《Write Better: Tips and tricks》What comes first: the grammar or the rewrites?
Advertisement
When you look at your stack of critiques and you know something is wrong and you wholly agree with the critter, just change it. Don't sigh. Don't wait for more critiques to compare it to. Don't ponder if you'll even keep the sentence when you make your big edit. Just grab your draft and change it.
It's like having a side of peas with your chicken. You know you have to carve it, but if you eat a pea here and there, you'll do a little less scooping later. For some people, especially beginners to editing, this is a useful exercise in getting into the editing mindset and gives you one less thing to drag your feet about later.
About 80% of all quick fixes are grammar-related.
Typos,
missing or incorrect punctuation,
sentence needs to be broken into two or combined into one,
sentence needs a re-write to be less confusing,
wrong word,
odd word choice,
misspelling,
incorrect verb conjugation,
wrong pronoun,
passive to active voice,
past to present,
etc.
As you can probably tell, this guide is designed for writing posted on websites and forums, so I want to stress the importance of making some changes immediately.
If your story is the kind that's posted somewhere, and as you continue to write it or edit it, it's still available for comments and critiques, seriously consider making quick fixes right away.
Having people agree that you made the same mistake can be wonderful. It'll make you a little more confident that there is a problem there, and that more than one person sees it (which can make you feel like you're changing it for the better, instead of for the individual).
BUT
One of the best ways to improve is to do everything to the best of your ability. That way, when people come in and offer their input, you aren't rolling you eyes and going "I know, I know."
Advertisement
Think of it this way. Your mom comes into your room and tells you that you need to dust. You know you need to dust. Dad says the same thing. And Aunt Sue, and your sister, and your little cousin.
Instead of getting new, unique comments from Dad, Aunt Sue, your sister, and your cousin, you just get more of the same and it doesn't help you because you already know it.
Comments can be hard to come by. Do you really want to waste them all on the same issues?
If everyone's flagging the same mistake, they might not catch something else.
In my experience, issues such as bad grammar can detract from the critique process. Instead of enjoying the story more, or being able to pick up on plot issues or sentence structure or voice, if I'm stuck in a sea of typos and misspellings, I might be too tired or completely miss an underlying issue.
Advertisement
- In Serial8 Chapters
The Last Breath
When Yezzu first sent his sons to the realm of men, they brought with them the magic of the gods. They created the three kingdoms we now have today being Dremshen, Ex'ol, and Kantillion. In the five thousand years since the gods left, much has changed. Great wars were fought, Universities were built, civilizations were created. One thing remained after the gods' departure though, their powers. Today, the balance of crafting the three gods brought has shifted. In the beginning, each had the same skill as the other, but the magic that was passed down through the millennia has diminished. The struggle for power that started long ago is coming to a defining moment. Plots of war and assassination are being weaved. Don't despair, for we may yet be saved from the disasters to come. Our hope lies in three young crafters. The first is William Divus, who sets out from his small village into the Dremshen Kingdom to study crafting after his father's passing. His questions about his father and his quest for knowledge drive him. Next comes Ehzahn Obasi, an Ex'olian thief with unparalleled skill. He steals for the thrill, no longer needing the rewards that come with it. He has just achieved his lifelong dream, but he will soon learn how much he underestimated the fallout from his daring theft. The last is Ki Soru, the niece of a powerful duke. She showed promise with crafting at a young age, so she had the best training the Kantillion Kingdom had to offer. Ten years have passed since her lessons began, leaving the king unsatisfied with the results. Her life is upended when her new teacher arrives, revealing a secret kept from her that changes her whole life. These three are our heroes. They were born in separate kingdoms under vastly differing upbringing, but each with their own part to play in the challenges to come. Here begins our tale of mischief and misery with only but a sliver of hope.
8 144 - In Serial44 Chapters
Borderlines
Eighteen year old Fawn Simmons is living in post apocalyptic America. She is the overseer of Section 2, a portion of the US that she is governing over under orders of the King Marcus and Queen Lily. America is divided in half, the East and the West. When the King and Queen are tragically killed in a fire, Fawn is thrown into a competition with the other 15 overseers. A two week period is given to the overseers. They must fall in love with someone during this time and prepare themselves for the throne. With danger of Western rebellion on the rise, everyone is desperate for a new king and queen. Does Fawn have the peoples vote for the next queen or can she even survive the next sunrise? She has two weeks to fall in love. Two weeks to change her life forever.
8 202 - In Serial10 Chapters
Abnormal
A world run by a system of Godhood, rocked by an era of change, one woman must find her way through life, now that her only avenue in her supposed destiny is now closed to her.
8 99 - In Serial11 Chapters
Chronicles of Leofric [Dropped]
DROPPED: This fic is dropped because I am thinking of doing a xianxia in a different style.In the world of Teophire, there are people who pursue the path to immortality and divinity. They try to break the shackles of mortality through various paths of cultivation. Our story follows Leofric Mah Wayne on his path of cultivation.Yeah, I am not very good at summaries. This is a Xianxia fanfic in a fantasy world.Warning: This series is tagged as Mature because it contains crude language and violence..Copyright Notice: Chronicles of Leofric (and all its chapters) by fidelc123 (on royalroadl.com) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
8 178 - In Serial28 Chapters
Something Other Than You : Book Two
Book Two Of Brand New : Book One
8 215 - In Serial10 Chapters
MaNan FS - Love + Arrogance✅
What happens when a girl is pampered beyond limits...???What happens when she turns out a bit arrogant...??Well, a bit would be fine but what if she takes advantage of that pampering of the only brother she has.Meet Nandini Murthy, arrogant sister of Abhimanyu Murthy who never says no to his daughter like sister.Peep in to know how this pampering and his so called bro love turned middle class, simple, down to earth person to a monster.Can Abhi save his sister from the monster whom she herself wished to have him in her life...???A LITTLE BIT DARK...SO NO BASHING PLZ...
8 93

