Erin, by that greeting. And by the fact I tend to not do the GIFs LOL.
Today, I have a special guest post for you! I read this and loved it.
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K so I’m feeling spontaneous and feel like going English Teacher on everyone. (Beware the long rant about words)
Random Grammar Tip that makes it easier to tell who the heck is talking in your WIP! this isn’t directed to any one person, i promise…though I’ve seen it a few times and wanted to make it clear.
BTW I understand i may be wrong on some issues and that not everyone is crazy for grammar. Also I’m going to be a bit redundant.
(Actually, this’ll be many tips.)
You may have heard that shorter snippets make it easier for people to read. Well, the same goes for paragraphs. Now, I’m not saying that you should make your paragraphs like this:
Where every sentence is its own paragraph.
It adds suspense and emphasis.
But it can get annoying when used too much.
And not everyone can understand why you’re doing that.
Or for that matter what you’re trying to convey.
You need to strike a balance between not doing too much, while having enough to keep people interested.
Another paragraph-related tip? When dialogue switches between two or more characters (Or perhaps a character is arguing with herself/himself) MAKE A NEW PARAGRAPH. (Sorry, didn’t mean to yell.) Even if you add dialogue tags, it can get confusing.
Compare the two examples below. (BTW this is in fact from a WIP. The first speaker is Gracious and the POV Character is Jane. Don’t worry, this is from the first chapter.)
(And yes, the excerpts are a BIT long… hehe)
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“At last, the adults have left! I was starting to get impatient there. Now we can have some fun!” She said excitedly. “It’s. been. Forever! I simply must know how life in the Grand Palace is without me.” “Hold up! Have you been electrocuted? Because you seem to have more energy than usual.” I grinned as I scooted over on the couch to make room for Gracious. “More energy? I never thought I’d be able to top my usual energy!” She clasped her hands. ‘So how be the Great Honorable Majestic—” She began to pant. “Gosh be it! Why must your title be such a long one? How about simply “Princess” while we are all at it? As I was saying-- ooh! How about your time with Prince A—" “Besides the point. Not so great.” I interrupted. Discussions of Rogue Princes was not my forte. I heard Father at one of his royal meetings.” I dropped my voice to a whisper as Gracious leaned forward. “In the South rebellions are brewing. People are saying that kings are an injustice to the land. Something about ancient values. The worst part,” I stared at Gracious hard until she nodded, “is that your uncle is the largest supporter of this regime.” “Uncle Nox? But he’s the nicest person I’ve ever known! Along with Silvia. Sure, she’s a tad moody and all that, but none the less she’s awesome.”
…
“At last, the adults have left! I was starting to get impatient there. Now we can have some fun!” She said excitedly. “It’s. been. Forever! I simply must know how life in the Grand Palace is without me.”
“Hold up! Have you been electrocuted? Because you seem to have more energy than usual.” I grinned as I scooted over on the couch to make room for Gracious.
“More energy? I never thought I’d be able to top my usual energy!” She clasped her hands. ‘So how be the Great Honorable Majestic—” She began to pant. “Gosh be it! Why must your title be such a long one? How about simply “Princess” while we are all at it? As I was saying-- ooh! How about your time with Prince A—"
“Besides the point. Not so great.” I interrupted. Discussions of Rogue Princes was not my forte. I heard Father at one of his royal meetings.” I dropped my voice to a whisper as Gracious leaned forward. “In the South rebellions are brewing. People are saying that kings are an injustice to the land. Something about ancient values. The worst part,” I stared at Gracious hard until she nodded, “is that your uncle is the largest supporter of this regime.”
“Uncle Nox? But he’s the nicest person I’ve ever known! Along with Silvia. Sure, she’s a tad moody and all that, but none the less she’s awesome.”
…
I take it that the second one was easier to understand? How the pacing and feel is different? Congrats if you could keep track of who was talking in the first one, though.
Ok… that’s all for Eliza ranting about how great a little grammar is even though she’s not a fan of it herself!
Skylar Rivers has been reading ever since she was two and began writing stories when she was six. While she does enjoy the time spent hanging out with friends, she is quite introverted, as well as being an organized daily task vanquisher. She loves both reading and writing fantasy, although she has yet to write a novel. Her favorite fantasy books are Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, while her favorite shows are Mako Mermaids, Ninjago and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. She hopes to one day get published.
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Isn’t that great? I am kind of a grammar nerd, so this was fun for me to read!
What is your pet peeve when it comes to grammar? Comment below!
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