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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Feb 2, 2021 5:58:11 GMT
When you write your novels, short stories, novellas, and novelette's, are you following any particular style guide? Such as AP Style, Chicago Style, MLA Style, etcetera? Do you have a favorite dictionary/thesaurus you like to use?
I'm taking a proofreading and copyediting course, right now, and we're learning about things like style guides and dictionaries. I like Merriam-Webster, and I mostly like the Chicago Manual of Style due to their adherence to the Oxford comma. However, I prefer the Associated Press Stylebook's numbering system. Writing out every number from one to ninety-nine is insane, to me.
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Post by writeway on Feb 3, 2021 2:49:58 GMT
I just write. I come from trade so very familiar with the Chicago Style but haven't used it in years and feel no need to. I stick with what I retained from it years ago which I feel is the basics of writing and what IMO anyone writing books should take the time to know. Some things just aren't negotiable in terms of what is correct or not. Some things however are more subjective.
The only guide I follow is my outline. To me, the best part about being indie is writing my work the way I want to and not having to follow all the so-called rules or guides. Again, some of the rules should be familiar to anyone writing and I believe should be followed but some stuff isn't that important. Especially when you realize that most readers won't know what's correct or incorrect.
Ask for writing out numbers, this is a rule I definitely follow. You always write out numbers in dialogue. Why? Because no one talks in numbers. So it's incorrect to use numbers in dialogue. When writing narrative, it's a different story. There are ways to format numbers in narrative and you can use digits.
I rarely use a dictionary and when I do it's usually not for my writing. I don't have a favorite thesaurus. I just use the one included in Word. I find that's good enough and sometimes I Google if I want more options.
Also, I've trained in copywriting and editing too. Thought I could find decent jobs doing so but nothing unfortunately. But it's good to take those classes so you can learn. I am a big cheerleader of learning to better yourself. I learned more editing from working with editors in trade than anything. So for that, being in trade was invaluable.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Feb 3, 2021 3:21:30 GMT
Editing skills are definitely an asset, whether they lead to jobs or not. I agree. Right now, I'm just having fun with all the quizzes and exercises, and stuff. I like this course because the instructor tells you to not be a grammar nazi, and that consistency is the most important thing to keep in mind. She says you should follow the important rules, which make the most sense, and which make your writing clearer, but if an author wants to use made-up words, or wants to break certain rules for emphasis, or whatever, that's totally fine, and you can leave it alone.
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