HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. Feel free to print these posts to use as a reference. Pass the links along to your writer friends. It’s packed with great information this month. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In This Issue:

* * Whose point of view will engage your reader? Find out in CHOOSING POINT OF VIEW.

* * Read about our NEWEST E-book, entitled UNTANGLING WEB SUBMISSIONS: ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PUBLISHING YOUR WRITING ONLINE. http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Untangling-Web-Submissions-Essential-Guide-To-Publishing-Your-Writing-Online.aspx.

* * Learn to clean up your hyphenation in DON’T LET MISUSED HYPHENS MUDDLE YOUR WRITING: BASIC HYPHENATION RULES.

* * We'll teach you how to recognize sentence structure errors in SENTENCE SPOILERS: FRAGMENTS AND RUN-ON SENTENCES.

* * Every writer can benefit from our continuing list of MORE MISUSED (AND MISTREATED) WORDS.

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS. Visit: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx.

↓ Scroll Down to Read These Exciting and Useful Articles!! ↓ 

When you’re writing a story, be it a short story or a full-length novel, you may have many objectives in mind. Sure, you want to see it published—a moneymaker would be nice, too—but don't you really want your reader to gasp when things get exciting? Jump when things are unexpected? Sigh when your heroine finds true love? When your reader feels what your character feels, you’ve accomplished that elusive goal and made an impact—brought your story alive through your character(s).

When planning your story, at some point you’ll have to make an important decision. In order to bring your character(s) to life, you must decide who will be telling the story. Whose point of view will engage us, the reader, most effectively?

First Person:

Many editors and publishers will tell you that a novel written from the first person point of view (I, we) is often a sign of an inexperienced writer, and—toss!—into the trash it goes. Check your local bookstore and take note of how many best-sellers are written in first person. They exist, but novels are far more often written in third-person narrative, and for good reason.

In first person, the character is also the narrator, either playing a central (active) role or a peripheral (sideline) part. As the first-person narrator, you have but one point of view to offer, and this can be limiting. There’s simply less opportunity to bring depth to the story. On the other hand, a first-person narrative creates an undeniable intimacy with the reader.

Poems and short stories don’t necessarily need to delve into other characters’ viewpoints, thoughts, and feelings, and writing in a first-person narrative works quite well. There are also a great many well-received novels out there written in first person, so don’t let sweeping generalizations deter you from choosing the point of view (POV) that works best for you.

Second Person:

This is a difficult and uncommon style to pull off successfully. Imagine an entire novel where the character, narrator, or even the reader is referred to as “you.” (“You walk down the street and notice the wide array of street people tucked into corners and alleys.”) Often considered an experimental form, this type of narrative would be nearly impossible to sustain through a full-length novel and would be more successful in a short piece. Examples include “How-To” stories, such as “How to Date a Brown Girl…,” by Junot Diaz.

Third Person:

Storytelling from a third person point of view (he, she) offers a clear distinction between the author and the characters, allowing the author complete freedom to travel through the story and its characters. The narrator is not a character and can therefore comment on every aspect if so desired.

Omniscient Narrator. Usually reserved for longer fiction, this narrator is all-knowing and can enter any character’s thoughts, interpret any character’s speech or actions, and provide commentary on their backgrounds and motives. As an observer with the knowledge of the characters’ history, the omniscient narrator makes judgments and offers opinions along the way. This is a technique that offers a great deal of freedom for the writer.

Omniscient Narrator (Limited). In this technique, the narrator’s knowledge is limited to one character—the protagonist. Other players are seen only externally. The narrator’s voice takes on the flavor and nuance of the main character, and no other information can be brought in from other sources (characters) other than what is observed through plot and dialogue. This is the most commonly used POV in short stories and novels.

Objective Narrator. An impersonal POV, the objective narrator offers no opinion and no value judgments, leaving the interpretation of events and dialogue up to the reader. The reader’s knowledge is limited to external descriptions, and the reader is invited to infer his or her own meaning from them.

Once you’ve chosen your point of view, consistency is a matter of personal preference. Switching POVs can cause confusion for the reader and interrupt the flow of the story. If you do choose to use multiple POVs, make it obvious when a new character takes over the storytelling. Use a new section (paragraph, chapter) for a new narrator, perhaps even labeling the section to make it abundantly clear whose point of view it’s coming from.

The function of the hyphen is to clarify, but it sometimes does the opposite, particularly when it’s used with compound adjectives. Here are some basic hyphenation rules to help you decide when a hyphen is necessary and when its use will just muddle your writing—and confuse your reader.

