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Alright fanfic writers, I just received a package in english class explaining how to "polish" your work. By polish I mean improve. It inspired me to post some of it on here.

Punctuation

It holds everything together. Punctuation tells the audience(the reader) how you want your words to be interpreted. When you talk, your voice puts in many of these punctuation marks.

-When you finish a sentence you take a breath. When you read, there is a period to tell you that you can take a breath.

-A question needs a question mark.

-When you want to emphasive something you use an exclamation point!

-When you want someone to pause, use a comma. You are delibrately separating certain words for clearer meaning.

Sentences have to begin and end

A sentence is a group of words that tell a complete thought. You signal the beginning of the sentence by capitalizing the first letter of the first word and you end it with a period, question mark or exclamation point. You can't expect a reader to know when you have finished one thought and gone on to another unless you mark each sentence ending. Without punctuation a reader only sees a bunch of useless words or other wise known as spam!XD

Confusing words and phrases

Sometimes, there are words you can speak out loud but, you cannot write on paper. People either don't know the grammar rules or choose to ignore them. Words you misuse when talking with friends may look sloppy on paper or on the computer.

"Said", over used and quite boring

Here are some acceptable substitutions for "said" :

-Replied -Whispered -Answered -Shouted -Murmured

-Asked -Commented -Inquired -Demanded -Yelled

-Cried -Whimpered -Bellowed

Its and It's

Its is for when something belongs to someone-something.

Example: The wolf ate its kill.


It's is the contraction for it is.

Example : I don't care if it's late.

Three Simple Rules

1. Avoid the conditional tense: would, should, could

2. Numbers are written out in word form

3. Verb tense indicates time: past, present and futur. Use only ONE tense at a time.

Example:

Jenna plays fetch. -simple present
Jenna played fetch. -simple past
Jenna will play fetch. -futur
Jenna is playing fetch. -present continuous
Jenna was playing fetch. -past continuous

**More will be added**

Those three are basic elementary...but I'll be looking forward to more!!

yes, I think I learned those in 1st grade.... I will be waiting for more

Despite how early most people learn these things, some seem to forget. (I would hope they don't simply choose not to use good grammer.)
This should be a sticky so it gets the attention it deserves!

-LWf

Thanks, I am adding more right now.

This is good, although I disagree with the "use other things than said" part. Oftentimes, it ends up sounding like a Tom Swiftie joke, i.e.
"My bulb just burned out!" Tom said, delighted.

You understand. I feel that if they (your audience) can't tell how something was said by the character's actions then you need more descriptions. I dunno, just my 0.02 cents.

The colloquialisms part was also very nice. Yes, sometimes how people say things can't be transcribed down on paper.

I really like the "it's and its" part. Now for a song...

"Ooooohhhh....If you want to be possessive, it's just I-T-S
But if you want to make it a contraction then it's I-T-Apostrophe-S
Scalawag!"

Thank you Strong Bad Email.

I might be explaining something difficult, but it is essential to great writing. Don't make choppy sentences. It annoys people. People don't like it. I am writing choppy right now. It's not good. It sucks. You need to write better than choppy.

Writing should flow from sentence to sentence, clause to clause. Many of my English teachers say I have a talent for it. My inspiration to writing smoothly came from Victorian literature (books written in the 1800s). These books are difficult to read because the sentences are long and descriptive. However, I believe it is the best style of writing and should be emulated.

I recommend Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, for the first-time Victorian reader. Excellent piece of work.

My 2 cents when it comes to editing, based on what I see when I update the fanfic galleries:

Conversations
I've said it nearly every time I send a PM telling someone their fic wasn't accepted yet, and I'll say it again:
Please make a new paragraph at the begining and end of each conversation and with each change of speaker.

Example 1:
WRONG
(Other stuff from previous paragraph bleeding into conversation in same paragraph.)"But I finished first!" shouted Kodi. "No you didn't," Kirby replied. "Dusty beat you, fair and square. "I don't care," Dusty interjected. "I think it was a tie."(Other stuff from the next paragraph that's in the same paragraph.

RIGHT
(Other stuff in previous paragraph.)
"But I finished first!" shouted Kodi.
"No you didn't," Kirby replied. "Dusty beat you, fair and square."
"I don't care," Dusty interjected. "I think it was a tie."
(Other stuff in the next paragraph.)


On a related note...
Story Length
Now, I myself try not to be picky about story lengths, because not all stories are novels, and hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere. However, One paragraph, or a few paragraphs, do not constitute a story in my mind; they barely represent a part 1, 2, etc...
A main cause for this, I think, is the urge to have a lot of fanfics (and thus a large number next to your gallery name), perhaps so people will notice you. To that I can only say that good things come to those who wait. People will notice your writing.
And please, for pity's sake, do not write everything in one big paragraph! I've yet to let one through like that. Just take the few extra minutes and break it up.


While you're add it, and some
Description
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Most if not all of these questions can be answered easily about almost anything or anyone. Paint a picture thru words. Description, on top of making your writing more vivid and enjoyable, will also add length.

*more as warranted*

I hope this helps all you writers out there. Applause for x_X_Emily_X_x for creating this topic!

-LWf

LWF---)Of course it helps!^^ Every little bit does. Thanks, I did it just to help out some younger writers.

