Monthly Archives: June 2019

Today’s Writing Tip

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I remember when I first went to work at NASA I felt as if everyone around me was speaking in a foreign language. This was because just about everything from space shuttle to space station components and launch operations were referred to by an acronym. This would be particularly annoying to non-NASA spouses at company parties, who had no clue what those around them were talking about if they started talking shop.

Your reader might have the same problem if you use too much terminology that is unfamiliar. While you want your story environment to sound authentic, this is an area where you may want to consider including a glossary, though these are awkward to access in ebooks, as are footnotes.

When I was a technical writer, the rule (at least at NASA) was to write it out the first usage in that particular document, then include the acronym in parenthesis. From that point on the acronym would be used. In a book this might work, depending on how often it will be used as well as how soon after you define it. If it’s something that isn’t obvious from the context of the sentence or conversation, you might need to ditch the acronyms and go with something the average reader immediate understands.

Today’s Writing Tip

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If you’re an author and get a good review, it makes your day. Suddenly all your effort transforming your creativity into a story is worth it. However, they do little to improve your work. I have learned more from poor reviews than good ones. Some have improved my writing and others have simply helped me understand who likes my work and who doesn’t, which helps with marketing strategies. No matter how good your story may be, trust me when I say that not everyone will like it.

Reviews are subjective. In most cases they’re only one person’s opinion. Okay, if the average of all your reviews is three stars or less, then there may be more of a problem. However, bear in mind that publishers supposedly don’t take your collection of reviews seriously unless there are a few really bad ones in there. Why? Because they figure they’re all from friends and relatives, even if this isn’t the case.

All this considered, if you leave a bad review, do the author and explain why. Few stories please everyone once they get past Winnie the Pooh. If it’s simply not your kind of story, say so as well as why. I recently didn’t finish a book yet left it a four-star review. Why? Because it was well-written, just simply wasn’t my kind of story or what I expected. To me it was too much action and too little plot, but for someone who thrives on taskforce action it would probably be one of their favorites.

So if you leave a bad review, explain why. If it’s technical, e.g. too many typos, say so, giving the author a chance to fix it. You may not like it when you get a bad review, but pay attention. Unless it’s a troll, there is something to be learned. And even if it’s a troll, consider your work is good enough to be considered a threat to someone.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Yesterday I talked about punctuating dialog. One place that gets tricky is with exclamation points. If you use too many, it gets grating. Even though your character is still excited, angry, or agitated and probably yelling, using too many in succession tends to acquire the look and feel of a comic book.

Therefore, don’t over-use exclamation points! Save them for where they’re really needed for emphasis! Too many gets annoying and reduces their impact!

Capiche?

Today’s Writing Tip

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I’m always amazed when I encounter an indie published book where the author doesn’t know how to punctuate dialog. Seriously? I remember learning that back in elementary school. However, I’m old as dirt, so maybe that was another one of those things eliminated from school curricula. However, if you’re going to represent yourself as an author, then it’s your job to learn such things.

I have seen some really weird, albeit creative ways to convey characters conversing. However, as far as enhancing the story, forget it. It’s another one of those dreaded distractions that throws a savvy reader out of the story.

Here are the basics:

If it’s a simple statement, you use a comma, NOT a period. “I’m going to the store,” he said.

If it’s a question, then use a question mark. How obvious can it be? For example, “Do you need anything at the store?” The trick here is if it’s part of the narrative, then sometimes it’s ambiguous.  I get that and have run into it myself a few times, especially when a character is wondering about something. Wondering, by it’s very nature, is a question. However, sometimes it’s not that obvious. In dialog, however, it should be pretty clear that something like “I wonder if he’s going to the store this afternoon?” is a question.

If someone is excited, angry, or speaking/thinking in an agitated state, then use an explanation point! “What do you mean you’re not going to the store? You said you were and I need some butter!”

It’s really not that hard, is it? Yet I’ve seen it done incorrectly numerous times. C’mon, indie authors! You can do better!