These are some of the most common issues I have seen complaints of.
I gathered some of the best advice I could find for us to discuss.
The first topic.
-Incorrect verb conjunction
When a coordinating conjunction connects two , it is often (but not always) accompanied by a comma:
Ulysses wants to play for UConn, but he has had trouble meeting the academic requirements.
When the two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction are nicely balanced or brief, many writers will omit the comma:
Ulysses has a great jump shot but he isn't quick on his feet.
The comma is always correct when used to separate two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction. See for further help.
A comma is also correct when and is used to attach the last item of a serial list, although many writers (especially in newspapers) will omit that final comma:
Ulysses spent his summer studying basic math, writing, and reading comprehension.
When a coordinating conjunction is used to connect all the elements in a series, a comma is not used:
Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists are the prevalent Protestant congregations in Oklahoma.
A comma is also used with but when expressing a contrast:
This is a useful rule, but difficult to remember.
In most of their other roles as joiners (other than joining independent clauses, that is), coordinating conjunctions can join two sentence elements without the help of a comma.
------------------------------------------------------------------
-Wrong pronoun
Incorrect:
Castro's communist principles inevitably led to an ideological conflict between he and President Kennedy.
Correct:
Castro's communist principles inevitably led to an ideological conflict between him and President Kennedy.
Incorrect:
Because strict constructionists recommend fidelity to the Constitution as written, no one objects more than them to judicial reinterpretation.
Correct:
Because strict constructionists recommend fidelity to the Constitution as written, no one objects more than they [do] to judicial reinterpretation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-Passive to active voice
Active voice is used when the subject performs the action stated by the verb.
For example: Tom changed the flat tire.
Passive voice is used when the subject is acted upon by the verb.
For example: The tire was changed by Tom.
In most cases, writing sentences in passive voice is discouraged because it can obscure the subject of the sentence and confuse the reader. It also creates a wordy and awkward sentence structure. Once you learn how to change passive voice to active voice, it's one less thing you'll have to edit.
-----------------------------------------------------------
World building
When you brainstorm names for places in your world building, think about:
Purpose: What is purpose of this setting? For example, Rowling calls the magical London high street in the Harry Potter books 'Diagon Alley'. This echoes with 'diagonally'. It's a good name for a street that exists just slant to the average 'muggle' (non magical person's) world.Mood: What is your place's mood? Think about the Tolkien examples above and how the sounds of the words themselves feel apt for the place. A place name can contrast with its mood, too. For example, a rural town called 'Little Kenton' could have a quaint sounding name but in reality hide a terrifying paranormal activity. In this instance, the name adds to the sense of the unexpected.
Avoid focusing exclusively on large-scale details.
It's all very well to create a world where a nefarious government holds sway (like Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four). Yet if you only create a sense of the broader social and historical forces at work in your story, the lack of detail might make your characters seem like disembodied heads floating through a void.
Use the senses to show your world through characters' eyes.
This will help your readers feel way more connected to the world you are creating.
(Link below)
https://www.nownovel.com/blog/world-building-tips-engaging-settings/
I went through this article and pulled what I gathered from it.
'The seven sins of world building'
One -Not thinking about basic infrastructure.
How to they survive, the basic needs of your society.
Two -Not explaining why things happened.
Why did your main turmoil occur?
Three -Creating fictional versions of real life ethnicities that never go beyond one dimension.
As said in the article, if you are going to use Belgians in your story, you need to do research and be accurate about it.
Four-Creating monolithic, social, political, cultural, and religious groups.
People usually don't agree on everything even though they fall on the same 'team'. Be realistic.
Five- Inventing a history that is totally logical.
Sometimes weird shit just happens.
Six- Not really giving a strong sense of place. Like they smell after it's been raining.
You need to show the reader where they are. Make them feel the dirt under their nails, or smell the pollution in the air. Make the reader connect.
Seven- Introducing some superpower, like magic or insane tech, without fully accounting for how it would change society.
Think of everything your power would change, possibly laws, or even products being sold in stores.
(Link to the source of information below.)
https://io9.gizmodo.com/7-deadly-sins-of-worldbuilding-998817537
If you need a bit more guidance here is good website. It has a good template.
https://www.storyplanner.com/story/plan/world-building-detailed-plan
YOU ARE READING
Writers hot spot
Non-FictionI have started a forum on the writer portal in seek of forming some good connections and to create a spot we can all go to for discussion and advice. We all have skills we can help others with. My plan here is have discussions and give tips that...
