Taking a break

(What, already?)

Other commitments are occupying all of my "spare" time, so I haven't been very active online lately.

Plot device

Even though this is about film, rather than writing, it's absolutely brilliant. HT to Agent Kirsten for this 10-minute masterpiece by Red Giant.

Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Problems with writing fiction

While researching some knotty points of technique for a short story, I stumbled upon (not using Stumbleupon, though) a collection of advice from several editors at Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine (ASIN). I'd read it a while ago, but it's so good that it's worth reading several times over:

A Comprehensive and Totally Universal Listing of Every Problem a Story Has Ever Had

In case you're wondering, I've had the honor of a rejection from ASIN. It was one of my early attempts at flash fiction that made it past the first round of scrutiny, but was ultimately rejected by their reviewing panel. The reviewers were nice enough to include personal notes, and although one called it "creepy and delightful" (which is the best thing anyone's ever said about my flash fiction), what sunk it was "Too slow to start--too much backstory." In other words, I violated rule #1.

The story did make into an anthology after some rewriting. But having it published in ASIN, with a 96% rejection rate, would have been way cooler. If only I'd read the above-mentioned list of problems earlier...

Oxford drops the "Oxford comma"

I've been defending the use of the Oxford comma in couple of places recently, so it was somewhat ironic to see this bit of news:

Oxford Comma Dropped by a University of Oxford Style Guide

I like the Oxford comma for several reasons. First of all, it follows the general idea that a comma is inserted for a pause in a sentence; when you read a list such as "A, B, and C", you pause after each item. Dropping the comma--"A, B and C" just doesn't sound right.

In addition, the Oxford comma often helps to clarify the meaning of a sentence. "I went for a walk with my sons, John and Jack." Without the Oxford comma, the sentence would imply that John and Jack are my sons. However, with the comma, it becomes "I went for a walk with my sons, Jack, and John." Here, it's apparent that my sons are not named, and that Jack and John were two others who joined us on the walk.

So there, University of Oxford. I'll keep using your comma wherever it's needed.

Edit: It lives to fight another day, after all. The initial report was overblown.