Need advice. On Reader and Elipses

[TheAminator]

First is a tech issue, in one of the threads for new authors someone mentioned using 'Reader' from Microsoft to read a Word document aloud. The poster claimed many authors reading their own work read it (their work) the way they had intended, and not the way it is in fact written/punctuated. I downloaded the software and now find that the program displays Ebooks only, and while it can in fact read them aloud, it doesn't do anything to my Word toolbar as stated. Any advice?

Secondly several people have posted that among things like confusing their (There/They're)s, the misuse of the Elispse ("...") is infuriating to many of you. Based on what I've just read it seems I do not use it correctly. I often employ the elipse to convey trailing off to a pause in a sentence.
i.e "I've found writing erotic fiction to be a greater umm... 'Release' than reading them ever was."

The 'Guide for Amateur Writers of Erotica' states an Elipse should never be used for a pause, but it doesn't seem to read the same to me if I punctuate it 'Correctly'. What do you think?

And thirdly as this is the first writing I've posted, please point out if I've made enough blatant errors to end my foray into creative writing already.

 

[SweetErika]

First is a tech issue, in one of the threads for new authors someone mentioned using 'Reader' from Microsoft to read a Word document aloud. The poster claimed many authors reading their own work read it (their work) the way they had intended, and not the way it is in fact written/punctuated. I downloaded the software and now find that the program displays Ebooks only, and while it can in fact read them aloud, it doesn't do anything to my Word toolbar as stated. Any advice?

I'm not sure about this but googling revealed that it looks like you have to download a plug-in for Word 2002 or later. Click Me

It sounds like a cool feature. I'm glad you brought it up.

Secondly several people have posted that among things like confusing their (There/They're)s, the misuse of the Elispse ("...") is infuriating to many of you. Based on what I've just read it seems I do not use it correctly. I often employ the elipse to convey trailing off to a pause in a sentence
i.e "I've found writing erotic fiction to be a greater umm... 'Release' than reading them ever was."

The 'Guide for Amateur Writers of Erotica' states an Elipse should never be used for a pause, but it doesn't seem to read the same to me if I punctuate it 'Correctly'. What do you think?

My understanding is it is perfectly correct to use ellipses to represent an thought or word that's trailed off, as your example shows.

Is THIS the guide you speak of?

If so, here's what it says:

Punctuation [ellipses and elides]:

The ellipse is possibly the single most overused punctuation mark by amateur (and many professional!) writers. The ellipse is represented by three periods (or "pips") in a row ("..."). It is NEVER less than three or more than three. It is ALWAYS three.

An ellipse is used to indicate an incomplete thought, and takes the place of a period. It should NEVER be used to represent a pause! If you wish to indicate a pause, a comma, semi-colon, or colon should be used instead. Generally, grammatically complete sentences should not end in an ellipse. Only sentence fragments (those sentences which do not possess a subject, verb, and object) should end in an ellipse.

From what I'm understanding, the author is saying not to use ellipses in place of other punctuation EXCEPT in certain circumstances, like thoughts and phrases trailing off. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use them at all, it just means you should use them properly as much as possible.

Many people have a habit of using ellipses in place of periods, commas, parentheses, semicolons and other punctuation marks. It's this...gratuitous...use that a lot of readers have a problem with... You know...those who insert ellipses because they're too lazy to figure out what they should be using...or they simply never learned how to use more complex punctuation....or they deem it a "stylistic" thing...etc... See what I mean...?

And then there are the people who use a series of commas in place of an ellipse or to show longer pauses in their speaking,,,,this one drives me nuts,,,,,I don't often see in stories though,,,


My advice is to proofread and edit well, look up grammar rules you're not sure of to learn, like it seems you're currently doing, and get yourself a good Volunteer Editor. S/he will most likely let you know if you're running afoul of anything major, and generally help you shape your pieces to make your readers happier.

Most importantly, have fun writing and don't obsess over the nitty gritty! Sure, a well-written story is something to be proud of and generally a lot more fun to read, but the erotica writer's audience usually appreciates an authentic voice and arousing, juicy details more than pristine grammar.

 

[TheAminator]

Erika's Sweet

Thanks heaps for that advice and link. The voice was/is pretty robotic, but I was incredibly surprised at how good my story sounded being read back felt. A lot of the time it mispronounced names and the inflection it used for some sentences was not quite what I had intended but in several paragraphs I think I liked it's reading better than my own. And a Robot voice talking smut was pretty funny. I recommend people try it.
And as far as my Ellipses go I can get a bit gratuitous in their use, though only in dialogue.

Thanks again.

 

[kindashy]

Thanks heaps for that advice and link. The voice was/is pretty robotic, but I was incredibly surprised at how good my story sounded being read back felt. A lot of the time it mispronounced names and the inflection it used for some sentences was not quite what I had intended but in several paragraphs I think I liked it's reading better than my own. And a Robot voice talking smut was pretty funny. I recommend people try it.

