Archive | January 2014

To Capitalize, or not to capitalize?

Jan22

Rules, rules, and more rules…

Why can’t we just write and not worry about them?

Well, in today’s market, with so much competition, I highly suggest that you polish your manuscript to a shine before submitting it to an agent or publisher. So, that being said, it’s important to understand grammatical rules.

I will say right now, that I’m still learning them. This goes right along with everything else I keep learning. You think you know it all, them BAM!, you find out you’re still doing something wrong.

So, today, I’d like to talk about capitalization. I’ve mastered the “mom, dad, father, mother” rule. That one is pretty easy. Here are some examples: “I love my mom.” (not capitalized). On the other hand, “Hey, Mom, I love you!” (capitalized). The difference is that in the second sentence I’m using “Mom” as her name or identity. Here is another example. “Have you seen your dad lately?” (general, not capitalized). “Have you seen Dad lately?” (by removing ‘your’ and making the sentence more specific, the word now needs to be capitalized).

It gets a little more complicated when you start writing stories about kings and queens. I’ve recently discovered this and had to do some research. But again it goes back to the “in general” or “specific” rule. It’s easy when you put king or queen with a name following. Such as “I’m off to see King Richard.” If you simply write, “I’m off to see the king,” the capital letter goes away.

I’m certain that I’ll still make mistakes, and all I can say to that is: “Thank God for editors!” It’s their job to find all those little nit-picky things that your readers will be happy to point out when they review your book. You’ve probably read books with typos that jump out at you, and halt your reading. They happen, but you should always try to keep them to a minimum. And if you self-publish, this is more crucial than ever. Before sending your work for publication, hire a reputable editor. It will be worth the money, and save you from embarrassment.

So now, I’m off to write about Prince Sebastian!

WRITE ON!!!

And they lived happily ever after...

And they lived happily ever after…

Happy New Year!

Jan17

December is a blur. Unfortunately, I spent a good part of the month in bed, sick. And it carried over into January. This has been a bad winter for flu bugs, and all kinds of “icky” illness. But, just in time for my birthday, I recovered and am more appreciative of good health than I’ve ever been!

The frustrating part of feeling poorly was that I was at home, with plenty of time on my hands, but I didn’t have the energy to do much of anything. And, my imagination seemed to dry up, unlike my sinuses. I think I may have improved the Kleenex stock. So, if you have shares…”You’re welcome!”

And now, a year older and feeling spunky again, I’ve begun my newest writing venture. Still with a romantic theme, I’ve veered from Southern Historical and am writing a fairy tale entitled, “An Island in the Forest.”  It’s actually a book I first wrote about twenty-five years ago as a children’s story. I submitted it for publication and got some real nice feedback from a publishing house, but they passed on the book and I never pursued it further. And then, about ten years ago, I scripted the story as a musical production complete with twelve songs. The music is still being scored, (something I’m unable to do myself), and sooner or later I’ll get it up on stage somewhere. But now that I’ve started writing novels, the same story haunts me. I’ve dug in and am bringing the story to new heights. My characters are more complex, and I’m able to get further into their feelings and emotions. It’s becoming a real love story rather than a fluffy fairy tale. I would still give it a PG rating, but it’s definitely no longer a children’s book.

I’m excited for this new year and what lies ahead. I pray that this will be my year to achieve publication. It’s a long process, but one that I’m willing to keep plugging away at until it happens.

I hope that you have exciting plans for 2014. Reach for the stars, follow your dreams, and…

WRITE ON!!!

Feeling Great! Happy New Year!

Feeling Great! Happy New Year!