Category Archives: writing

June 3, 2024 · 6:00 am

Revisiting ‘that and which,’ two commonly misused words #writing

Grammar is still on my mind, and so today we are revisiting a post from August 17, 2017. While English is a language that constantly evolves, nothing has changed since this post was written.

MyWritingLife2021That and which are words we commonly misuse in real-life conversations. This habit rolls over into our writing because we are unsure which word is the right one for the job. Also, there is a LOT of talk in writing groups about unnecessary words, so we might get a bit crazy and take an ax to each instance of the word “that.”

When it comes to eliminating the word “that,” it’s crucial you look at each example of how it is used.  Sometimes, “that” is the only word for a given situation.

Don’t gut your prose just because some online guru tells you “that” is an unnecessary pronoun. If you remove every instance of the word “that” you’ll end up with a mess on your hands.

Something you need to know: “that” and “which” are not interchangeable so you can’t just use a global search to change every instance of “that” to “which.”

“That” is a pronoun used to identify a specific person or thing observed by the speaker, a determiner, an adverb, and a conjunction.

  1. “That’s his dog on the curb.” (Identifier)
  2. “Look at that red car.” (Determiner)
  3. “I wouldn’t go that far.” (Adverb)
  4. “She claimed that she was married.” (Conjunction)

In the case of number 4, the sentence would be stronger without it. Most of the time, the prose is made stronger when the word “that” is cut and not replaced with anything.

I say most, but not all of the time.

fitzgerald-great gatsby memeUse common sense and if a beta reader runs amok in your manuscript telling you to remove “this and that,” examine each instance of what has their undies in a twist and try to see why they are pointing it out.

There are cases where the word “that” is the only one that works. When do we use the word “that?” We use it when we have something called a ‘Restrictive Clause’:

Quote from Grammar Girl, “A restrictive clause is just part of a sentence that you can’t get rid of because it specifically restricts some other part of the sentence.”  She goes on to give a specific example of a restrictive clause: “Gems that sparkle often elicit forgiveness.”  See?  Not just any gems elicit forgiveness in this sentence. Only gems that sparkle bring about clemency. In this sentence, forgiveness is restricted to one kind of gem.

“Which” is a pronoun asking for information. It specifies one or more people (or things) from a particular set, and it is also a determiner:

  1. “Which are the best diapers for newborns?” (Pronoun)
  2. “I’m looking at a house which is for sale on Black Lake.” (Determiner)

Go lightly with “which” and “that” but use them when they are required.

The same common-sense approach goes for “very.” I seldom need to use it, but I do when it’s required. However, some people employ it too frequently, and it’s rarely needed, fluffing up the word count. As with every word, there are times when it’s the only one that will convey an idea crucial to your story.

Mark Twain had a perfect comment regarding overusing “very.”

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it, and the writing will be just as it should be.”

I’d love to be that editor.

to err is human to edit divineMany writers have beta readers look at their work before it is submitted. I would also suggest hiring a freelance editor. Besides having a person pointing out where you need to insert or delete a comma, hiring a freelance editor is a good way to discover many other things you don’t want to include in your manuscript, things you are unaware are in there:

  • They will point out when you use too many quantifiers “It was really big.” “It was incredibly awesome.”
  • Places where you “tell” the story instead of showing it: “Bert was mad.”
  • They will mention it when you swamp the reader with minute details: “Mary’s eyebrows drew together, her lips turned down, and her cheeks popped a dimple.”
  • They will comment when you ruin the taste of your work with prettily written descriptors: “-ly” words
  • They will make a comment when your characters natter on about nothing just to kill time.

ok to write garbage quote c j cherryhFreelance editors will point out these all things. We don’t like it when certain flaws in our work are pointed out, but we are better off knowing what needs addressing. When an editor guides you away from detrimental writing habits, they aren’t trying to change your voice. They’ve seen something good in your work, and they’re pointing out places where you can tighten it up and grow as a writer.

Remember, voice is how you use syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, and dialogue. When you receive an editor’s comments, it might sting, but in the process, you will develop better, more consistent writing habits.

Quoted Sources

Quick and Dirty Tips,  The Grammar Girl, Which vs. That, http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/which-versus-that-0 © Mignon Fogarty, 2008-2024.

3 Comments

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

May 27, 2024 · 6:00 am

Revisiting the Apostrophe #writing

Some questions have been raised in an online writing group about the use and abuse of apostrophes, so I thought this would be a good day to revisit a post from February of 2019. Nothing has changed, and apostrophes remain as useful and confusing for new writers today as they were then. Hopefully, this rant will clear the murky waters of one of the English grammar’s most useful punctuations, the apostrophe.

The apostrophe has many uses, but I will only delve into the most common ways we use it in creative writing today.

comma or apostropheIn creative writing, the apostrophe is a small morsel of punctuation that, on the surface, seems simple. However, certain common applications can be confusing, so as we get to those I will try to be as concise and clear as possible.

First up, we all know that we use the apostrophe to denote possession:

  • This is George’s cat. (George owns this cat.)
  • This is Jorgensen’s cat. (A person who is going by the surname of Jorgensen owns the cat.)

Where this gets a little tricky is in the possessive form of a surname when it refers to the whole family. In this case, you insert a grammatical article (the) and make the name plural, and then add the apostrophe:

  • This is the Jorgensens’ cat. (The Jorgensen family owns the cat.)

If the Jorgensen family have a sign made for their front porch, they would have it made to read “The Jorgensens’ Home” (not “The Jorgensen’s Home,” as that would imply that only one Jorgensen lives there, and his legal name is “The Jorgensen.”)

When two or more people (or other entities such as businesses) are described as separately owning something, each name should be in the possessive form:

  • “Ralph’s and Janet’s cars are the same model.”

However, if Ralph and Janet share a possession, include an apostrophe and an s after the last name only:

  • “Ralph and Janet’s car is a Prius.”

In some cases, we need to use plurals of abbreviations. In a military thriller, you might need to say, “They disarmed several IEDs.” (We would not use an apostrophe.)

Writing a year numerically has been an area of confusion for me. This is because I rarely have had to write years in this way until recently and the use of an apostrophe for this is now considered outdated. However, this is how they should be written:

  • The tavern culture of the 1600s was flourishing. (1600’s would not be considered incorrect, just old fashioned.)
  • Dresses in the 1960s were shorter than in previous years.

