For now, my writing is going to take a different direction. I am going to pen pieces pertaining to helping other members improve their craft, Therefore, if this is not an arena that interests you, perhaps you should bypass my writings. I realize I run the risk of losing some of my regular readers with this decision. However, I'll cross that bridge if, and when, I get to it. Not only are these articles meant to be informative, these creations could be used for better reviewing. I'm going to start with one I'll call Tips For Better Syntax.

Question: What is the purpose of syntax?
Answer: To provide writers clear prose

Syntax is defined as the orderly fashion in which words are placed together in a sentence. Most frequently in the English language any way, they are arranged subject-verb-object.

Example: The boy (subject) kicked (verb) the ball (object)

One main purpose of syntax is to help writers develop the mood, tone, and atmosphere that evoke the reader's interest. Syntax in story writing speeds up the text by using short sentences. Short sentences can also communicate in a more powerful manner. On the other hand, longer sentences slow the speed of the text down. Syntax can also help express the writer's attitude.

Here are some tips to help you achieve good syntax in your writing:

-avoid using cliches. First person POV can be the exception to this. Cliches are the scenes, settings, people, places, and expressions that have been overused a gazillion times before. Cliches are well known to be rapid manners in which to lose your readers.

-write accurate sentences.

Can you spot the two errors in the phrase "listening to the roar of traffic softly rising like mist in the street"?

a - traffic can not roar softly
b - mist does not rise, it hangs

If you picked up on this good for you. If you didn't ... well what can I say? That's where a better understanding of syntax would come in handy.

-tighten up your writing. Don't say more than needs to be said when describing something. Acute attention to detail is key.

-for the most part, avoid double adjectives whenever possible. Why? Because the second one will inevitably weaken the first one. Adjectives are an optional tool writers have for their sentences, so use them sparingly. This will tighten your prose and make it come more alive.

-vary the length of sentences between short and long ones. Likewise, don't be overly descriptive. Paint the picture, but leave something to the reader's imagination. This helps keep them interactively involved with the story. Base the variety of your sentences on the mood at the moment in your story.

-let nouns and verbs do the work, particularly in speech tags. Simple can be good. When needed, nouns and verbs given big zings can help pep prose up.

These tips can also be applied to better reviewing.

Invitation:

Keep an eye on FanStory's Reviewing forum. A little bird told me that coming soon members who want to learn more about better reviewing (which I count myself as one of), aren't going to want to miss out on the new happenings there. So, c'mon! I invite you to join me. From what I understand, FanStory is about to be rocked by some of its very best.