Comments on: The Basics from Dear Gentle Writer

By: vanessa jaye

vanessa jaye — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:13:20 +0000

My mom used to make these kick ass meals out of left-overs buy adding a little bit of this a little bit of that, throw it in the oven or sautee on the stove and bam! Dinner. I cook that way from scratch. I know just enough of a basic recipe to dangerous when it comes to improvising. lol. In a way, that’s how I write: whatever works to give me the results I want (emotional punch, characterization, pacing, plot-twist, emphasis on tone/author-vice, whatever). Like a basic recipe you should be aware of the so-calls rules because you need that knowledge if you’re going to start breaking and twisting them.

By: Linda Winfree

Linda Winfree — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:42:37 +0000

I’m going to keep my mouth shut.

Gerunds and participles and infinitives and absolutes can be your friend. I love em dashes and cumulative sentences.

Rules bug me when they arbitrary, which many of the writing “rules” are.

By: JenB

JenB — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:01 +0000

Actually, the introductory phrase in Melissa’s example is most likely participal, not gerund. :badgirl: In order for it to be a gerund, the -ing phrase has to be used as a noun, and it’d be really hard to use this particular phrase as a noun.

Walking into the pile of trouble Amie left on her back porch, so-and-so reconsidered her poor choice of shoes. (participial phrase, used as a modifier)

Walking into the pile of trouble Amie left on her back porch was one of so-and-so’s favorite activities. (gerund phrase, used as a noun, but makes no freaking sense)

Aaaaaaand I’m gonna stop here. I was about to explain why it’s not a good idea to begin a sentence with a gerund. LOL

By: Denise

Denise — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:43:38 +0000

I am a rule follower, much to the dismay of people who know me except when it comes to writing–to a degree. I write to make it sound good to my ears. I will start sentences with conjunctions–I LIKE starting sentences with conjunctions. I like CJ’s examples too…

I am a stickler for some things though–like if you don’t know how to NOT put 4 or 5 spaces between sentences (yes, I’ve seen this recently ) it drives me insane! (If I can tell an editor damn well sure can… ).

If you can tell a complelling story the rest can be learned/fixed in edits. I don’t think you can learn to be a good story teller.

By: Amie Stuart

Amie Stuart — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:38:09 +0000

LOL and now you know where that near-hyperventilation comes from!

By: Melissa Blue

Melissa Blue — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:25:24 +0000

Snort. By no means did I mean for you to follow that rule. I remember your comment from yesterday where you practical started to hyperventilate at the thought of NaNo. I was advising this gentle writer ’cause from the sound of it she couldn’t write, because of all the damn rules out there. Plus, I think there is a big difference between rules of storytelling and grammar/punctuation. That’s where I was coming from i.e. never start your book with weather, the character sleeping/drinking coffee/thinking, your h/h must meet on the first page if not the first chapter, yada, yada.

Strangely enough even in books about how to/how not to storytell there is a gerund rule. ALWAYS.

By: Amie Stuart

Amie Stuart — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:05:44 +0000

And on the subject of no two writers writing alike….

Screw every single rule in the first draft.

I cant. I JUST CANT! I try to write the cleanest first draft that I can so that when I edit, I have fewer things to fix. It’s not a perfect system but it works for me just like your system works for you :thumb: . I tend to lightly edit as I write, correcting misspelled words etc. Then stop at the 1/3, 2/3 points to edit again and make sure it’s all working. :wootrock:

By: Amie Stuart

Amie Stuart — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:02:59 +0000

Walking into the pile of trouble Amie left on her back porchâ€¦~ This sentence starts with a gerund.

See I TOLD YOU if you showed me, I’d know and I do LOL

I think the reason that it’s a “Rule” (haha) to not start sentences with gerunds is that most newbie writers (MYSELF INCLUDED once upon a time) don’t use them correctly. I rarely use them, but if there’s no other way, then you do what you gotta do!

By: Melissa Blue

Melissa Blue — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:05:51 +0000

Walking into the pile of trouble Amie left on her back porch…~ This sentence starts with a gerund. Basically any variation on an ‘ing’ verb. And, yes there is a rule out there somewhere that says to NEVER start your sentence with a gerund.

How do I know this? ‘Cause like this poor newbie I used to follow every rule. I read about 20-30 how to books in my first two years of writing. I became a member of The Cherries, their writing forum. Around year three I don’t think I could craft one sentence because no matter what there was a rule against whatever I decided to put down.

Screw every single rule in the first draft. No, really screw them, every last one. Now, here’s the kick when you revise and you find the writing/prose isn’t flowing, the character is just off, or the particular scene is meh pull out those rules and see which one you broke. If following the rule would make the whatever better, then follow it. Never limit your first drafts, that should be the only rule you follow until it’s time to revise.

By: Southern Fried Chicas » Blog Archive » Out Sick

Southern Fried Chicas » Blog Archive » Out Sick — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:27:25 +0000

[...] Raine’s out sick today. I’d intended to blog for her buttttt I didn’t get a chance.Â Instead since I posted a Dear Gentle Writer blog post this morning at my own blog, I’m going to point you over there. [...]