Daily Archives: March 26, 2011

10 Commandments of Grammar for Fiction Writers” with Grammar Divas – Annie Oortman & Darlene Buchholz

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Hi everyone! Check out the exciting online classes offered by the
Orange County Chapter of RWA!

“10 Commandments of Grammar for Fiction Writers”
with Grammar Divas – Annie Oortman & Darlene Buchholz
April 11 – May 7, 2011

Love grammar? Hate grammar? Love to hate grammar?

Contrary to popular belief, grammar is not a sinister conspiracy plot designed by evil English teachers (the Grammar Gods) to ruin every writer in the free world’s fun by screwing with personal style. (Seriously, it’s not.)

However, good writing requires good grammar. Without it, you can’t really be sure your reader will understand the information you’re trying to convey, the story you’re trying to tell, and the mental picture you’re trying to paint. Which kind of defeats the purpose of fiction writing, right?

So what rules are the most important ones for a fiction writer to follow and which ones are kinda-follows? From subject-verb agreement to passive voice, faulty construction to misplaced modifiers, word choice and usage to quotation marks and commas, the Grammar Divas (an English teacher and a professional copywriter) sort through the all the rules and share in a fun yet informative way the ten most important grammar issues every fiction writer should understand and practice.

About the Instructors:

Grammar wasn’t Annie Oortman’s first love (actually, it was a cute boy in her second-grade class named Henry Talley) or even her second (avoiding barn work). However, after getting an A for content but an F for readability on a third-grade book report, she learned having great ideas was one thing, communicating them well on paper another. Annie became a disciple of the church of Proper Grammar. Nowadays, she aspires to become a romantic suspense author, diagrams sentences for fun (yes, for fun), and argues with Darlene on the acceptability of ending a sentence with a preposition. Don’t do it!

Darlene Buchholz fell in love in the first grade with a boy named Neil. He shared his crackers and milk at recess after someone took her snack and never got caught. By the third grade, she discovered Nancy Drew mysteries and developed a great passion for perky heroines who drove convertibles (proof they were in charge of their own lives). She’s written about romance and intrigue ever since. Darlene never thought of grammar as a challenge. It was, instead, a tool to help her express the ideas she felt passionate about, especially on the acceptability of ending a sentence with a preposition. Yes, you can!

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassApr11.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

Coming in May, 2011

“Some Like It Hot”
with Louisa Bacio
May 16 – June 11, 2011

Let’s talk about sex. Whether you’re writing a short story, novella or a full-length novel, an erotic thriller, paranormal or historical romance, the basics of the Erotic Romance remain the same: it’s all about plot and keeping it hot.

This workshop will cover the basics of characterization and motivation, and then delve into the heart: The sex scene(s). When writing about the physical aspects of love, it takes more than the cliché of “putting tab A into slot B.” The love scenes need to come organically from the work that’s being created, and the reader needs to believe in the connection.

Adult Content: Note that with the subject matter of this workshop, the language may become explicit. Come with an open mind, and be prepared to learn.

Erotic romance writer Louisa Bacio released her full-length novel PHYSICAL EDUCATION through Ravenous Romance and to quote Happily Ever After Reviews: “Ms. Bacio cleverly crafts a world of wicked pleasure and mystery that pulls the reader into this erotic thriller.” She’s currently working on an erotic paranormal set in New Orleans, and a sequel to Physical Education.

COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html Check out our full list of workshops.

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Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html
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