Preposterous Prepositions
I'm a fan of Sir Winston Churchill and his acidic quips. I was delighted to find a new Churchillianism as I was perusing The Cassell Guide to Common Errors in English by Harry Blamires. I wasn't looking for Churchill but engaging in some grammatical self-improvement to pass the two extra hours spent at gymnastics on a Friday evening. My eldest daughter has developed "talent" requiring extra coaching. Only one word to describe that - "Bugger"!
Prepositions are are words such as "of", "for", "by", "with", "before", and "after" and are used with nouns and pronouns to provide some grammatical context. These are the most common words in the English language and without them we would sound something akin to Tarzan leaping through the grammatical jungle in search of Jane.
The Writing Process
There is a process to everything we do. When carpenters are ready to frame a house, they’ve already gone through important preparations. When a cook is in the kitchen, she’s already done her homework. Writing is the same as everything else.
Even though great writers might seem to skip a few steps or rearrange the order of steps when they are writing their masterpieces, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t done the preparations. Great writers are just so used to the steps that they’ve probably done a few of them in their heads.
When a writer begins to write a book without an outline, the organization of his book is in his head. I often do that when I know what I’m writing and I just want to get to it. Especially in this day and age where I have a computer and a word processor, the writing process is made so much easier.
Prewriting
Prewriting is the first step in any writing where the writer is trying to come up with ideas for what to write about. A good writer who is already familiar with the writing process might sit down in front of the computer and just start writing. I think of ideas all the time and when I’m ready to write, I’m ready to just roll with it.
But if you need to come up with ideas, there are plenty of ways. Do a little freewriting I wrote about in an earlier piece. Stimulate your brain with news or music. Look through your journals and pull something out that you’re interested in doing.
DMOZ – Open Directory Project
DMOZ is The Open Directory Project and it is the largest, human-edited directory on the web today.
So what?
Well actually, it is quite a big deal as DMOZ represents a considerable opportunity to gain exposure for yourself on the web and in commercial writing circles. DMOZ is in fact, staffed by a huge number of volunteers situated around the globe and offering their services as "experts" in whatever field you can name. Many of these volunteers receive ediotorial status, that is, they are considered to be trustworthy and knowledgable enough about their chosen field that they are allowed to become part of the editing resource for the directory. Incidentally, this human component is what differentiates a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo! from a directory; directories rely on humans to analyse, evaluate and give weight to content whereas a search engine uses an algorithm.
So what's in it for me?
For very little effort on your part, you can become an editor quite easily. There is considerable kudos to be gained by becoming a DMOZ editor and you'll also gain some valuable experience working with other community minded web geeks. DMOZ is especially good at mentoring those with less experience and bringing them on by providing opportunities on very small editing and web projects under the supervision of more experienced hands.
Give Credit Where Credit is Due: Plagiarism Isn’t Even Cool
I was teaching English to high school freshmen and sophomores a few years ago when something threw me by surprise. Students were still trying to plagiarize. I had to sit one student down in particular and write the definition of plagiarism on the back of his paper so that we both knew it had been taught to him.
Later on in that same year, another paper I had asked him to write was completely copied from the Internet. I found half the paper on one website while the vice principal found the rest of it on another. I sat the student down and explained to him why his paper failed.
The next thing I knew, I was in a meeting with his mother, his father and my principal. Luckily, I had that earlier paper with the definition of plagiarism written on the back of it. While I was being questioned about my teaching methods, I simply pulled out the paper and slid it across the desk.
Norman Mailer – In Requiem
I read The Fight by Norman Mailer in 1993, and quickly followed up with The Naked and the Dead and Deer Park.
I was hooked on his work from there on and moved on to other works of his and his peers, particularly Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe.
It was announced a little over an hour ago that Norman Mailer had died, aged 84.
I don't feel anything personal for Norman, I never met him and never knew him so a feeling of loss is not something I can claim. However, as a practical example of how writing can reach out and touch someone, I can say I feel saddened that someone who wrote so eloquently and passionately on real topics of interest has indeed passed on.
Why I Enjoy Being Wrong!
Getting things wrong is just a fact of life so build a bridge and get over it.
Thomas Edison failed over 1,800 times before suddenly he had a light bulb switch on inside his brain and guess what - he invented the working light bulb!
My greatest successes have always had deep roots in past failure and I have never allowed the odd mishap to derail me from producing something I consider to be up to scratch. While this is not going to be a post on how ERH has messed things up so very badly, there is a lot to be said for failure and making mistakes.
Treating your mistakes as learning experiences will help you appreciate the lesson far more deeply than if you just followed advice or a guide book. When you encounter a mistake, and often in my case it is brought to my attention after the event, analyse what has happened. After I have thrown my teddy in the corner and had a fit, I always consider what has happened, what led to the error, why I did whatever caused the problem and more than that, how do I make sure it doesn't occur again.
Pet Peeves: Because Correct Grammar is Simply Forgotten Sometimes
There are always going to be mistakes that start innocently enough, but grow into universal usage. The internet helps propagate this because it is full of informal forms of communication that lead to the wide spread growth of common mistakes. Chat rooms and emails are very convenient forms of informal communication where people throw the grammar book out the window so that they can cut a few corners and send messages faster.
“…i want u to find that 4 me…idk my bff rose…lol…”
I’m not saying I have a pet peeve with shortcuts in the chat rooms. But, it translates to mistakes in more formal settings. When you write an essay for your college professor or you have a report to write for your boss, you don’t want to turn in a presentation with simple errors that could have been avoided. So, let’s take a look at a few of the more common mistakes in hopes that you’ll catch on and start correcting your own errors by yourself.
One that has really caught on big is the use of the word, “thru.” This wasn’t even a word until a few short years ago. Added to the dictionary because of its wide usage, it is the informal spelling of the word “through.” I “threw” a ball or I went “through” the door are the two homonyms used for formal writing. “Thru” should be kept for hand-written signs on Laundromats that tell you the doors are open “Monday thru Friday.”
Using Analogies, Similes and Metaphors
Analogies, similes and metaphors work because they allow a writer to present a complex idea by reference to something that a reader is already likely to know.
Plato wrote a work about 2,500 years ago called "Allegory of the Cave" in which prisoners are duped into believing that shadows cast on a wall are in fact reality. The allegory in this instance is that Plato used this picture of a cave with duped prisoners as the basis for explaining a series of philosophical concepts dealing with our perception of reality and what we consider to be real. Hollywood took hold of this and created The Matrix as a modern day retelling of the tale but without imparting any real meaning by use of analogy.
The difference between Plato's work and The Matrix is an excellent example of good and bad use of analogy.
Plato used analogy sparingly and ensured that the concepts he was attempting to impart to his readers formed the core of his content.
The Matrix uses analogy until it is done to death and leaves the viewer confused so it's just as well the special effects were pretty good along with Trinity and her latex covered backside.