RuneScape Forum Archive | Your First Story

CaptChekaka

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~` Mechanics - Grammar `~
By: Dragon 3011
**This guide is out of date and being renovated. Direct question to thread owners.**
I cannot stress the importance of grammar in a story. If we had no grammar, nothing would be understandable, it'll just be a huge mess. Now, let me explain. Grammar is an agreed-upon set of rules for any language to follow so that people could understand it better. If I made up my own language right now, the first, most important thing would first be the grammar.
Now, I suggest you learn your grammatical skills and practice them, and any tips people give you about grammar are extremely important. I will give you some basic information on grammar. First thing you need to know is the importance of a paragraph. Some people write stories and all it is is a huge block of text. It hurts the eyes and looks extremely intimidating.
A paragraph is a group of sentences that talk about one subject, usually about four to six sentences long. When you finish a paragraph, you must hit the Enter button twice. One for the space below, and another for the space to write the next paragraph. Hitting enter once means you just start directly under the other paragraph, which looks bad. Another thing you should know about paragraphs is that when a character in your story is talking, and then another character talks, you MUST start a new paragraph. You can't have two characters speaking and have them be in the same paragraph. When another character speaks, a new paragraph goes with it.
You should also know your capitalization. Whenever you start a new sentence, you MUST capitalize the initial character, and when you speak of proper nouns, such as the name of a person, place, or specific name of an object, you capitalize the first letter. Same goes for the letter 'I'. Remember, this is very important, as it'll make or break a story. Without grammar, your story would essentially fall apart under its own weight.

03-Jun-2008 22:27:48 - Last edited on 12-Jun-2009 22:33:50 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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One thing you have to remember is compound nouns. A few other things would be contractions, and one of the most important things: The differences between They're, There, Their, You're, and Your. It really, REALLY bothers me to have people make these mistakes. If you can't even do your own language right, I say, don't bother trying to write a story in it.
In school, grammar may be a boring subject, but if you ever plan on writing, you must learn it or be torn to pieces mercilessly. Some of you are used to your little Text Message chat, but I don't care how much you use it, when you write formal literature, meant to be read by other people, you must be proper. It's like an interview for a job. You can dress like the Fonze every day of the week, but when you go for a job interview, you BETTER be wearing formal business attire or you'll end up living in a cave.
You may want to read up on grammar and listen to people who give you tips to improve on your stories. If you just flame critics who try to help you, you'll only end up hurting yourself. It doesn't matter what the general public thinks, most don't know what writing a story is and most of the time, let grammar mistakes slip because they don't care. I recommend you apply for someone to review your story and point out some mistakes, even ask them to explain these mistakes. You could apply for a review on a review thread and they might help as well.
(Guard's Trick) Many people struggle with semicolons. In the past, semicolons were the bane of my almost perfect grammar. However, there is a quick fix trick I found out from my father recently. It's basically the definition of a semicolon, but many people overlook it. The trick is: If there are two complete sentences, a semicolon goes in between. If there aren't two complete sentences on both sides of the semicolon then it doesn't go there. This rule doesn't apply to some conjunctions.

03-Jun-2008 22:27:49 - Last edited on 04-Jun-2008 23:53:56 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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Now, some basics on grammar. First thing I will teach you is the differences between the five words I listed earlier. "They're" is a contraction of "They are." You use "They're" when describing that an object is performing an action. For example: "They're climbing up the Grammar Hammer." The next one, "Their," is a possessive term, and you use it when a subject is the possessor of an object. For example: "Their men are climbing up the Grammar Hammer." The last one, "There," is a word to describe the location of an object. For example: "The men are there, on the Grammar Hammer."
"You're" is a contraction of "You are," and works much like "They're," except it is in the second person. For example: "You're climbing up the corporate ladder." "Your" is a possessive term that works much like "Their," but in the second person referencing "You." For example: "Your grammar is now improving."
If you are still having trouble, I suggest using Microsoft Word. Word is a commonly used tool that writers use. I, however, do not use Word, for the reason that my grammatical skills are near-perfect. But not everybody is alike, wheras I may not have trouble with grammar, you might have loads of problems. Grammar will also help you with the community of the forums. Most people generally look for grammar before anything else in a story. It's THAT important. Most people are irritated by bad grammar, and it makes them want to read a story less. Saying "Your going to Varrock," for example, is an example of bad grammar. "You're" would be the proper term.
Above all, if you don't improve your grammar, it will make you look less intelligent. Learning good grammar will help your communication and can attract more readers.
**The following sections are fine to read.**

03-Jun-2008 22:29:30 - Last edited on 12-Jun-2009 22:34:13 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~` Mechanics – Spelling `~
By: Capt Chekaka
Alright. Spelling is another important aspect for any story in order for it to be successful. Why? Think to yourself: would you rather read a story with little to no words spelled correctly, or written in “text talk," or would you like to see a well-written story with perfect spelling and easy-to-read format? I think that any sensible person would choose the second option.
In order to touch up on spelling, you can only do it one of two ways. These ways would be by either by trial and error, where you would misspell a word and someone would point it out for you, or by reading and learning words on your own. Both of these ways are good for growing accustomed to words that you may use in your writing, and it also helps you with your vocabulary.
Spelling is fairly necessary is you want to become a respectable author on the forum, but that doesn’t mean it’s essential to know every word before you type. Everybody makes mistakes and, if you’re just starting, it’ll be normal for you to make errors. Also, if you are creative and show promise in your writing, people may look past the spelling and, instead, give you tips on how to improve.
For spelling, I’d suggest that you download Firefox for your computer, since it has a built-in spellchecker, or buy Microsoft Word and write using that. Microsoft Word will not find all or your errors, though, and this brings us to the final point. When writing, proofread before you post. Read aloud to yourself. It will give you a chance to hear the words, find bad sentences, and, overall, will give your writing a much better chance of being error-free.