An apostrophe should follow a number only if it is possessive.

  • It was 1985’s worst storm. (Some editors feel this is awkward, but I let it stand when I see it in a client’s manuscript.)

Numbers are frequently written numerically when writing books for middle grade and YA readers, as these stories often center around schools and sports.

A single digit, such as 7, is made plural with the addition of an s: 7s

Insert an apostrophe to denote possession when you must use a number to stand in for a person in an article, such as when an athlete is identified by a uniform number:

  • Number 8’s tackle won the day.

Contractions can be confusing. Two words made into one word are joined by an apostrophe:

  • Do not = don’t
  • We are = we’re
  • You are = you’re
  • They are = they’re

And so on. A list of contractions to watch for can be found at the fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia: Wikipedia: List of English contractions

Conjunctions also can be tricky.  Simply add an s, such as in the phrase “There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it” or “A list of dos and don’ts follows.” We do keep the contractive apostrophe in don’t and simply add an s to make it plural.

Sometimes a single letter looks awkward when we just use an s to indicate plurality.

  • “How many h’s do you spell shh with?” (just writing “hs” would look odd and be confusing.)

When pluralizing capital letters, we don’t use an apostrophe: Mike earned three Ds in English this year but still passed the class.

In a narrative, the two most common missions that apostrophes have are to denote possession or indicate a contraction.

  • Who’s is the contraction of “who is” or, less commonly, “who has.”
  • Whose is the possessive of “who” or, somewhat controversially, “which.”
  • Their(s) is the possessive of “they.” (They’re proud to own it, it’s theirs, and it’s not there.)
  • Its is the possessive of “it,” and “it’s” is a contraction of it is.

Note that for both they and it, there is no apostrophe in the possessive form.

  • The texture of the wall —it’s rough. (contraction: it is rough.)
  • I scratched myself on its surface. (possession: the wall’s surface.)

In most English words an apostrophe indicates possession but can also indicate a contraction. The difficulty arises in the fact that both it and they are frequently part of contracted words.

In the effort to standardize English usage, early linguists made a choice to eliminate the apostrophe in the possessive form. They did this in the (futile) hope of ending confusion.

  • It’s is the contraction of “it is” and sometimes “it has.”
  • Its denotes possession: It owns it.
  • Their: they own it
  • They’re: they are

As with so many things that “seemed like a good idea at the time,” its and it’s will always cause problems for new and beginning writers. Inadvertent misuse happens even for old hands like me when I’m zipping along laying down the first draft of a manuscript.

We have to be vigilant and ensure we have looked for proper usage of its and it’s during revisions. Even the big traditional publishing houses admit sneaky errors like those like to go unnoticed until after publication.

In closing, the most common uses of the apostrophe aren’t too difficult once we learn the rules. Remember, apostrophes are integral parts of the traffic control system, signals that keep your words moving along at the right rate. Using them the way they are intended (and which readers expect) keeps the reader from throwing your book away.

I always suggest you set some time aside for writing new words every day, even if only for fifteen minutes. When we force ourselves to think about and use the basic rules of grammar regularly, we retain what we have learned.

This post first appeared on Life in the Realm of Fantasy on 13 Feb 2019 as The Apostrophe. https://conniejjasperson.com/2019/02/13/the-apostrophe-amwriting/

1 Comment

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , , ,

May 20, 2024 · 6:00 am

English – a Language Full of Bothersome Words #writing

I love words. I love the way they rhyme, the way they sound, and the way they feel when they roll off the tongue of a gifted narrator. I love words that sound alike but mean different things, words that describe colors, smells, and sounds.

I love words.

MyWritingLife2021The English language is full of words that mean the same as other words. Even common names are like that. For instance, “Jones” is a surname of Welsh origin that dates back to the Middle Ages. It means “John’s son.” So, Jones is Welsh for Johnson, and the two usages evolved on the same island.

Who knew? Jones seems so dissimilar to Johnson that I (an American) would never have guessed.

In a strange twist of irony, English is also full of words that sound nearly alike and look very similar but mean very different things. Even though many of these words are often used interchangeably in casual conversation, they are NOT alike or similar in meaning.

I always notice when an author confuses near-homophones. That is the technical term for words that sound closely alike, are spelled differently, and have different meanings. When we read widely, we’re more likely to notice the difference between words like accept and except when they are written.

wordsThe different meanings of seldom-used sound-alike words can become blurred among people who have little time to read. They don’t see how a word is written, so they speak it the way they hear it. This is how wrong usage becomes part of everyday English.

For this reason, new and beginning writers often don’t realize the ways in which they habitually misuse common words until they begin to see the differences in how they are written.

Let’s look at two of the most commonly confused words: accept and except. People, even those with some higher education, frequently mix these two words up in their casual conversation.

Accept (definition) to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor.

  • I accept this award.
  • We should accept this proposal.

Except (definition) not including, other than, leave out, exclude.

  • We’re old, present company excepted.
  • Everyone is welcome, with the exclusion of drunks and other miscreants.

Used together in one sentence, they look like this:

We accept that our employees work every day except Sunday.

The following quote is one I have used before, but it’s a good one, so I’ll just repeat myself here.

Farther vs. Further: (Grammar Tips from a Thirty-Eight-Year-Old with an English Degree | The New Yorker by Reuven Perlman, posted February 25, 2021:

Farther describes literal distance; further describes abstract distance. Let’s look at some examples:

  • I’ve tried the whole “new city” thing, each time moving farther away from my hometown, but I can’t move away from . . . myself (if that makes sense?).

  • How is it possible that I’m further from accomplishing my goals now than I was five years ago? Maybe it’s time to change goals? [1]

Consider these three very different words:

  • Ensure
  • Insure
  • Assure

Ensure: When we use these sound-alike words, we want to ensure (make certain something happens) that we are using them correctly.

ozford-american-writers-thesaurusInsure: We insure our home and auto. In other words, we arrange for compensation in the event of damage or loss of property or the injury to (or the death of) someone. We arrange for compensation should the family breadwinner die (life insurance). Also, we arrange to pay in advance for medical care we may need in the future (health insurance).

Assure: We assure our listeners that everything is correct. In other words, we explain things in a way that dispels any doubts our listeners may have. If we have to, we reassure them by explaining it twice.

