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. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In This Issue:

* * Do you recoil in horror at the degradation of our native tongue? If so, take a look at THE PURIST DEBATE.

* * A writer's joke for you—WRITERS HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR.

* * 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

* * If your talent for writing extends to multiple genres, read CROSSING THE GREAT DIVIDE—WRITING IN DIFFERENT GENRES.

* * PUNCTUATING RESTRICTIVE AND NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES isn't as dry as it sounds, and you should understand this topic if you're honing your writing skills.

* * LOTS OF HELP for CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHORS—100 CONTACTS and Everything You Need To Know To Submit Your Children’s Book. Click this link to get our insider's tips and tricks: http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/For-Childrens-Book-Authors.aspx.  

* * Use our teaser to get you writing about what you DON'T LOVE in THIS ISSUE'S WRITING PROMPT.

* * 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!!↓

Like all languages, the English language is constantly developing and changing. Today's language is a far cry from the Victorian-style speech of our forefathers as we incorporate teen speak and pop culture slang into our everyday vocabulary, and new terminology emerges with the advent of new technology. Surfin' the 'net is pretty cool!

While this may be a natural development, many language purists recoil in horror at the degradation of our native tongue. Not only have new words been formed (when did "truthiness" become a word, and how is "fax" a verb?), but many of the standard grammatical rules seem to be open to interpretation. Commas are becoming arbitrary in some cases, and punctuation itself is often an artistic decision rather than an accepted part of writing. This is good news for modern-day writers—freedom of choice is always good news for the artistic community—but it's somewhat of a concern for those who make their living editing others' work. Copy editors and proofreaders are caught somewhere in the middle of this dilemma, as they strive for perfection without influencing or changing the author's style or meaning. It's a fine line and the subject of much debate.

Writers are faced with countless decisions about character, plot, setting, and style. They choose their language and style based on their audience and the purpose behind their pieces. For example, it would be inappropriate to use text-messaging lingo in a formal business letter, and a good writer would not script a Bronx street scene using stilted, formal English. If the writer were forced to conform to absolute correctness, the Bronx street scene would be a ridiculous piece of writing since the characters would speak like 19th-century poets.

On the other hand, standards seem to have slipped in recent years. One proofreader laments the frequent incorrect usage of pronouns, as in "If anyone wants me to pick up their mail, they should let me know." Politically correct writers would not substitute "he" for "they" for fear of offending women, and the pronoun defaults to "they"—incorrect in number, yet commonly used throughout all manner of writing. Even the Oxford University Press condones the use of "their" with a singular antecedent, presumably to avoid being old-fashioned and sexist.

Purists also find themselves up in arms over split infinitives—once a no-no, but not a deal-breaker today. The Oxford University Press also now sanctions the use of split infinitives, much to the dismay of experts. Traditionalists see these issues as proof of the degradation of our language and argue that we're cheapening it through bad grammar. Others argue that writers should follow their purpose and write for their audience, rather than focusing on perfect grammar. For instance, copywriters for advertising agencies tend to take extreme liberties with the English language (got milk?), and this is an acceptable practice in the industry. Poets and other creative writers also take great liberties with language and style.

Copy editors and proofreaders face a quandary. Alienate the writer and fix the incorrect grammar, or go with the flow...and cringe inwardly at "I only want to do what's right." These editorial professionals have an obligation to point out mistakes that once upon a time would probably not have appeared at all—but only if they have no compunction about being ignored.

When it comes to the basics, however, most experts agree: it's never going to be acceptable to be ignorant of the rules. We can all rest assured that it will never be acceptable to use they're/their interchangeably. Run-on sentences will never be pretty, and hens should never lie an egg. At least not yet.

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his English class one day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."

A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."

Writers, especially inexperienced and unpublished writers, are usually advised to master writing in one genre at a time, and this is generally good advice. When you're still learning your craft, it pays to focus on one thing at a time. Less often, new writers are advised to experiment in several different genres to discover their strong points. For some, this exploration is a worthwhile learning experience.

The question of genre loyalty is the subject of some debate, but it seems to boil down to personal preference. Many writers prefer to establish themselves in a particular genre. It may be their area of strength, their greatest love, or a combination of the two. If you love horror and read horror exclusively, why not stick to writing horror if you're good at it? If you don't enjoy reading science fiction, why would you want to write it? Some writers stick to one genre out of fear of the unfamiliar, while others simply have limited writing time and prefer to concentrate on one style.

It is not at all unusual for more experienced authors to write in more than one genre, despite being advised against it. Writers who want to be published write for a specific market—they adhere to the context, audience, and purpose of the genre they've chosen, and if they don't write for the market, their work won't sell. When the popularity of one market cools, these authors are prepared to write for the next hot market. They're adaptable, with a good business sense.

Writers cross genres for many reasons. Some follow the trends and write for the market. Some seek the exposure. Others skip over into other genres simply out of boredom or a desire to stay fresh. They feel limited by their genre and seek to break out of their comfort zone. And still others simply enjoy writing in a variety of styles. Sometimes authors write in multiple genres within a single piece of work—they may combine elements of a mystery with those of a historical romance, for example, and this overlap, if skillfully done, can be very successful. And many of the defining lines of genres have blurred in recent years, giving writers greater freedom than ever before. One of the most obvious examples of this is the latest trend, blending mystery with romance.