Rule 1: When compound adjectives come before a noun, the adjectives should be hyphenated.

Compound Adjective: two or more adjectives that work together to describe the same noun

Example 1: On Monday, Mrs. Thomas taught problem-solving skills to her class.

The compound adjective problem-solving tells what kind of skills Mrs. Thomas taught. Since these adjectives come before the noun and work together to describe the noun, it’s necessary to place a hyphen between them.

To understand why the hyphen is needed, remove it, then check the sentence’s meaning—it will be very different:

Example 2: On Monday, Mrs. Thomas taught problem solving skills to her class.

With no hyphen between the two adjectives, the writer’s meaning is unclear. Did Mrs. Thomas teach solving skills that were a problem? Did she teach two types of skills to her class: problem skills and solving skills? Be sure that your punctuation reflects what you’re trying to say.

Also, watch for words that look like compound adjectives but are really separate, independent adjectives. Take a look at the following sentence:

Example 3: Stephen King is a successful, popular writer.

Here, successful and popular do not form a compound adjective; instead, they are two separate, independent adjectives describing writer, and a comma—rather than a hyphen—should be placed between them. Either word could be used by itself, and the sentence would make sense.

Rule 2: If the compound adjective comes after the noun it describes, no hyphen is needed.

Example 4: On Monday, Mrs. Thomas taught her class many skills, including problem solving.

Since problem solving follows the noun (skills), no hyphen is needed.

Sometimes writers may use what is called a suspending hyphen, a hyphen that is used when two or more adjectives have the same base element, and the base element is shown only with the last term. Consider the following examples:

Example 5: Although they couldn’t wait for their new furniture, Bill and Abby knew that there would be a three- to four-day delay in delivery.

Here, three and four share the base word day. The writer could have written three-day and four-day delay, but using the suspending hyphen creates writing that is more succinct and easier to read.

Example 6: Peter’s knowledge of the case was through second- and thirdhand information.

In this sentence, the hyphen after second tells the reader that second shares the same base element as thirdhand, which is, of course, hand. Again, using the suspending hyphen is more efficient than writing secondhand and thirdhand information.

So far, so good, right? Well, there is an exception to these basic hyphenation rules.

Rule 3: Do not hyphenate when the first of the two words ends in -ly.

Example 7: Maddie is an extremely overworked mother.

Extremely is an adverb. By definition, adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. In this sentence, extremely is not describing mother (which is a noun) but is telling how overworked Maddie is. Therefore, no hyphen is needed between extremely and overworked.

Rule 4: Watch for special hyphenated nouns.

Example 8: She was the runner-up in the beauty contest.

Other examples can include mother-in-law (and the other in-laws), best-seller, follow-up, etc. When in doubt about a hyphenated noun (as opposed to a compound word, such as letterhead or freeway), don't guess. It's always best to look it up in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (our dictionary of choice).

Hyphens can be tricky, but if you proofread your work carefully and follow these basic rules, they won’t trip you up!

Almost nothing distracts your reader as much as grammatical errors, whether they be misplaced commas, dangling modifiers, or pronoun agreement problems. Perhaps the most distracting errors of all are sentence-structure errors—sentence fragments and run-on sentences. Here’s how to recognize these problems and learn to correct them so your readers can enjoy your story rather than notice only your grammar.

Sentence Fragments:

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. We know that a sentence must have at least one subject, at least one verb, and express a complete thought. Although a fragment is punctuated as a sentence, it is often missing a subject, a verb, or both. Another way of looking at it is that a fragment cannot "stand on its own" and make sense. Consider the following:

Example 1: Peter has always loved to write. He loves to travel too. Which is why he decided to become a travel writer.

Notice that the first two word groups are, in fact, sentences. Each contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. The third word group, however, is not a sentence. It cannot "stand on its own" and make sense; it is dependent upon the previous sentence for its meaning.

One surefire way to find fragments is to read your work from the last sentence to the first. Because fragments do not make sense out of context, they are easier to find if you read your work this way.

Correcting Fragments:

Fragments can be corrected in a couple of different ways:

1. Add the missing subject, verb, or subject and verb.

Example 2: Joe was late. Missed his plane. Here, the italicized word group is a fragment that is missing a subject. To correct it, add an appropriate subject: Joe was late. He missed his plane.