It never hurts to have a wide vocabulary, but we must know the meaning and correct uses of words. For the moment, let’s not worry about grandiose (magnificent, complex, ostentatious, pretentious) words that only inflate our prose. We who write must learn how to use all our words accurately and in a context that says what we mean.

The words listed in the following image are often used interchangeably in common speech, and while it may sound normal when your friend says persecute when she means prosecute, incorrect usage conveys the wrong meaning.

Homophones and near homophones

I think it helps if a writer is also a poet. When writing a narrative, we have room for a lot more words, which can lead to inflated prose. But when writing poetry, we must do more with less, so the words we choose must have a visual, sensory impact.

Isn’t that what we hope to achieve with all our work?

I have one manuscript in the final revision stage and am working on shrinking the prose while conveying the story. The real struggle for me is achieving uninflated yet visual prose.

oxford_synonym_antonymI have a lot of words to choose from, and the Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms to help me out. It’s full to overflowing with lovely, visual, sensory words, and like an addict, I have the urge to use them all.

But I won’t. Today, I will write lean, descriptive prose. If I don’t, my editor will ensure that I pare the fluff down.

Discipline feels good.

Credits and Attributions:

[1] Farther vs. Further: (Grammar Tips from a Thirty-Eight-Year-Old with an English Degree | The New Yorker by Reuven Perlman, posted February 25, 2021 (accessed 18 May 2024).

5 Comments

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

May 13, 2024 · 6:00 am

#Writing for an Anthology

Once a writer has been bitten by the publishing bug, they begin to seek out publications with open calls and submit their work. Anthologies proposed by various independent writing groups are often the first door that opens to a new author.

WritingCraft_short-storyWriting groups can be quite different in their areas of focus. Some are critique groups, and some are more support groups. No matter what the group focuses on in its meetings, the anthology is meant to showcase that group’s professionalism.

Certain elements will be required of each entry, no matter what genre or theme has been chosen to tie the anthology together.

The story must embody the desired theme, and the editors want the most creative work they can find.

No one wants to publish junk.

I always have a member of my writing group read my work first, acting as a beta reader. Their comments help ensure that my story hits all the marks.

We’re all readers, and we gravitate to specific genres and themes. When the stories are all in the same genre and explore a common theme, the readers who purchase the anthology will most likely stay with the book until the end. They will read and enjoy your work, even if it is featured toward the end of the volume.

Some editors post calls stating, “We want your best work.” What do they mean by that?

theRealStoryLIRF01102021“Your best work” gets off to a great start when the story is written with the central theme of the anthology in mind, a central facet of the story.

A well-planned anthology will contain stories in the same genre and theme but unique, with a wide range of plots and characters. Without a unifying theme, you have a patchwork of disparate tales by random authors. The unifying theme ensures continuity.

All the characters must have fully developed arcs. How does this theme affect the protagonist?

How does the theme drive the story? The story arc must be coherent and logical, with a fully developed beginning, middle, and end. The theme binds everything together.

World building is critical in a short story, so the setting must be clearly shown.

As I mentioned above, a beta reader is critical to ensure all plot holes have been identified and resolved in a way that will satisfy the reader.

Finally, I suggest you let it sit for a few days and then read it aloud to proofread it before submission.

Literary themes, by nature, are common to most stories. The most challenging aspect of this is to think of a unique approach a story that has been told since the dawn of time.

Let’s say we want to submit a story to an imaginary anthology with a theme of facing reality. The working title of the book will be Reality Bites. The genre is sci-fi and the word count limit for each submission is 1500 words, so we have to tell what happened using words with the most impact and do it in a very short space.

plot is the frame upon which the themes of a story are supportedThe editors have said that one can face the reality of the past, present, or future—it’s up to each author to write their story. We must find ways to layer that theme into the character arcs, plot, and world building.

When you sit down to write the first draft of a story meant for a themed anthology, ask several questions of it:

  • What is the inciting incident? How does it relate to the specified theme?
  • What is the goal/objective, the quest the characters must complete? How does it relate to the theme?
  • Have you stayed within the maximum word count? If the guidelines say no more than 1500 words per entry, that is what they mean. Failure to comply will result in rejection.

Once you have edited the piece to the best of your ability, you must format your manuscript for submission according to the guidelines set out by the anthology’s editor.

For most anthologies, editors want the work formatted according to the guidelines as described by William Shunn. Those guidelines are the overall publishing industry standard for submissions and can be found in detail at this website: Classic Manuscript Format | William Shunn

good_stories_LIRFmemeBasically, his guidelines say you must use Times New Roman (or sometimes Courier) .12 font. You must also ensure your manuscript is formatted as follows:

  • It is aligned left (NOT justified).
  • It has 1 in. margins on all sides.
  • Page numbers are in the upper right.
  • It is double-spaced (to allow room for the editor’s comments).
  • The body of the story has formatted indented paragraphs (NOT indents made by hitting the TAB key, as that screws up everything when the manuscript is uploaded to a digital format).
  • The header contains the title and author name—UNLESS otherwise specified.
  • The first page contains the author’s mailing address and contact information in the upper left-hand corner—unless otherwise specified.

If the group with an open call for an anthology has a Facebook page or private chatroom, the formatting guidelines will be posted there.

Sometimes, we find out at the last minute that an opportunity to get a piece into an anthology is open. Some folks might think they can cobble a piece together in a day or two.

I advise against succumbing to this temptation, as it is rare that “best work” emerges when a story is slapped together. Rushing things makes it hard to avoid proofing errors.

steampunk had holding pen smallThe editor of the anthology has posted a public call for the best work that authors can provide, and they will receive a landslide of submissions. They will receive far more stories than they will have room for, and the majority of them will be memorable, wonderful stories.

All but the most outstanding of these great stories will not make the cut because the book will have a total word count limit of around 80,000 words to keep production costs down. Only the best of the best will be accepted.

This is good because you want your work to be included with the best the industry has to offer.

Do NOT rush it. You have a great idea for what could be the best story you have ever written.

Take the time to do it right. Remember, anything you submit to a prospective editor represents you and what you are capable of.

Comments Off on #Writing for an Anthology

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

May 6, 2024 · 6:00 am

When life hands you lemmings #writing #Parkinsons

Forget the lemons—anyone can make lemonade. Lemons arrive one or two at a time.

Lemmings arrive in droves.

