Author Topic: Is there a format for beginners thread?  (Read 5366 times)

idontknowyet

Is there a format for beginners thread?
« on: December 01, 2020, 12:35:38 PM »
So I'm at that point. My first books are going up for preorder next week. (had been hoping for last week but I'm going with the covid flow.)

Is there a start here and follow these steps for ebooks only?

I will be purchasing vellum when i want to put my paperbacks up.
 

alhawke

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2020, 02:05:06 PM »
You mean like an outline on how to publish an ebook? I've always thought of putting something like that together. There's so many steps and I forget many and have to re-learn them for every launch. I don't know of one source. Is this what you mean? (If it's your first book on preorder, congrats!)

As far as Vellum, it works well for ebooks too and I would get it for formatting your ebook if you have the funds. It's like Word for book publishing. When I knew nothing about formatting, I thought I could do all the stuff you can do on Vellum with Word. But Vellum is key. It's way easier than Calibre or Scrivener. Of course, some writers just upload Word with D2D.

 
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Simon Haynes

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2020, 02:24:10 PM »
I have my project in yWriter and it's just a couple of clicks to create the epub. (I don't go for really fancy ebooks - my average file size is about one mb, which has saved me hundreds in KDP delivery costs over the years.)

It takes a little bit of setting up, what with defining the title and specifying the file for the cover, but after that it's set and forget.

As a bonus, a different pair of clicks creates the paperback.

 
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LilyBLily

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2020, 03:20:16 PM »
To answer your question, six years ago someone in an RWA chapter taught a short online course in formatting ebooks. I think I paid $20 for it. I don't see anyone doing that now because there's a lot of help you can google. I would start there. There are maybe three or four key steps, and you're done. Seriously, it's easy as long as you don't want to fiddle with drop caps or the like.

I haven't bought any software, but when my formatter decided to dump me I thought hard about doing it all myself, especially when all I wanted to do was update my links or correct a few typos. I still haven't done that. Instead, I ran my corrected Word doc through D2D's free formatting and then exported it and uploaded it to Amazon to replace the existing doc. As far as I know, it worked just fine.

So before you put your money down, look around online or use D2D. They're nice people and will answer questions and help you, too.
 
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TimothyEllis

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2020, 03:55:10 PM »
I used a free Kindle eBook I downloaded after going looking for exactly the same thing.

There are dozens of books out there, a lot of them free, and they give specific instructions on how to do everything to get your book on Kindle.

The first couple of times are just time consuming as you work through everything.

After that, you use the template from the first book for the next book to start with, and the process of upload becomes automatic.
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notthatamanda

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2020, 10:19:38 PM »
For word - the Smashwords Style guide saved me when it came to formatting ebooks. Otherwise I would have lost my mind.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52

Using styles the way he outlines and I think you have to save to an old version of word, will eliminate tons of formatting and spacing problems.

I'm not sure if this applies if you are using a mac for the ebook, sorry.

Edit - and like Lily I use D2D to generate the epub files.
 
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R. C.

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #6 on: December 01, 2020, 11:38:05 PM »
Notthatamanda has good advice, the SmashWords (SW) Style Guide is a great start and must if you use their tools.

However, I may be an anachronism, but I use MS Word for all formatting.  I tried "writer specific" tools and none were worth the learning curve.

I have a .doc/.docx template that is easily loaded to all services. Here's the kicker, the formatting translates well to digital and print.

Techno details: The TOC, in the docx, is formatted to be acceptable for digital and print. For SW minor tweaking is required to get through the "grinder".

Any place that requires a ePub, I use a Calibre to create the ePub.

Moral of the story: Use tools and a creative process that work for you.

Cheers,
R.C.


 
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Al Stevens

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2020, 02:53:46 AM »
As you can see, there are as many ways to do it as there are authors doing it, and all of them are right. So, here's my method.

For ebooks, I write in LibreOffice  I use boilerplate .odt files for front and back matter. I have custom styles in .ott files for chapter narrative, chapter headings, first paragraph chapter, first paragraph scene, and scene break line.

