Three Punctuation Errors That Plague Me - By Jennifer Wren

 

I’ve just spent hours doing tedious global “Find and Replace” searches to correct several punctuation errors that continue to torment me. I look up these same rules on average about once a year and then find myself making the same mistakes over and over. I am hoping that looking them up yet again and writing them down here for you will finally cement them in my brain!

1. SINGLE SPACES BETWEEN SENTENCES: My son, who teaches writing at a university in New York City, admonishes, “Mom, the use of two spaces at the end of a sentence is archaic.” Oh gee, now I’m not only old, I’m archaic! Here is the RULE: after a period, question mark, exclamation mark, quotation mark, or ellipsis (anything that signifies the end of a sentence) USE ONLY A SINGLE SPACE, not two as you may have been taught in typing class. In fact, if you use two spaces it automatically dates you as having learned to type on a typewriter prior to the advent of computerized word processing. Yes, I am that old. [Hint: To autocorrect these, do a “search and replace.” In the search bar, type a period followed by two spaces, and in the replace bar, type a period with one space. Repeat this process using a question mark, exclamation mark, quotation mark and ellipsis.]

2. LOWER CASE DIALOGUE TAG: You can find people who argue this until their faces turn red and their hands curl into fists, but the rule nevertheless is a RULE: After a dialogue fragment OR sentence, start the tag with a LOWER CASE LETTER (unless it starts with a proper name). Example: “That’s a bunch of crap,” he said. I’ve even had MS Word autocorrect and put in a capital, so I go back to the Internet and confirm: use a lowercase! BTW, periods always go INSIDE the quotation marks and most often, commas do as well. Semicolons and colons are never placed inside quotation marks unless they are part of the direct quote.

Remember, if dialogue ends in a period but has a dialogue tag added, switch to a comma. Check the example: “That’s a bunch of crap.” he said. You’ll note that this is incorrect because the dialogue ends in a period with a tag added. Switch to a comma as shown in the previous paragraph. However, look at the following example: “That’s a bunch of crap!” he said. This is correct. Don’t you just love English?

3. PUNCTUATING AN ELLIPSIS: If you want to indicate a pause, pregnant or otherwise, you may use an ellipsis. RULE: It depends. In most fiction, an ellipsis is THREE dots in a row, no spaces between, with spaces before the ellipsis and after it. The last space is eliminated if the ellipsis ends at a quotation mark. Example: “But I thought …” You can see a space before the ellipsis but not after, since it ends at a quotation mark. Take another example: “But I thought … you knew.” In this case, there is a space both before and after the ellipsis, but no spaces between. (Note that if you added a dialogue tag to that quote, you’d switch the period after “knew” to a comma.) In nonfiction and formal writing, you may see ellipses written with spaces before, between, and after them. They are still three dots (although in certain circumstances there may be a period before or after the ellipsis, which makes it look as if it has four dots). Everyone warns against overusing this handy little device, as it becomes very tiresome for a reader to see that a character, or worse, all the characters can’t seem to speak in a full sentence! Example: “I … don’t know … maybe … it’s just that I … you know ...”

I hope this helps some of you and if you want to argue with me, that’s okay too. Maybe I’m still getting it wrong, but I tried to find at least 3 sources to confirm each rule above.

Arizona Authors Association member Jenny Wrenn lives in the Canelo Hills of Arizona in the borderlands with Mexico. She writes speculative fiction, paranormal romance, and poetry. With degrees in zoology and medicine, Jenny has always lived an outdoor lifestyle full of adventure, with a fascination for the natural world. All of these flavor her writing. While she hasn’t yet published her novels, she admits to having “four or five sitting in my computer.” The Association looks forward to their future release. 

Operational Organization for Authors and Artists Part 3 - by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson

When I began this series of articles, my goal was to help authors, artists, and other creative professionals organize their physical environment to effectively plan and complete work projects, including aspects of their:

~ Office contents and arrangement

~ Updating hardware, software, and electronic gadgets

~ Using the Cloud for backup

~ Organization of books, files, and folders

~ Reviewing document and design elements for future usage 

With the tools of your trade at hand and a New Year unfolding, it is time to consider the possibilities as well as the probabilities of the contents of your calendar for 2023. With our work spaces stocked and organized, we may appear ready to move forward into the year. But despite having reference materials, basic tools, and necessary folders and files readily available, past years may very well demonstrate that our plans can easily go astray. Even when one is fortunate to have assistance in our home or office, we may not be able to avoid some pitfalls while striving to meet our goals. As we examine the preparations we have made recently, there may be a few additional tweaks that can assure we are prepared to launch many months of a heavy work schedule. This could involve another round of polishing and cleaning, and the sharpening or replacement of key implements.