MyWritingLife2021BWhen your spouse has Parkinson’s, problems tend to arrive en masse, like an unstoppable horde of lemmings. Dealing with life’s lemmings requires a bit more creativity than merely making a cool, relaxing drink. While you may never gain control of the migrating mob, you must somehow steer them in the right direction.

Lemmings are interesting little creatures who sometimes migrate collectively—herds of cute, furry rodents naïvely leaving home in search of better pastures. And just like the historical myths about wolves, the lore about them contains as much misinformation and downright cruelty as it does truth.

Herd_Mentality_1Wikipedia says:

Lemmings have become the subject of a widely popular misconception that they are driven to commit mass suicide when they migrate by jumping off cliffs. It is not a deliberate mass suicide, in which animals voluntarily choose to die, but rather a result of their migratory behavior. Driven by strong biological urges, some species of lemmings may migrate in large groups when population density becomes too great. They can swim and may choose to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat. In such cases, many drown if the body of water is an ocean or is so wide as to exceed their physical capabilities. Thus, the unexplained fluctuations in the population of Norwegian lemmings, and perhaps a small amount of semantic confusion (suicide not being limited to voluntary deliberation, but also the result of foolishness), helped give rise to the popular stereotype of the suicidal lemmings, particularly after this behaviour was staged in the Walt Disney documentary White Wilderness in 1958.

The misconception itself is much older, dating back to at least the late 19th century. In the August 1877 issue of Popular Science Monthly, apparently suicidal lemmings are presumed to be swimming the Atlantic Ocean in search of the submerged continent of Lemuria. [1]

Thus, some 19th-century scientists were quite imaginative as storytellers and got their fantasy stories published that way. If only it was so easy today!

herd_mentalityBut back to the lemmings. We know how mob mentality works in humans, and it seems to happen in other creatures.

Events in life sometimes occur the way that an unsafe crowd surge at a concert does. Events and incidents pile up and press you, requiring more time and attention than one person has available. I suspect that sometimes, the unfortunate lemmings in the front of the pack are inadvertently shoved into danger by the unstoppable crush of the crowd behind them, and the rest follow, unaware of their peril.

For the caregiver, living with Parkinson’s is like that. It’s difficult to watch someone you love experience a series of declines that you are helpless to avert. Incidents happen that must be handled, and everything takes twice as long as we think it should.

When it’s all-hands-on-deck, everything else gets kicked to one side.

Here at Casa del Jasperson, giving my husband the assistance he needs has become a lot more involved than it was a year ago. Rising above the landslide of suggestions and well-meaning advice from friends and acquaintances that has become a buzz of white noise, I frequently hear the mantra, “Take care of yourself too.”

Sure. Thank you for that observation. Self-care is easier said than done, but lightening my commitment load will help.

medical symbolTwo weeks ago, my husband fell, sustaining a minor injury. Two days later, he was fighting off an infection, and we spent last Saturday in Urgent Care from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. Rather than put him in the hospital, we were given the chance to participate in the “Hospital at Home” program.

Hospital-at-home enables some patients who need acute-level care to receive care in their homes rather than in a hospital. This program reduces costs, improves outcomes, and is much easier on the patient. So, we were at home, but he was on intravenous antibiotics, and nurses came and went with comforting regularity.

Thus, I didn’t have time to write my posts in advance the way I usually do. Wednesday and Friday’s posts were great examples of what happens when I rush to get a post up on schedule. I corrected the problems as soon as they were pointed out, but I’d prefer to not have to do that.

virtually golden medallion of mayhem copyNo one is perfect, but I like to do my best work. I’ll admit that publishing a post discussing a picture but with no image of that art piece is a humorous blooper. We did get a laugh out of it.

But it’s not “best” work.

Greg is now on the mend and slowly regaining the ground that he lost. His strength is gradually returning, and he is suffering fewer moments of confusion.

In the meantime, Life in the Realm of Fantasy is trimming back to two posts a week instead of three.

On Mondays, we will discuss the craft of writing and how it fits into my life. Sometimes, we’ll talk about the books I’m reading, and sometimes we’ll interview friends about their books.

On Fridays, I will share the images I find on Wikimedia Commons and talk about what I like about that painting or photograph.

8ce052b8e7c8182a51dc4999859c1061I try to write my posts on Saturdays and proof them on Sundays, so having only two to deal with will allow me time to proofread them and work on my other creative writing projects.

And so, my friends, I’ll see you next on Friday, when I feature an example of the mad, fantastic art of Hieronymus Bosch.

Credits and Attributions

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Lemming,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lemming&oldid=1221843458 (accessed May 3, 2024).

6 Comments

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

May 1, 2024 · 6:00 am

Active prose #writing

Verbs are the engines that power our prose. They can push the action outward from their nouns or pull it back inward. Verbs show the action but have shades of mood and tone.

Verbs there is no tryWhen I am writing poetry, I look for words that contrast vividly against each other. I choose action words that begin with hard consonants and emotion words that begin with softer sounds.

If I can do this for poetry, I should be able to do this for narrative prose. Unfortunately, my poetic brain goes on vacation when I am trying to write a first draft.

Writing the first draft is difficult enough, but when that draft is finished, the real work begins. At that point, I must turn a choppy mess of a manuscript into something worth reading. There will be good passages, but they are interspersed with bald statements of action and response.

This stage of the process involves working on several layers:

  • prose
  • plot
  • character arc

So, besides ironing out plot holes, beefing up scene transitions, and fine-tuning character arcs, I must focus on the prose. I must use my words as creatively as possible to show the most with the least.

oxford_dictionaryVerb choices and the use of contrast in descriptors are crucial at this stage.

Power verbs push the action outward from a character. Other verbs pull the action inward. The two forces, push and pull, create a sense of opposition and friction. Dynamism in word choices injects a passage with vitality, vigor, and energy.

When we employ verbs that push the action outward from a character, we make them appear authoritative, competent, energetic, and decisive.

Conversely, verbs that pull the action in toward the character make them appear receptive, attentive, private, and flexible.

Concise writing can be difficult for those of us who love words in all their glory. So, I must use action words to set the mood. To do that, I must use contrasts.

  • dwell on / ignore
  • embrace / reject
  • consent / refuse
  • agony / ecstasy

A part of my life was burned away. I was destroyed, but now I was reborn in ways I’d never foreseen.

