tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post1832592688975164612..comments2021-05-31T21:22:48.406-05:00Comments on word-crafting: a writer's blog: Sentence Structure for Paragraph Writing Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-81969504119264351102012-11-09T22:17:09.806-06:002012-11-09T22:17:09.806-06:00Dear Heidrun, yes, I too, as do all people I think...Dear Heidrun, yes, I too, as do all people I think, learned first from my family. And I learned a lot about the syntax of English--that is I learned to truly understand and appreciate it--from studying four other languages: Latin, Classical Greek, French, and Old English. In truth, I never understood what "English syntax" meant until I took Latin in high school. You know so many languages. Do you find yourself thinking in different languages and with different syntaxes at different times? Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-64471327826358310792012-11-09T10:14:37.072-06:002012-11-09T10:14:37.072-06:00We are all unique and all learn to read and write ...We are all unique and all learn to read and write differently. While the grammar rules of sentence structure are good to know they are developed in our minds in many ways as we acquire languages. The more languages we know the more options for reading and writing become available. Creative thinking processes are also needed to move the flow of information along. The grammar of each language can be very different but some basics may be present such as nouns and verbs. The Chinese and Japanese use a pictorial style to depict ideas so they have a very different set up.<br />I learned first from my family and then friends and finally various school systems. And the process is still continuing.Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16174142810114806410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-57668254160407243362012-10-30T20:37:24.338-05:002012-10-30T20:37:24.338-05:00Dear Rita, all this stuff I learned is probably so...Dear Rita, all this stuff I learned is probably sort of boring to all of you who write as you think and talk--in a truly natural and spontaneous way. But this is how I was taught and so I'm just sharing the wonder of Sister Mary McCauley who had the ability to make learning fun. She was special. <br /><br />I don't think that writing depends on learning all this. Reading. Reading. Reading writers who have the ability to engage us is how most people learn to write. So many writers have influenced me. In a couple of weeks I'm going to post about how contemporary writers have influenced how I write now. <br /><br />Rita, you are such an inspiration to me. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-47439338052785994142012-10-30T20:13:02.540-05:002012-10-30T20:13:02.540-05:00I vaguely remember having a few weeks in grade sch...I vaguely remember having a few weeks in grade school where all these terms came up--LOL! What little I know I learned by osmosis from reading. Trouble is, I read a lot of poetry, too, which doesn't always use proper English sentence structure. Then I started journaling (no one to correct my errors) and writing letters (recipients don't correct and return, either) when I was nine. I wrote as I thought before I wrote as I talked, I think. Developed my own style of writing (and creative punctuation) that I discovered wasn't quite "proper" for papers when I went to college at 48 years old--but I really focused and still got As, so my years of reading paid off. My own style was apparently fine for poetry and allowed for creative writing, too. <br /><br />I wish I had been taught properly like you were. You had teachers that made it fun! I could almost feel my eyes roll back in my head when I heard the word predicate--like I had instantly traveled back in time to a boring teacher I disliked--LOL! You were truly blessed, Dee. :) Ritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02043285884495492598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-479170545111221002012-10-30T08:25:07.310-05:002012-10-30T08:25:07.310-05:00Dear Janie, I've come to realize with my own w...Dear Janie, I've come to realize with my own writing that it can be lyrical but only if I write the way I learned. Here's what I'm talking about: I mostly read contemporary mysteries and I've noticed that the sentences within most of today's novels start fairly close to the subject. They do not begin with a subordinate clause. That seems to be an old-fashioned way to write. And so I had to change my entire writing style when writing my Palestine manuscript. It is sentence variety, I think, that lends itself to lyricism. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-11295434522984459932012-10-29T21:55:48.002-05:002012-10-29T21:55:48.002-05:00F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite. I long to writ...F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite. I long to write so lyrically, but it's not in me. I also read my Thackeray and Joyce and so many of the classics. My writing was pretty much the same after I became a reporter as before except I wrote much faster.Janie Junebughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10573607241326291404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-22366844106576896072012-10-29T11:34:29.341-05:002012-10-29T11:34:29.341-05:00Dear Elisa, Sister Mary McCauley was a wonderful t...Dear Elisa, Sister Mary McCauley was a wonderful teacher and I learned a lot from her that I used when I taught. The Scribe and Hippie truly might enjoy finding all the nouns in a magazine picture--sort of like the Waldo books. Then adding an action word to each noun. Then a descriptive word (adjective) for the noun. Then a descriptive word (adverb) for the verb/action word. Then they'd have simple sentences--building blocks of paragraphs and stories. But you, as a writer, know all this! Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-15618002467206056592012-10-29T10:48:47.036-05:002012-10-29T10:48:47.036-05:00You had such a wonderful teacher. I'd like to ...You had such a wonderful teacher. I'd like to encourage the Scribe and Hippie to use magazine pictures when practicing building sentences. I bet they'd love that.Crazy Life of a Writing Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16064939499412649850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-48583928128594916732012-10-29T09:20:21.714-05:002012-10-29T09:20:21.714-05:00Dear EC, please don't put down your writing. Y...Dear EC, please don't put down your writing. You write well and from the heart, which is, to me, what matters most. I'm really enjoying the postings--I think you've done three--on that second blog: Vision and Verb: A Global Gathering. You wouldn't have so many followers on your main blog if readers didn't enjoy your stories and your shared photographs of flowers and birds. I still remember the postings you did on the sidewalk sculptures of the towns you visited. