By Mignon Fogarty Grammar Girl Semicolons Separate Clauses Semicolons separate things. Most commonly, they separate two main clauses that are closely related to each other but could stand on their own as sentences if you wanted them to Here’s an example: I have a big test tomorrow; I can’t go out tonight. The two clauses in […]
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By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy A structure is like a rough map, the line drawings in a coloring book. How we overlay our story (color in the line drawings) is up to us, but the structure provides guides and boundaries to help keep us focused. Turning points like, “leave the ordinary world” are just a
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An inciting incident definition: The inciting incident is an episode, plot point or event that hooks the reader into the story. Screenwriting guru Syd Field wrote about the inciting incident in his classic book Screenplay. The inciting incident also fits Carl Jung’s description of the ‘hero’s journey’. In an examination of myths and stories from all over the world,
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1) 10 Tips To Improve Your Grammar I always find it interesting when writers will pledge a commitment to their craft, but shrug their shoulders when I say they need to work on their grammar. Some will also cite a poor education or a special learning need like Dyslexia. Whilst both these things will make improving
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One of the best ways to improve your manuscript and get it ready to submit to agents and editors is to have another writer read it and offer an honest critique. And getting several such critiques is even better. Although most writing manuals tell you that this is crucial for improving your writing, many authors
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