My action words are burn, destroy, and birth. The above character’s entire arc is encapsulated in those three words. In the opening pages, his verbs are darker, his actions more inward, and his demeanor sometimes brooding.

ozford american writers thesaurusAt the end of his story, events and interactions have changed him despite his wish for a calm life. His journey through the darkness brings about a renaissance, a flowering of the spirit.

Many power words begin with hard consonants. The following is a short list of nouns and adjectives that start with the letter B. The images they convey when used to describe action project a feeling of power:

  • Backlash
  • Beating
  • Beware
  • Blinded (adjective)
  • Blood
  • Bloodbath
  • Bloodcurdling (adjective)
  • Bloody (adjective)
  • Blunder

Some of the nouns are also verbs, such as beating or blunder.

When things get tricky, and the characters are working their way through a problem, verbs like stumble and blunder offer a sense of chaos and don’t require a lot of modifiers to show the atmosphere.

When you incorporate any of the above “B” words into your prose, you are posting a road sign for the reader, a notice that ahead lies danger.

Quill_pen smallIf I want to create an atmosphere of anxiety, I would use words that push the action outward:

  • Agony (noun)
  • Apocalypse (noun)
  • Armageddon (noun)
  • Assault (verb)
  • Backlash (noun)
  • Pale (modifier)
  • Panic (verb or noun)
  • Target (verb)
  • Teeter (verb)
  • Terrorize (verb)

If I want to show the interior workings of a character without resorting to a dump of italicized whining, I could write their internal observations using words that draw us in:

  • Delirious (modifier)
  • Depraved (modifier)
  • Desire (verb)
  • Dirty (modifier)
  • Divine (modifier)
  • Ecstatic (modifier)

So why are verbs so crucial in shaping the tone and atmosphere of a narrative?

Think about this sentence: Selwyn walked away.

We have three words indicating someone has departed, but they don’t show his mood.

Selwyn is a person (noun). He performs an action (verb).

steampunk had holding pen smallThat action affects both Selwyn and his objective: leaving. Away is an adverb (modifier) denoting distance from a particular person, place, or thing. It modifies the verb, giving Selwyn a direction in which to go.

We can write it several different ways still using only three words, and each indicates that Selwyn has left the scene. Each time we substitute a synonym for the word walked, we change the atmosphere of that scene.

  • Selwyn sauntered away. (He departed in a carefree, leisurely manner.)
  • Selwyn strode away. (He walked decisively in a particular direction.)
  • Selwyn stomped away. (Selwyn left the scene in a bad mood.)
  • Selwyn ambled away. (He walked slowly.)
  • Selwyn slogged away. (He departed but had to work at it.)
  • Selwyn slipped away. (Selwyn departed in a stealthy manner.)

Many verbs cannot impact a character or object directly. These are called intransitive verbs. They are as crucial as transitive verbs because they show a mood or condition, a state of being, or a reflex (automatic response).

Consider the word “mope.” Mope is an intransitive verb that means discouraged and apathetic. It’s an action word that goes nowhere.

  • Selwyn moped. (He was dejected and apathetic.) (Boring.)

We can have our character in a bad mood but with variations:

  • Selwyn pouted. (He was whiney, and we don’t want to read anything more about him.)
  • Selwyn languished. (He did nothing and stagnated, and we still don’t care.)
  • Selwyn sulked. (He was angry and self-pitying, and we will close the book on him.)
  • Selwyn fretted. (He was in a neurotic mood, and we tell our friends the book sucks.)

Some intransitive verbs in the family of “mope” are more robust and carry greater force:

  • Brood (a dark, obsessive mood.)
  • (Obsessively thinking about it, suffering.)

We can perk Selwyn up when we add a strong intransitive verb to a powerful transitive verb. Then, we have action and mood:

  • Selwyn strode away, brooding. (He left the scene, and someone will suffer.)

So, verbs and nouns must have modifiers and connectors to show a scene in the most visual and evocative way possible.

oxford_synonym_antonymThe trick is to choose the descriptors and the verb forms that have the most impact. The selection of modifiers and connecting verbs can enhance contrasts or weaken a sentence.

Making revisions is a lot of work. But taking the time to examine the layers of plot, prose, and character arc is required to take your manuscript from first draft to finished novel.

I suggest keeping a thesaurus on hand. I also have a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms because I want my words to say what I envision. Having a list of word forms and their synonyms enables me to express my ideas with fewer modifiers.

2 Comments

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

April 29, 2024 · 6:00 am

Modifiers, descriptors, and crutch words #writing

Note to self: write dynamic prose and avoid crutch words.

MyWritingLife2021BOne thing I notice when listening to an audiobook is crutch words. One of my favorite authors uses the descriptor “wry” in all its forms, just a shade too frequently. As a result, I have scrubbed it from my own manuscript, except for one instance.

Wry is a modifier. It means using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor: “a wry smile.”

“Sardonic,” a word he also uses a bit too frequently, is a relative of the word “wry” and means grimly mocking or cynical.

Both are good words, but they are easily overused when we are trying to show a character’s mood in a bleak situation.

Grin and smile are also first draft crutch words we use to show a mood. I do a global search and then tear my hair out trying to show my protagonist’s mood without getting hokey.

The way we use modifiers and descriptors (and their frequency) plays a significant role in how our work is received by a reader.

Use Active ProseThe words authors choose add depth and shape their prose in a recognizable way—their voice. They “paint” a scene showing what the point-of-view character sees or experiences.

And yes, in order to do that, they must use modifiers and descriptors, also known as adjectives and adverbs.

Modifiers are like any other medicine: a small dose can cure illnesses. A large dose will kill the patient. The best use of them is to find words that convey the most information with the most force.

What do we mean when we refer to modifiers?

A modifier is any word that modifies (alters, changes, transforms) the meaning and intent of another word. These words change, clarify, qualify, or limit a particular word in a sentence to add emphasis, explanation, or detail.

Some of these words are useful as conjunctions, words to connect thoughts: “otherwise,” “then,” and “besides.”

poetry-in-prose-word-cloud-4209005What are descriptors? Adverbs and adjectives, known as descriptors, are helper nouns or verbs—words that help describe other words.

What is a quantifier? They are nouns (or noun phrases) meant to convey a vague number or an abstract impression, such as very, a great deal of, a good deal of, a lot, many, much. The important word there is abstract. It is a thought or idea describing something without physical or concrete existence.

Modifiers, descriptors, and quantifiers are easily overused, so these words are often reviled by authors armed with a little dangerous knowledge.

