Get the dash right when you write

Published on November 3, 2017November 2, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

Not talking Morse Code.

Does the Hyphen, EN Dash, and EM Dash ever confuse you?

They have me. Thank goodness for editors who know the difference.

I wonder if I’ll ever remember everything I need to know about punctuation. Seems the more I read the more I need to read. Something like that. Joel Friedlander posted a great article about using dashes instead of commas and how we can get the placement mixed up.

What I learned about the right way to use these punctuations…

That the dash is not based on the font size.
The difference between a Hyphen, EN, and EM.
- Hyphen is shortest
- EN is shorter than EM
- EM is the longest
The three are not interchangeable.
An editors shorthand for where to put them.
And the short-cut keystrokes to insert them.
Short-cut keystrokes are a quick way to insert special characters. Of course, you can always click on the Special Characters menu but I’m a big lover of shortcut keys when writing in Scrivener or MSWord.
For blogs click on the Special Character in the WordPress Visual Editor.

This screen pops up and you can select whichever character you need.

The Hyphen key is easy. It’s on our keyboard.
The EN Dash shortcut for Scrivener or MSWord is Ctrl+Minus. Looks a bit like a hyphen and is used to connect a range, for dates or pages. Often found in indexes.
The EM Dash shortcut for Scrivener or MSWord is Ctrl+Alt+Minus. The EM dash is for a pause or parenthesis with somewhat more emphasis than a comma and somewhat less than what parentheses imply.
- The Punctuation Guide states, “Most newspapers — and all that follow AP style — insert a space before and after the em dash.”
- However, this may not be practical for fiction as it may result in a formatting nightmare—resulting in a line break where you may not want one.

To learn more, click and read Joel’s entire post.

Hyphens, Em Dashes, En Dashes—Everything You Need to Know BY JOEL FRIEDLANDER

Keep reading more info here.

How to insert special characters in WordPress.

Did any of this help clear up things for you?

Do you use EN or EM dash in your writing?

What do you think?

I really want to know so leave me a comment and talk dashes.

Also, if you can please stop by my other locations and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

OR CLICK THE “WRITE ME” TAB AND SEND ME AN EMAIL.

What to do with old obsolete grammar rules?

Published on November 1, 2017October 26, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell28 Comments

Do we throw them out?

Or do we realize some rules are made to be broken?

Hooray! At last, a common sense post about what to do about hard and fast rules that make no sense in this day and time.

6 Old Grammar Rules That Are Finally Going Out of Style by KELLY GURNETT

I felt a kinship with Kelly and you will too. You may enjoy the workarounds she provides unless of course, you are one of the few Grammar Police left in the world. I hope you’ll set aside that red marker and reconsider after reading her post.

Here is my take on her 6 rules:

Ending sentences with a preposition.
- Guilty, but I didn’t know this rule was attributed to Winston Churchill
Starting sentences with a conjunction.
- Oh yes, guilty. This gem was apparently courtesy of teachers in the 19th century.
Sentence fragments.
- Now honestly, I write like I talk. And well…
Split infinities.
- This one drives me nuts. But what a relief, Kelly gives us permission to use as needed and explains why.
Who vs Whom
- I love her suggestions. Just avoid if unsure. But realize the word “whom” is for formal writing.
Pronouns.
- What about “they?” Turns out it’s not one but what else is a writer to use?

Click the link above to read more about Kelly’s thoughts on these obsolete grammar rules.

Questions:

Do you agree, some rules are made to be broken?

Is there another grammar rule that drives you nuts?

Are you guilty of breaking these six?

Do you have any tips to help writers with grammar rules?

Please share, let’s become better writers together.

Also, if you can please stop by my other locations and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

OR CLICK THE “WRITE ME” TAB AND SEND ME AN EMAIL.

Is it possible to complete a novel in one month?

Published on October 25, 2017October 23, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell31 Comments

If you’ve managed this amazing feat, I’m impressed.

But not me, I break out in a sweat just thinking about writing a novel from beginning to end in thirty days.

Emails are pouring in for NaNoWriMo. Have you signed up?

Well, it’s that time of year, and the deadline is fast approaching. Almost time to start your engines, I mean computers.

If you decide to go for it, here are a few great tips from Bridget at Now Novel. The big takeaway from Bridget’s post is to plan, prepare and plan some more before you start writing.

Guess this is where I mess up. I’m a bit of a crossover between pantser and plotter, using a little of both to write a story, and planning is not one of my strengths. So for you super organized writer, good luck, and Godspeed.

Writing a novel in a month: 10 tips for plotters and pantsers

But, if you’re like me and hives appear with the arrival of each email pressuring you to write 50,000 words in thirty days, check out the following post and feel better about deleting those pesky emails.

Better yet, DON’T write that novel by Laura Miller

Laura makes some valid points. This is not for everyone. And if you’re worried about spewing out 50,000 words of crap, passing on NaNoWriMo might be the best decision. For me, I’m gonna go the way of the turtle. Slow and steady wins the race.

What about you?

Are you signing up or sitting out this year’s NaNoWriMo?

Have you participated in a previous NaNoWriMo? How’d it go?

Do you think it’s possible to write 50,000 words in 30 days?

OR CLICK THE “WRITE ME” TAB AND SEND ME AN EMAIL.

Do you need a little inspiration today?

Published on October 16, 2017October 15, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Writing inspiration comes in many forms.

I’m trying Ben, I’m trying.

Some days are easier than others.

Inspiration can get our creative juices flowing come from Memes, blogs, books, other writers, our kids or weird characters that wake us in the middle of the night. I’m talking about imaginary characters of course.

When a character waltzes in my bedroom in the dead of night I do what any reasonable writer would, I grab my trusty pad and pen to promptly scribble down the best words ever written. In the morning I bounce from bed ready to turn my late night inspired words into a fabulous award-winning scene.

My first reaction as I try to read the gibberish is, WTF? Did a six-year-old kid scribble this on my notepad? It appears my characters enjoy tormenting me in my sleep talking about nothing. Guess I need to stop watching Seinfeld reruns before bed.

Maybe I should try meditating instead of sleeping. Hmm.