Month: June 2021

The Curse of the Question Mark #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

June 28, 2021

Do you use said or asked after a ? or tag your interruptions? Any punctuation that bugs you? What’s the hardest for you to get right?

The first thing I thought about when I saw this topic was how to make the post funny, but a comedian I am not. Not for lack of trying, but my sense of humor is warped. People don’t get my attempts at humor, and I have to admit, I’m not that funny. So, you’re stuck with me answering this as blandly as possible. Hopefully, it won’t be that bad.

Punctuation is hard. I don’t get it right 100% of the time. Thank heavens for good editors. But the question mark question I have covered. If I add a tag to a sentence that ends in a question mark, it’s always asked or questioned, but it’s never said.  That wouldn’t make sense to me. I suppose it’s possible that a person asks a question in a monotone and using said would work, but I don’t believe I’ve ever written a sentence like that. I have written sentences that grammar programs have interpreted as questions when they aren’t, and then I confuse the computer by refusing to change the period to a question mark. But there’s no ask or said involved.

Is there punctuation that bugs me? Let’s talk quotation marks. Why is there a difference in usage of question marks between the United State and part of Europe? They use the single quote to mark dialogue.  ‘Punctuation is the devil,’ rather than the double quotes we use in the US “Punctuation is the devil.” How did that happen and why? Who thought that was a good idea?

And is there punctuation I struggle with? Besides almost all of it? Let’s talk dashes. Why do we need three forms of dashes? Not two, but three. You have the dash – the en-dash – and the em-dash —. The rules of how and why to use each other is enough to make a writer’s s head spin and a grammarian’s heart sing, and I’m not going to try to explain them here. I don’t think I’d do a good job. Feel free to give yourself a headache and research them in your favorite fashion.

What about you? What punctuation do you struggle with? Let’s commiserate in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the other authors on the hop by checking out the links below.

As always, until next time, stay safe.

June 28, 2021

Do you use said or asked after a ? or tag your interruptions? Any punctuation that bugs you? What’s the hardest for you to get right?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Picking A Beta Partner for Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

June 21, 2021

If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

I’ve been pondering this question all week. Through writing, I’ve met so many good authors either in person and on-line, that picking one is nearly impossible.

Then I hit my forehead with my palm in that classic gesture, because  I don’t have to pick. I already have several!

First up. I’d like you to meet Cornelia Amiri. Cornelia and I were matched through a Yahoo news group back when I was getting ready to publish my first book, and we’ve been beta reading and critiquing for each other ever since. I love her stories, which lean heavily on Celtic myths and legends, although she also writes steampunk, and science-fiction.. I’ve learned a lot from her stories! You can check out her books at https://www.amazon.com/Cornelia-Amiri/e/B002BLFENY%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share.

I’m not an expert on Celtic gods and goddesses. And that’s good, because it allows me to concentrate on the story line. (Her shapeshifters are different from mine!) We’ve learned each other’s weak points and what we do well. She points out places where I can add emotion to my writing. I find places where her timeline is messed up. She finds phrases that I over-use; I find where the spelling of an archaic Gaelic name switches spelling in the middle of the story. We make each other better writers, and I appreciate all the help and encouragement she’s given me.

But there’s more! I belong to an on-line critique group, and there are a few folks there who I trade critiques with on an ongoing basis. Sure, the quality of the critiques varies, but even the bad ones give me insight into things that I can improve. I won’t mention them by name here because I don’t know their real names, only what they use on the site. One of the best parts about the site is that it attracts writers from all over the world. Not only am I getting suggestions from writers from varied backgrounds, I’m receiving suggestions based on different cultures. (and English usage- it threw me the first time I say quotations marked with a single quote versus a double one ( ‘ not “))

For the sake of the discussion, I’m going to call out one writer I’d live to work with – Jenna Bennett, author of the Savannah Martin Mysteries, as well as others. She’s a USA Today and New York Times best-selling hybrid author, publishing both with traditional publishers as well as indie with a knack for telling a good story. I think she’d be interesting to work with.

When I started writing novels, I didn’t expect it to lead to new friendships. Boy, did I have a lot to learn!

By the way, I’d love to work with the authors on this hop. But I can’t choose all of them, so I chose none. But to see who each of them chose, just follow the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe.

June 21, 2021

If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Lando’s Top Ten Bucket List #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

June 14, 2021

Write a top 10 list in the voice of a character. Is your character a person making a bucket list? How about someone listing their greatest fears? What does the list they make say about the character?

I knew this one was going to be tough from the moment I posted it. Most of my major characters live for the moment and don’t make bucket lists, so I decided I’d do it from the voice of one of my secondary characters. Folks, meet Lando Soldati.

Lando is a tall, lanky programmer at Shifter Technologies, and one of the first employees hired by Eli Hennessey. He’s smart but doesn’t take life seriously, which makes him the perfect sidekick for Eli., who has a habit of overthinking things. Lando changes his hair color regularly, and his favorite accessory is a bright red mohawk hairpiece.