One of the cautions those of us new to the craft frequently hear are criticisms about the number of “ly” words we habitually use. The forms we use can weaken our narrative.

First, examine the context. Have you used the word “actually” in a conversation? You may want to keep it, as dialogue must sound natural, and many people use that word when speaking.

490px-2014-10-30_11_09_40_Red_Maple_during_autumn_on_Lower_Ferry_Road_in_Ewing,_New_JerseyHowever, if you have used “actually” to describe an object, take a second look to see if it is necessary.

  • The tree was actually covered in red leaves.

Would the sentence be stronger without it?

  • Red leaves covered the tree.

Some descriptors are easy to spot, especially those ending in “ly.” When I begin revising a first draft, I do a global search for the letters “ly.” A list will pop up in my lefthand margin. My manuscript will become a mass of yellow highlighted words.

This is where I look at each instance because “ly” words are code words the subconscious mind uses in the first draft. They are a kind of mental shorthand that tells us what we need to expand on to fully explore the scene we envisioned.

Or they tell me something needs to be cut.

Context is everything. Please take the time to look at each example of the offending words and change them individually. I’ve said this many times, but I like to nag: You have already spent months writing that novel. Why not take a few days to do the job well?

Sentence structure matters. The placement of an adjective in relation to the noun it describes affects a reader’s perception. Modifiers often work best when showing us what the point-of-view characters see, hear, smell, touch, and taste.

Sunlight glared over the ice, a cold fire that cast no warmth but burned the eyes.

In the above sentence, the essential parts are structured this way: noun – verb (sunlight glared), adjective – noun (cold fire), verb – adjective – noun (cast no warmth), and finally, verb – article – noun (burned the eyes).

So, we try to lead with the action or noun, followed by a strong modifier (one without the “ly” ending). The sentence conveys what is intended. It has modifiers but isn’t weakened by them.

ok to write garbage quote c j cherryhThe scene I detailed above could be shown in many ways. I took a paragraph’s worth of world-building and pared it down to 19 words, three of which are action words.

So, now you know what occupies most of my attention during revisions.

As writers, we all want to be accepted and have others like our work, which means we must meet our reader’s expectations.

Writers must write from the heart, or there is no joy in writing.

That means using modifiers, descriptors, or quantifiers when they are needed. It’s a balancing act. We must be mindful of the form and the context of how a modifier fits into our phrasing.

Below are two images. They are lists of code words I seek out and re-examine when I begin revising a first draft. Some words are quantifiers. They are adverbs of degree, words that describe how much of something, such as “I’m dreadfully unhappy.” Quantifiers (also known as adverbs of degree) have their place but can weaken a sentence. So, they are code words for you to look closely at when you get to the revision stage.  

Adverbs_of_degree

“Adverbs of manner” are qualifiers, words that “qualify the manner of what we are talking about.” They can intensify or decrease the degree of something, such as “I rarely go out.”

Adverbs_of_Manner

It seems like an overwhelming task, but it isn’t. I look at each instance of a modifier and see how it fits into that context. If a word or phrase weakens the narrative, I rewrite the sentence. I either change it to a more straightforward form or remove it. For example, bare is an adjective, as is barely. Both can be used to form a strong image, depending on the words we surround them with.

I have found that participating in a critique group has been crucial to my growth as an author. Most writing groups are made up of people who love reading and want your work to succeed. They won’t micromanage your manuscript because they are aware that too much input can remove the author’s unique voice from a piece.

Credits and Attributions:

IIMAGE: Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:2014-10-30 11 09 40 Red Maple during autumn on Lower Ferry Road in Ewing, New Jersey.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:2014-10-30_11_09_40_Red_Maple_during_autumn_on_Lower_Ferry_Road_in_Ewing,_New_Jersey.JPG&oldid=751843290 (accessed April 28, 2024).

4 Comments

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

April 24, 2024 · 6:00 am

My #Writing Life – Forest Fires, Prose, and W.B. Yeats

Spring has sprung, and the world here in the Pacific Northwest is turning green. We have rain today, and should for the next few days, but so far, April has been unusually dry. Drought this early doesn’t bode well for summer. Snowpack levels are currently at 68% of normal.

MyWritingLife2021We rely on water generated by glaciers on Mount Rainier and the Cascade Mountains in general, so the low snowpack means trouble later down the road.

Dry forests in this part of the world mean dry underbrush—if we remain in drought conditions, we could have a repeat of 2018’s West Coast Wildfires. 2018 Washington wildfires – Wikipedia.

That August, one couldn’t escape the smoke. We thought we would find fresh air by going to the beach, but it was just as bad there. The following is an image I shot on August 23, 2018, in Cannon Beach. That year, smoke from wildfires burning all over the West was so thick one could barely see the water from our beachfront condo.

Sun_in_Smoky_Haze_Cannon_Beach_08212018_©Connie_Jasperson_All_Rights_Reserved

At the time the photo was taken, the sun was still an hour above the horizon, and it should have been full daylight instead of noxious twilight.

The brown haze was so dense that the above image appears grainy and overexposed. But as you can see by the red sun, brownish-gray smoke obscures the view of the ocean, hiding the rocks of Tillamook Head. The temperature had risen to 90 degrees at the surf’s edge, an unheard-of temperature for that area of the Northern Pacific coast. Those of us with asthma suffered, as the sun was obscured for most of the day, with intense humidity not helping.

In so many ways, the scene in Cannon Beach that day was unreal, apocalyptic.

The following image is the same view of Tillamook Head as seen from the same condo on August 13, 2016. That was a year of fabulous sunsets, deep blue skies, and perfect kite-flying winds.

2016-08-12 21.26.16

Sunset at Tillamook Head, Copyright 2016 Connie J. Jasperson

But spring always brings the hope that better days are ahead, that the rain will fall, and that the traditional methods of forest fire management as practiced by our tribes will keep our forests safe. Indigenous Fire Practices Shape our Land – Fire (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Drought is something thing I can’t change. It’s a thing to consider for world building, a distraction for when life gets crazy here at Casa del Jasperson. Some medications my husband has been taking are not working as well as we wished, and some have caused severe problems. He’s improving since we stopped the offending meds, so life is good.

Writing happens in short bursts. I have several manuscripts in the works so I work on whichever one interests me. I have basically scrapped one novel that had too many storylines. I’m parting it out into several novellas, which has rekindled my inspiration.

