The Do's and Don'ts of Writing

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Banach95
King For A Couple Of Days
Banach95
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 4870

Mibba Blog
January 8th, 2007 at 07:52pm
The DOs and DON’Ts of Writing.

This is a simple “How To” guide to writing along with tips for submitting stories on Mibba. There is a wealth of information here so please take a moment and read through everything.



CONTRACTIONS -Something that contains opposite elements.

It’s means it is (ex: It is Green Day.)

Its means show possession (ex: There is a band. Green Day is its name.)


They’re means they are (They’re standing here.)

There means indicates a place (ex: Green Day is over there.)

Their means shows possession (Their equipment is here.)


Can’t means can not (ex: You can’t be correct.)


Don’t means do not (ex: Don’t talk bad about Green Day.)

Doesn’t means does not (ex: He doesn’t know Green Day?)


He’s means he is (ex: He’s Tre Cool.)

She’s means she is OR she has (ex: She’s his girlfriend. ORShe’s got the equipment.)

They’ve means they have (ex: They’ve got the equipment)

I’ve means I have (ex: I’ve got the equipment)


Who’s means who is (ex: Who’s this guy?)

Whose means shows possession (ex: Whose equipment is this?)


Let’s means let us (ex: Let’s go out tonight.)


Shouldn’t means should not (ex: You shouldn’t run with scissors.)

Wouldn’t means would not (ex: It wouldn’t be a good idea.)

Couldn’t means could not (ex: You couldn’t run safely with scissors.)


You’re means you are (ex: You’ve his girlfriend right?)

Yours means shows possession (ex: Is that yours?)


I’m means I am (ex: I’m with the band.)






PUNCTUATION -The use of standard marks and signs in writing and printing to separate words into sentences, clauses and phrases in order to clarify meaning.


Apostrophes The superscript sign ( ' ) used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word (ex: can’t), the possessive case (ex: Dujo’s), or the plurals of numbers(ex: 5’s), letters(ex: M’s), and abbreviations(ex: GD’s).


Periods A punctuation mark ( . ) indicating a full stop, placed at the end of declarative sentences and other statements thought to be complete, and after many abbreviations. or for use in titles (ex: Green Day performed tonight. OR Mr. Mike Dirnt)


Question marks A punctuation symbol ( ? ) written at the end of a sentence or phrase to indicate a direct question. (ex: Where is Green Day?)


Commas A punctuation mark ( , ) used to indicate a separation of ideas or of elements within the structure of a sentence. (ex: This, that, and other things.) OR A pause or separation (ex: when reading out loud, a comma indicates where a breath is placed.)


Semicolon The punctuation mark ( ; ) used to indicate a major division in a sentence where a more distinct separation is felt between clauses or items on a list than is indicated by a comma, as between the two clauses of a compound sentence (ex: I am alone; my wife had to leave.)


Exclamation point A punctuation mark ( ! ) used after an exclamation. (ex: Oh my god!)


Quotation marks Punctuation marks ( “ ” ) at the beginning and end of a passage quoted from an author in his own words. (ex: “Where did you go?”)

DO NOT use two apostrophes instead of quotation marks.




GENERAL GRAMMER


Capitalization -Used to begin a sentence and to show a proper noun. All names and titles should be capitalized (ex: Green Day, Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe, Tre Cool, Mister, Mr., Mrs., I, Geek Stink Breath)


Paragraphs -A distinct division of written or printed matter that begins on a new line, consists of one or more sentences, and typically deals with a single thought or topic or quotes one speaker's continuous words.
Which means, hit the enter key and not have one gigantic paragraph. PLEASE.


Spacing It’s that long key under the last row or letters on your keyboard

There is no space after the opening quotation mark.

ex: “ Where are you?”
corrected ex: “Where are you?”


Add a space AFTER ending quote.

ex: “Where are you?”he said.
corrected ex: “Where are you?” he said.


Use spaces after periods (full stops), exclamation points, question marks, and commas.

ex: “Hi,how are you today?What’s wrong?”he said.
corrected ex: “Hi, how are you today? What’s wrong?” he said.


Use only ONE space. Don’t bother with the tab key on your keyboard. Don’t use indents and don’t try to make them using spaces.



HOW TO WRITE OUT DIALOG


Dialog -the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction.


When doing dialog, there MUST be punctuation at the end of the dialog sentence.

ex: “Where are we” or “I went to the store” or “Whoa”
corrected ex: “Where are we?” or “I went to the store.” or “Whoa!”


Each piece of dialog gets it’s own line.

ex: “Where are we?” he asked. “I don’t know.” “Well I need to know.”
corrected ex: “Where are we?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Well I need to know.”


When splitting dialog, only the FIRST word needs to be capitalized.

ex: “Hi,” He said, “Where did you go?”
corrected ex: “Hi,” he said, “where did you go?”


Now if the first part of the dialog is a complete sentence, THEN you capitalize the first word in the SECOND quotation.

ex: “Where are you?” Said Billie. “did you go over there?”
corrected ex: “Where are you?" said Billie. “Did you go over there?”



