GRAMMAR 101 Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Grammar But Didn’t Think It Really Mattered - Part One
Nobody likes grammar. Most would rather have a paper cut on the inside of their lip than contemplate verb tenses, unravel the intricacies between who and whom, or diagram a sentence. However, good writing requires good grammar. Without it, you can’t really be sure your reader will understand the information you’re trying to convey, the story you’re trying to tell, and the mental picture you’re trying to paint. Which kind of defeats the purpose of fiction writing, right?
Grammar-crammer… who cares about how verb tenses, passive voice, and dangled, misplaced, and squinted modifiers? You should! This course is the first half of a two-part class that does what most “grammar-for-better-writing” books, courses, and websites don’t do—focus on grammar for fiction writing. We review grammar basics, sentence structure, paragraph development, punctuation and style, and common grammar errors. We show you how to use grammar to enhance your writing’s appearance, readability, and impact. We demonstrate how editing is the quickest and surest way to improve your writing. We share tools and techniques to identify, troubleshoot, and fix poor writing.
$30.00
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Who Are We?
Darlene Buchholz and Annie Oortman are the Grammar Divas. We’re two fiction writers with a grammar fetish.
Why Grammar Divas?
As a former English teacher (Darlene) and a professional copywriter (Annie), we always get questions about grammar. When we became budding novelists, we started getting tons of questions from fellow scribes. We quickly learned that most books, courses, and websites that tout themselves as "grammar for better writing" focus on business, thesis, and/or ESL writing, not fiction writing. Does it really make that big a difference? Yes... and... no.
Yes... grammar for fiction use is based on the same rules and regulations as business, thesis, and/or ESL writing. Subjects and verbs must always agree. Use commas correctly. Watch verb tenses. Don't misplace a modifier. Never end a sentence in a preposition.
And... no... fiction writing has some unique issues our other writing buddies don't have to keep in mind. For instance, passive voice is legally acceptable under grammar law. However, most editors prefer fiction writers avoid passive voice at all costs. Same for starting sentences with "hopefully," writing in the imperative or subjective mood, or using inactive verbs. No grammar laws broken, but editors tag your writing as dull, flat, or lacking “oomph.”
Grammar Divas is here to help, providing practical advice and expert guidance on grammar specific for the fiction writer.
Bios
Annie Oortman... Grammar wasn't Annie Oortman's first love (actually, it was a cute boy in her second-grade class named Henry Talley) or even her second (avoiding barn work). However, after getting an A for content but an F for readability on a third-grade book report, she learned having great ideas was one thing, communicating them well on paper another.
Annie became a disciple of the church of Proper Grammar and card-carrying member of The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (www.spogg.org). Nowadays, she diagrams sentences for fun (yes, for fun), corrects her children when they say "I did good on the test" (I did well.), and argues with fellow grammar devotees on the acceptability of ending a sentence with a preposition (don't do it).
BTW, Annie is hoping to see her name on the cover of a fiction novel soon... very soon. (And, if you’re wondering, Henry Talley never even noticed Annie as he had a mad crush on blonde-haired, blue-eyed Libby Boxler.)
Darlene Buchholz... Darlene fell in love in the first grade with a boy named Neil. He shared his crackers and milk at recess after someone took her snack and never got caught. She’s loved romance and intrigue ever since. By the third grade, she discovered Nancy Drew mysteries and developed a great passion for perky heroines who drove convertibles (proof they were in charge of their own lives). She wrote her own one-hundred-page mysteries, giving the heroine a much better hero than wimpy Ned Nickerson, who seemed more fashion accessory than hero. What woman wouldn’t prefer a cowboy or a cop named…well, Neil, of course?
Darlene never thought of grammar as a challenge. It was, instead, a tool to help her express the ideas she felt passionate about. She served as a peer mentor in junior high and high school. Becoming a high school English teacher was a natural for Darlene. She loved sharing ideas expressed in great literature and exposition.
Now, family raised, Darlene has decided to write stories again. She writes romantic suspense, and sometimes her heroines drive trucks rather than convertibles. Her heroes are still cowboys and cops. She hopes to publish soon.
BTW… Darlene disagrees with Annie about the acceptability of ending a sentence with a preposition. Yes, you can! No one, absolutely no one, including Annie, says: On what did you step? Not in casual conversation and not in situations where you’d like to impress the committee in charge of awarding you a grant or a fellowship. We all say: What did you step on?
GRAM 101 is part of the Bachelor of Writing in Grammar & Style by the Grammar Divas. For more information on this program click HERE.
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