I think you are referring to the feature of Windows Xp, you can change the voice, by the way.

It is called Text to Speech (TTS):
To determine the selected text-to-speech voice
Open Speech in Control Panel.
On the Text-to-Speech tab, the displayed name in the Voice selection drop-down list box is the current active voice.
Click Preview Voice to hear the active voice; the text will be spoken, highlighting the words as they are spoken.
Notes

A text-to-speech voice is closely associated with a particular engine. It may not be clear from the displayed name which language a voice is using. After selecting an engine or voice, test the voice and language by clicking Preview Voice.
The language or voices supported by an engine may not be obvious by the engine's displayed name. Refer to the specific user's guide for detailed information about the engine. This includes not only the language supported, but also the lexicon purpose. The lexicon purpose indicates whether it is a general grammar or jargon specific to a profession such as legal or medical.
To open a Control Panel item, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the appropriate icon.

 

[Cathleen]

Welcome to Lit Animator.

Grammar was never a strong subject for me, shamefully. Other than school papers and business letters I never wrote and the adage "Use it or lose it," held true for me.

I learned a lot here. I was a huge abuser of the elipse as well as the dash. I found some good resources after I began writing stories. Another excellent resource is having an editor. There are some fantastic people here that volunteer their knowledge to help and I've learned much from their help.

McKenna, a talented author, began a series of threads "Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes" which are packed with good stuff. The first is here and you'll find several more on this page and more here from the list of threads she's made.

Also you might find good information here, Lit's Writers Resources.

 

[sassypeach]

Thanks for the plug in link for word reader. As has been said, "If only just to hear a robotic voice talking smut, it will be worth it." I agree there is some really helpful advice for writers. I tagged the erotic thesaurus as one of my favourite places when I was racking my brain for another word for aroused.

I posted a story which had italics when it was posted. I didn't realise at the time that you need to use notepad for italics and bold. An article 'Bold or Italic?' by Killermuffin (I think) was very helpful. I think the story would have read much better had they been italics. I did learn and now my ellipeses come in three's...

Good luck with the writing.

 

[Camilleon]

I think I'm pretty good at grammar; however, I feel that grammatical standards as defined and published by Harbrace, Oxford, etc, lag far behind accepted writing practices.

Sometimes, I read an email that has a very unique method of punctuation for effect. When it works, I think, why not use it? It is not acceptable for published standards, but it sure reads well.

And that's all I really care about when I write - that it reads well.

I guess I'll find out. The proof is always in the pudding.

***

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

First is a tech issue, in one of the threads for new authors someone mentioned using 'Reader' from Microsoft to read a Word document aloud. The poster claimed many authors reading their own work read it (their work) the way they had intended, and not the way it is in fact written/punctuated. I downloaded the software and now find that the program displays Ebooks only, and while it can in fact read them aloud, it doesn't do anything to my Word toolbar as stated. Any advice?

Secondly several people have posted that among things like confusing their (There/They're)s, the misuse of the Elispse ("...") is infuriating to many of you. Based on what I've just read it seems I do not use it correctly. I often employ the elipse to convey trailing off to a pause in a sentence.
i.e "I've found writing erotic fiction to be a greater umm... 'Release' than reading them ever was."

The 'Guide for Amateur Writers of Erotica' states an Elipse should never be used for a pause, but it doesn't seem to read the same to me if I punctuate it 'Correctly'. What do you think?

And thirdly as this is the first writing I've posted, please point out if I've made enough blatant errors to end my foray into creative writing already.

Okay. One thing at a time.
Most writers do not use Microsoft Reader. They do read their stories out loud to themselves. Here's the problem. Ego gets in the way. You write a paragraph. You know it's perfect. You read it. It sounds perfect. As a writer you have to get over that and look at the words you've written and your punctuation. It taks a lot of time.

Second, There, Their and They're is easy. There is a place. Their is the posessive form and They're is a contraction of They Are. What's the problem?

Third, the ellipsis is used only to indicate an incomplete thought, generally in dialogue. It is the most misused punctuation in the world. 99% of the time I see it, a period or comman would have been correct. The ellipsis does end, however, in a pause. The correct form is -

Wendal looked at Marge and said, "I want to..."

Note: there is no space before or after the ellipsis and requires no other punctuation (period comma, question mark).

And by the way,, an elipse is an out of round circle. The word is ellipsis.

 

[Camilleon]

Third, the ellipsis is used only to indicate an incomplete thought, generally in dialogue. It is the most misused punctuation in the world. 99% of the time I see it, a period or comman would have been correct. The ellipsis does end, however, in a pause. The correct form is -

You are so right.

You know, you could've posted these thoughts BEFORE I posted my Chapter 3.