Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
People don’t speak with perfect grammar (except for your fourth grade teacher). So feel free to make your dialogue as colloquial as the character’s education and background dictates. Narrative, however, should always follow the rules. You might wonder whether that includes a character’s thought process (ie his/her internalizing or thinking, but not dialogue). The answer … Read more
Here is where I sound like your fourth grade teacher. Grammar IS important. But it’s not rocket science. You can learn all those pesky rules (and English has more rules than most languages). Why? Because knowing the rules will make you a better writer. When you know proper grammar, it’s easier to eliminate dangling participles, … Read more
A common mistake writers make is this: “I was afraid of the man that held a gun in his hand.” Because “man” refers to a person, it should read: “I was afraid of the man who held a gun in his hand.” (Actually, that could be shortened to read “I was afraid of the man with a … Read more