Cotton Trivia

Should students take summer learning breaks?

Many Genres Educational Tip from Heidi Ruby Miller

EDUCATIONAL TIP FOR WRITING:
WHAT ARE BE VERBS?
The group we refer to as BE verbs are all forms and tenses of the verb to be. (am, are, is, was, were, been). It is one of the first verbs we learn in speech because it allows us to show identity simply and easily.

WHY SHOULD I AVOID OVERUSING BE VERBS?
They spoil the clarity of a character's actions.
They cause repetition within the work.
They often lead to passive voice.
They make your prose less interesting and engaging.
They make the work more difficult to read.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M OVERUSING BE VERBS?
Use the find feature in MS Word to find all of your BE verbs by clicking on FIND in your tool bar, then typing in the verb form: If you write in past tense, start by finding was; if you write in present tense, start with is. Go through all the forms and tenses and highlight all of your BE verbs so you can get a visual of the distribution.

HOW CAN I REPLACE BE VERBS?
It's simple: Change the BE verb to an action verb. It may be one you already have in the sentence with an –ing at the end of it (I was running through the streets. – I ran through the streets.).

For extra practice, try writing a paragraph in your current work without using any BE verbs. If you apply this guided practice over and over, eventually it will become a good writing habit.

NOTE: Sometimes BE verbs are necessary, especially in dialog. Make a judgment about whether a form of BE is the best verb to use in a particular sentence.

Contributor: Heidi Ruby Miller

Articles in MGOC: "Tomorrow's Kiss: The Duality of SF Romance"
"The Shifting Grail: A Quest for a Good Read"
"Be an Archetype, Not a Stereotype"
"I'll Scratch Your Back and You Promote My Book"
"Touring Virtually"

Links: http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com

Other Work: Ambasadora

--

You can order Many Genres, One Craft, edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller, through any of your favorite book sellers, including Amazon.

Many Genres Educational Tip from Natalie Duvall

EDUCATIONAL TIP:
I currently teach 11th grade English and various adult writing courses. You might think that 17 year olds and grandmothers have nothing in common, but when it comes to writing, they do. Writing is inherently personal, and students of every age can be very sensitive when it comes to their own writing. If students feel attacked, they won’t be able to grow in their writing.

Because of this, it’s important that writing instructors (or critique group moderators) don’t allow anyone to be swamped under a deluge of criticisms. Writers should instead be judged on only a few items at a time. In secondary education, this style of editing is called “focused correction areas.”

The general idea behind this is that student work should be evaluated on no more than three areas. These areas are specific and identifiable. As a writing instructor, you should determine what will be evaluated and then assess just for that. For example, one session could critique character development, while another worked on showing and not telling.

By doing this, teachers ensure that no student feels overwhelmed. It will also make the revision process seem more manageable.

Contributor: Natalie Duvall

Article in MGOC: "Talking About Dialogue"

Links: http://www.natalieduvall.com
http://www.finelivinglancaster.com
http://www.thecaloriecountess.com

Other Work: I write Regency-set historical romance. This is the kind of genre Jane Austen would write in if she were alive today... and wanted to show people kissing. I’m also a columnist and feature writer for the magazine, Fine Living Lancaster.

--

You can order Many Genres, One Craft, edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller, through any of your favorite book sellers, including Amazon.

Many Genres Writing Tip from Jason Jack Miller

EDUCATIONAL TIP FOR WRITING:
WHAT ARE CONCRETE NOUNS?
Concrete nouns help authoritative authors establish dominion over setting by showing readers that the action isn’t taking place in a fluffy, generic anywhere. Concrete nouns show without telling. Time period, seasons, political climate, socio-economic situations and social mores can all be demonstrated by the nouns an author utilizes to animate his settings. Timons Esaias, a mentor in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program, says that "every concrete noun paints a picture".

WHY SHOULD I USE CONCRETE NOUNS?
Being more specific with nouns can transform your prose into a much more concise and believable product. If nothing else, let this lesson provide a more systematic approach for writers who have yet to develop their own method of formulating vocabularies for their projects.

HOW DO I USE CONCRETE NOUNS?
If a reader has ever been to a place a writer hasn’t, it’s evident to the reader almost immediately. Authenticity is tough to fake, but good writers do it all the time. And they do it by thoroughly researching subjects to provide themselves with a vocabulary of the region and culture they are writing about.

Make your own, extensive lists of concrete nouns. Jump into the book knowing how characters speak, where their parents went to high school, what they ate on Fridays growing up, how they describe local weather phenomena, what their neighbor’s favorite sport is. It may seem excessive, but by creating your own, extensive vocabulary for your novel you can leave much of the telling out, and stick to showing.

Among the nouns your list should include are:
Colloquialisms - a regional way of speaking
Slang - less regional and more about social groups
Local culture, holidays, and customs
Local food, drink, and restaurants
Music
Famous events in local history
Smells
Stereotypes and archetypes
Place names and local landmarks

This exercise isn’t meant to be totally inclusive or even mandatory. It’s a starting point for compiling concrete nouns that should be used throughout a story to make the setting more vivid and authentic. The checklist should be fluid and amendable, and writers should feel free to adapt as they see fit.

Contributor: Jason Jack Miller

Articles in MGOC: "Painting Your Setting with Concrete Nouns", "Setting Limits: Working in Small Spaces", "Magical Realism as Genre: Or, Waiter, There's an Angel in My Soup", "Essential Magical Realism"

Link: http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com

Other Work: The Devil and Preston Black
--

You can order Many Genres, One Craft, edited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller, through any of your favorite book sellers, including Amazon.

Cotton Trivia

How can we best engage in the classroom during the last weeks of school?