I know what you are thinking
but not what you are drinking
come on over here
and we can share
I can not move
but I can feel the groove
shy shy that is what I am
I know what you want
but not how to give it
come on baby give me a shot
you can see that I have a lot
I can not speak
but I know how to teach
shy shy that is what I am
I know what you need
but not how to show it
come on baby give me your hand
and I will make you understand
I can not play
but I know the game
shy shy that is what I am
I know that you are lonely
but not how to explain it properly
come on baby open up and smile
and I will give you my best company
even if I am a little bit shy
I know that you need me
but not how to give you my heart
in a way that makes you understand
that I will never let you down
please take the first step
because I am a little bit shy
but I will never make you sad
or cry
Never know when to end a word in o, os, or oes?
Goodness gracious me! I am sure that there must be a secret school for greengrocers and fruit and veg employees ... where they are taught a difficult and secret way to use apostrophes at the end of vegetables. It is a miracle if I ever see a sign outside a greengrocer which *doesn't* have an apostrophe where it isn't needed!
[Feel free to send photos of offending signs to share with us!]
Words ending in O do NOT - I repeat - do NOT need an apostrophe *s* to make it plural!!!
When a singular word ends with a consonant (non-vowels) and o,
it is normal to add es to form a plural:
| | |
potato
|
potatoes |
| Exceptions - no *e* before *s*
| |
piano solo silo merino dynamo |
pianos solos silos merinos dynamos |
| When a singular word ends with yo or io, add an s:
| |
studio radio embryo folio curio |
studios radios embryos folios curios |
What does it all mean??!
A noun is a naming word or an object (e.g. shoe, house, computer, employee).
Examples:
one potato
two potatoes
two potato's is WRONG
one tomato
three tomatoes
three tomato's is WRONG
one piano
two pianos
two piano's or pianoes is WRONG
one studio
five studios
five studio's is WRONG
Unless you have a school teacher who is correcting your work, you probably have no-one who proofreads for you, who can spot the errors ... and yet it is so important. As working adults, many of us are required to do a fair amount of writing for our jobs, no matter which field we are in, so taking the time to learn grammar, apostrophes, punctuation, parts of speech and commonly misspelt words, will be a skill we can build on and improve with practice. Good luck!
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Whenever I begin a short story, I remind myself of two things: to try to get in touch with readers' senses as much as possible by writing something to see, hear, touch, smell, taste, and feel (emotionally), and to try to keep nine points, specifically, in mind when writing my story in hopes of composing a tightly-written story that sticks in readers' minds. Those nine points are as followed:
Focus - Some of the most successful short stories I've read are the stories that stuck to their themes and storylines. They pulled me and kept me reading by maintaining a strong focus. It seems the more tightly drawn a short story is, the better.
Theme - While every story I write won't have some sort of deep, underlying message to it, I still like asking myself what exactly will my story be about. I try to answer the question in one or two sentences whenever possible, and notice that when I do, I usually spend less time smoothing out a story, trying to make it "say" what I want it to say. If you're aiming for a clear message, then try asking yourself just what is that underlying message or statement you're trying to convey to readers? Knowing what you want to say might lead you to tighten your writing, and maybe end up with a story that'll linger in readers' minds.
Time Span - Short stories usually cover a short time period. I try to remember to keep my short stories narrowed down by staying focused on the story's theme, and working to paint a picture explaining the main event for readers. In creating three-dimensional characters, I work to keep all of the characters' emotions, thoughts, and actions relevant to the story.
Hook - "Begin your story with a bang." We've all heard that one, haven't we? However, with short stories, I've noticed that it's more often sage advice than not. Beginning your short story with conflict, whether you choose to do it through action, dialogue, or atmosphere and mood, can hook readers and perhaps keep them reading.
Description - I've actually come across submission guidelines where an editor stressed, "More story; less description." Depending on the market you're planning on submitting to, story word limits might only allow you a small amount of description throughout your stories. A publication that wants more action than descriptive writing in stories, and publications that cap their word counts at around 3,500 to 5,000 words, usually place strict limits on the amount of words you can spend on description. On the other hand, publications with story word limits from around 8,000 to 10,000 allow you to spend much more of the story on descriptive writing. Regardless of word counts, I try to remember to make every word count toward the story by avoiding over-describing settings, actions, or characters.