I build the .epub file with Alkinea.

If the .epub file needs tweaking, I use Sigil.

For the print edition, I typeset with InDesign CS2, using a .doc file I've exported from the .odt document file with LibreOffice and an InDesign template file I built for print editions.

GIMP is the graphics editor I use for e-book and print edition covers.

All these steps have learning curves, and they all involve free software.

The one downside to my approach is that once the two editions are formatted, there are two text databases to maintain in case of editorial corrections after publication. That's unavoidable because I have yet to find an editor that does an acceptable job of page typesetting. Others disagree but I am old school.

That's all for fiction. I have similar but different procedures for nonfiction.

Good luck in developing your methods. There are lots of good tips and help available here from authors who have done their own.

My advice is this: Do not pay or otherwise engage someone to do your formatting. They have a way of disappearing later when you want to publish a new edition.
« Last Edit: December 02, 2020, 02:57:41 AM by Al Stevens »
     
 
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Hopscotch

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2020, 04:57:06 AM »
I'm untechy so I bought a DIY template (not expensive) from Joel Friedlander and make simple modifications when I want some style changes book-to-book (using a multiple book license).  Works well for me.  Believe he's got a sale on now - https://www.bookdesigntemplates.com/
. .
 
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notthatamanda

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2020, 05:23:05 AM »
Thank you for this recommendation. I was thinking about getting Vellum because my husband brought his mac home but maybe this is a better option. I would love to do my own formatting but I am a step below untechy, just plain hopeless.
 
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Jeff Tanyard

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2020, 07:55:38 AM »
As you can see, there are as many ways to do it as there are authors doing it, and all of them are right.


Yeah, this.  There's no substitute for experimentation and experience.  It's just a matter of finding which method works for you.

I write on OpenOffice.  When I'm done writing, I create chapter breaks, write the table of contents, and insert hyperlinks and bookmarks.  I do all that in OpenOffice.  I then convert the .odt file to epub using Calibre.  Then I upload that epub everywhere.  Nothing to it.

On the occasion the table of contents doesn't convert properly, I edit it in Calibre.  I made a post about how to do that.

I should add that I don't put any fancy doodads in my book.  If you're doing drop caps or chapter heading ornaments or anything else of the sort, then you'll probably need a tool other than Calibre.


Quote
If the .epub file needs tweaking, I use Sigil.


Same here.


Quote
My advice is this: Do not pay or otherwise engage someone to do your formatting. They have a way of disappearing later when you want to publish a new edition.


Yep.  Seen this happen a number of times.  If you pay someone to format your book, then consider it a "one and done" experience.
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notthatamanda

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2020, 09:04:24 AM »
So I'm at that point. My first books are going up for preorder next week. (had been hoping for last week but I'm going with the covid flow.)

Is there a start here and follow these steps for ebooks only?

I will be purchasing vellum when i want to put my paperbacks up.
Oh and by the way congratulations and good luck!
 
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idontknowyet

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2020, 03:27:33 PM »
So I'm at that point. My first books are going up for preorder next week. (had been hoping for last week but I'm going with the covid flow.)

Is there a start here and follow these steps for ebooks only?

I will be purchasing vellum when i want to put my paperbacks up.
Oh and by the way congratulations and good luck!
Thank you!!! if after a dozen or so heart attacks i make it htrough ill report back!
 
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DmGuay

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #13 on: December 02, 2020, 11:24:01 PM »
If you have a .Doc or .Docx file, you have a lot of options!

The D2D people are referring to is Draft2digital.com
They're an ebook distributor, BUT they have a free tool on their web site that creates ebooks-- at the end, just download the files but DO NOT click distribute. (Unless, of course, you want to distribute wide and are sure you're ready.)

I did this for several years ^^ because it's cheap easy and free. You do have to add some formatting to your Word doc to make it work, though, like all your chapter numbers/titles have to be formatted as "Heading."  That's easy to do.

