15 June, 2008

Some of you must me familiar with my resource plan. For those who aren't, that link should be useful. After running various ideas through my head (and those of my fellow lit GDs -- yes, this is a funny way to say it), I posted a poll and found that a majority of you think it would be beneficial to have a regular news article focussing on a particular aspect of writing. And then, the most curious thing happened: I was updating my Resource Central journal, when I received this message: "This journal is approaching or over 64KB long and may appear incorrectly when saved or may not be editable later."

I've had some long journals before, but I've never been told that I was going too far. I consider this a great achievement on the part of the lit community that we have so many articles as to get annoying messages like that. And also, that message crystallised the hazy ideas I had about a regular resource newsletter. So, welcome to Write*, where you get a monthly dose of resource articles, updates, and general blather.

_{*I couldn't think of anything else, OK?}

What you will find in this news article: Proof it! - A list of resources on proofreading | Recent finds | Resource news | Ask a question! | Literature Daily Deviations: May 2008 | I need your feedback.

Proof it!

An ungrammatical-sounding heading seemed the best way to go when talking about proofreading. (Really!) And proofreading seemed to be the right sort of basic thing to kick this series of news articles off. Nothing too heavy. Just the right bit of backwards to it: proofreading is technically what you should do after you're done writing, though it's best to keep checking your grammar, spelling and punctuation as you go. Finally, after ^GeneratingHype's revision month, which treated content and style in revision, I figured some of you may want to shine up your already polished pieces.

Proofreading means reading something to check for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and fact. In the oh-so fashionable word of art, such practical things as the correct place for an apostrophe are important, because it respects potential readers, allowing them to read easily and comfortably. Note that spelling and punctuation conventions tend to vary based on country. It is best to stick to one convention for the sake of uniformity. Also, publishers and editors tend to prefer manuscripts that are well proofed (a mistake here and there can be forgiven), if that sort of thing means anything to you.

Now, proofreading can be difficult. My suggestion for anyone who wants to improve their skills: read, read, read. And play word games. And ignore anyone who makes fun of you for playing word games. Or reading.

That said, here are some resources that go into detail. It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a good enough to get anyone started.

Top Ten Grammar Errors by *phantom-inker covers the basics. Although some of the rules seem to be set in stone (e.g. "run-on sentences are bad"), the general idea is that one should avoid these mistakes and make calculated decisions about when to break a rule for a stylistic effect. What I like about this resource is that it is full of examples and helpful hints; also, it's colour-coded.

~Mavyrk's A Prosist's Guide to Self-Editing also discusses basic grammatical errors and ends with some useful tips on how to proofread. I also like the tips offered in Grammar and Spelling by ~writers-in-progress.

If you want something short and sweet, try *WordCount's Wrath of the Grammar Nazi, which is a list of pet peeves. Common Errors in English by ~yoyo64 and Grammar Workshop by *FictionWorkshop are also worth checking out.

The above resources relate to grammar, for the most part. For more specific information on punctuation and how to use some of the more mysterious characters on your keyboard (semicolons and colons, especially), try Punctuation's Most Wanted by *phantom-inker -- a very creative way to get across the message. Also try =Mattiello's Colons, Semicolons, and Hyphens and =illuminara's Punctuation Basics.

Dialogue often makes punctuating an even trickier affair. Should commas come within quotes or not? Does one always have to start with a capital letter in a dialogue? *WordCount's Punctuation Dialogue: A Guide should clear any doubts you have on the subject.

Finally, formatting isn't just important in poetry: prose needs to look good too. Big blocks of text and capital letters all over the place are some of the biggest irritants while reading. So *WordCount suggests you Give Prose Visual Appeal.

In The Portable Document Format and You, ~apocathary talks about the advantages of .pdfs and how to use them on deviantART.

_{For resources on other topics, try our Resource Central.}

Recent finds

is a club account that you should check if you're interested in formal poetry. Just dig into their gallery -- it is very, very full.

Resource news

`Beccalicious has been hosting a Scriptwriting Month this June and has collected some excellent resources for script writers in her journal. She has also been putting up writing advice in news articles: Exposing Characters and Considering Audience.

As I mentioned in my introduction, I received this message: "This journal is approaching or over 64KB long and may appear incorrectly when saved or may not be editable later", so the Resource Central will have to be split into two, or I will not be able to update it any more. Suggestions on how to do this are welcome.

I have an interview with *SRSmith lined up, so look out for that.

=inspiredimperfection created a stamp for us. Thank you so much!

I have noticed that people are creating writing resource collections, which is a neat trend. Hope it catches on. And if anyone finds a really good collection, let me know, so I can feature it here.

Ask a question!

This space is for anyone who wants to ask a literature-related question. Note me (^lovetodeviate) with a question and I'll try to find a good answer for it. Which questions and answers get featured are up to me. To start off, here's a pretty standard one:

Is free verse poetry really free?

Literature Daily Deviations: May 2008

Poetry

War has opened this up by ~amodestmouse (Experimental, Typography)
Hold the Line by =arctoa (Human Nature, Open)
Antique Hidden Treasures by ~Bexica (General, Open)
Punishment by ~cuoha (Humour, Fixed)
Nahla by ~Desertlion (General, Open)
Fried Egg Morning by ~fm-vorassi (General, Open)
Sands of Time by *GaioumonBatou (Philosophical, Open)
White noise, then darkness by *Gulivar (Spiritual, Open)
Passion by *LaColombeDeDeuil (Mature Romance, Open)
cinco de drunko by ~marionette-owl (Human Nature, Spoken Word)
Stargazers by ~lupyne (Human Nature, Open)
feel for it by ~sorryi8yercat (Visual)
The Tygger by `SparrowSong (Humour, Fixed)
Photographic by ~Unsapient (Erotic, Sonnet)
Small talk by *venturus (General, Open)
unwrapped by *YouInventedMe (General, Haiku & Eastern)
Displacement rhyme by ~Yuniku (Other Romance, Fixed)

Prose

Run drabble by ~365-leap (Life Stories)
Death of Charity by ~BlueDannyLew (Sociopolitical)
Crayons by *Boxymoron (Non-fiction, Philosophical)
Murdering Mary Sue by ~Cei-Ellem (Essays)
Not a Typical Morning by =DarcKnyt (General Non-Fiction)
Decayed Earth: The First Days by *distortified (Science Fiction)
Break by ~frankieofthehills (Perspectives)
The Writing Process by ~LaMonaca (Essays)
Wooden Crates by *LeonieSainteVire (Mature Romance)
memento mori by =livingcomforteagle (Fiction, Philosophical)
Two Paths: Proglogue by *Memnalar (Fantasy)
The Court of Life by =mormonchick1005 (General Non-Fiction)
Panties and Pistols by ~NLY (Theatre & Scripts)
I Found One by *raspil (Mature Romance)
Uncle Danny by ~Skyen (Biographies)
Coping With OCD by =TerrorCookie (General Non-Fiction)
My lion by ~tricksyriver (Children's)
Look, Fool-- by ~wrenwatcher (Perspectives)
Hell's Kitchen by *Zhinggibiis (General Fiction)

_{Sorry if I have missed anyone out. It was not intentional. Let me know and I will rectify the mistake.}

I need your feedback.

How can this news article be improved? What topics should I tackle next? Is my resource central missing certain articles? Have you a question or answer for me? Note me!

And that's it. I hope there aren't any typos in this. I proofread, I promise!

See you next month with another set of resources. -- ^lovetodeviate