Characters - It's important that I remember not to include too many characters in a short story. Too many characters might cause the story to spin out of control. Sure, I could solve this problem by extending the short story into a novella or novel. But if my aim is to write only a short story, I try to limit the characters. Two or three characters, or, sometimes, even one character, seems sufficient enough for a short story. Only you will know how many characters it'll take to portray your story, but if it begins to seem like your story is growing out of control when you don't want it to, then try to limit the number of characters.
Setting - I recently read an editorial called "This Story Doesn't Stand Out," and thought it was great insight into an editor's mind. The editorial touched on some of the reasons why an editor might reject your story. One of those reasons was that many of the stories already accepted were set in similiar settings, such as the present-day world. The article also confirmed my suspicion of why I'd finally gotten published by SDO Detective, a former online mystery publication, after several unsuccessful attempts--the last mystery tale I submitted was set in Ancient Egypt. Sure, mystery stories have been set in Ancient Egypt before, but there were none at SDO. So, I took the chance, and submitted my story, "Minkah's First Case," which featured a crime-solving scribe. While setting still isn't my main concern when I begin a short story, I make a conscious effort to try to place the story in a unique setting. Maybe by doing so, the story will head down an unexpected road and end up a better read as a result of the journey.
Twist - Every story doesn't have to end with a twist, but an occasional twist can be fun. I enjoy trying to write some of my own short stories with a twist. You can surprise your readers with an ending they should have seen coming, and maybe even leave your readers guessing about your character's fate after the story has ended. I recently read a short story that offered readers three different endings. It wasn't a twist seen often, so I really enjoyed coming across such a story. It was unpredictable and memorable, as are most successful twists. Have fun trying to create your own tale with a twist.
Denouement - I always try to end my short stories in a sensible, satisfying way. A reader left too far in the dark by the end of the story will be an unhappy reader. As a reader, I don't mind being left to wonder a bit about what else might happen to a character after the story has ended, but not to the point where I'm scratching my head at something that doesn't quite make sense where the story is concerned. As a writer, it's important that I try to write a logical, mostly unpredictable ending that tie up all the major loose ends.
While I'm sure I haven't quite written that short story that sticks in readers' minds, I'll keep trying by continuing to practice these nine points whenever I write a short story. Don't be afraid to tighten your story, begin with a "bang," or let your story have a message, a brief time span, good description, interesting characters, a strange setting, and a twist. Happy writing!
Focus - Some of the most successful short stories I've read are the stories that stuck to their themes and storylines. They pulled me and kept me reading by maintaining a strong focus. It seems the more tightly drawn a short story is, the better.
Theme - While every story I write won't have some sort of deep, underlying message to it, I still like asking myself what exactly will my story be about. I try to answer the question in one or two sentences whenever possible, and notice that when I do, I usually spend less time smoothing out a story, trying to make it "say" what I want it to say. If you're aiming for a clear message, then try asking yourself just what is that underlying message or statement you're trying to convey to readers? Knowing what you want to say might lead you to tighten your writing, and maybe end up with a story that'll linger in readers' minds.
Time Span - Short stories usually cover a short time period. I try to remember to keep my short stories narrowed down by staying focused on the story's theme, and working to paint a picture explaining the main event for readers. In creating three-dimensional characters, I work to keep all of the characters' emotions, thoughts, and actions relevant to the story.
Hook - "Begin your story with a bang." We've all heard that one, haven't we? However, with short stories, I've noticed that it's more often sage advice than not. Beginning your short story with conflict, whether you choose to do it through action, dialogue, or atmosphere and mood, can hook readers and perhaps keep them reading.