IF you are thinking of getting Vellum, DON'T WAIT. I just got it this summer and OMG. It's so easy and the books and ebooks it makes are beautiful. It used to take me an additional week to hand typeset my paperbacks, but it does the same work and better in 10 seconds. So if you're going to do it eventually anyway, do it now and save yourself the trouble.
 
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R. C.

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #14 on: December 02, 2020, 11:48:22 PM »
If you have a .Doc or .Docx file, you have a lot of options!
...

IF you are thinking of getting Vellum, DON'T WAIT. I just got it this summer and OMG. It's so easy and the books and ebooks it makes are beautiful. It used to take me an additional week to hand typeset my paperbacks, but it does the same work and better in 10 seconds. So if you're going to do it eventually anyway, do it now and save yourself the trouble.

Help me out... If, with ".Doc or .Docx file, you have a lot of options!", what does Vellum do, exactly?  I read their site (Vellum) but came away with the thought: "I can do drop case and already have header formatting in MS Word."  What am I missing?

UPDATE: Nevermind... I went back to review Vellum and RIGHT AT THE TOP, I missed this: "Only Available for Mac" - Never been, and never will be, a Mac user.   

Cheers,
R.C.
« Last Edit: December 02, 2020, 11:54:56 PM by R. C. »
 
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DmGuay

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #15 on: December 03, 2020, 12:00:58 AM »
If you have a .Doc or .Docx file, you have a lot of options!
...

IF you are thinking of getting Vellum, DON'T WAIT. I just got it this summer and OMG. It's so easy and the books and ebooks it makes are beautiful. It used to take me an additional week to hand typeset my paperbacks, but it does the same work and better in 10 seconds. So if you're going to do it eventually anyway, do it now and save yourself the trouble.

Help me out... If, with ".Doc or .Docx file, you have a lot of options!", what does Vellum do, exactly?  I read their site (Vellum) but came away with the thought: "I can do drop case and already have header formatting in MS Word."  What am I missing?

UPDATE: Nevermind... I went back to review Vellum and RIGHT AT THE TOP, I missed this: "Only Available for Mac" - Never been, and never will be, a Mac user.   

Cheers,
R.C.

I understand. Some people use Mac in Cloud services to format with Vellum without owning a Mac computer.

For those still on the fence:
The benefits of Vellum? Having formatted in many different ways. I'd say it's better looking ebooks, faster and easier than using other tools. And, fast and easy paperbacks which look just as nice. (Although I have never tried Scrivener.)
 
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R. C.

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #16 on: December 03, 2020, 12:22:59 AM »
... I'd say it's better looking ebooks, faster and easier than using other tools. And, fast and easy paperbacks which look just as nice. (Although I have never tried Scrivener.)

Thanks!

Start Rant

The reason I do not use MAC is the compatibility issue(s).  YES, there are many issues going back-and-forth from the native tools (WinTel) and emulators (VMs, MacInCloud).

I spent decades leading global teams and one of the persistent problems was document formatting issues resulting from non-native tools.

Example, MS PowerPoint and MS Project are not available on Office for Apple and must run in a VM.
Example, MS Word reformats (is misaligned) when sent: WinTel to Apple to WinTel.

There is NOTHING wrong with Apple and Macs. But they are NOT fully compatible with the rest of the world.

End Rant

Cheers,
R.C.
 
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Lynn

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #17 on: December 03, 2020, 01:36:28 AM »
If you're just worried about Amazon and you use Windows 10, you can use Kindle Create. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GUGQ4WDZ92F733GC

It also has a paperback option in beta. It's free.

I'm not in KDP Select, but I'm still thinking seriously about adding it into my process so I can avoid having to deal with paperback formatting after the fact since I only use KDP Print anyway. I'll still make an epub with Jutoh for everywhere else, but that takes me no real time at all. I'm going to see how it goes with my next release.
Don't rush me.
 
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idontknowyet

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #18 on: December 03, 2020, 02:13:20 AM »
If you're just worried about Amazon and you use Windows 10, you can use Kindle Create. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GUGQ4WDZ92F733GC

It also has a paperback option in beta. It's free.

