6 Crucial Grammar Tips for Fiction Writers
What is Grammar?
Grammar is the main structure of a language. It is made up of rules that control how words can be put together to form sentences.
There are five fundamental components of grammar that work together to create meaning:
Punctuation
Tense
Word order
Connectors
Determiners
If any of these components are used incorrectly, meaning can be completely changed or even lost altogether.
Why is using poor grammar bad for fiction writers?
Mastering grammar is crucial in storytelling, ensuring seamless reader comprehension. Poor grammar can be a major distraction, forcing readers to constantly backtrack and potentially leading to disengagement. This is particularly detrimental for fiction writers, where reader involvement is most important.
Flawless grammar enhances the clarity and overall readability of your narrative, offering a superior reading experience. It serves as the cornerstone for crafting an enthralling tale, earning you respect and recognition as a proficient and professional writer.
While mastering grammar may not occur overnight due to its myriad rules, it is a learnable skill that can be honed to perfection, enhancing your prowess as a writer.
Grammar Tips for Fiction Writers
1. Use proper verb tense
Verb tenses show when and how long an action took place. Typically, fiction writers write stories in past or present tense, with past tense being the most common verb tense used.
When it comes to verb tense in fiction writing, there is only one “rule”: be consistent.
Consistent verb tense clearly shows the time of the actions that are being described. Switching from one verb tense to another without a good reason is confusing and distracting. Readers need to know when and where they are in the story.
2. Be mindful of subject-verb agreement
Agreement in writing refers to the appropriate grammatical match between words and phrases.
Subject-verb agreement describes the appropriate match between subjects and verbs.
In other words, the subject of a sentence must agree with the verb. Subjects and verbs are either singular or plural. Therefore, a singular subject belongs with a singular verb and a plural subject belongs with a plural verb.
Example:
Singular: The cow jumps over the moon.
Plural: The cows jump over the moon.
Having an understanding of the concept of subject-verb agreement will help ensure that your fiction writing is always professional, clear, and easy to comprehend. Subject-verb agreement errors are very noticeable in writing.
The most common subject-verb agreement error happens when the subject of a sentence consists of a complex noun phrase. Most fiction writers want to form the verb according to the noun directly in front of it. However, doing that is almost always incorrect.
Example:
Incorrect: The mood of Beethoven’s late quartets are dark.
Correct: The mood of Beethoven’s late quartets is dark.
Ask yourself which single word in the subject is actually controlling the verb. What is/are dark?
Before you can start fixing errors, you need to clearly understand the rules for subject-verb agreement. A good resource is The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.
3. Avoid using passive voice
Voice is one of the most important elements that make up any piece of writing, and fiction writers need to understand how to use it in their stories.
There are two kinds of grammatical voice: active and passive.
Active Voice: When the subject of the sentence is the one doing the action expressed by the verb. (The person or thing acts.)
Passive Voice: The subject is affected by the verb’s action. (The person or thing acted on or affected by the action.)
Example:
Active: Mike knocked over his glass.
Passive: The glass was knocked over by Mike.
Active voice works best in storytelling because it engages the reader in the action, is clearer, and is almost always more interesting to read. Also, you get to use strong action verbs with an active voice. (Lydia slammed her homework on the teacher’s desk.)
Passive voice, however, keeps readers at a distance from the story as well as from the characters. It can also be boring, and the last thing fiction writers want to do is push readers away. (The homework was slammed on the teacher’s desk by Lydia.) Yawn!
4. Use punctuation correctly
As a proofreader, incorrect punctuation grates on my nerves. As a reader, incorrect punctuation makes the story hard to follow and makes me not want to continue.
Correct punctuation in writing adds clarity and precision. It can emphasize certain parts of the sentence or let the reader pause.
Common punctuation errors in fiction writing:
Comma Splices
A comma splice occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses (https://natureofwriting.com/independent-and-dependent-clauses/) without a coordinating conjunction. (https://www.grammarbook.com/blog/definitions/coordinating-conjunctions/)
Example: My alarm didn’t go off, I was late for work.
Here, a comma is used to connect two separate sentences. If you remove the comma, each part can become its own sentence.
There are a few ways you can fix comma splices:
Use a period instead of a comma.
My alarm didn’t go off. I was late for work.
Use a semicolon instead of a comma.
My alarm didn’t go off; I was late for work.
Use a coordinating conjunction after the comma.
My alarm didn’t go off, so I was late for work.
