What Words Should Be Capitalized in a Title?

I found myself thinking about this frequently in the last few days. For every blog entry I write, I usually give it a title and sometimes I would have to stop for just a moment and ask myself "Should this word be capitalized?" Finally, enough was enough! I had to look it up and this is what I came across.

The rules to correctly capitalizing a title:

These are the words that should be capitalized...

  (1) The first and last words of the title

  (2) All nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives

  (3)  Any conjunction or preposition of five letters or more

These are the words that should not be capitalized...

  (1) Articles (the, a, an), unless the article is the first or (less likely, of course) last word of the title

  (2) Prepositions of four letters or fewer (unless the preposition is the first or last word of the title)

  (3) Conjunctions of four letters or fewer (unless the conjunction is the first or last word of the title)

  (4) The particle "to" used with an infinitive (unless the "to" is the first or last word of the title)

So, there we go! Now, none of use will ever incorrectly capitalize a title again.

Information orininally found at this link: http://grammartips.homestead.com/caps.html

A Change in Curriculum

I will no longer be featuring the articles entitled “Who’s Your Editor, (Author’s Name)?” because it could be taken as though I am outing the work of professional editors who have worked hard for their positions. And considering the fact that I am still a student with the hope of becoming an editor, I do not want to offend any future colleagues.

To add to this whole debacle, (people telling me not to write the articles, people telling me it will be okay, others saying I will be blacklisted for even thinking of such a thing, and then a very credible professor giving me further insight into the matter), I would like to give you a bit of the real story from behind the curtain of the publishing world. Yes, it is unfortunate that grammatical errors and typos may throw us out of our reading, blasting our attentions from the character’s world and back into our own, but (and here’s the sad thing) it might not even be the author’s or editor’s fault. Even the best editors/ copyeditors/ proofreaders/ etc. can’t stop the errors that happen in publishing! According to my professor, “The composition process (literally how books are put into pages) can introduce errors…the big corporate process of making books (wherein companies from all over the world bid for low-cost manufacturing contracts) creates errors that highly skilled editors and obsessive authors never see and cannot address.” That’s just swell! (Sarcasm.)

So, the point is, if we’re all tired of being boosted from our reading because a multinational corporate entity is struggling to make a profit by outsourcing most of the post-editorial production work (thanks for that, Professor!) then we need to find a way to make a difference by continuing to demand more care to details, go to the source instead of blaming the author or editor, become better editors ourselves by getting educated in our own language. Then, when we truly become a part of the publishing world, maybe we can do something about it, from the inside.

"Entry into the Unfamiliar" Banners

Matt was the first person to ask for banners for his blog "Entry into the Unfamiliar." I've known Matt for a little while now so it was important to get the information on what he wanted on the banner and then finish them quickly for him. Each banner is pretty different. The first is actually a piece of concept art Matt doodled. The second, I found. It feels a little dark, but I think it can be interpretted in many different ways. Plus, you can't be a writer without being a bit dramatic. :) The third is from one of Matt's landscape pictures.

I personally loved how they turned out, and hopefully he will as well.

PS. All three banners will magically link you directly to Matt's blog. (That's what they're made for!)

PPS. The offer still stands for anyone else who would like banners made for their blog or website. Just leave me a comment and we'll talk about what to make you. :)

Book Review #2: "The Tomorrow Code" by Brian Falkner

Title: The Tomorrow Code

Author: Brian Falkner

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Edition: First Trade Paperback Edition: 2008

Back Cover Summary: Tane and Rebecca aren’t sure what to make of it. A sequence of 1s and 0s, the message looks like nothing more than a random collection of alternating digits. Working hard to decode it, however, Tane and Rebecca discover that the message contains lottery numbers…lottery numbers that win the next random draw!

Suddenly Tane and Rebecca are rich, but who sent the numbers? And why? More messages follow, and slowly it becomes clear—the messages are being sent back in time from Tane and Rebecca’s future! Something there has gone horribly wrong, and it’s up to them to prevent it from happening. As they follow the message’s cryptic instructions, Tane and Rebecca begin to suspect the worst—that the very survival of the human race may be at stake.

*******

This was my first time reading Brian Falkner. He’s a children’s book writer from New Zealand who often writes stories that are based in his homeland. “The Tomorrow Code” is his U.S. debut.

The first thing that drew me toward this book was the cover. It looked dark and mysterious (and honestly reminded me of “Resident Evil” for some reason). I then proceeded to read the back cover and that’s when I should have thought twice about the book, discovering that the author wrote children’s books, because I think that’s really where the book went wrong for me. I was being drawn into this really interesting concept of messages from the future, a strange living pandemic that is taking over New Zealand with only three teenagers to stop it. However, since it is for children, the writing felt too simplistic, the dialogue too redundant, and the interesting storyline left high and dry, really defending for itself because the author is too busy explaining it so younger children might get it.

