Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

Cathy C said:

I laugh, because we just turned in the second manuscript in our . . . trilogy! Maybe we need to make it four books instead.



Continue on, while I chuckle for a bit.

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As Douglas Adams writes about the Hitchhikers': a trilogy in four parts!

Just the other day I was grousing to my writers' group about my propensity for stand-alone novels, and how I was probably going to have to discipline myself into writing a trilogy or series. (Not until after the novel lurking just over the horizon, though!)

Don't get me wrong. I've heard editors say they're looking for stand-alones. Then Naomi Novik takes the field by storm, and I start thinking maybe there's something to this whole series thing. (Of course, being brilliant helps -- I haven't read the books, but judging by the amount and quality of the enthusiasm, I can tell the books are pretty darn good.)

Uncle Jim on the Radio

I"ll be on the radio, talking about publishing, publishing scams, vanity presses, and PublishAmerica.

6 August 2006, noon to one pm Central Daylight Time. On http://www.am990.com for streaming feed. 990 on your AM dial if you happen to be in the Memphis, Little Rock (Arkansas), and Jackson (Tennessee) area.

Special treat: We've dug up a PublishAmerica author who likes PublishAmerica!

James D. Macdonald said:

I"ll be on the radio, talking about publishing, publishing scams, vanity presses, and PublishAmerica.

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At least it's only one topic.

Dialogue Punctuation

I'm old enough to belong to AARP, and when, after all these years, I started writing my novel (probably my first and last) I used a colon before quotes as in:

Roy looked up at the rapidly enlarging meteor and said: "Purty, ain't it."

But after looking in a few current novels I saw that all writers nowadays use a comma after "said" in this situation. Am I right in assuming that the comma has taken the place of the colon in dialogue and I was just being old school, or is there a circumstance when a colon is still used?

What's wrong with the colon? I use it in those situations, commas just seem weird and go against everything I learned in school.

(but then again, my spanish teacher tried to teach me that queso was written as 'quezo', so don't mind my education much)

I'm no spring chicken, and when I was in high school, "comma before quote" was in the SATs. It's pretty much standard usage.

Really?? That's weird, because I was always taught an entirely different thing. In fact, I thought that was pretty much the usage of the colon, but now that I think of it, I can't recall what the usage of the colon is I can use it and stuff, but I can't explain it.

Interesting.

Puctuation around dialog is heavily nation-and-language dependent. Dama, if I recall correctly you're in Mexico?

Regardless of what you do, be consistent. And make darned sure you're telling a compelling story.

Hmmm, UJ, you have a point. Yes, I'm in Mexico, so that might have a lot to do. I've always been quite puzzled at American punctuation in books, actually.

But still, I don't think those little punctuation issues are that important. Now, if you started using comas or colons instead of periods, you may start worrying

Ok, so today I printed out the whole UJ thread because my attention span when reading on screen is 0 and, anyway, I don't 'get' things as well as if I read them on paper. So now I have a question:

James D Macdonald said:

Don't couple destructive things with you writing. If you light up a cigarette when you start writing, if you quit smoking you'll find you can't write any more.

Same with drinking booze. Same with eating bon-bons. Coupling bad habits with writing will mean that you'll never be able to shed the bad habits.

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Ok, I get the point. But what about perfectly harmless habits, like drinking coffee or tea? I don't drink either, but I drink something similar called mate. Is this a bad thing too?

Dama, as someone who went through a month of fatigue, migraines, insomnia, and debilitating nausea trying to kick a caffine habit, I submit that caffine is not actually harmless. It might not be nearly as bad for you as smoking or drinking to excess, but it's still a physical addiction.

But I think the point is just that habits can get linked to writing, and that's generally a bad thing. In the bon-bons case, what if the writer decides to diet? What if the coffee machine breaks or something? It's a given that writing requires tools-- pen and paper, computer, tape recorder... whatever. Everyone's been in a place at least once where they'd love to do some writing, but don't have anything to write on. It seems silly to add another object to the list of things you need to have around before you can write.

Not that rituals can't be useful. Sometimes, having a series of things that reliably put you in "writing mind" can be a good thing. But I think it should be a springboard to other associations, not a lifelong need.

For instance, when I was in college, I had a strong ritual association for writing that involved waking up at 6, brewing coffee, lighting a candle and some incense, and putting on a particular bit of music. I did all that, and then I did my writing, and then I went to my 8:00 class. It worked very well, but it was only a springboard to developing a simpler, more effective association: waking up at 6 and writing.

Bad habits can be strong associations too. There's this one cafe in Boulder that for me has become strongly associated with meaning to write but actually spending about 4 hours on blogs and fora. I need to fix that glitch in my head and reassign (reallocate?) the association.