Alas, poetry has infiltrated my senile brain again, my secret love affair. I love the many ways words can be manipulated on a blank page. To me, poetry is something beautiful and visually simple, a thing that looks like it should be uncomplicated. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

Yeats Mural and quoteI grew up in an isolated rural environment, and summers could be lonely. My sister and I would get away from family dynamics by reading. My favorite “We Don’t Have Anything to Read” book was the volume of collected works by William Butler Yeats. That book shaped my view of poetry and literature in general.

Yeats was an unconventional person. His penchant for finding romance in most things meant his personal life and politics were sometimes messy. And yes, his love affairs were famous, especially his enduring but unrequited love for the Irish revolutionary/actress Maud Gonne.

Some might call that an obsession.

Yeats was probably not an appropriate literary hero for a ten-year-old girl in 1963, but he was just that to me.

As I grew into young adulthood, I admired how he struggled against the conventional morality of his day, as did all free-thinking artists and writers. It seemed as if his troubles and those of his contemporaries powered their writing.

Yeats’s poetry has rhythm and rhyme, and some consider it too old-fashioned. But while modern poetry doesn’t always rhyme, it must have tempo and rhythm.

Some might ask, “If it doesn’t rhyme, what makes poetry ‘poetic?'” It is prose with syllabic tempo and visual words. It conveys images, both auditory and visual.

manfred-lord byronSometimes, poetry is long, even epic in length. The epic poem, Manfred, by George Gordon, Lord Byron clocks in at around 250 pages and contains supernatural elements, as ghost stories were popular in England at the time. It is a Romantic-era closet drama, a play that is intended to be read aloud by one narrator rather than performed.

Poetry is a primal form of communication in the human species. It’s a literary invention that emerged as soon as we had words. Before we had written languages, poetry preserved our thoughts and feelings. It conveys them in an abstract way, passed down verbatim from generation to generation.

Our species remembers the words and the stories our ancestors told. Nowadays, we consider those sagas of the gods and heroes as allegories to explain historical natural occurrences.

We who write fantasy draw upon and recreate those stories in our image.

poetry-in-prose-word-cloud-4209005Poets select words for the impact they deliver. An entire story must be conveyed using the least number of words possible. Choices are made for symbolism, power, and syllabic cadence, even if there is no rhyme involved.

I try to do the same when I get to the revision process, eliminating weak passages and strengthening others. Sometimes, I have better results than others, but I keep trying.

So, now you know where I’m at in my writing life, the worries and little things that either hinder or spur creativity. I hope your writing is going as well as mine is.

Credits and Attributions:

Images © 2018-2024 Connie J. Jasperson, All Rights Reserved

Comments Off on My #Writing Life – Forest Fires, Prose, and W.B. Yeats

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

April 22, 2024 · 6:00 am

Self-editing – a 3-step process #writing

As an editor, I saw every kind of mistake you can imagine, and before that, as a writer, I made them all. This is why I rely on an editor for my work. Irene sees the flaws that my eye skips over.

WritingCraft_self-editingWhen prepping a novel to send to Irene, I use a three-part method. This requires specific tools that come with Microsoft Word, my word-processing program. I believe these tools are available for Google Docs and every other word-processing program. Unfortunately, I am only familiar with Microsoft’s products as they are what the companies that I worked for used.

What follows are three steps that should eliminate most problems in a manuscript.

Part one: Beta Reading is the first look at a manuscript by someone other than the author. I suggest you don’t omit this step unless you can find no one who understands what you need. A good beta reader is a person who reads for pleasure and can gently express what they think about a story or novel. Also, look for a person who enjoys the genre of that particular story. Your beta reader should ask several questions of this first draft (feel free to give them the following list).

beta read meme 2Part two: Once I have ironed out the rough spots noticed by my beta readers, this second stage is put into action. Yes, on the surface the manuscript looks finished, but it has only just begun the journey.

In Microsoft Word, on the Review Tab, I access the Read Aloud function and begin reading along with the mechanical voice. Yes, the narrator app is annoying and mispronounces words like “read,” which sound different and have different meanings depending on the context. However, this first tool alerts me to areas that were overlooked in the first stage of revisions.

ReviewTabLIRF07032021The most frustrating part is the continual stopping, making corrections, and starting.

I use this function rather than reading it aloud from the monitor, as the computer screen tricks the eye. I tend to see and read aloud what I think should be there rather than what is.

  • I habitually key the word though when I mean through or lighting when I mean lightning. Each is a different word but is only one letter apart. Most (but not all} miss keyed words will leap out when you hear them read aloud.
  • Most but not all run-on sentences stand out when you hear them read aloud.
  • Most but not all inadvertent repetitions also stand out.
  • Most of the time, hokey phrasing doesn’t sound as good as you thought it was.
  • Most of the time, you hear where you have dropped words because you were keying so fast you skipped over including an article, like “the” or “a” before a noun.

This is a long process that involves a lot of stopping and starting. It takes me well over a week to get through an entire 90,000-word manuscript. I will have trimmed about 3,000 words by the end of this phase. I will have caught many typos and miss keyed words and rewritten many clumsy passages.

But I am not done.

Part three: the manual edit. This is where I make a physical copy and do the work the old-fashioned way.

Everything looks different when printed out, and you will see many things you don’t notice on the computer screen or hear when it is read aloud by the narrator app.

  • Houghton_Typ_805.94.8320_-_Pride_and_Prejudice,_1894,_Hugh_Thomson_-_Protested

    Illustration by Hugh Thomson representing Mr. Collins protesting that he never reads novels.

    Open your manuscript. Make sure the pages are numbered in the upper right-hand corner.

  • Print out the first chapter and either staple it together or use a binder clip. If I drop it, the pages will all be together in the proper order.
  • Turn to the last page. Cover the page with another sheet of paper, leaving only the final paragraph visible.
  • Starting with the final paragraph on the last page, begin reading, working your way forward.
  • With a yellow highlighter, mark each place that needs revising.
  • With a red pen/pencil, make notes in the margins to guide the revisions. (Red is highly visible, so you won’t miss it when you are putting your corrections into the digital manuscript.
  • Put the corrected chapter on a recipe stand next to your computer. Open your manuscript and save it as a new file. (ManuscriptTitle_final_Apr2024.docx.) Begin making the revisions as noted on your hard copy.
  • Do the same for each chapter until you have finished revising the entire manuscript.

