How to Write a Good Story

Advice from Cliff Pickover (IIII)

ADVICE FROM CLIFF PICKOVER (IIII)

This chapter contains the final advice from Mr pickover regarding the nitty gritty of writing a best seller novel.

Whoever/Whomever

If you can't figure out when to use whoever or whomever, substitute the word "he." If it sounds better to use "him," than use whomever. Is 1 or 2 (below) correct?

1. It was as if whoever had killed them....

2. It was as if whomever had killed them.... "It was as if he" sounds better than "it was as if him," so use whoever.

Further/Farther

Farther is used to refer to physical distance.

She runs farther than I do.

Further is an adverb meaning to a greater degree.

I want further training.

Commas and Adjectives

Separate two or more adjectives with commas if each adjective modifies the noun equally.

They are brave, studious students.

This was a beautiful Persian carpet.

(Here "beautiful" modifies the Persian carpet.)

Rise/Raise

Use rise (rose, risen) when you mean to move upward.

Use raise (raised) when an object is being moved upward.

Joe raised his foot.

Joe rose early in the morning.

On to/Onto

Use onto when you mean "to a position on"

He tossed the spider onto the table. He held on to her foot.

Insectlike

Should you use "insectlike" or "insect-like?" Do not precede "like" with a hyphen unless the letter "l" would be tripled: bill-like, lifelike, businesslike, shell-like.

Do precede like with a hyphen if the word is three syllables, e.g. intestine-like.

Do precede like with a hyphen if the word is a proper name, e.g. Clinton-like. Exception, use Christlike.

Do precede like with a hyphen if the word is a compound word.

On the other hand, when "like" is a prefix... Follow with a hyphen when used as a prefix meaning similar to, e.g. like-minded. No hyphen are used in words that have meanings of their own, e.g. likelihood, likewise, likeness.

Subjunctive

The subjunctive form of the verb is used to express something contrary to fact. Use "were" in all of the following:

If I were king...

I wish you were here...

It was as if I were...

Usually, "as if" and "as though" suggest a subjunctive mood. The following sentence (which starts with if) is not contrary to fact so it is not subjunctive: "Jack didn't know what color the dog was. If the dog was black, Joe could find it in the snow."

Ellipses

Ellipses can be used to indicate a pause in dialogue or a trailing off of dialogue. If a complete sentence is fading, use four dots, with no space between the final word and the four dots. (One of the dots serves as a period.) If a sentence fragment is trailing off, use three dots, leaving a space between the end of the final word and the first dot.

P.S

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