03-Jun-2008 22:29:31 - Last edited on 28-Dec-2008 20:30:36 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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~` Mechanics - Vocabulary `~
By: Auraofguthix
The Five Levels of Vocabulary
Hello, Aura here. In my (usually) humble opinion, there are five different levels of vocabulary, into which most words can be divided. In this lesson, I will show what they are, instruct you on whi** occasions they are recommended for, and show you the pros and cons of higher vocabulary.
Level One: This is the base, the writing tender used by your average person on the *treet. Stressing basic nouns and verbs, adjectives are placed as the minority. Description is probably dull and vague, the speaker usually resorting to motions or prior knowledge of a situation to convey their point. If you use this kind of dialect in general, that doesn’t make you primitive. However, if you use said dialect in your epic tale of great warriors per say, you should be working very hard to improve.
Level Two: This is, believe it or not, how many intelligent people talk in general. Though a prodigy might have a twelve-letter word in every sentence, most intellectuals do not speak like that. Most novices write at this level, along with some others, usually those whose writing is okay. Nouns and verbs become more complex, describing in more detail. Adjectives that pique the readers’ interest spring from the page, not awe-inspiring, but passable. As long as you are writing on such a dialect, there is no desperate need to improve. Though moving up just one level would really help you. So, you should only concentrate on improving at this level if you have no other atrocious problems.
Level Three: Now you’re talking. Literally. This is the minimum level for a really professional story to be on. The pros do write like this, for the most part. All words blossom, similes often become redundant, as a word will describe itself. The adjectives are great. The mark of an elite writer, you need to be here.
Level Four: This is the zone. You don’t improve from here, for the most part. Almost all your words are perfect...

03-Jun-2008 22:29:31 - Last edited on 04-Jun-2008 23:55:08 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

...for the situation, blending in and supporting the scene. There really isn’t much to say here. Just, way to go.
Level Five: Not really sure why I included this. Anyway, this is (surprisingly) not such a good place to call home. This is when so many intricate and unknown words have crept into your vocabulary that most can’t understand you. The people who talk like this are those brilliant geniuses I discussed in Level Two. It’s practically impossible to leave this stage, but its practically impossible (from a theoretical angle) to get here. So, as I said, I really don’t know why I’m saying this.
Okay, now that those are out, the question is where they should be used. Here are my suggestions:
Your average epic story: Levels Two, Three, or Four. A combination of Four and Three would be the best, leading to the sprinkling of moderate to longish words. Two is acceptable, seeing as not everyone can achieve that high.
Your average epic short story: Levels Three, Four, and FIVE! This is the only time you are allowed to use level five more than once a page, but be very careful with it. The point being that to make a short powerful, a higher vocabulary amplifies your conveyance. But make sure to hold your Five in check. By the way, this topic includes Romances, Horror shorts, and Tragedy/Drama.
Your really long epic story: Levels One, Two, Three and Four. The reason you are allowed to use a cheap Level One is because many readers don’t have the patience to read this long if the words are offsetting. However, if you find you are turning your story mediocre by the influx of low-level words, halt all post production and revert back to your original method.
Your Noob Story: Levels One, Two and Three. No offense to any Noob Story writers, but this genre generally caters to a populace of lower, er, intelligence. Don’t hurt me! But anyway, if you are using the low humor that resides in a Story of a Noob, don’t use large words. Nothing ruins a comedy more than a reader...

03-Jun-2008 22:54:44 - Last edited on 07-Dec-2008 18:31:08 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

Posts: 35,595 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

...having to look up the main word of a punch line. This applies to almost all comedies.
And now, I will show you the practical pros and cons of having a higher vocabulary. Take a simple paragraph, and add some literary skills. Watch.
“Agent Smith ran on the path. Rain fell on his head as he went. He ran through a forest before coming to a clearing. He saw a man standing there. Neo, His foe. He jumped at Neo, punching at him. Neo dodged, ***king Agent Smith so hard, he flew into a tree. He died.*
Okay, so I exaggerated a drop. Now, we use a slightly better vocabulary.
“Agent Smith hurried down the path. Rain fell on him as he ran. His path led him through a forest. He reached a clearing, and saw a figure standing in the center. It was Neo, his enemy. He leaped towards the man, fist flying towards him. Neo rolled backwards before kicking at the Agent with his foot. The blow sent Smith flying through the air. Crashing into a tree, his life left him.”
You see this around this forum, don’t you? And now, for a good (Maybe too much so) vocabulary level:
“Agent Smith hurried down the path. Torrents of rain cascaded on his head as he charged. The circuitous path led him to a verdant, if soggy, forest. A clearing marked the end of his arduous journey, revealing a figure resplendent amid the gray of the storm. This was Neo, his nemesis. He launched himself at his cognizant target, a harbinger of imminent attack. Neo implemented an impeccable roll, lightly landing on his feet. He lashed out with his leg, which connected with Smith’s abdomen. The Agent was now engraved into a tree, entombed by the force of the strike. His life force slowly ebbed out of his tortured frame.”
As you can see, there is a fine line between too much and not enough. If you don’t get it,(c) re-read the lesson. So, the best way to find out what style suits you the best, experiment. And if anyone wants to know how to raise his or her Vocabulary, I have one word for you, my friend: Read!

03-Jun-2008 22:54:45 - Last edited on 04-Jun-2008 23:55:36 by CaptChekaka