Description - I've actually come across submission guidelines where an editor stressed, "More story; less description." Depending on the market you're planning on submitting to, story word limits might only allow you a small amount of description throughout your stories. A publication that wants more action than descriptive writing in stories, and publications that cap their word counts at around 3,500 to 5,000 words, usually place strict limits on the amount of words you can spend on description. On the other hand, publications with story word limits from around 8,000 to 10,000 allow you to spend much more of the story on descriptive writing. Regardless of word counts, I try to remember to make every word count toward the story by avoiding over-describing settings, actions, or characters.
Characters - It's important that I remember not to include too many characters in a short story. Too many characters might cause the story to spin out of control. Sure, I could solve this problem by extending the short story into a novella or novel. But if my aim is to write only a short story, I try to limit the characters. Two or three characters, or, sometimes, even one character, seems sufficient enough for a short story. Only you will know how many characters it'll take to portray your story, but if it begins to seem like your story is growing out of control when you don't want it to, then try to limit the number of characters.
Setting - I recently read an editorial called "This Story Doesn't Stand Out," and thought it was great insight into an editor's mind. The editorial touched on some of the reasons why an editor might reject your story. One of those reasons was that many of the stories already accepted were set in similiar settings, such as the present-day world. The article also confirmed my suspicion of why I'd finally gotten published by SDO Detective, a former online mystery publication, after several unsuccessful attempts--the last mystery tale I submitted was set in Ancient Egypt. Sure, mystery stories have been set in Ancient Egypt before, but there were none at SDO. So, I took the chance, and submitted my story, "Minkah's First Case," which featured a crime-solving scribe. While setting still isn't my main concern when I begin a short story, I make a conscious effort to try to place the story in a unique setting. Maybe by doing so, the story will head down an unexpected road and end up a better read as a result of the journey.
Twist - Every story doesn't have to end with a twist, but an occasional twist can be fun. I enjoy trying to write some of my own short stories with a twist. You can surprise your readers with an ending they should have seen coming, and maybe even leave your readers guessing about your character's fate after the story has ended. I recently read a short story that offered readers three different endings. It wasn't a twist seen often, so I really enjoyed coming across such a story. It was unpredictable and memorable, as are most successful twists. Have fun trying to create your own tale with a twist.
Denouement - I always try to end my short stories in a sensible, satisfying way. A reader left too far in the dark by the end of the story will be an unhappy reader. As a reader, I don't mind being left to wonder a bit about what else might happen to a character after the story has ended, but not to the point where I'm scratching my head at something that doesn't quite make sense where the story is concerned. As a writer, it's important that I try to write a logical, mostly unpredictable ending that tie up all the major loose ends.
While I'm sure I haven't quite written that short story that sticks in readers' minds, I'll keep trying by continuing to practice these nine points whenever I write a short story. Don't be afraid to tighten your story, begin with a "bang," or let your story have a message, a brief time span, good description, interesting characters, a strange setting, and a twist. Happy writing!
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Bye bye hard life
I am giving in
running dope
it takes too much
always being
two steps ahead of
the fucking police
now I am relaxing
drinking fine wine
sponsored by my
Swiss bank account
Above the law
it is fun
not to be on the run
Bye bye hard life
I am giving in
it takes too much
to be talking on the phone
with people who can not
get enough
now I am going to rest
in my expensive
royal stressless
I am going to lighten
my big joint
and talk with my friends
about the point
in getting stoned
which is not wrong
because we are
above the law
Bye bye hard life
I am giving in
it takes too much
to always be so tough
now it is time
to slow down
and to travel around
the whole Earth
and try to find
a beautiful girl who can
help me rule my world
it is fun
to be above the law
I am giving in
running dope
it takes too much
always being
two steps ahead of
the fucking police
now I am relaxing
drinking fine wine
sponsored by my
Swiss bank account
Above the law
it is fun
not to be on the run
Bye bye hard life
I am giving in
it takes too much
to be talking on the phone
with people who can not
get enough
now I am going to rest
in my expensive
royal stressless
I am going to lighten
my big joint
and talk with my friends
about the point
in getting stoned
which is not wrong
because we are
above the law
Bye bye hard life
I am giving in
it takes too much
to always be so tough
now it is time
to slow down
and to travel around
the whole Earth
and try to find
a beautiful girl who can
help me rule my world
it is fun
to be above the law