Many authors adopt pen names to suit their different styles. Perhaps the paranormal writer doesn't want his books to be associated with his Westerns and so pens them under different names. The author who writes both torrid romances and young adult fiction doesn't want her two audiences to overlap, so she uses a pseudonym.

The industry seems to prefer authors who stay within their defined genres—an established science-fiction writer who veers off course and produces a chick-lit novel will likely be pressured by his agent or publisher to stick with science fiction. But there are agents out there who are willing to represent multi-genre authors, and it is not always necessary to have multiple agents for multiple genres. As the lines between genres blur, so will the number of multi-genre agents increase. An established author who can show that she can sell in more than one market will have an easier time finding an appropriate agent, and she'll likely be shown more leeway. Unpublished writers, however, should steer clear of this altogether, and pitch one story at a time.

If you're considering crossing the great genre divide, read widely in the genres you love, and create a unique voice for each. If you're a playwright, try your hand at poetry, or experiment with short fiction if your novel is complete (or stalled). Play around and discover fresh talent within yourself. If you're proficient in multiple genres, find an agent who will represent you no matter what you write. And scoff if you must at the advice of those who refuse to cross that line: sometimes the stories just come, genre be damned!

Some writers find that the trickiest sentences to punctuate are those that include clauses beginning with words such as who, that, and which. Clauses of this type are called relative clauses, and the key to correct punctuation is to understand whether the clause in question is restrictive or nonrestrictive. Following are some guidelines to help.

First, remember that a clause is simply a group of words that contains at least one subject and at least one verb. There are two main types of clauses:

Independent Clause: Also called a sentence, this clause expresses a complete thought.

Example 1: The boy had been missing for three days.

Subordinate Clause: Like all clauses, this clause contains at least one subject and at least one verb; however, subordinate clauses do not express a complete thought. Instead, they are dependent upon the rest of the sentence for their meaning.

Example 2: The boy who had been missing for three days was found at his friend's house in Texas.

In this sentence, the subordinate clause who had been missing for three days is dependent upon the independent clause (The boy was found at his friend's house in Texas.) In other words, the subordinate clause could not stand on its own as a complete sentence.

Relative clauses are a type of subordinate clause. They often begin with a relative pronoun such as who, that, or which, and they answer the following questions: Which one? What kind? How many?

In example two, because the subordinate clause begins with who, we can also call it a relative clause. It tells us which boy was found at his friend's house in Texas.

There are two types of relative clauses: restrictive (also called essential) and nonrestrictive (also called nonessential).

A restrictive clause is a clause that is essential to the meaning of the sentence. In other words, if you removed the restrictive clause, the sentence's meaning would not be the same.

A nonrestrictive clause is a clause that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. If you removed the nonrestrictive clause, the meaning of the sentence would stay the same. Nonrestrictive clauses simply impart extra information that is not necessary to the main idea of the sentence.

There are two important points to remember about restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses:

1. Restrictive clauses are not set off by commas. Nonrestrictive clauses are set off by commas.

2. Generally, the pronoun that should be used with restrictive clauses and which should be used with nonrestrictive clauses. The pronoun who can be used with both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses.

Let's look at some examples:

Example 3: The book that is lying on the coffee table belongs to Cherie.

Example 4: The book, which is lying on the coffee table, belongs to Cherie.

At first glance, these sentences may appear to be very similar. However, their meanings are very different. In example three, the relative clause that is lying on the coffee table is restrictive; it is essential to the meaning of the sentence. It tells us which book out of many belongs to Cherie. If we removed the clause from the sentence, the sentence's meaning would no longer be the same.

In example four, the writer has placed commas around the relative clause which is lying on the coffee table. This clause is nonrestrictive; it is nonessential to the meaning of the sentence. We can tell by the use of the nonrestrictive clause that there is only the one book in the room, and that book belongs to Cherie. In other words, if the nonrestrictive clause was removed from the sentence, the writer's original meaning would be preserved.

Example 5: Bob Jones, who is my next-door neighbor, won the election.

In example five, the relative clause is nonrestrictive. The fact that Bob Jones is the speaker's neighbor has nothing to do with the intent of the sentence, and this clause could easily be removed. The clause is nonessential.

Keeping these basic points in mind will make punctuating restrictive and nonrestrictive sentences much less tricky!

Instead of writing about what you love, write about something you hate. Try to find the reasons why you feel the way you do about your significant other leaving his/her socks on the floor, about your tax dollars being used for things with which you disagree, the cell phone minutes that your creditors are eating up, or whatever else comes to mind. In this writing exercise, see if there's anything you can do that would make the experience better.
 
No need to worry about making total sense or using perfect punctuation and grammar. Take a step back, revisit, and revise this later. You just might end up writing your next humorous and/or self-help essay. Happy writing!

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:
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