I'm not in KDP Select, but I'm still thinking seriously about adding it into my process so I can avoid having to deal with paperback formatting after the fact since I only use KDP Print anyway. I'll still make an epub with Jutoh for everywhere else, but that takes me no real time at all. I'm going to see how it goes with my next release.

I use both of these. Putting my books in Ku from day one.
 

R. C.

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2020, 03:17:44 AM »
Here is something I follow closely when editing.  These little reminders have greatly improved my ability to create in the English language.

Banned Words

Just
That
Already
Actual / Actually
think
pretty
really
to be
great
around
a lot
very
thing
much
unfortunate / fortunate
nice

Attribution

I process every "completed" manuscript for these words. I remove the banned words where appropriate. EVERY time, I find ways to improve the dialog.

Cheers,
R.C.


 
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Luke Everhart

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #20 on: December 03, 2020, 06:08:41 AM »
Here is something I follow closely when editing.  These little reminders have greatly improved my ability to create in the English language.

Banned Words

Just
That
Already
Actual / Actually
think
pretty
really
to be
great
around
a lot
very
thing
much
unfortunate / fortunate
nice
I process every "completed" manuscript for these words. I remove the banned words where appropriate. EVERY time, I find ways to improve the dialog.

Cheers,
R.C.

Huh? ... 🤦‍♂️ Imo, this is a very bad idea. 'Banning'/removing a lot of common words? Words that contribute a lot to colloquial english. Words that you'd be hard-pressed to not find routinely used in the majority of successful books of most popular genres because they're a normal part of contemporary american english.
... Why? 🧐
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R. C.

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #21 on: December 03, 2020, 10:16:28 AM »
...

Huh? ... 🤦‍♂️ Imo, this is a very bad idea. 'Banning'/removing a lot of common words? Words that contribute a lot to colloquial english. Words that you'd be hard-pressed to not find routinely used in the majority of successful books of most popular genres because they're a normal part of contemporary american english.
... Why? 🧐

The operative is: colloquial English.  Agreed, there are many words that should be used and not "banned."

However, I can tell you, looking for, and rewriting to remove many overused adverbs and adjectives improves my writing.

"I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops." - Steven King

But there is a balance.

Cheers,
R. C.

idontknowyet

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #22 on: December 03, 2020, 11:02:50 AM »
...

Huh? ... 🤦‍♂️ Imo, this is a very bad idea. 'Banning'/removing a lot of common words? Words that contribute a lot to colloquial english. Words that you'd be hard-pressed to not find routinely used in the majority of successful books of most popular genres because they're a normal part of contemporary american english.
... Why? 🧐

The operative is: colloquial English.  Agreed, there are many words that should be used and not "banned."

However, I can tell you, looking for, and rewriting to remove many overused adverbs and adjectives improves my writing.

"I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops." - Steven King

But there is a balance.

Cheers,
R. C.

this i think has a lot to do with knowing your audience. who is reading and what their expectations are.

Some readers want language that is clear and relatable to their everyday life. While other readers prefer a more complex story where they savor every word. There a people across the entire spectrum. Matching the way you like to write words with the audience you target is how you sell books.
 

notthatamanda

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #23 on: December 03, 2020, 11:22:13 AM »
For giggles I did a find on "just" on my WIP and found 500+ matches. I'm not sure if that's good for a 120K book or not. I found your list interesting and I may refer back to it when I am editing. Thanks for sharing it.
 
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Simon Haynes

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #24 on: December 03, 2020, 12:27:19 PM »
yWriter will show you a list of every word in your manuscript, sorted from most to least used. It also tells me my 104,000 word novel uses just 8720 unique words.

The words you'd expect are at the top (the - 5800, a - 2333, and - 2877, and so on.)

I am extremely light on adverbs, as I avoid them like the plague.  I did use suddenly 21 times and firmly 20 times. (yWriter has an adverb hunter - a predefined search for anything ending in -ly.)