As successful authors and artists, the relationships we establish and maintain with colleagues and our local and even our international community can be vital to our productivity. So, moving forward in 2023, let us expand and refine our relationships. Such strengthening of connections near and far can greatly enhance the quality of our personal lives and our awareness of the life that flows around us. 

Starting points for exploring such relationships can begin with reviewing our past year’s calendar, as well as incoming and outgoing email and other communication, which should disclose potential elements for our forthcoming year. Checking the scheduled events of organizations to which we belong and the plans of fellow members will also reveal probable aspects of our own upcoming year. And that brings us to consideration of our own work and that of our editors, publishers, and other key figures in our personal and professional commitments.

By this point, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of data being entered into your calendar template. But without details fleshing out the days, let alone the months yawning forward, it will prove difficult to see how the details of your completed projects, presentation materials, travel plans, and new events may result from these activities.

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors, 

Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, narrator, consultant, and motivational speaker

For more ideas to aid your career as an author or artist, visit: JeanneBurrows-Johnson.com

The Inevitable Author - Nurturing the Garden - by Kathleen Cook

 

Kathleen Cook is a free-lance editor and the author of twenty-one books. A former copy writer/editor for Demand Studios, she also served as the Fictional Religion Editor for the ODP (Open Directory Project). She is currently the Arizona Authors Association newsletter editor. Contact Katy at: faerland@yahoo.com

Ah summer! After planting thirty tomato seedlings this morning, I came inside and started on this column. The fresh air still in my lungs, I marveled at how fortunate I am to be able to do the things I do, both in my garden and in this organization.

I think of the Arizona Authors Association as a garden, in a way. Two years ago, we were restarting from nearly the ground up, once again. It wasn't easy, trying to convince long-term members to keep sending in their membership fees when our legs were still shaky. We had to convince them that we were on the right track again, and working our way towards our former glory. Luckily, many of them stuck with us during the bad times and now enjoy the revitalized association that we have always loved. It reminds me of the year there was a bad storm and destroyed nearly my entire garden of precious seedlings. I had to salvage what I could from what was left. Miraculously, a few plants survived and wound up being the best ones I'd ever had, beautiful, healthy and bountiful. The AAA has bounded back in the same way

We have so many things planned for the future! The association purchased an upgraded membership in Zoom because of the pandemic, but we discovered that more people attend the Zoom workshops than we had in our library-based workshops before the pandemic. Fantastic! We can now bring top-notch workshop presenters to you in your own home. The next presenter is Donis Casey, a brilliant writer and a wonderful teacher. I'm going to attend her workshop on June 5th, coming up in just a few days! Will you?

In July, Toby (Heathcotte) and I will be hosting another Zoom book fair, and Jane Ruby will be joining us! The last one was so much fun that we just had to do it again. It's open to the public to attend, but only members may showcase their books. I'd love to meet you there, and best of all, it's FREE! Come on; I’m sure you have a book gathering dust that you’d love to tell us about. I’d love to hear about it!

I’m also hurrying to dust off a book or two for the 2021 Arizona Authors Literary Contest. The DEADLINE IS LOOMING! We’ve got THIS MONTH to get in our books, folks, so let’s make sure that Jane Ruby, our Contest Coordinator, has as many books as my garden has seedlings! With our new Oldie But Goldie category and a renewed interest in the contest in general, this may be our best year ever. 

Remember, too, that there are critiques available for all unpublished contest entries, for an additional fee. I spent many years as an editor, and I know that the price of the critiques is very low in comparison to professional reviews. If you aren’t sure whether your unpublished entry is good, why not try it anyway and ask for a review? You may receive valuable advice that will help you to win next year’s contest. 

While I am sad that we have lost a few good members, I’m so grateful to all the ones that we’ve retained, as well as the new ones that keep joining. That’s how it is in a garden, even a flourishing one like ours. I want you to know that you fit perfectly in this lovely garden we call the Arizona Authors Association, and that each of you are valued and beautiful.

So many more things will happen in the future. With our professional Zoom membership, be on the lookout for more workshops, more book fairs, more of everything! What would you like to see the Arizona Authors Association do in the future? Write to me or Toby and tell us! We’d love to hear from you and we’d certainly take your ideas and suggestions under consideration.

Well, I’m off again to plant some huckleberries. What will you plant today, either in a garden, in a notebook, or in that new book you’re writing? Keep it up; stick with it, and never let adversity cause you to despair. Eventually, we all grow and thrive and learn! Let’s keep doing all three together, and thank you so much for being a part of this wonderful association!  