Using apostrophes to pluralize words
Apostrophes are not used to pluralize words unless you are pluralizing an individual letter (“minding my p’s and q’s”) or a word that might not make sense otherwise (“the do’s and don’ts”). Stop before adding an apostrophe to a word and ask yourself if you’re trying to show possession or attribution. If not, then there’s probably no reason for an apostrophe.
Dialogue punctuation placement
Sometimes fiction writers have a difficult time punctuating dialogue correctly. Punctuation in dialogue is placed inside the closing quotation mark. For example, if the sentence is a question, a question mark should be placed inside the closing quotation mark and is the only punctuation mark needed. It would supersede a comma or period because it is the stronger punctuation. The same goes for an exclamation point.
Example
Correct: “How did you like the show?” she asked.
Incorrect: “How did you like the show?,” she asked.
If a dialogue tag (said, asked, yelled) follows the dialogue, then a comma is used inside the closing quotation mark.
Example: “I really enjoyed the show,” she said.
If a sentence is followed by an action beat, which shows an action the speaker is doing while speaking (gasped, smiled), a period is placed inside the closing question mark.
Example: “It wasn’t that great.” He rolled his eyes.
Punctuation placement with quotation marks in narrative
Often there is some confusion among fiction writers about where to place terminal punctuation marks in narrative when quotation marks are involved. Here are some rules to follow:
Periods and commas are always placed inside the closing quotation mark.
Colons and semicolons are always placed outside the closing quotation mark.
Exclamation points and question marks are placed either inside or outside the closing quotation mark, except if the exclamation point or question mark is part of the quoted material or sentence as a whole.
5. Don't overuse adverbs
Relying too heavily on adverbs can make your writing cluttered and come across as lazy and unprofessional.
Good writing should use strong verbs, rather than a bunch of -ly adverbs. Often, the adverbs can mean the same thing as the verb which becomes redundant, leading to messy writing.
As a general rule, fiction writers should use no more than one adverb per 300 words.
Here are some guidelines to follow to avoid overusing adverbs in your fiction writing:
Don’t use adverbs that state the obvious. For example, a person doesn’t scream loudly because screaming, by definition, is done loudly.
Don’t add a bunch of adverbs to a sentence to make it longer.
When you spot an adverb in your writing, ask yourself if it’s really the best word choice.
Make it your personal goal to never use the words really or very. (It’s really very annoying.)
Don’t use an adverb as a crutch for a verb. Instead, look for a better verb, or write a better sentence.
6. Beware of homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Fiction writers need to be diligent about homophones because spell-check and grammar checks won’t catch them. And many readers say that misspelled homophones are pet peeves.
Some of the most misused homophones include:
Complementary vs Complimentary
Complementary refers to something that completes something else, such as a necklace that makes an outfit perfect. (Chocolate syrup would be complementary to this bowl of vanilla ice cream.)
Complimentary is an adjective that describes speech or action which gives praise. (She was quite complimentary about our newly remodeled kitchen.)
Complimentary can also refer to something that’s free of cost. (These complimentary tips are a great resource!)
Farther vs Further
Farther is used when measuring distance. (I know I can run farther than you.)
Further is used when measuring time or other quantities. (Further investigation was needed to determine the cause of the fire.)
Its vs It’s
Its signifies possession; we use it in place of his or hers for a singular thing of unspecified sex. (It doesn’t get cold because its fur wicks moisture.)
It’s is a contraction meaning “it is”. (It’s getting ready to rain.)
Tip: If you can replace your meaning with “it is” then “it’s” is the word you want to use.
There are many other homophones that fiction writers commonly misuse. A tip I find helpful is to print a list of them and attach them to a bulletin board or put them in a resource binder so they are easily accessible. I have created a list of the most commonly misused homophones for you to download and print for free here.
Conclusion
Good grammar in fiction writing is extremely important. It is the foundation for good writing that captivates readers and draws them into the story. Also, it makes your writing clear and easier to read.
The grammar tips mentioned above are my best tips for helping fiction writers improve their writing. Fiction writers need to use good grammar to prove to readers that they are competent and professional writers.
To reiterate, my top six grammar tips for fiction writers include:
Use proper verb tense
Be mindful of subject-verb agreement
Avoid using passive voice
Use punctuation correctly
Don’t overuse adverbs
Beware of homophones
Remember - reader engagement is extremely important for fiction writers!
What are some of your favorite grammar tips for fiction writers?
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