Now write a synopsis of your story. Eventually this will form the body of your story. On the first draft, let it flow down on paper. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or phraseology. Just get your story down. If you think of small details as you go, include them. But don’t worry about your construction in this first rough draft. Leave yourself free from constraints so your creative juices can flow. After it is written, lay it aside and let it cool.

Now go on to work on another project. Have a file folder labeled with the name of each project you are working on. Keeping organized records is imperative. Every time you find something pertaining to that idea, place it in the file. You may prefer to keep your files and research material electronically on your computer, but I would always suggest you have a hard copy backup.

God inspires us to write; I’m convinced of that. But God doesn’t tell us the words will flow down on paper and settle in concrete. He is not going to do our work for us—He will only guide us along the way. Writing the first draft is the creative part. For me, this is the easiest part. The hard part is rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting.

Remember that I told you to write a theme sentence and to make an outline before you began the actual writing. Then get as much down on paper as you can without worrying about the structure. Now let’s go back and put in the actual structure in the next blog.

Currently, one of the fastest growing markets in all of Christian writing is fiction. However, if you are a beginning writer, I do not suggest you start with a novel. Instead, write a short story for a church school take-home paper. See Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers Market Guide for a list of take-home papers.

The tips I give will work for fictional techniques in nonfiction pieces, such as personal experience stories, as well as for short anecdotal stories written within nonfiction articles and books.

An excellent definition of fiction is given by author Lee Roddy. “Creating characters in conflict culminating in crisis and change with commentary.” The four key words are character, conflict, crisis, and change, called the “4 C’s of Fiction.”

A story is comprised of three elements: theme, plot, and character. Normally you can think of theme as the foundation on which the story sits. Your focus sentence will be based on the theme or main point you are trying to achieve. The story is either character-driven or plot-driven, depending on whether the main character is the most important element or whether the storyline is more important. These three qualities are always integral parts of your story, regardless of your emphasis. Think of them as forming a triangle with the theme as the base.

As in other writing, whether books, articles, or stories, form a focus sentence before you begin. This is the glue that holds the entire story together. The structure will be different for fiction than for nonfiction. Also, write a rough outline. This may change as the story unfolds, but you need to know where you are going.

Here are some other elementary rules of usage:

Possessive
Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding an “s” (Mary’s house, Charles’s farm).
Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names ending in “s” (Moses’ and Jesus’).

Possessives, such as hers, yours, and its, have no apostrophe. (The shade stunted its growth). “It’s” is the contraction for it is. (It’s now growing in the sun).

Dash
A dash is a mark of separation stronger than the comma. It is often used for emphasis. Use only when a comma seems inadequate. (He heard someone cry out—an ear-piercing scream.) Be careful not to overuse dashes.

Subject/Verb Agreement
The number of the subject determines the number of the verb. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. Use a singular verb form after each, either, everyone, everybody, neither, nobody, someone. (Someone left her purse in the grocery cart.)

Participles
A participial phrase at the beginning of the sentence must refer to the grammatical subject. Be careful not to leave your participles dangling. (On arriving in Atlanta, I discovered my luggage was missing.) Arriving refers to me and not to my luggage. It would be wrong to say: Upon arriving in Atlanta my luggage was sent to Miami by mistake.

These elementary rules of usage are taken from The Elements of Style and The Chicago Manual of Style. Both are excellent resources for grammatical tips.

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary word, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” – The Elements of Style.

Regarding Adjectives

For clarity, separate two or more adjectives with commas if each modifies the noun alone. (Kavic is a fantastic, faithful dog.) (It is going to be a long, hot summer.)

Regarding Other Punctuation

When the context calls for a comma at the end of material enclosed in quotation marks, parentheses, or brackets, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks but outside the parentheses or brackets. (Bill replied, “Yes,” when asked if he’d like to go.) (Bill’s comment, though stilted (and somewhat inflammatory), was still taken to heart.)

A good rule of thumb is to let your ear be the guide. Read your sentences aloud. You will naturally pause in those places that need a comma.

When the main clause of a sentence is preceded by a phrase or a subordinate clause, you may use a comma to separate the phrase. (Sitting in the back, the group cheered wildly.) or (During the performance, the group cheered wildly.)

If the interruption to the flow of the sentence is slight, however, the comma may be omitted. The comma is usually omitted after short, introductory, adverbial phrases. (On Tuesday Bill was absent from class.)

An adverbial phrase or clause located between the subject and the verb should usually be set off by commas. (Bill, after picking up his assignment, went home.)

Commas should be used to set off interjections, transitional adverbs, and similar elements that affect a distinct break in the continuity of thought. (On the other hand, Bill may be right.) (Yes, Bill was right after all.)

Another use of the comma is to enclose parenthetic material. Words that can safely be left out without affecting the meaning of the sentence are considered parenthetical. (My son, you will be pleased to know, is now living in London.) or (My son, Richard, is now living in London.) A name or a title in direct address is parenthetic and is always set off by commas. (Richard, when are you coming home for a visit?)

No comma should separate a noun from a restrictive term of identification (Billy the Kid, William the Conqueror).

Along with nonrestrictive clauses, clauses introduced by conjunctions indicating time and place are also parenthetic. Consequently, these need a comma. A nonrestrictive clause is one that does not identify nor define the antecedent noun. (In 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, I had not been born.)

The word “which” is often used to set off a nonrestrictive clause. (My dog, which is black and furry, is named Kavic.) It does not matter that my dog is black and furry; that description is irrelevant. Go on a “which hunt” to see how many “whiches” should be turned into “thats.”