I look for info dumps, passive phrasing, and timid words. They are signs that a section needs rewriting to make it visual rather than telling. Clunky phrasing and info dumps are signals telling me what I intend that scene to be. Many times, I must cut some of the info and allow the reader to use their imagination.

I will have trimmed another 3 to 4,000 more words from my manuscript by the end of this process.

By the time we begin writing, most of us have forgotten whatever grammar we once knew. But editing software operates on algorithms and doesn’t understand context.

to err is human to edit divineI am wary of relying on Grammarly or ProWriting Aid for anything other than alerting you to possible problems. Look at each thing they point out and decide whether to accept their recommendation or not. They are AI programs and have no real-life experience to draw on.

You’ll get into trouble if you assume the AI editing programs are always correct. Remember, they don’t understand context. Good writing involves technical knowledge of grammar, but voice isn’t about algorithms.

Novels are comprised of many essential components. If one element fails, the story won’t work the way I envision it. It’s been months since a beta reader saw this mess and much has changed. I take a hard look at these aspects:

  • Characterization – are the characters individuals?
  • Dialogue – do people sound natural? Do they sound alike, or are they each unique?
  • Mechanics (grammar/punctuation flaws will be more noticeable when printed out)
  • Pacing—how does it transition from action scene to action scene?
  • Plot – does the story revolve around a genuine problem?
  • Prose – how do my sentences flow? Do they say what I mean?
  • Themes – What underlying thread ties the whole story together? Have I used the theme to its best potential?

Being a linear thinker, this process of making revisions works for me. It can take more than a month, but when I’ve finished, I’ll have a manuscript that won’t be full of avoidable distractions. It will be something I can send to my editor. And because I have done my best work, Irene will be able to focus on finding as much of what I have missed as is humanly possible.

Editors_bookself_25May2018If you read as much as I do (and this includes books published by large Traditional publishers), you know that a few mistakes and typos can and will get through despite their careful editing. So, don’t agonize over what you might have missed. If you’re an indie, you can upload a corrected file.

We are all only human, after all.

Comments Off on Self-editing – a 3-step process #writing

Filed under writing

Tagged as , , ,

April 19, 2024 · 6:00 am

#FineArtFriday: a second look at Merry Company by Dirck Hals 1635

Vrolijke gezelschap

Merry company *oil on panel *30 x 51 cm *signed : D Hals 1635

Artist: Dirck Hals (1591–1656)

Title: Merry Company

Date: 1635

Medium: oil on panel

Dimensions: height: 30 cm (11.8 in); width: 51.1 cm (20.1 in)

Collection: Mauritshuis

What I love about this painting:

This group portrait tells us a story. Perhaps we are celebrating the engagement of the young couple on the far right—a fashionably, yet modestly, dressed young woman and a gallant young man holding hands and gazing at each other.

The hostess, in the center, looks up and greets her guests who have entered to the left of us. She gestures to the food on the table, inviting them to sit. Are they the future in-laws?

The host looks directly at us, the viewer. He greets us as his guests and he too gestures to the table—join us! Sit, eat, and we’ll have an evening to remember. A single crystal wine glass shows us that wine is being served but companionship and food are what the party is really about. We are here to meet and get to know each other.

An engagement is a reason to gather and celebrate—so let us join this merry company and spend an evening with friends, partying like it’s 1635.

About the setting of this painting:

Dirck Hals has given us the image of friends partying in someone’s home. This is clearly not set in a tavern, as the walls are clean, freshly plastered and painted, and the fireplace at the far left has an ornate mantel. It is for heating the room only, not for cooking. The mantel’s aesthetics are part of the room’s decor.

The scene is set in a dining room. We see six pewter tankards proudly displayed on the wall above a sideboard, along with large pewter platters, signs that this is an intimate family room. We know they are pewter because of the dark bluish color of the metal. These are serving vessels every home needed in the 17th century, but only the wealthier middle-class could afford pewter.

And if you could afford to have a separate room just for dining, you would have your drinking vessels and platters displayed above a sideboard in the manner we see here.

In the background to the right, a fine, large landscape painting also indicates a prosperous home.

Everyone is dressed in their best clothes. The modest yet stylish dress of the guests also point to a domestic scene rather than a tavern. Their garments are made from expensive fabrics, silks and satins, and they wear the immense ruffs of crisp white lace that only the upper classes could afford. These are prosperous people, traders in cloth perhaps—but no matter what they trade, they are gathered to celebrate something, and we have been invited to join them.

Taverns and the poorer classes had either wooden tankards and bowls or fired clay mugs and platters. If they had an object made of pewter, it would be put away for safekeeping. The innkeepers and owners of public houses wouldn’t keep tankards where they could be knocked down or stolen.

About the Artist, Via Wikipedia:

Dirck Hals (19 March 1591 – 17 May 1656), born at Haarlem, was a Dutch Golden Age painter of merry company scenes, festivals and ballroom scenes. He played a role in the development of these types of genre painting. He was somewhat influenced by his elder brother Frans Hals but painted few portraits.

The Haarlem writer Samuel Ampzing mentions both brothers in his Praise of Haarlem with a poem stating that both brothers were exceptional; Frans painting his portraits “awake”, and Dirck painting his figures “purely”. [1]

About pewter, via Wikipedia:

Lidless mugs and lidded tankards may be the most familiar pewter artifacts from the late 17th and 18th centuries, although the metal was also used for many other items including porringers (shallow bowls), plates, dishes, basins, spoons, measures, flagons, communion cups, teapots, sugar bowls, beer steins (tankards), and cream jugs. In the early 19th century, changes in fashion caused a decline in the use of pewter flatware. At the same time, production increased of both cast and spun pewter tea sets, whale-oil lamps, candlesticks, and so on. Later in the century, pewter alloys were often used as a base metal for silver-plated objects. [2]

Credits and Attributions:

IMAGE: Merry Company by Dirck Hals, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (accessed December 29, 2022).

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Dirck Hals,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Dirck Hals  (accessed December 29, 2022).

[2] Wikipedia contributors, “Pewter,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pewter&oldid=1129247091 (accessed December 29, 2022).

Comments Off on #FineArtFriday: a second look at Merry Company by Dirck Hals 1635

Filed under #FineArtFriday, writing

Tagged as , , , ,