 
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TimothyEllis

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #25 on: December 03, 2020, 01:25:30 PM »
just 8720 unique words.

I didn't know there were that many unique words.  :dizzy
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Luke Everhart

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #26 on: December 03, 2020, 02:54:55 PM »
yWriter will show you a list of every word in your manuscript, sorted from most to least used. It also tells me my 104,000 word novel uses just 8720 unique words.

Scrivener can do that too. Just fyi in case some scrivener users aren't aware
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LilyBLily

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #27 on: December 03, 2020, 04:04:28 PM »
Here is something I follow closely when editing.  These little reminders have greatly improved my ability to create in the English language.

Banned Words

Just
That
Already
Actual / Actually
think
pretty
really
to be
great
around
a lot
very
thing
much
unfortunate / fortunate
nice

Attribution

I process every "completed" manuscript for these words. I remove the banned words where appropriate. EVERY time, I find ways to improve the dialog.

Cheers,
R.C.

Yeah, me, too. I try not to use those words, period. I've weaned myself from "really," "pretty," and "very, but "just" is still all over my mss. in early drafts.

Why are "unfortunate" and "fortunate" on the list?

 
 
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TimothyEllis

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #28 on: December 03, 2020, 04:11:38 PM »
'then' is on my list as well. It's as bad as 'that'.
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Luke Everhart

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #29 on: December 03, 2020, 04:24:11 PM »
Here is something I follow closely when editing.  These little reminders have greatly improved my ability to create in the English language.

Banned Words

Just
That
Already
Actual / Actually
think
pretty
really
to be
great
around
a lot
very
thing
much
unfortunate / fortunate
nice

Attribution

I process every "completed" manuscript for these words. I remove the banned words where appropriate. EVERY time, I find ways to improve the dialog.

Cheers,
R.C.

Yeah, me, too. I try not to use those words, period. I've weaned myself from "really," "pretty," and "very, but "just" is still all over my mss. in early drafts.

Why are "unfortunate" and "fortunate" on the list?

 :shrug
Well, there are lots of styles and that's great. But, honestly, I'm a bit confused and weirded out by these exclusions.

You'll find every word on that list in the works of Lee Child, Nora Roberts, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews, George RR Martin, and many other mega-sellers.

I'm not being argumentative; I'm being curious.

While I know I won't adopt the exclusionary practice, I AM genuinely interested in the rationale for it. Those doing so, like RC and LilyBLily, could you please explain the reasoning? I don't have to subscribe to it for it to make sense to me and I assume it would if explained. It just seems rather oddly arbitrary.
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Simon Haynes

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #30 on: December 03, 2020, 04:35:38 PM »
just 8720 unique words.

I didn't know there were that many unique words.  :dizzy

I just checked my 68k novel and that has 6683. But the longer novel is written in 19th century style so it's more flowery.



The first novel in my 10 book series (written 20 years ago) has 7755. The tenth novel (written last year) has 7958. I guess I still use the same variety in my vocab.

What would be interesting is combining all 26+ novels and then doing the vocab count ;-)

Oh, and my MG novel only has 4190 unique words (out of 30k) so I clearly reined myself in when writing that.

 
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TimothyEllis

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #31 on: December 03, 2020, 04:44:14 PM »
could you please explain the reasoning?

Then.

John got out of bed. Then he scratched his arse for a few moments, before then going into the bathroom and doing the needful. Then he went to the kitchen, found the fridge door had been open all night and so then he sat down and cried.

Every single occurrence of 'then' in that paragraph is redundant.

It's used as a crutch for lazy writing. And telling instead of showing.
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Simon Haynes

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #32 on: December 03, 2020, 04:59:25 PM »
Yep, I stomp on 'then' whenever I can.

I don't mind once per 2-3 paragraphs, but overuse grates.

I'm so fussy about writing I re-read and edit all my forum posts, tweets and emails.
 
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Luke Everhart

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #33 on: December 03, 2020, 05:06:16 PM »
could you please explain the reasoning?

Then.

