So this more off a note section of quick reminders.
1. Don’t use so many abbreviations. [T.V. vs. Television or P.E. vs. Physical Education.]
2. Spell out your numbers. [She was 21 years old. Vs. She was twenty-one years old.]
3. Describing and comparing things helps the reader visualize the story better. Make sure to describe not only the characters, but the scenery as well. Don’t be afraid to describe the details of anything you can think of (the setting, people in the setting, weather, night or day, sound, etc.). Having a good balance of description is hard, but if you write it in with the dialogue, you'll find a nice balance.
4. Use correct punctuation. There's nothing worse than seeing punctuation used the wrong way. The three below are just a few common things people make mistakes on.
Dialogue should only be cut off from the rest of the sentence (have a period at the end) is a) If the dialogue calls for something other than a period (such as: ! or ?) or b) Describes what the character is doing. Other wise the period becomes a comma at the end of the dialogue. You'd be surprised how many people didn't know this. [“Wow! This is hot!” she yelled. “I love that dress.” Ashley felt the lace in her hand before taking it off the clothes rack.] Or [“That’s very nice of you,” he said.]
Colons ( : ) are used to list things and tell the time. [Please locate the following countries: England, France, Iran and Japan.] Or [It is 11:43pm.]
Semi-colons ( ;) are used a) When two sentences are not separated by ‘and’, ‘because’, etc. [She wasn’t a very good writer; she didn’t have the imagination.] b) In lists that contain a comma. [I have visited London, England; Paris, France; and Montreal, Canada.] Other than that, use a comma. It makes like simpler.
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Writing Guide
Teen FictionA helpful writing guide to get you started and to help make you a better writer.