The vicissitudes of remaining published - by Vijaya Schartz

Yes, publishing companies do close their door, and more often than you think. Here are some of my sci-fi romance titles recently republished with new covers, after their previous publishers who closed their doors.

                

You have slaved for months if not years writing the perfect book. After pitching it at conferences and being rejected by many agents and publishers, you are finally accepted by a small publisher. They love your book. They want to publish it. After doing your happy dance, you sign on the dotted line, and soon you will be a legitimate published author. Congratulations. Now, you are a professional author, with deadlines, edits, and promotion strategies. Finally, friends and family will take you seriously as an author. You are on your way.

Small publishers are wonderful, and I love them. They take chances with mixed genres, like sci-fi romance and medieval fantasy romance. They provide the same services as a large publisher with editors, cover designers, some marketing… and they get your books out in the world, in all formats, on all retail sites, and in print… although the print is sometime on demand.

It means that they are ecologically responsible, but most likely, your local bookstore will refuse to order that book for its shelves… because most print on demand books are non-returnable, and chain bookstores refuse to stock them. They still operate on the newsstand magazine model, where what didn’t sell that week or that month goes straight back to the publisher.

Never mind the naysayers. You are happily published. You love your cover, the book does sell copies in the first month. Your social media friends are buying it. You had a successful book signing in an independent (or second hand) bookstore, and you are writing the sequel. You are living the dream.

I forgot to tell you, the weakness of small publishers is that they are small, usually operated by a handful of people, but owned only by one or two of them, who are in charge and oversee the entire operation. Without them, the company cannot survive.

As you all know, life has a way of throwing off the best laid plans. Even in a large publishing company, if your editor goes on maternity leave and decides to stay home and raise her child, you may not get along with your new editor. He/she may not like your book as much or have a different idea of what your characters should be. He/she might request changes that will make you cringe. Unfortunately, you are locked into a contract, and your only option is to grin and bear it.

But when the main operator of a small publishing company has a life-altering accident (like it happened for Sapphire Blue Publishing after a few years) or is diagnosed with a serious health problem and can no longer handle the stress of running the company, (like it happened last month with Desert Breeze Publishing after a decade of success) the small publisher will have to close their doors.

That will make you an orphaned author, with orphaned books most established publisher will shun, because they are last year’s chutney… Of course, you get your rights back. Which means you could self-publish your orphans, or, if you are lucky, find another small publisher who will love them, like it happened for me with BWL Publishing. It’s all part of an author’s life.

If you lose your publisher, don’t despair. Keep writing. Nothing like a new release to lift your spirits. And this new publisher of yours might like your new book so much, they’ll ask you if you have anything else ready to go. Then you can pitch them your little orphans.

I was lucky that way. White Tiger was published several times by different publishers. The last one was Desert Breeze, where it became a series. But this book is in its twilight, and next time, I’ll republish that series myself, just to keep it available online. Aren't the covers stunning?

Two of my Desert Breeze sci-fi orphans, however, will be republished next year by BWL Publishing, for whom I’m currently writing the new Azura Chronicles sci-fi series. These two, set on a space station, will be a spin off from the Azura Chronicles. Of course, I’ll be rewriting these orphans to fit in the new universe I created for BWL Publishing, then add new titles to both series.

It sounds like a lot of work, but I think authors like challenges. I’m excited about re-writing these. Sci-fi was my first love and creating new universes is my thing. I also like kick-butt heroines, brave heroes, and cats. So, get ready for more sci-fi romance coming from Vijaya Schartz in 2019 and 2020.

In the meantime, you can read ANGEL MINE, Book 1 of the Azura Chronicles.

What in the frozen hells of Laxxar prompted Fianna to pursue her quarry to this forbidden blue planet? Well, she needs the credits... badly. But as if crashing in the jungle wasn't bad enough, none of her high-tech weapons work. She'll have to go native, after the most wanted felon in five galaxies. It's not just her job. It's personal.

Acielon has never seen an outworlder like this fascinating female, strangely beautiful, and fierce, like the feline predator loping at her side. He always dreamed of exploring the universe, despite the legends... and the interdiction. Is it truly a hellish place of violence, lies and suffering? If it spawned this intriguing creature, it must also be a place of wonders, adventure and excitement...

Fianna's instincts tell her someone is watching. Sheba, her telepathic feline partner, doesn't seem worried... yet, something on Azura isn't quite right.