High Notes: The plot is vastly interesting. I love the idea of messages from the future, this race with time to decode the answers before it is too late, and then desperately seeking what to do next when the first plan fails. The story does come full circle, leaving the reader with hope that all the answers will be discovered in a second time around.

(If only we could have focused on allowing our imaginations to romp freely instead of being suffocated to death with every known and unknown detail. This leads qucikly into the low notes...)

Low Notes: Although the plot really stretches our imaginations and the bounds of science in an interesting way, the author leaves little room for us to fill in blanks on our own, allowing us to experience the journey alongside Tane and Rebecca. Instead, we are idle listeners, constantly told and reminded what is happening. Trust me, in certain chapters you'll most likely understand the book's "science" or at least accept it for what it is, but trust me, if you didn't get it the first time, the author will explain it again and then again. And, in case you need to hear it once more, the characters will also explain it to you in their own words over and over and over again.

My point is, there is a subtle art to the amount of information an author tells his/her readers, and the information the readers are allowed to figure out or decide on their own.

Also, dialogue is a huge thing for me. So when the dialogue becomes this forced tool, used merely to explain the situation and perform a rehearsed Q&A session, I’m disappointed. Honestly, you could probably get the bare bones of the story (and finish the book at lightning speed) by reading only the dialogue.

Let’s not forget the flatter than flat romance, predictable, boring.

Disclaimer: Okay, I really have to add this in before giving you my ratings. Note that this book was obviously too young for me. So my ratings will reflect my dismay as a 22 year-old. Younger audiences may be more satisfied. Nevertheless, I have read other children’s books, such as “The Hideout” by Micheline A. DeCaire, and been completely satisfied so it really may be that “The Tomorrow Code” is just on the outs in my mind.

Ratings:

Character Development: 3/5

Dialogue: 1/5

Prose: 3/5

Believability: 2/5

Style and Grammar: 3/5

Overall Rating: 48% Disappointed!

This book review can also be found at:  forblogs.blogspot.com

"WYE?" Banners

I remember making tons of these when I was into forums. I'd make banners for forum moderators so that people who came across their profiles could simply click on a banner and "BAM!" it would send them straight to the moderator's forum. So, I thought, why not do the same for blogs!

The two images at the bottom of this post are rather simple banners I created for my own blog (Hopefully you all can see them considering it took me a while to figure this all out again. If all you see are some strange computer codes that make almost no sense, it didn't work and I'm trying to fix it.)

There are a lot of different things you can do with these, but it usually starts with a picture, you add some text, sprinkle some virtual magic fairy dust and Bibbity-Boppity-Boo! you have a banner that will teleport all who click on it to your blog. :)

I'm going to keep making a few here and there just to do a bit of advertising, so if anyone is interested in having one made for any of their websites, just let me know. I'd be happy to throw one together for you!

What do you think?

The History of Sabotage

Who would have ever thought of this?

Sabotage. Intentional and malicious destruction of property.

We get this word from “sabot,” the traditional wooden shoe worn by peasants and laborers in centuries past and even today. During the nineteenth century, Belgium and French textile mill workers protested against the new machinery that threatened their jobs. So they tossed their sabots into the machines to wreck them. Hence our word “sabotage.” This idea, however, wasn’t new. In earlier times, French peasants, protesting against their oppressively low wages, trampled the crops of the landlords with their sabots—another act of sabotage.

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

The 7 Best-Worst Movies

Every now and then, a movie comes along that makes you want to mock it and tell all your friends about it at the same time. You watch it in the confines of your own home (in a closet if you must) anything to enjoy it without ridicule from others. You love this movie, yet you know you probably shouldn’t broadcast that to the world.

Well, I’m no scaredy-cat. In fact, I’m willing to admit 7 of these egregious films with no shame, only tremendous enthusiasm.

In alphabetical order:

1) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Starring: Kristie Swanson, Donald Sutherland, and Luke Perry. The movie that started it all! Most of you (all of you if you stick around a while) will come to learn of my love for Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind some of the greatest characters and storylines of all time. It is only he who can make a wildly successful show and spin-off show 5 years after the concept was aired in a failed movie. And it is only he who can make a wildly successful movie 3 years after the concept was introduced in a cancelled television show. (It’s a BIG deal!!!) Anyway, back to the movie. Although it didn’t really jumpstart the careers of any of its actors (Kristie Swanson almost literally dropped off the face of this planet after this movie, only to appear much later on Skating with Celebrities) but it did jumpstart the careers of Whedon’s fabulous and unforgettable characters.

2) Cut Throat Island (1995) Starring: Geena Davis and Matthew Modine. I just think that Geena Davis is one of the most kick-butt women in Hollywood because of this movie. She’s gorgeous and stands tall. And Mathew Modine is just a charmer. I also love pirates so this movie dings the bell. It is action packed, has an interesting twist on treasure maps, and the sets are beautiful.