Story Titles should be clean without (* % ~ # or things like that). First letter is ALWAYS capitalized.


Use of dot, dot, dot ( … ) shows a pause or a cliffhanger.


No spaces after them. They shouldn't end a sentence unless it's supposed to be a cliff hanger. The next part of the sentence should not begin with a capital letter

ex: “Oh yea… But what if I don’t want to?
corrected ex: “Oh yea…but what if I don’t want to?”


Ellipsis A series of marks (… OR ****) used in writing or printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters and words.



GENERAL STORY TIPS/IDEAS


Character(s)


First of all, you need a main character.

-Who is your main character?
-What is your main character?
-What does your main character look like?
-What is your main character's personality?

Be sure to check through that when thinking of a main character. Not hard at all.


Setting

-Where does your story take place?
-When does your story take place?
-How does the setting help the main character's personality?
-How does the setting impact the main character's problem?


This is a set of questions you should put your mind to. Every story happens somewhere.


Problem


What is your characters problem?

Creating a problem makes the story seem more alive. It can't be too small like: What flavor of ice cream should I get?


Also, use conflict in your story! A story that's too tranquil and peaceful may come off as a bit unrealistic. The more times your character tries and fails, the more interesting it becomes.


Ask yourself:

-What is the problem?
-Is it big enough to where it takes the whole story to solve it?
-Do other characters help create the problem?
-Does the setting influence the problem?
-What steps does your main character take to try and fail to solve the problem?



Language/Structure


A story that looks as if it's been written by a two year old won't succeed. It's always a good idea to SPELL CHECK and expand your vocabulary.

ex: "Jane walked to the store. She bought candy." - This kind of structure makes the story seem very bland and uncreative.

corrected ex: "Jane strutted down the cracked and beaten side walk, heading to Bobs' Fresh Veg. And Meat Market. She purchased a handful of sweet, sugar coated candy."

- be descriptive. Give the story identity. No one will remember a story with no face.



Metaphor: A figure of speech where an expression is used to refer to something, but does not literally suggest a similarity.
ex: "He was swimming in depression."

Simile: A figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different types. (using 'like' or 'as')
ex: "The snow was like ice cream."


Alliteration: The repetition of initial sounds.
ex: "Bob felt big, bad, and brawny."


Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement.
ex: "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse."


Point of View

Point of View refers to the viewpoint from which a story or essay is written.

There are three primary points of view - first, second and third. What is important to remember is that point of view should be consistent throughout a document or essay.

FIRST PERSON: First person is written in the point of view of the author. For example, if you are remembering a childhood memory, you would use first person. Pronouns associated with first person include I, me, my, myself, etc. You might begin your essay like this:

"I remember when I was in first grade. Mrs. Dilley, my art teacher..."

SECOND PERSON: Second person uses the pronoun you. This document is written in second person because instructions are being given directly to you, the reader. You have probably heard that you shouldn't write your school essays in second person. In formal or scholarly writing, you should avoid the use of second person. It should be reserved for writings of direct address - personal letters or documents that give specific intructions, for example. Many writers make the comon mistake of switching to second person when referring to an example:

"I remember when I was in first grade. Mrs. Dilley, my art teacher, gave me an assignment to knit a small item. You know how you feel when you get an assignment you don't quite know how to accomplish..."

THIRD PERSON: This is the preferred point of view for formal and business communications. It helps to make the writing objective by removing personal references. It uses pronouns such as he, she, they, it, etc. Most students have the greatest difficulty in changing their second person writings into third person. For example:

"For more information on this subject, you can see their website at..."
to
"More information on this subject can be found on their website at..."

POV SOURCE



These are just some ways you can create a more interesting story. Figurative language is a big part of storytelling, so try it out.


-Use feeling. Intense emotions are a good element for a story, especially in first person POV.

-Don't overdo it. Going overboard is like over painting a canvas. Eventually it get's thick, messy, and tacky.



Bottom Line:
Let your mind free and be creative!




This was article was written using material originally written by “in_paradise_with_st_jimmy aka BillieJoesGrl72” and “A Melancholy Autumn” over at GSB.
Merci Pour Le Venin
Idiot
Merci Pour Le Venin
Age: 31
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Posts: 662
January 10th, 2007 at 07:22am
how do you get to the stupid mibba site?
Banach95
King For A Couple Of Days
Banach95
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 4870

Mibba Blog
January 11th, 2007 at 06:08pm
Merci Pour Le Venin:
how do you get to the stupid mibba site?

mibba.com Wink
ERROR:
King For A Couple Of Days
ERROR:
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 3310

Mibba Blog
July 19th, 2007 at 04:54am
sampalletband:
Use of dot, dot, dot ( … ) shows a pause or a cliffhanger.

They shouldn't end a sentence unless it's supposed to be a cliff hanger.


I've always been under the assumption that if you were going to continue the sentence (say you wanted a pause during some dialogue) that you would only use three dots. But, if you didn't want to finish the sentence and either have the dialogue trail off or leave a cliffhanger as you said, you use four dots.

Example:

"Billie Joe, I...I don't know what to say to you."
And around the corner there came a....
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