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Quotations...
- Thread starter -Carlos-
- Start date
You could start by improving your previous writings with the corrections / comments people gave you on here, and then maybe repost the corrected versions.
-Carlos-
New Member
Yes. I thought of that...but...if I knew how fix what is broken in my writing (now) then I would not need to take a step (or two) back when it comes down to my "writing." I need to review the basics (what a drag) in order to LEARN how to tackle revisions. I do NOT know how to go about FIXING my numerous writing blunders. Once I learn how to correctly do that is when I have taken a step forward. I am just STUCK right now as a "writer" so I review the basics in hopes of finding some improvement.
I always think that rewriting or correcting previous attempts is a good way to improve your skills. And by the looks of it, you've received many pointers from some members of this forum. So use those, repost the improved story and see how people respond. 
ClarkPeterston
New Member
Maybe it's not a good policy, but I found that there were too many things to concentrate on when writing my book. I don't profess to be the greatest author ever. Indeed, I haven't read many books at all in recent years.
With this in mind, I just wrote from my heart, and a little from my mind, without focussing on my obvious imperfections. It was a necessary method for me to be able to churn out material in a natural manner.
I then went back and amended all the different kinds of imperfections after I had finished. The editing took longer than writing the book, but once I had completed it I had the enthusiam to get it done properly.
That method works best for me. It amy not be everyone's bag.
With this in mind, I just wrote from my heart, and a little from my mind, without focussing on my obvious imperfections. It was a necessary method for me to be able to churn out material in a natural manner.
I then went back and amended all the different kinds of imperfections after I had finished. The editing took longer than writing the book, but once I had completed it I had the enthusiam to get it done properly.
That method works best for me. It amy not be everyone's bag.
ClarkPeterston
New Member
Before anyone makes a quip about my incorrect spelling, I just wanted to beat you to it.
That's the problem with literary forums. There is pressure to ensure that everything is spelt correctly. I say relacks (<--Joke).
jes6ica
New Member
In the example you gave, it should be (with a few additional fixes):
I held the peculiar object gently in both hands as if it were made of fine glass. One nervous spasm and it could drop, shattering into a million shards, onto the hard wood floor. In his deep voice, my father exclaimed, “Happy birthday, son! Do you know what it is?”
Keeping my eyes fixed on the oddity in my hands, I nodded.
“Well, it's called a stethoscope. Can you say stethoscope?”
I repeated the sound.
“Very good,” my father replied. “Now, do you know what it's used for?”
I remembered that on my last birthday, my father gave me a microscope kit for children above the age of nine; it was my seventh birthday. Knowing that, and knowing that my father was a doctor, I knew the gift had something to do with medicine.
I gave him a puzzled look and he bent down on one knee, placed the eartips in my ears before pressing the other end up against his chest. My eyes widened as I heard the beating of his heart.
“Is that your heart, dad?” I asked in wonder.
“Yes it is son. You are listening to my heart.” My father handed me the flat end of the stethoscope, then he turned around and told me to press it up against his upper back. At first, I did not hear a thing but then, after my father took a deep breath, I let out a sigh. This time it was his breath bellowing in and out of his lungs.
Soon I was using it on myself, trying listen to my own body. My fathered chuckled with delight.
There are of course arguments for or against certain things, like exactly when the dialogue needs to be broken off into a new paragraph, but generally, particularly in the more flexible area of fiction or memoirs, if the person doing an action is the person who will speak, it can be in the same paragraph. So, for example, the line "Is that your heart, dad?" could go with the paragraph above. It also is dependent on how much you want to emphasize the line. In this case, it seemed like an important thing for the child to say, so it can absolutely have its own paragraph. The vital thing is that your readers do not become confused as to who is speaking.
I held the peculiar object gently in both hands as if it were made of fine glass. One nervous spasm and it could drop, shattering into a million shards, onto the hard wood floor. In his deep voice, my father exclaimed, “Happy birthday, son! Do you know what it is?”
Keeping my eyes fixed on the oddity in my hands, I nodded.
“Well, it's called a stethoscope. Can you say stethoscope?”
I repeated the sound.
“Very good,” my father replied. “Now, do you know what it's used for?”
I remembered that on my last birthday, my father gave me a microscope kit for children above the age of nine; it was my seventh birthday. Knowing that, and knowing that my father was a doctor, I knew the gift had something to do with medicine.
I gave him a puzzled look and he bent down on one knee, placed the eartips in my ears before pressing the other end up against his chest. My eyes widened as I heard the beating of his heart.
“Is that your heart, dad?” I asked in wonder.
“Yes it is son. You are listening to my heart.” My father handed me the flat end of the stethoscope, then he turned around and told me to press it up against his upper back. At first, I did not hear a thing but then, after my father took a deep breath, I let out a sigh. This time it was his breath bellowing in and out of his lungs.
Soon I was using it on myself, trying listen to my own body. My fathered chuckled with delight.
There are of course arguments for or against certain things, like exactly when the dialogue needs to be broken off into a new paragraph, but generally, particularly in the more flexible area of fiction or memoirs, if the person doing an action is the person who will speak, it can be in the same paragraph. So, for example, the line "Is that your heart, dad?" could go with the paragraph above. It also is dependent on how much you want to emphasize the line. In this case, it seemed like an important thing for the child to say, so it can absolutely have its own paragraph. The vital thing is that your readers do not become confused as to who is speaking.