Monday, April 14, 2014

A Step in the Write Direction--April 14, 2014--Beginning and ending sentences


A Step in the Write Direction

April 14, 2014

Update: Are your taxes done? (Remember, I have a list of tax deductions for writers. Just email me at: dgood648@aol.com.) I used to have a tax business with over 200 clients. Now just have 15 or 20, so have 3 to finish today….Last week was an especially good week: Found a large sum of money I lost…A publisher found 5 of my Rhyme-Time Bible Stories for Little Ones that had been lost (I couldn’t believe I didn’t have them on my computer OR a hard copy)…The editor said they’re also interested in a puzzle book I sent…Found a folder for a client I had mislaid (the folder, not the client!)…Have a new proofreading client (a TV evangelist who has sent me 4 jobs so far)…And sold an exercise bike I had for sale….BUT the best news is that I had the best week I’ve had in almost a year healthwise. Had the church pray for my COPD a week ago Sunday. Up until that time I was having 2 or 3 coughing spells a day—sometimes as long as 1-1½ hours. Have only had a few since then, and one was at a baseball game in windy weather. Thank You, Lord!

Thought for Today: “There’s a tendency to...make God a cosmic Santa Claus, always jolly, perennially upbeat, never displeased, never angry, But (sometimes) I  am not in the mood for a laughing Santa Claus. I need a God bigger than that, someone who can understand my pain....”
Rick Hamlin, 10 Prayers You Can’t Live Without, 128.

Song for Today:
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
            Annie Johnson Flint, “He Giveth More Grace”

Laugh for Today: The wealthy man's will was being read and the relatives all listened expectantly, especially his playboy nephew.  Finally the lawyer said, "And to my nephew, Charlie, whom I promised to remember in my will, 'Hi there, Charlie.'"

Writer’s Tips:

Avoid Beginning Sentences or Paragraphs in a Row with Same Word
You can find examples of this every morning in the obituary section. Try your hand at rewriting the following paragraph (see sample at end of blog):

She was born in Jackson, Michigan. She moved to Arizona in 1969. She was a proofreader for the Arizona State House of Representatives. She was a former associate editor for a trade magazine. She was on the advisory board of American Christian Writers.

Try Not to End Sentences in a Row with the Same Word

When I worked for a newspaper, the editor had a rule that we couldn't begin or end more than two sentences in a row with the same word. This is a good rule to follow.

(Rewritten paragraph): A native of Jackson, Michigan, she moved to Arizona in 1969 where she was a proofreader for the Arizona State House of Representatives. She was also a former associate editor for a trade magazine, and served on the advisory board of American Christian Writers.

Note: All the writer’s tips I include every week can be found in my book A Step in the Write Direction which is now on sale for $15 plus $3 s&h (normally $24.95) as I have a new publisher and am combining it with the Student Edition. See more on my web site.

Have a good week spreading the
gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich
dgood648@aol.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
"The Freedom of Letting Go"
Michigan and Ohio cookbooks
"Healing in God's Time"--story of Dave Clark, songwriter

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