Learn to write 101 by Kimberly Jackson (free e novels TXT) 📖

ex-wife self-propelled mayor-elect extreme exacting


Hyphenated Compound Words
Hyphens are used internally in some compound words to separate the words forming the compound word.
Examples: merry-go-round editor-in-chief
When unsure of the hyphenation of such words, check a dictionary. Usage may vary. As some words are more widely used, the hyphen is dropped. For example, in the early 1800s the word blackbird was usually spelled black-bird. Now the hyphen has been dropped.
Hyphens connect the words of a compound modifier that comes before the word being modified. Hyphens are not used this way with compound parts ending in -ly or made up of proper nouns or proper adjectives.
Incorrect: He is a well respected man.
Correct: He is a well-respected man.
(A compound modifier before the noun.)
Incorrect: That man is well-respected.
Correct: That man is well respected.
(The modifier follows the noun, no hyphen.)
Incorrect: That was a badly-punctuated sentence.
Correct: That was a badly punctuated sentence.
(Modifier ends in -ly, no hyphen.)
Incorrect: The South-American rain forest is home to hundreds of species of hummingbirds.
Correct: The South American rain forest is home to hundreds of species of hummingbirds.
(Modifier is proper, no hyphen.)
Some authorities recognize the use of a hyphenated compound adjective following the verb to be, especially if necessary for clarity.
Hyphens in Words for Clarity
Hyphens within a word can make some words clearer.
They are frequently used with prefixes ending with the same vowel as the root begins with to show pronunciation or emphasize meaning. They are also frequently used to distinguish between words.
Examples: co-op (instead of coop, also prefix ending with same vowel as root beginning)
re-elect (prefix ending with same vowel as root beginning)
Re-form the clay pot (instead of reform, which has a different meaning)
Re-sign a contract (instead of resign, which could mean nearly the opposite.)
Sometimes words may be combined mistakenly. A hyphen can help the reader understand what is meant.
Incorrect: The guard captured five foot soldiers.
(Is it five-foot soldiers, or five foot-soldiers?)
Correct: The guard captured five foot-soldiers.
According to author Vince Emery, a message posted on the Internet almost started a "flame war" because it said, "I resent your message." It was supposed to say, " Ire-sent your message."


Quotation marks are punctuation marks that work together in pairs. Their most common use is to indicate someone's exact words. They are also used to mark the title of a short piece of writing, such as a short story or a poem.
Direct Quotations
Use quotation marks to indicate a direct quotation—someone's exact words. Here are some examples that show the three basic forms of a direct quotation.
Direct quotation: "This is a great song," said Marcos.
In the example above, the quoted words come first.
Direct quotation: Marcos said, "This is a great song."
In this example, the quoted words come after the speaker is named.
Direct quotation: "This," Marcos said, "is a great song."
In the last example, the quoted words are interrupted and the speaker is named in the middle. This form emphasizes the first few words.
Indirect Quotations
Indirect quotations report what someone said but do not use the speaker's exact words. Quotation marks are not used with indirect quotations. Indirect quotations usually include the word that, as in said that. In questions, the wording is often asked if.Look at these examples.
Direct quotation: "I'm joining a rock band," said Rick.
These are Rick's exact words, so you must use quotation marks.
Indirect quotation: Rick said that he is joining a rock band.
This sentence explains what Rick said but does not use Rick's exact words. So quotation marks should not be used.
Direct quotation: "There will be a jazz concert next weekend," said Donna.
Indirect quotation: Donna said that there will be a jazz concert next weekend.
Quotation Marks around Titles
Put quotation marks around the titles of short works that are parts of larger works. The titles of longer works are put in italics (or underlined).
Quotation Marks Italics (or Underlining)
"The Wild Swans" (short story) Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales (book)
"Mud Master" (poem) The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens (book)
"There's Your Trouble" (song) Home (CD)
"How Saving American Education Became Cool" (magazine article) The Atlantic (magazine)
"Power Bills on the Rise" (newspaper article) Orange County Register (newspaper)
"The Inferno" (episode of a TV show) Third Watch (TV series)
Quotation Marks Used with Other Punctuation Marks
When you are quoting someone's complete sentences, begin with a capital letter and use appropriate end punctuation—a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point. You do not need to capitalize the first word of a quotation if it is only part of a sentence.

