This isn’t so much me, but I know a lot of other writers often have more than one WIP. Yep that’s how awesome our brains are. We can hold our reality (hopeful) along with one to you tell me how many other worlds that we create.
I posted this before and I’m going to post it again just because it’s that funny.
What are you working on right now? How many WIP? What do you tell your friends when they ask how that novel’s coming?
(The awkward bro hug two tap on the back I’d be okay with. Kissing cheeks? Not so much)
Yesterday I was at a meeting with some of my fellow Singapore Writer’s Group (which is an amazing group of writers, seriously! But 505 members on Meet-Up is not exactly functional). Being Singapore, we are a fairly culturally diverse group. After serious discussions about our future as a group, we parted ways.
I actually was NOT the token Yank at the time. There was one other. Note this. It’s an important fact.
So the three English women and one French women started hugging and kissing each others’ cheeks. Then it was my turn. This is kind of what I wanted to do:
Obviously I went along with it but did not actually kiss. Also I didn’t start crying, don’t worry. I’ve been through this plenty of other times, but still it makes me feel a bit awkward, especially since I don’t know them super well.
“We’ll turn you into a European yet!” one of my writing friends said. We all had a bit of a laugh.
Me and the other American looked at each other and laughed. We just waved.
We definitely don’t do the hug and kiss each cheek thing in Wisconsin. I was thinking about it, and my friends and I back home at most would do an awkward side hug farewell but that’s about it. My English and Scottish friends here, apart from those at the SWG, don’t do that either.
(I’d put Wisconsin in this category as well haha)
Will I turn European before I leave Singapore? Only time will tell. I’ve been told I’m practically British so I guess I’m getting closer 😛
Have you encountered cultural differences in greetings that made you feel uncomfortable? What is your culture’s method of saying good bye? (Americans, we DO have our own culture, which I didn’t really realize until I left haha)
So my brain has been on fire the past four days! Writer’s high to the max, Ideas just itching and itching to get out of my head.
I finally made myself get started on the prequel to the other novel I’m wrapping up right now (which is off at a development editor), Hooligans in Shining Armour set in modern-day Belfast. I was putting it off because I don’t know why, probably because I didn’t feel like researching, but I finally found my spark. I’d already plotted it out a bit, which helped immensely. Plus as I was writing this, I found out I loved this character even more than I ever knew!
Anyway… Have you ever written a sequel or a prequel? What did your process look like for that? Is it easier or harder to write than the first?
So I started doing a bit of creative writing teaching in the Singapore schools. So much fun. Love kids. Now I’m the token white person and the token Yank 🙂 Anyway, at the end of the lesson, this little girl comes up to me. Here’s our dialogue:
“Miss Sarah, are you Australian or British?”
“I’m American. Which one did think I was?” I ask.
“Australian.” She smiles up at me.
“Why?”
“Because of how you talk.”
Nope, I’m this:
(Image retrieved from bleacherreport.com)
(Side note: I DO NOT agree with the above meme, let me be clear. Let’s be real for a second, we all can be obnoxious in certain…situations, let’s just say. Except Canadians 😛 They’re so nice and polite. Do they even have an obnoxious chant? I guess maybe “Oh, Canada!…” I don’t know the rest, sorry Canada. I blame my mom for not teaching me.)
This is definitely not the first time someone from Singapore thought I was Australian after I talk. Not that there’s anything wrong being Australian of course. To be fair, I can’t recognize different Southeast Asian accents in English and most of the white people here are Australian so it’s a safe assumption. Maybe it’s because I wear flip flops a lot or maybe I just don’t look British. Who knows. Either way, it’s pretty amusing 🙂
Have you ever had an experience like this traveling abroad? Can you recognize different groups of people based on the way they look or dress? (hope I didn’t open a can of worms with that last question)
Seriously, what is the rule for semi-colons? 😛 Here’s a website on it, since we’re talking about editing resources http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/semicolons.asp
Anyway, I’ve been stalking around Word Press, making writer friends and whatnot, and it seems like I am not the only one in the throes of editing and revising and all that joy. So a week or so ago, I posed a question about resources for self-editing. I got several responses from fellow bloggers and I also asked my fellow writer friends. Thought I’d share what I’ve found thus far, in no particular order:
English Language & Usage (website)Great and usually very accurate when it comes to the finer points of grammar. Suggested by http://amosmcarpenter.com/
http://english.stackexchange.com/
Sin and Syntax, Constance Hale. It’s informative but not boring. Suggested by http://stellawilliamsauthor.wordpress.com/
Amazon people say: “Today’s writers need more spunk than Strunk: whether it’s the Great American e-mail, Madison Avenue advertising, or Grammy Award-winning rap lyrics, memorable writing must jump off the page. Copy veteran Constance Hale is on a mission to make creative communication, both the lyrical and the unlawful, an option for everyone. With its crisp, witty tone, Sin and Syntax covers grammar’s ground rules while revealing countless unconventional syntax secrets (such as how to use—Gasp!—interjections or when to pepper your prose with slang) that make for sinfully good writing.” (Written by American)
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies, Roy Peter Clark. It takes a more positive stance, instead of “don’t do that.” Suggested by http://loyalmuse.wordpress.com/
Amazon: “WRITING TOOLS covers everything from the most basic (“Tool 5: Watch those adverbs”) to the more complex (“Tool 34: Turn your notebook into a camera”) and provides more than 200 examples from literature and journalism to illustrate the concepts. For students, aspiring novelists, and writers of memos, e-mails, PowerPoint presentations, and love letters, here are 50 indispensable, memorable, and usable tools. ” (Written by American)
Revision and Self-Editing for Publication, James Bell
“In Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing, James Scott Bell draws on his experience as a novelist and instructor to provide specific revision tips geared toward the first read-through, as well as targeted self-editing instruction focusing on the individual elements of a novel like plot, structure, characters, theme, voice, style, setting, and endings.”
http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-books/wgf-revision
Grammatically Correct, Anne Stillman
Amazon says: Covers topics including: spelling variations, hyphenation, frequently misused words and phrases, irregular plurals and negative, punctuation, syntax and structure, agreement of subject and verb, tenses, active versus passive voice, clarity/tone, sentence length and order, and much more. It claims to steer clear of academic stuffiness, focusing instead on practical strategies and intuitive explanations.
The Elements of Style,Fourth Edition, by Strunk and White
Here’s what Amazon says: “You know the authors’ names. You recognize the title. You’ve probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book’s unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of “the little book” to make a big impact with writing.”
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, R.Browne D.King
According to Amazon: “In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.”
The Penguin Writer’s Manual (Penguin Reference Books) According to a writer in my Singapore Writer’s Group: a bit of everything: typical grammar mistakes, punctuation errors you spell check won’t notice, elements of style. Compact and easy to understand.
Amazon claims: The Penguin Writer’s Manual is the essential companion for anyone who wants to master the art of writing good English. Whether you’re composing an essay, sending a business letter or an email to a colleague, or firing off an angry letter to a newspaper, this guide will help you to brush up you communication skills and write correct and confident English.
Grammar Girl
Blog with lots of great grammar tips!
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl
I haven’t checked any out yet. Downloading Elements of Style to my Kindle right now. I’ll keep you posted!
Have you used any of these? If so, how did you find them?
Have you used any other helpful books or websites?
Sarah J. Carlson 