Everyone else----)I'm sorry I haven't added anything else yet. I'm just too busy at the moment. I will try to add more tomorrow nitght.

Nice topic

I hope to use the "SMS" detection things I talked to help for fanfics too...
It could help with the problems n° 1 and 2.

Let me clarify your rule about numbers. Not all numbers have to be written out. Some numbers should never be written out.

Just so I'm clear...
Numbers are figures: 7, 876, 3, 67, 12345
Numerals are words: fifty, forty-four, seven, eleven

Write out:
- Short numbers (two to three syllables or less)
-Time (On the hour)

EX
Yes: There are five buildings on the campus.
Yes: It's five o' clock.
No: Come over to my house at 12, we'll have lunch.

Don't write out:
-Dates
-Time (exact)
-Large numbers

EX
Yes: In 2007, the world will end.
Yes: The earth's population is exactly 6,775,348,234.5.
No: Be home at four forty-five, mkay?
NO!: I was born in nineteen ninety-four.

Exceptions:
-Numbers that are larger than their numerals should be written out.
EX
Yes: Over a million people own a BowFlex portable gymnasium.
No: Over 1,000,000 people own....

A couple rules:
-Don't start a sentence with a number.
Yes: Two dollars is all you need to get yourself a Crunchwrap Supreme.
No: 2 dollars is all you need....

-When writing out numbers, be persistent. Don't have numerals and numbers both in one sentence.
Yes: He ordered two tacos, five burritos, and a drink.
NO!: He ordered two tacos, 5 burritos, and a drink.

And about using the word "said"... Sometimes using other words can distract the reader from what's being spoken. Most of the time, a simple ("Get over here," Mike said) is efficient enough to get the job done. Most writers, including myself, use substitutes for "said" often, but don't ever rid of "said" completely.

Most grade school, middle school, and high school writing rules apply only to formal literature; that's not what this forum is, is it?

Also, a word about description. DON'T do what is called "info-dumping", i.e., stopping the action of a story to fit in a physical description of a character. Rather, sprinkle tiny bits of description over the action, which not only solves the info-dumping problem, but offers many opportunities for a more vivid idea of what a character looks like, and spices up the surrounding sentences in the process.

WRONG

"There was a stirring in the bushes, and accompanied by her two most loyal pack members, the Alpha Female began to weave among the trees, sniffing the air for the scent of caribou that had eluded her pack for so long. Her fur was pale brown, almost gray, and her underside was marked with creamy tan, contrasting her ocean-blue eyes. Her build was sleek, almost like a dog's, and her tail curled slightly over her back, but her scraggly coat and large paws gave her the appearance of a wolf. When she spoke, her voice was youthful and bright. Then, her fur stood on end as she caught a threatening scent. There was another pack nearby..."

RIGHT

"There was a stirring in the bushes, and accompanied by her two most loyal pack members, the Alpha Female began to weave among the trees, sniffing the air for the scent of caribou that had eluded her pack for so long. Her ocean-blue eyes scanned the barren forest for any possible movement, and occasionally she perked up, thinking she saw something move, only to realize it was a swaying branch or a falling leaf.

'Alpha, we're beginning to stray too far from our own territory," one of her advisors said, struggling to keep up with her swift pace. The Alpha stopped, looking back at him.

'Believe me, I certainly know that. When the scent of our pack is at its haziest, we'll turn around and then redirect our search further east." Though her youthful voice remained bright and confident, her worries were revealed as her next inhale was cut off by a sharp gasp. She sniffed again, this time her pale brown fur standing on end and a snarl crossing over her cream-colored muzzle. The threatening scent carried one grim message: another pack was nearby, and they were closing in..."

Character Dialogue

Descriibing a scene can be difficult enough sometimes, but actually what's harder is figuring out what the characters have to say. It sounds daft but it's true. The Dialogue is what makes the story happen, now I'm not gonna tell you how to type the dialogue correctly in terms of layout, because that's simple. What isn't is deciding what the characters actually say.

1) Watch the movies (or at least one of them) again before you start writing in general. Get a feel for characters like Balto, Jenna or Steele. Pick up on little phrases they might say or how they say their sentences. Remember reusing a line isn't plagerism, it's just good continuity (Reusuing a story is plagerism). Making sure that the character actually sounds like the character.

2) Expanding popular characters... Now this is essential for any fic to work. Although it's good to use continuity don't be afraid to try something new, just as long as you and your readers are sure that the character could possibly say that or even do that.

3) New Characters... These you can go nuts on, afterall it's your creation. However think how you're new character is going to react around established characters. Make sure you have a plan, otherwise your creation may become two dimensional and trust me, sometimes you won't notice until you've posted your fan-fic.

4) Established yet unused characters... Again like new characters these can be open to interpretation. For example Dingo barely featured in the second film, so who says that he might not say or do whatever it is you type.

I know all this may sound patronising but trust me, follow these rules and you won't go wrong... at least not all the time. Afterall we're only human.

I have something important.

The quotation marks (") are always on the outside of punctuation.

Examples:

"Well," she said. "I would rather not participate in such a hanus crime."
She paced the floors. "Miss, have you my purse?"
The poem by Edgar Allen Poe, "Annabell Lee," is rather deep.