Where to Find Help for Your Grammar Sins

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

Do you have a grammar sin? One you find repeatedly in your writing? I do. I’ll confess. When I began my writing journey more than a year ago, I discovered a horrible truth.

I was a comma whore. I placed commas the way I spoke not according to accepted grammar rules. Even with a graduate degree in hand, I had  forgotten, over the years,  how to write a well-structured sentence. How humiliating! 

Once I realized the error of my ways, courtesy of my writer’s group, I took off  to the bookstore. It was time for a refresher course.  Strunk & White’s, The Elements of Style, was my first purchase. It is the number one grammar book recommended for writers everywhere. If you don’t have copy, pick one up.

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 In addition to Strunk & White,  I also found a number of software programs available online and easy to download. Bear in mind, while not perfect, they are excellent resources.  

The programs won’t do everything for you. They won’t complete your unfinished manuscript, but they will teach you a lot about grammar and editing.

Want to tighten your writing skills? Improve your grammar? Come on, confession is good for the writing soul….

Unburden yourself. Confess your grammar sins, then check out these wonderful editing tools.

Here, you’ll find some of my favorites, acquired along the way in my effort to shed my own grammar sin. I’m a work in progress.

AutoCrit  

  1. About: Is an easy online download book editor can manage from 400-100,000 words, depending on the membership you choose. 
  2. What it Does: The program analyzes your writing sample for the following: overused words, sentence variation, cliches & redundancies, repeated words & phrases, pacing, dialog, initial pronouns, readability and homonyms. 
  3. Cost/Membership: ranges from free which is word limited to fee based ($47-117/year).

My favorite of all the programs, I chose to pay the fee and have found that the benefits, for me, outweigh the cost.

Writer’s Diet Test       Is your writing flabby or lean?

  1. About: Designed by Helen Sword, this program evaluates writing samples of   100-1000 words.
  2. What it Does: each category: verbs, nouns, adjectives/ adverbs, prepositions, and waste words (is, that, this, there) is scored  from lean to heart attack zone 
  3. Cost/Membership:  A great, free tool!
  1.  About: Is a copy editor that helps refine your writing. A copy and paste Beta program, it is word limited.
  2. What it Does: Identifies common mistakes, such as adverbs, passive voice, weak words, ‘said’ replacements, ending with prepositions and often-misplaced words. 
  3. Cost/Membership: Free for the using. 

EditMinion is another good tool for identifying those pesky adverbs.

Grammarly  

  1. About: An automated proofreader and grammar coach. Windows compatible, it can be downloaded as an office add-in to your WordPerfect and used as an additional grammar tool. Grammarly is not fully compatible for Mac users; although Mac users can utilize the program by copying and pasting.
  2. What it Does: Checks writing samples for grammar, punctuation, writing style, and even plagiarism.  
  3. Cost/Membership:  $39.95  every 3 months.

Last but not least…

  1. About: A fantastic and fun site on teaching grammar to anyone.
  2. What it Does: Offers lessons, courses, free PDF books and ongoing emails on grammar from beginning to advanced. 
  3. Cost/Membership: Some books do have a fee, others are free for download. Please refer to the site. Sign up to receive bimonthly grammar quiz emails and challenge yourself. If you have children, keep this site bookmarked!

So, Do you have a hidden grammar sin? Do you want help? Check these software programs out and let me know what you think. Did they help you? Did the quality of your writing improve? Send me a well-written sentence and let me know how you’re doing.

HELP! New Writers Needed

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

In case you’re wondering, I haven’t gone from being a writer to a movie critic. However, this past week makes me want to put out a call to writers everywhere. Hollywood is in desperate need of new writers!

My husband and I are movie buffs. The last several movies we attended, we came away stunned. Not only was the movie not as we expected, the previews were unbelievable. The last movie was terrible.

1- The Story line was confusing to say the least, and contradictory.

2- The Plot – pathetic. No tension, no surprises, other than the “I can’t believe we paid for this,” uttered from me and my husband.

3- The setting was completely unrealistic, as were the characters. Throwing in token characters from every minority group without rhyme or reason, when it certainly didn’t advance the plot, left me scratching my head.

4- The actors didn’t grow up in my generation – that was clear. I’m old or a prude, but boundaries have disappeared, or so it would seem. And, I have my doubts about the writer’s education. Most of the story line was riddled with  dialogue of four letter words without substance.

Now,  when we plop twenty-five dollars down for movie and popcorn, I would at least like a story  with a plot. A beginning, middle and end that makes sense. I’m not opposed to spicy language when  appropriately used, but every other word and gratitious sex in the middle of a restaurant with everyone, including the patrons seems over done.

 What happened to a good story? A good plot?  Where have all the good writers gone?

We need good writers. Writers that know how to tell a story. Stories that make sense, make us feel good, give hope and make us smile. The kind of stories that used to fill our libraries and book stores. We need good writers to elevate our stories, and yes, I dare say, our movies.

So, here’s my challenge to you. Write a good story. A story that others will want to pass on, sit down and read to their children or put on their bookshelf. Elevate your story above what Hollywood is writing. We’re much better than that. What do you think?

“If a nation loses its storytellers, it loses its childhood.”


BTW: I would pass on the movie Seeking a Friend for the End of the World!!

Make Good Art

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

“MAKE GOOD ART”

I haven’t been enjoying the ride as much as I should be. This was a great reminder of why I write.  His advice was simple and to the point. I hope you will take a moment to be inspired.

 

Wow! I just watched an amazing and inspiring video commencement speech by Author, Neil Gaiman,  University of Arts Class of 2012.

1. “Be wise, and if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is, and behave as they would behave.”
2. Make amazing, useful mistakes; “mistakes mean you’re doing something.”
3. Go beyond the Rules.
4. “If you have an idea of what you want to do, or what you were put here to do; just go and do it.”
5. Leave the World a more Interesting place.
6. Make good Art: “Make it on good days & bad; Make the art only you can make, using your voice, your mind, your story, and your vision…”

7. Enjoy the ride.

A Good Year

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

 blimpPhoto Prompt for 100 word Flash Friday Fictioneers-33

A GOOD YEAR

      Karen elbowed her sleeping husband, “Oh my God! Brian look! Wake up,” she said, shaking his arm.

     He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry babe, I’m exhausted from the wedding.”

     She pulled him toward the window. “It’s the blimp!”

     Sure enough, high above the clouds, as though their own personal escort, floated the Goodyear blimp.

     Brian’s heart swelled to near bursting, with love for his young bride as the window of the plane reflected back the child-like delight in her eyes.

      Karen squeezed his hand, smiling, “It’s going be a good year.”