“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.” – Kurt Vonnegut Who is this strange creature? This limping, asymmetric anomaly? The unfashionable singleton who leaves the party, that’s who he is. A rejected, unwanted […]
In Defence of the Semicolon Read More »
You’ll find a lot of advice for writers on twitter. The guidance is often sound, if somewhat simplistic, but its click-bait-y bullet-point approach can be a problem because there are as many exceptions as there are rules, neither of which can be boiled down to a few sound bites. The other day I saw this:
It was the best of times, and the worst. Read More »
I’ve been thinking a lot about my “we”. Screenwriters are told to avoid it because script readers perceive it to be amateurish. “We see the words appear on the monitor…” “We follow his eyes as he reads them…” Always on the lookout for an excuse to reject a script, readers can be triggered by a “we”. If
The Majestic Plural Read More »