Now for his bucket list, in his words and in no particular order:

  1. Win a prize at the San Diego Comic Con. I need to come up with something besides one of the Avengers because there’s so much competition. Maybe Warpath? Or Dr. Who?
  2. Write a program that Eli can’t find any flaws in. No matter how good I think am, he always finds a way to make my coding better. One day, I’d like to match his skill.
  3. Buy a house. Living in an apartment has its advantages – I don’t have to worry about maintenance – but I’d like to have a place where I don’t have to listen to the neighbor’s baby crying at 3 in the morning.
  4. Travel to both the North and South Poles. Weird, but blame it on Mrs. Pascarella and learning about Roald Amundsen in fourth grade.
  5. Find a woman who will put up with me. I never thought much about it until I saw Eli and Harmony together. I’d like to have that kind of relationship with someone.
  6. Design a game. Not necessarily to sell, just to say I did it. Bragging rights. I love to play them, so why not create one?
  7. Convince Harmony to go to a Comic Con with me. She’d make a great Spitfire.
  8. Visit the Oregon Coast. The one time I was there, I was too busy working to enjoy it, and barely got to see the redwoods in Northern California. I’d like to drive the entire coastal highway.
  9. While I’m at it, I should take a trip to Silicon Valley and soak up the techy atmosphere. Not that I’d want to live there, but it would be fun to visit. I wonder how much time off I can talk Eli into letting me take?
  10. I can win any cops and robbers computer game that’s made. I spend all day writing code for police departments but I’ve never got to hang out with actual cops. Some day, I’d like to do a ride-along with police officers in real life and see them in action.

And that’s Lando for you. Sweet guy who hasn’t got life figured out yet, but is working on it. I’ve tried giving him his own love interest a time or two, but it’s never worked out.

Don’t forget to check out the lists from the other authors on the hop. You can find them by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

June 14, 2021

Write a top 10 list in the voice of a character. Is your character a person making a bucket list? How about someone listing their greatest fears? What does the list they make say about the character?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

You Want To Sell Me What? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

June 7, 2021

What commercial do you hate? What commercial is your favorite? (YouTube link us if possible) Have you ever gotten an idea for a story from a commercial?

DISCLAIMER: This is another post in the “Why did P.J. pick this topic?” category, because I don’t watch TV. One reason is because I HATE commercials. What I love to do is pick them apart, point out all the weak spots and generalizations, and ruin my husband’s TV watching experience. I have learned to ignore them even if I am sitting in the same room. I used that in my Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Harmony doesn’t watch TV either, except for the weather and the occasional documentary.

That doesn’t mean I’m not exposed to commercials. Yes, I see them from the corner of my eye even if I don’t pay attention to what they are selling. And hate is a strong word, but there are some that I strongly dislike. Sorry, Flo with Progressive Insurance, I’m side-eyeing you. 

I get it. The commercials are supposed to be humorous. But they don’t make me laugh, and Flo’s ‘personality’ grates on my nerves. I’m amazed the advertising company keeps using the same setup, but it must reach the audience they want. I’d think lots of people would be tired of it, but I’m no marketing guru.

That’s part of my issue – how frequently a commercial is aired. Show it me me one time and I may be mildly amused. Play it five times in the same day and I’m over it. Done. Don’t want to see it again. I wasn’t going to buy the product anyway.

Are there any commercials I enjoy? Hmm. The only ones I can think of I caught on YouTube, and I’m not sure they’re being played on TV. They are from Realtor.com, and feature a series of monsters looking for new homes- and what happens when they find one. I’ve seen four different versions, and I like the vampire one the best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5UPI8x70ag

The question about having been inspired by a commercial? I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot pole. I think you know the answer.

I’m sure there are creative commercials out there, so I wonder what the other authors will come up with. Let’s find out by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe.

June 7, 2021

What commercial do you hate? What commercial is your favorite? (YouTube link us if possible) Have you ever gotten an idea for a story from a commercial?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

I’ll Wait For You Forever #IWSG

  By Uncategorized
 
It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and time for another Insecure Writers support Group post.
You ready?
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
June 2 question – For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?
The awesome co-hosts for the June 2 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner,Sarah Foster,Natalie Aguirre,Lee Lowery, and Rachna Chhabria!
 
 
The collective wisdom that is passed around is that a writer should wait several weeks after finishing a first draft to begin editing. Time enough for the words to sit and to let the author come back to it with fresh eyes. Sounds good, but I’m bad at following good advice. Even before I’ve written The End, I’m finding words and paragraphs that need changed. Or added. Or deleted.  If I can wait a day or two to start editing, I’m doing good.
 
Except there are other stories that I’ve written, leaned back, and said “That’ll never work.” And it goes into archives without doing any additional work on it at all. Then there are the stories I wrote over five years ago, that I keep coming back to, trying to figure out how I can make them marketable.
 
That’s part of the dilemma I’m facing with my current WIP. I think I’ve got a solid basis for the story, but it’s a different style and genre than I’ve ever written, and I’m unsure if I can whip it into shape. Still, I can’t put it away and I keep pecking at it,  fixing a word here, deleting a phrase there. I’ve been unable to ignore it and give myself the space I need to look at it objectively.
 
I’m worried I’m more in love with the character than the story, and that’s bad. Then I read a line and think “That’s really good!” What I need to do is throw a chapter out to a critique group and let them tear it apart.
 
But it’s hard to make the story (and me) wait. I want to get it out of my system one way or the other so I can move along to my next adventure.
 
Let’s find out if other authors struggle with waiting to edit by following the links below.
 
And, until next time, please stay safe!