John got out of bed. Then he scratched his arse for a few moments, before then going into the bathroom and doing the needful. Then he went to the kitchen, found the fridge door had been open all night and so then he sat down and cried.

Every single occurrence of 'then' in that paragraph is redundant.

It's used as a crutch for lazy writing. And telling instead of showing.

Ok, yes, in that example 'then' makes for some rather wretched writing. But, isn't the culprit bad writing not 'then' per se? Many words, including a great many not in the list in this thread, can ruin a sentence or paragraph if overused or ill-timed.
If the list is to indicate "keep an eye out for these commonly abused words" to be sure they aren't abused so brazenly; then, sure, it makes sense. But to ban or remove them categorically?
« Last Edit: December 03, 2020, 05:09:54 PM by Luke Everhart »
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TimothyEllis

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #34 on: December 03, 2020, 05:10:31 PM »
Ok, yes, in that example 'then' makes for some rather wretched writing. But, isn't the culprit bad writing not 'then' per se? Many words, including a great many not in the list in this thread, can ruin a sentence or paragraph if overused or ill-timed.

Then was just the easiest for me to write a bad example of on the fly.
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Luke Everhart

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #35 on: December 03, 2020, 05:24:48 PM »
Ok, yes, in that example 'then' makes for some rather wretched writing. But, isn't the culprit bad writing not 'then' per se? Many words, including a great many not in the list in this thread, can ruin a sentence or paragraph if overused or ill-timed.

Then was just the easiest for me to write a bad example of on the fly.

I understand. I was taking it as just an illustration.

I added this to my post moments afterwards in an edit: "If the list is to indicate "keep an eye out for these commonly abused words" to be sure they aren't abused so brazenly; then, sure, it makes sense. But to ban or remove them categorically?"

Simon Hayes follow up comment on your post makes sense to me: "I don't mind once per 2-3 paragraphs, but overuse grates."
I might not share the specific rationing of "once per 2-3 paragraphs" but distilling the issue to overuse makes perfect sense. I just don't get excluding words, if not arbitrarily, then simply because they are more frequently abused. Just police the abuse imo

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LilyBLily

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #36 on: December 04, 2020, 12:04:44 AM »
I allow my characters latitude in dialogue, but in narrative passages I push myself to be more cogent.

I'm bad with "a lot of," too. Rats. Another no-no to hunt down and destroy.

The point is not to eliminate them all, but to reduce the use.   
 
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R. C.

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #37 on: December 04, 2020, 12:18:09 AM »
I think...
... then ...
... to be ...
... a lot ...

The bane of my cogent existence.

Cheers,
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Lynn

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #38 on: December 04, 2020, 02:55:55 AM »
Specificity and clarity. Problem solved. :D

On the other hand, sometimes a sentence just doesn't feel right without a bit of fluff in it.
Don't rush me.
 
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TimothyEllis

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Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #39 on: December 04, 2020, 10:33:19 AM »
Specificity and clarity. Problem solved. :D

On the other hand, sometimes a sentence just doesn't feel right without a bit of fluff in it.

New job for someone: Sentence fluffer.
Genres: Space Opera/Fantasy/Cyberpunk, with elements of LitRPG and GameLit, with a touch of the Supernatural. Also Spiritual and Games.



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Simon Haynes

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #40 on: December 04, 2020, 10:54:24 AM »
When my characters have a stiff argument that's not quite what I had in mind.
 
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idontknowyet

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #41 on: December 04, 2020, 12:09:06 PM »
Specificity and clarity. Problem solved. :D

On the other hand, sometimes a sentence just doesn't feel right without a bit of fluff in it.

New job for someone: Sentence fluffer.
doubtlessly there are hundreds with the job now :P
 

notthatamanda

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #42 on: December 04, 2020, 01:41:41 PM »
You guys are posting on the wrong thread. You want the side gigs for writers thread.
 
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Lynn

Re: Is there a format for beginners thread?
« Reply #43 on: December 04, 2020, 02:48:04 PM »
LOL. That took a side road I didn't expect.
Don't rush me.
 
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