1. Capitalize the first letter of the first word being quoted, and put a period at the end of the sentence if it is a statement. Separate the spoken words from the rest of the sentence with a comma.
"This is a very good band," he said.
She said, "Turn up the sound."
2. If the quotation ends with a question mark, an exclamation point, or a dash, use that punctuation instead of a comma or a period.
He yelled, "Stop that car!"
"Why are you leaving?" she asked.
"But what's a—" Nadya hesitated, searching for the right word.
3. In a quotation that is interrupted, capitalize the first word being quoted, but do not capitalize words in the middle of the sentence. Use a comma both before and after the interruption. End with a period if it is a statement.
"Yes," said the guitar player, "we will give you a concert."
4. You do not need to capitalize the first word of a quotation that is only part of a sentence.
My mom told me to relax and "have faith."
5. If a question mark or an exclamation point belongs to the sentence only, not to the quotation, place it outside the quotation mark.
Who wrote the poem "The New Colossus"?
6. If a quotation is followed by a colon or semicolon, place that mark outside the end quotation mark.
We know Larry's definition of "on time": arriving ten minutes after the start of work.
Larry's boss has another idea of "on time"; he wants employees to arrive ten minutes early.
7. A quotation may be set off between dashes. In that case, place the dashes outside the quotation.
The first line of Moby Dick—"Call me Ishmael"—recalls a story from the Bible.

Hint: Look at the examples again. Notice that periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks.

Not: "No", he said, "this isn't the way to Woodstock".
Correct: "No," he said, "this isn't the way to Woodstock."


Like any good creative, many writers struggle with ego.
As a result, they do not become as great of writers as they could be. They coast along as merely “good” writers. And that’s not enough.
You don’t want to be good. You don’t want to maintain the status quo. You want to be great, because you’ve got something amazing to say, something that would change people’s lives if they took the time to hear it.
Don’t you?
Isn’t that why you started writing in the first place — to say something worth listening to? (If not, you might reconsider your motivation for wanting to write.)
In order to earn the right to speak to your audience, you need to develop yourself as a writer. Being good, or even pretty good, just won’t cut it. You need to be great.
In order to be a truly great writer, you need an editor. This should be someone who will tell you the truth about your writing without blowing smoke up your butt. You need someone you can trust, so that when (not “if”) they criticize you, you can trust that it’s not in order to tear you down, but to build you up.
For a good editor, I suggest a peer — someone close enough to you who knows you well, but not too close.
Your editor needs to be able to tell you the hard truth without having to face the consequences of your not being “best friends” anymore. You need someone who is bold and blunt.
You need an editor who will challenge you to write more than one draft of a piece, because, as we all know, the first draft is usually crap.
At the end of the day, we all need to grow. We all need to come down off of our high horses of achievement and success and be humbled a little. We need people who will force us to set aside ego for the sake of the message we are called to spread. We need a community to encourage us and hold us accountable.
So, get a peer editor, and get on your way to becoming great.
Do you have a peer editor? How does he/she encourage and challenge you?


How to start writing a book (mailbag)
I get tons of comments/email in response to this post on how to write a book. Here’s another interesting, and life-grounding, question from the mailbag:
I found your website hand thought it was awesome. I watched your videos and decided I could use some advice from you.
My house burnt down 3 weeks ago in Burnsville, Minnesota. I lost a 38 foot RV, a 69 Plymouth Fury Convertible, and monster truck and trailer in the driveway and my 16 years old sons car he worked on so hard and never got to drive. I also lost 5 animals in the fire and that really hurts. I still have my 3 children ages 23, 16 and a 10 year old daughter who is having night mares with all this life changing overnight experience. Guess what? I want to write a book about my life and how it changed so quickly. I am very grateful we are all alive and ok. Like everyone else I dont know where to start. I am living my worst night mare in a hotel gong on a month. We have nothing but the cloths we were wearing that day. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Please contact me.
Very sorry to hear about your loss. I do hope there are local government agencies or non-profits that can offer you some assistance. Books aside, I do wish you and your family well.
On starting: there is no single easy way. Everyone is different. There are tricks I list in this essay on writing hacks, but some or one will work for you. The truth is how you start doesn’t matter, but if you wait for a perfect way you’ll never get started. If that essay doesn’t help, here’s additional advice:
• Plan to come back. One trick that helps is to remember that the real work in writing is editing. I plan to come back later and revise, cut, rewrite and do all kinds of work later on. The “writing” part is just the beginning and believing this has a freeing effect. When I sit down with a blank page I have no preconceptions. I just start writing and plan to figure it all out later once there are a few pages of rambles and rants to work from.
• Go chronological. In your case you’re writing about things that have happened, or are happening to you. Great. Pick a date, say a week before the fire, and write about what happened every day from them to now. It could be as simple as two or three facts per day, or memories per day, or your recollection of your thoughts on those days, whatever you like. But anchor on time as the spine of your writing. It creates an easy way to divide up your memories, and to trigger thoughts or