"I don’t know how Vijaya continues to write books that both aggravate you to no end and keep you on the edge of your seat. You can’t put it down until you know what happens next. Before you know what happened, you are at the end of the book and wondering how you got there so fast. It is hard not to get caught up in and lost in the imagery created on the pages of the locations. You can even smell what is in the air. Yet another page turner I couldn’t put down! Thank you Vijaya for keeping me entertained." 5-stars - Beverley J. Malloy on amazon

Happy Reading!

Vijaya Schartz, author

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

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The viscicitudes of moving... by Vijaya Schartz

My cat Jasmine was very upset when she saw all the books disappearing from the shelves, and many of the small furniture, wall pictures and mirrors vanish from what had been her home for the past three years. And what was that strange contraption on the patio? It looked like a cage!

I only moved a mile and a half away, and I had a month to make the move, so I took my time carrying out the small stuff myself. Never would I have guessed I had accumulated so many things in the short three years I lived there.

So upset was Jasmine by the time the movers came, she hid in the cupboard under the bathroom sink for the entire duration.

Finally, at the end of the major moving day, I went to pick up Jasmine. The poor thing didn't want to come out from under the sink. After much coaxing, she finally stepped out, only to bolt back to her hiding place when she realized the entire apartment was now empty.

After much effort, that included crawling under the bathroom sink, I retrieved my reluctant little kitty (not so little, as she is a well fed cat) and managed to get her into the carrier under violent protests.

The short drive to the new place was punctuated by much complaining from Jasmine, in the carrier belted onto the passenger seat. She never liked riding in a car and let me know it loud and clear.

 

Finally, I took her out of the car and carried her upstairs. When I opened the carrier, she immediately stepped out then looked around. Realizing all her favorite things were here, she started purring and exploring, with her tail up, like a happy cat. My new residence, another small apartment, was now packed with boxes and piles of books.

The furniture, bought to fit the previous place, did not fit as well in the new rooms. Although of similar size, the different dimensions and proportions of the rooms did not allow for the same setup.  I had to try several configurations, as the one I had originally intended did not look good once in place. But Jasmine had already found her favorite spots. She loves windows and here there are tall trees, and birds in them. Free TV for cats!

The worst part for me was to live without internet service or TV for over a week. But after all these details were resolved, Jasmine and I are ready to enjoy our new place. Here she is, at home at last, enjoying the recliner, like any spoiled cat must.

As for me, I'll soon be back to writing, once I catch up with all my emails and social media obligations... and up to date with all my changes of address. Moving is definitely a major event, no matter that it was only a mile and a half away.

Keep up with my books on my website:

 Vijaya Schartz
 Action, Romance, Mayhem
 http://www.vijayaschartz.com
 Amazon - Barnes & Noble -  Smashwords - Facebook -

Romance authors at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire

The Glendale Chocolate Affaire started just over two decades ago under the sponsorship of Joe Ceretta, the owner of the Ceretta Candy Company, located in Glendale Arizona. 

Joe Ceretta, initiator of the Glendale Chocolate Affaire.

This event usually runs on the Superbowl weekend, the first weekend of February, shortly before Valentine's Day. It takes place in Murphy Park, around the Velma Teague Library and goes on Friday night, Saturday all day and night, and Sunday afternoon. The theme is Chocolate and Romance, and since the inception, the local Romance Writers have been part of this event.

Getting Ready Friday night - an impressive lineup of authors

View from above. The Glendale Glitters are still decorating the trees since the holidays.

This year (unlike some previous years when it was cold or rainy) the weather was balmy, the sun shone on the event, and the crowds came to attend the free event. This year it gathered a whooping 85,000 visitors. There were vendors of chocolate, of course, and all kinds of sweets and yummy crepes and sausages and fried bread, wine, beer, chocolate-covered fruit, and many mouth-watering delights, like pulled pork and delicious curly fries drowned in melting cheese. You will also find there popcorn, hats, jewelry, art, and a trove of other treasures for Valentine's Day gifts.

On Saturday, many of the participating authors also gave free writing workshops in the Civic Center Annex, for aspiring writers of all popular genres, on how to write, edit, polish a novel, and get it published, as well on how to market it.

Sunglasses and summer wear de rigueur on this warm February day in Arizona

The most exciting thing for writers about this event, is the opportunity to meet their readers, year after year, as they return to tell them how much they liked last year's books, and to check what new titles they have published since the last Affaire.

So, if you live in Arizona, or happen to visit at that time of year, and if you like romance or chocolates, mark your calendars for next year and come say hi to our local Romance authors, at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire.