Laurie Halse Anderson:
“Write about the emotions you fear the most.”
notes
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
A Cure
Nora Roberts:
“You can fix anything but a blank page.”
Back to the Basics: Are You Questioning Me?
Questions, questions, questions. We have one too many throughout life. Have you ever sat behind your keyboard staring at your manuscript or essay questioning when to press the key to insert the ‘question mark’? It’s important to know what the squiggly line and the period have to offer you because one simple symbol can mean a whole lot.
Although we did briefly mention this punctuation mark in passing. We’re now going to chat about it in a little more detail. Where does it goes, why does it goes there, and how do you make your text messages sound less like you’re questioning yourself?
- Direct Questions: Like we talked about before, a direct question uses the question mark. An indirect question may raise wonder, but does not have a question mark to end it.
- Direct Questions…WITHIN a sentence: Unlike the period, the question mark is not easy to omit. Within a sentence, the direct question uses the question mark. In these cases, the question mark takes place of the comma. This is really helpful to know for writing dialogue in a story.
- Part of a title of work: Want to get really confused? Try and keep up with this one…
When a title of work ends with a question mark, the comma comes back into play- especially if mentioned within a sentence. If you’re asking a question about the work, there’s no need for an extra question mark. What if the title appears at the end of a sentence? No need to add that period then.
- Requests: Just remember, if you want your assistant to do something soon or immediately, don’t end your request with a question mark…DEMAND IT WITH A PERIOD!
- Expressing uncertainty: In an editorial work, insert a question mark within parentheses and/or brackets to show your uncertainty about the information prior.
Direction In Life
The Bookshop Feeling
Showing, Not Telling, Pt. 2
Richard Price:
“You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burning sock lying on the ground.”
Turning the Page
After our post a couple weeks ago, I’ve been in the mood to read and discuss my latest reads without having to leave my bed to reach out to a book club. I wouldn’t want to be restricted on time (that I don’t have) to read a book and meet a group at a scheduled time which I may or may not miss. I would just love to sit back with my computer, write a post somewhere, and leave it alone overnight to accumulate some feedback.
Well guess what? There’s a place you can actually do that. There’s a Facebook group called Page Turners by Buzzfeed! It’s a great social place to go online and talk to fellow readers about the books you want to discuss. I know it’ll encourage me to pick up a new book and start a discussion or contribute to one.
Here’s what Page Turners had to say about themselves:
“Page Turners is a community/challenge to help people read more and read new kinds of books! [The Facebook group] is where can share what books [people are] reading for each month’s theme, discuss books with fellow readers, and even pictures of where, what, and how we’re turning pages.”
Does this make you want to pick up a book from your #TBR pile? It certainly makes me feel so!
A Bittersweet Feeling
Classic Advice
Charles Baudelaire:
“Always be a poet, even in prose.”