3) Ninja Assassin (2009) Starring: Rain and Naomie Harris. This was one of those movies where the mere trailer playing on the living room television makes everyone stop and watch. Then, once the trailer has ended, everyone sits in silence, waiting for someone to say whether they want to see it or not. At my apartment, I was the first to speak. I said, “I can’t wait to see that,” but everyone else thought I was joking. The next week, the trailer aired again and I repeated my desire to see the movie. By that time, with the movie debuting in theaters in less than 3 days, my roommates realized I was serious. I went to the theater with the only roommate I could convince to come and her boyfriend. We sat and watched as computer generated blood splashed in waves across the silver screen and non-stop ninja kung-fu littered the plot. It was fantastic. I loved it, my roommate loved it, and her boyfriend didn’t know what to say. (Don’t ask me to interpret “boy.” I’m no mind reader.)

4) Point Break (1991) Starring: Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Point Break is enough to make you forget that the rest of Keanu Reeves’ movie career ever existed, allowing this one robust performance to stand on its own pedestal. (Of course, I am being dramatic.) It’s really Patrick Swayze that I love in this movie; that I love in all of his movies. I hope that he found as much joy in performing as his viewers found in following his career. Also, if anyone has seen the Mythbusters where they basically bust everything about the scene where Reeves and Swayze jump out of a plane with only one parachute, you may understand my amazement at how movies can be creative enough to stretch the truth in order to make a scene work for them.

5) Starship Troopers (1997) Starring: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, and Neil Patrick Harris. I honestly don’t remember when or why I decided to watch this movie. With a summary like “Humans of a fascistic, militaristic future do battle with giant alien bugs in a fight for survival,” I really don’t see what compelled me. (Summary supplied by IMDB. (It’s my favorite go-to movie site.)) Any description with “bugs” in it just creeps me out. Anyway, I loved it (and not just because I gained a massive crush on Casper Van Dien). Like Cut Throat Island, there was a lot of action, a bit more gore, but also a complete plot to follow (a bit of romance, a coming of age story, bonds of friendship that are tested, all in a plausible society.) It peeked my interest at every turn.

6) Van Helsing (2004) Starring: Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. First off, you must know that I would marry Hugh Jackman if I ever were to meet him and he were at least 10 years younger. (And, if he weren't already married.) So, before the movie came out, I knew I liked the actors and I’ve always been fascinated by the evolution of the character Van Helsing who was originally introduced in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, “Dracula.” (P.S. Yes, Bram Stoker invented Van Helsing. He did not, however, invent vampires! Please don’t make me enter this argument for the 3^rd time!) The special effects may be “rough” because of the low budget, but it’s fun. Enjoy it for what it is.

7) Wrong Turn (2003) Starring: Eliza Dushku and Desmond Harrington. Usually I do not enjoy horror flicks. I think they’re lacking horribly in a plot, choosing to base time on the number of people who have been killed instead of the rise and fall of the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, Wrong Turn still kills off its characters at appropriate intervals, but there are moments of rising tension, climax, and breaks. Also, heading back to the wonderful universe created by Joss Whedon, I enjoyed seeing Eliza Dushku play a protagonist in this movie as opposed to playing the other slayer, Faith, in the television version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Please note that although I consider Wrong Turn to be on my list of the best-worst movies, I do not consider its sequels to even be relevant to this list. They never should have been made and are the epitome of why I don’t usually enjoy horror flicks.)

Well, I have confessed to my secret list of the best-worst movies EVER! But now it is your turn.

What do you think of my list and what are your favorite best-worst movies?

Gray vs. Grey (American vs. British)

It turns out that this is a rather simple puzzle to solve. Both words have the exact same meaning (a color somewhere in between black and white. :)) However, “grey” is the British spelling of the word while “gray” is a later American variant.

Some may say that if you are British you should use “grey” and if you are American you should use “gray.” Nevertheless, either is acceptable as long as you choose one version and stick to it throughout the entire length of a piece.

Other British/American differences are:

Toward (American) vs. Towards (British)

Color (American) vs. Colour (British)

Theater (American) vs. Theatre (British)

            As a side note here, some writers will use the “theater” spelling when referring to a movie theater and then use the “theatre” spelling when referring to a place that houses live performances. But, just like grey or gray, either is usually acceptable as long as you stick to one version throughout an entire piece.

Analyze (American) vs. Analyse (British)

Center (American) vs. Centre (British)

Dialog (American) vs. Dialogue (British)

Another thing I found completely interesting while researching this topic is that I use a mix of both American and British spelling when I write. I will use the American spellings of toward, color, theater, analyze, and center. However, I use the British versions of grey and dialogue.

What versions do you guys use? Also, do you know about any other British/American differences?