Restrictive clauses are not parenthetic and are not set off by commas. They are necessary to the meaning of the sentence. (The group who sat in the back cheered loudest of all.) The word “that” is often used to introduce a restrictive clause. (The houses that were located in the woods were in danger of catching on fire.) All the houses were not in danger of the fire, only the ones located in the woods. It changes the meaning of the sentence to eliminate “in the woods.” The word “that” can often be omitted without hurting the meaning of the sentence as is possible here. (The houses located in the woods were in danger of catching on fire.)

Now let’s look at some basic rules regarding commas. Let’s start with Independent Clauses.

Always place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause. In other words, place a comma between two independent clauses separated by a conjunction. Independent clauses have a subject and a verb, and they can stand alone. (The situation looked hopeless, but there was one remaining chance for success.) or (The situation looked hopeless, but I didn’t believe it.)

However, do not join independent clauses with a comma if they are lacking a conjunction. They need to be joined with a semi-colon, or they can be cut into two separate sentences. (The situation looked hopeless; there was one remaining chance for success.) or (The situation looked hopeless. There was one remaining chance for success.)

A common mistake made with the comma is to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause when they are joined with a conjunction. (I was told the situation looked hopeless but didn’t believe it.) Each clause must have a subject in order to need a comma before the conjunction.

According to The Elements of Style and The Chicago Manuel of Style, when listing three items, a comma is placed after the first and second items (Paper, pen, and writer). Some publishers omit the second comma, but they won’t fault you for not knowing their style. The important thing is to be consistent, so the editor can match the style sheet to your manuscript. Plus, if the list contains multiple words, it can be confusing if you don’t add the second comma. (His pets consisted of a long-haired cat, a short-haired dog, and a very noisy parrot.)

The exception to this rule concerns the name of businesses such as law firms which usually omit the last comma (Dewey, Sokum and Howe).

To further complicate things, if the list of items includes commas, they should be set off by semi-colons (The blank, white sheet of paper; the black, fine-line pen; and the ready, spirit-filled writer).

“The comma, which seems to cup the sense of the preceding phrase and hold it out to us, timidly and respectfully, is one of our greatest breakthroughs. The civilizing influence of this punctuation aid derives partly from its odd shape, the shape of mosquito larvae and sea horses: close inspection reveals the implied high culture of its asymmetrical tapering swerve, so distinctly an advantage over the more rustic period.” –Nicholson Baker

The punctuation error that seems to occur most often in the hundreds of manuscripts crossing my desk each year is misuse of the comma. It is important to learn when to use and when not to use commas. To make matters worse, The Chicago Manual of Style, The Associated Press Handbook, and most grammar books list different rules. Most Christian publishers have their own style sheets, but they basically follow The Chicago Manual of Style, which is the standard in the book publishing industry. Since it is costly, I suggest you buy Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style to help you with grammar, punctuation, and word usage. First copyrighted in 1935, this little 92-page book is packed with all the basics. It can be purchased inexpensively at any secular or on-line bookstore.

How can you know when your title is right? The acronym “ACE” will help you create a memorable title.

“A” is for accurate. The title must truthfully reveal the focus of the article or book and also fit its tone. You wouldn’t put “Buffalo Bob Bites Bullet” on a serious crime story any more than the President would turn up for a televised press conference in a sweat suit.

“C” is for concise. Five to seven words are a typically good length. Active verbs, specific nouns, and bright adjectives help tighten the message.

“E” is for eye-catching. You have just a few words to convince the reader you can provide what he wants. So you appeal to his felt-need, whether that is for information, inspiration, consternation, or confirmation. One study showed that use of pronouns (“you,” “I,” “they”) and the “how-to” approach made for stronger titles.

Put a lot of thought in a title before sending your manuscript to an editor. The first person you need to impress is him, so he will publish your article or story.

The title of your article or story is as important as its beginning. The title is what you use to hook the reader, so it must be eye-catching. Many readers buy a magazine because an article title piqued their interest. Some readers thumb through a magazine, checking titles and reading only the articles for which the title grabbed their attention. Likewise they surf the Internet, looking for titles that pique their interest.

Titles need to be accurate. They should express specifically what will follow in the article. The reader doesn’t want to feel cheated because he thought he was getting something totally different than what your article delivered. If your subject matter is serious, make your title serious, also. Example: “A Cry for Acceptance.” If your material is humorous, you can make the title funny, too. Example: “Turning Frogs into Princes.”

Titles are usually concise. A good rule is to keep your titles five to seven words. Use active verbs, specific nouns, and descriptive adjectives to grab the reader. Also try to draw in the reader, so he feels actively involved in your article. He needs to feel there is something in it for him. Stories for the Heart is a good example.

To create a good title, look for key phrases that seem to sum up the article. Watch for sentences that catch your eye as you read through—perhaps they will captivate your reader, too. I wrote an article about a man who escaped from Vietnam. He felt his escape was made possible by the providential hand of God, so I named the article, “The Providential Escape.”

Another way to catch the reader’s attention is by reversing words or by changing one word in a common saying to create your own saying. “Forget and Forgive” is a devotional I wrote on forgiveness. Using “Forgive and Forget” would be overuse of a tired cliché. “Take This Job and Love It” is another example of a good play on words.

If you are writing a mystery, use words that show intrigue. Anonymous Tip and Final Witness are book titles that do this well. The reader wonders, Who will be the final witness? Be careful, however, not to tell too much in the title. “John Overcomes Cancer to Win the Race” probably doesn’t leave much for the reader to learn from reading the story.

Titles should be easy to pronounce and yet have pizzazz. The more memorable your title, the more apt your article is to be read and remembered. Experiencing God is an excellent example that is simple, memorable, and meet’s the reader’s needs.