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-35597933521227647672012-10-29T09:17:25.093-05:002012-10-29T09:17:25.093-05:00Dear Arleen, our class was only 26, but there were...Dear Arleen, our class was only 26, but there were two classes in each of the four rooms of grade school (grades 1 through 8) and so Sister Mary McCauley taught on the right side of the room for a while (5th grade) and then on the left (6th grade). So there were over 50 children in the room. And hearing what the 6th graders were learning was an enticement to learn 5th grade material so we could be prepared for the next year. I loved those classrooms. When I taught, years later, I had one self-contained class of 55 seventh graders. Now that was tough!!!<br /><br />Maggie thanks you with another simple sentence: "Meow!"<br /><br />Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-54678374731294023962012-10-29T09:13:44.512-05:002012-10-29T09:13:44.512-05:00Dear Janie, yes, I think Sister Mary McCauley was ...Dear Janie, yes, I think Sister Mary McCauley was a jewel. And she taught me a lot about teaching so that in later years when I taught I successfully used many of the methods I'd learned from her.<br /><br />As to your writing. I've often wondered if you wrote as well before becoming a journalist/reporter or if you learned the techniques you have as you worked at your job.<br /><br />Who are the stylists you studied? I so like E. B. White and several writers whom I read today. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-64767184778441892822012-10-29T09:11:33.162-05:002012-10-29T09:11:33.162-05:00Dear Shelly, I, too, love the way I was taught. Th...Dear Shelly, I, too, love the way I was taught. Thank you for saying I write concisely. Actually for each posting I write all I want to say and then start cutting. My goal is to do a posting under 600 words, but occasionally I go over that. Today's posting was originally 853 words. Then I cut anything extraneous, trying to get to the nourishing cake and get rid of the frosting that merely enhanced the posting but wasn't necessary for the story I wanted to tell. Finally, I got this posting down to 595 words.<br /><br />You are a fine teacher. The stories you tell about your classroom experiences and the young people you teach are always so heartfelt. The students are blessed to have such a compassionate human being in their midst. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-64928243506683545052012-10-29T09:07:32.103-05:002012-10-29T09:07:32.103-05:00Dear DJan, everything I've ever read encourage...Dear DJan, everything I've ever read encourages prospective writers to read prolifically. To read everything--literary and generic novels, the backs of cereal boxes, the junk mail. Just to read. And those who write novels are encouraged to listen to people speaking, for example, at the next table in the restaurant or in the doctor's office. By doing that writers like Eudora Welty developed dialogue that situated the story. <br /><br />Like you, I'm glad I learned when I did. I also know that learning Latin helped my writing and then learning to edit helped even more. <br /><br />About comments: I like the free and easy flow of comments that seem to really suggest personalities behind them! Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-74391949298422519392012-10-29T09:01:39.666-05:002012-10-29T09:01:39.666-05:00Dear Fishducky, writing the way one speaks makes o...Dear Fishducky, writing the way one speaks makes one's writing very immediate. That's such a plus when you want to make readers feel welcome and at home. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-21042199210160826542012-10-29T04:09:42.080-05:002012-10-29T04:09:42.080-05:00I wasn't taought at all in the way you were. ...I wasn't taought at all in the way you were. And the lack shows. Thank you Dee, I love your posts and I always learn something here.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-87095682928204415482012-10-28T17:47:02.272-05:002012-10-28T17:47:02.272-05:00Dear Dee,
You brought it all back. To think that...Dear Dee,<br /><br />You brought it all back. To think that we learned this in class sizes of 50+ and one teacher. <br /><br />Maggie is a beautiful cat. Simple sentence, but one describes her well.Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06032033918798053005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-61698356897274451852012-10-28T17:20:09.045-05:002012-10-28T17:20:09.045-05:00I learned to write by reading the great stylists a...I learned to write by reading the great stylists and by making up my own words and sentence structures that amuse me. I don't know if anyone is left who taught the way Sister Mary McCauley did. What a loss.<br /><br />Love,<br />JanieJanie Junebughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10573607241326291404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-80089384058102346132012-10-28T15:27:12.244-05:002012-10-28T15:27:12.244-05:00I love the way you were taught. Its success is evi...I love the way you were taught. Its success is evident in how well and concisely you write. I didn't have much training in writing in school, although I do love teaching it.Shellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930262815304757150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-44670898202665060102012-10-28T14:10:03.027-05:002012-10-28T14:10:03.027-05:00I learned to write by becoming a prolific reader. ...I learned to write by becoming a prolific reader. It's interesting how differently you and I learned to read and write compared to today's approaches. I feel very fortunate to have learned way back when! And writing well means writing and editing one's writing. (Not like these comments, which are simple communication with little thought given to syntax, etc.)DJanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07152183871573797791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-58411945233111041602012-10-28T12:06:42.508-05:002012-10-28T12:06:42.508-05:00I'm not sure that I write that well--but I jus...I'm not sure that I write that well--but I just write the same way as I would speak.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com