2. Join the fragment to either the previous or next sentence (whichever one makes the most sense), using the correct punctuation. This is the best way to correct Example 1: He loves to travel too, which is why he decided to become a travel writer.

Run-On Sentences:

There are two types of run-on sentences: comma splices and fused sentences.

A comma splice occurs when only a comma is placed between two sentences. Consider the following:

Example 3: Jane loves to cook, she also loves to go out to eat.

Here, two sentences (Jane loves to cook and She also loves to go out to eat) are joined by a comma. Remember that a comma alone can never come between two sentences.

Correcting Comma Splices:

1. Leave the comma where it is and place an appropriate coordinating conjunction after it (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet).

Example 4: Jane loves to cook, and she also loves to go out to eat.

2. Replace the comma with a period, semicolon, or other appropriate punctuation.

Example 5: Jane loves to cook. She also loves to go out to eat.

Example 6: Jane loves to cook; she also loves to go out to eat. (Semicolons should be placed between sentences that are related. Notice that the "s" in she is lowercase after the semicolon.)

3. Add a subordinating conjunction to one of the clauses. Some subordinating conjunctions are after, although, as, because, before, if, inasmuch, since, unless, until, when, whenever, whereas, and while. Example 7: Although Jane loves to cook, she also loves to go out to eat.

A fused sentence occurs when no punctuation at all is placed between two sentences. Consider the following example:

Example 8: Tom entered many writing contests he took first place in some of them.

It’s clear that this word group consists of two sentences "stuck" together without appropriate punctuation: Tom entered many writing contests, and He took first place in some of them.

Correcting Fused Sentences:

1. Add the appropriate punctuation and additional words, if necessary. (Note: Be careful with commas. If you add a comma alone, you will create a comma splice.)

Example 9: Tom entered many writing contests, and he took first place in some of them.

Example 10: Tom entered many writing contests; he took first place in some of them.

The best way to locate these sentence-structure errors in your work is to read your writing out loud, slowly and carefully. Check for each type of error separately, and look closely at each punctuation mark you use. Careful editing will not only result in sentences free of these grammatical spoilers, but it will also ensure that your reader keeps his or her focus where it belongs—on your story!

altogether (adv): entirely, completely
all together (as a phrase): in a group

amount (n): used for a quantity that can't be counted
number (n): used for things that can be counted

bore/bored (v): to dig or drill
bear/bore (v): to carry

breach (n, v): a break / to break
breech (n): the rear or bottom

clench (v): to hold or clutch, like teeth or a fist
clinch (v): to settle decisively, as in clinching a deal, or to tightly hug, like with boxing

demur (n, v): a protest / to protest
demure (adj): to be coy, modest

discreet (adj): judicious, modest
discrete (adj): separate, distinct

enervate (adj, trans. v): lazy, lacking physical energy
energize (v): to be energetic

gibe (n, v): to tease/a derisive remark
jibe (v): to agree

inter (v): to bury
intern (v): to jail

lead (v): present tense, to guide the way
led (v): past tense

(Don’t laugh; many, many writers use “lead” for the past tense because it sounds like the other “lead,” the metal.)

mantel (n): a shelf
mantle (n): a cloak, a cover

plead (v): present tense, to beg
pleaded (or pled) (v): past tense (in the similar vein to lead/led).

principal (adj, n): referring to person or something which is of high rank
principle (n): related to a law or doctrine

raise (v): to lift something (transitive: requires a direct object, such as He raised the blanket from the floor.)
rise (v): to put oneself in an upright position (intransitive: no direct object needed, such as He rises in the morning at six o’clock.)

rational (adj): reasonable or logical
rationale (n): underlying reason

shined (v): past tense, to make something brighter, like shoes or a bald head.
shone (v): past tense of all other uses of “shine” (such as, The moonlight shone over our nighttime walk last night.)

Other words you might find confusing:

fitful: full of fits and starts. It does not mean restful or “fit” as in healthy or good. So if you’re editing or proofreading, watch for "a fitful sleep"—it is often the opposite of what the author means.

reticent: silent, tacit, not spoken. It has nothing to do with being reluctant.

tortuous: twisted, winding. Something tortuous MIGHT also be torturous (notice the extra “r”), but only if the torture relates to how winding or twisted the torture is, literally or figuratively.

viscous (vis-kus): how thick, or not, a liquid is; vicious is, well, vicious (dangerously aggressive).

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS and ANTHOLOGIES! You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming anthologies, special-themed journals, and contests. Find it by visiting:
http://www.writersreliefblog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx