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Rainbow Boy  [message #71718] Mon, 20 June 2016 12:14 Go to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



The next writing challenge is announced, Rainbow Boy is open for inspiration. The opening date for me to receive entries has not yet arrived.

I have chosen this, in part, because of the Orlando atrocities. I have other pictures for future challenges, possibly harder to write well about.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Rainbow Boy  [message #71839 is a reply to message #71718] Wed, 31 August 2016 11:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



I have just placed a "voting kicker" on the site home page, and I thought you could all do with a hint, too



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
The results are in!  [message #71851 is a reply to message #71718] Sun, 04 September 2016 12:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



http://forum.iomfats.org/?t=getfile&id=2907&private=0



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Rainbow Boy  [message #71856 is a reply to message #71718] Mon, 05 September 2016 17:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
masuk is currently offline  masuk

Getting started
Location: Thailand
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 12




I wonder if it might be worth while suggesting to persons submitting stories  for a competition such as this, if they could ask a friend to proof-read their work before submission?

It's only natural that some of us think that our first draft must be correct, but there's always the occasional apostrophe which sneaks in where it shouldn't or some folk mix up 'then' and 'than' rather easily..

I like to give as an example the author who stated that he was quite heterosexual, and he'd rather have girls then boys.  Talk about greedy! 
Re: Rainbow Boy  [message #71857 is a reply to message #71856] Mon, 05 September 2016 17:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



I expect folk to proofread anyway, that goes without saying. I proofread my own material multiple times and still find cock-ups. Not all of our authors have English as their mother tongue, and that causes headaches, too. I do like the greedy example, though.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Rainbow Boy  [message #71859 is a reply to message #71857] Mon, 05 September 2016 18:06 Go to previous message
Nick Deverill is currently offline  Nick Deverill

Toe is in the water

Registered: November 2012
Messages: 78



To proof-read something you've written is hard, no matter what tricks you employ. However, as someone who used to write letter replies professionally the following ought to help.

Always make sure you have enough time. Anything you've written, you see as being what you think you wrote - not what actually is there. Putting 'their' for 'they're' for example, no spell checker invented is ever going to catch that one.

If you ask somebody else to check - who you've never used before, leave an error that you know about in place; although it is my contention everyone makes at least one error. Somebody who says 'no errors' don't ask them again...

Read the article/letter/story out loud to yourself. Sounds odd, will get you funny looks if you are in an open-plan office but does work.

In a word processor, significantly change the font. Anything that helps you see the text through different eyes will help.

Probably more helpful with letters, but do a word search for 'that'. It's perhaps the most over-used word in the English language and tends to make the prose sound as though one is preaching. If deletion does not change the meaning of a sentence, consider doing just that.

It's is a contraction of 'it is' and does not denote possessiveness, or the plural of it. Probably the most common error with an apostrophe.

There are other points, but those few should help.

[Updated on: Mon, 05 September 2016 20:36]

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