I have an extremely strange writing ritual. I look for "themes" to write by (usually short instrumentals ranging from ninety seconds to eight minutes) for certain books and stories. I can't write without the right theme. I could never get in the mood for writing one story I had, the words just didn't appear on the screen the way they normally do. Turns out I had the wrong theme. I think it's a strange way of getting in the proverbial zone.

-Nick

In one sense, rituals can be a bad thing because you become I attached. I agree with that. On the other hand, as Nicole described, rituals can be a way of getting people to write on a regular basis. Consistency has been my main problem with realizing my writing aspirations and maybe I need a ritual or two to get me going.

What I'm saying is that if something's a bad habit that you're eventually going to want to kick, don't associate it with your writing. Lighting a candle doesn't cause heart attacks, cancer, or cirrhosis.

Just a IMHO-type thought about colons and quotation marks.

My understanding is colons (and to a lesser estent, semi-colons) are currently out of favor in fiction. Using a colon to indicate the beginning of a quote is best reserved for business communications.

Of course, some modern writers avoid the question by using no punctuation to indicate quotations. Me, I hate that.

note: The deal with semi-colons appears to be a preception that agents and editors tend to prefer two short sentences over a single long one.

All that aside, the prime directive isn't, as I understand things, to do like our English teachers taught us or even what's trendy, but to be consistent and, most of all, tell a good story.

Bayou Bill

James D. Macdonald said:

What I'm saying is that if something's a bad habit that you're eventually going to want to kick, don't associate it with your writing. Lighting a candle doesn't cause heart attacks, cancer, or cirrhosis.

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Just, y'know, stay away from the ones with lead in the wicks. Those SUXX0R.

Very few people know how to use semicolons correctly.

Don't confuse your readers. Don't knock them out of the story while they're trying to figure out what this particular set of black marks on white paper means. Sure, you can replace quote marks and other punctuation marks with one dingbat or another, but why?

Oh, while we're here: a lovely review of a literary novel.

I always thought the sem-colon was used to continue on the same thought when it was time to end a sentence, or something like that.

As for the colon, I usually use it to denote text or signs.

EG. Jim looked at the sign. It read: No trespassing!

Likewise, serial commas are falling to the wayside.

Jim, me, harry, sally.

Jim and sally and harry, and me. Seriously. At least in journalism.

Semicolons:

A semicolon is used when a more significant break in conntinuity then that indicated by a comma is called for but a knew sentence is not desired. Some authorities say that a semicolon is now rare and should be avoided. If a comma and conjunction won't do the job in most cases, it is probably wise to use a period and start a new sentence.

But, I give an example.

A semicolon is used in compound sentences between independant clauses not joined by connectives, particularly if they are extended or have commas within them.

The weather was hot Tuesday; however, even though the sky was cloudy, no rain seemed on the way to give relief.

John, the third boy to get his award, give it to his mother, who was standing beside him; she broke into tears.

It's obvious that either sentence could be made into two separate sentences.

Sentences with a semicolon are independant clauses that in some way relate to the first part,or last part of the sentence.

See you all after vacation. You have a one week sabatical from my ramblings.
Ken

James D. Macdonald said:

What I'm saying is that if something's a bad habit that you're eventually going to want to kick, don't associate it with your writing. Lighting a candle doesn't cause heart attacks, cancer, or cirrhosis.

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Right then, I can keep on drinking mate!!!

Yerba Mate (pronounced "yerba mahtay") is a medicinal and cultural drink of ancient origins. Introduced to the world by the Guarani Indians of South America, Mate contains ingredients that help keep its drinkers healthy and energetic.

Energize The Body
Stimulate Mental Alertness
Aid Weight Loss
Cleanse The Colon
Gentle Diuretic
Accelerate Healing Process
Relieve Stress
Calm Allergies
Fortify Immune System
Increase Longevity

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As for the semicolon/colon thing, correct me if I'm wrong but it has very little impact on the story as a whole. I mean, if you've got a great story, does it really matter if you used ; instead of : and viceversa? I mean, it's not like writing their instead of there, or spelling country as cauntry. It's a lesser mistake that can easily be corrected to the likes of the editor, so why worry about it?

As far as colons and semicolons: no, they aren't as important as other bits of grammar, but yes, they are important. Strive to use them correctly; you'll be rewarded. I don't see any advantage in abusing any of your tools.

As to the serial comma, I'm a believer. Without the serial comma we get barbarisms such as I dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

Others may not believe in the serial comma and house style will overrule you. Just be consistent.

James D. Macdonald said:

I dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

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This poor child!

caw.

James D. Macdonald said:

I dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

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I agree this is a barbarity!! I mean, it seems like it's being dedicated to Ayn Rand (just one person) and God. Sheesh.

Just the other day I was cruising through a blog. Seeing the way people write I'm not surprised 90%+ of the slushpile never makes publication. Awful, just plain awful.