Writing 101: It's and Its

The difference between its and it's is as tiny as a single apostrophe, and yet the punctuation is fraught with so much meaning. The words are said the same way, they're pretty much spelled the same way and they appear in just about every book. But writers still get them mixed up all the time. 

Apostrophes, No Rules Edition

There's a reason that its and it's are confusing, and one culprit is to blame: the apostrophe. Sure it looks benign, inviting even, but when it comes to its and it's the apostrophe breaks all of its own rules. 

Oftentimes, the apostrophe shows up to give possession to something. If I buy a purse, that purse is Jade's. But apostrophes serve a different function in it's: they represent a missing i. And when it comes to possession in it? There's no apostrophe at all. 

Confusing, right?

It's

It's actually means it is or it has. It is a pretty common expression, but it is sounds a little formal in some narration and dialogue so many writers change it is and it has to it's. The apostrophe is there to represent the letters which aren't being spoken. 

Its

Looking at the word its is enough to make you fearful. It looks like the plural of it, and suggests that its are going to start leaping out at you from everywhere. But its is a word that's unique unto itself in that it breaks a grammar rule simply by existing. See, its is actually the possessive of an object's ownership. There's no apostrophe, and that's why its is so very dreadful.

Think of its as the neutral version of his and hers. It gives possession, ownership, to any object (or animal or person) that has no known gender. A few examples: 

She balanced the pencil to stand on its own tip.

He brushed the leaves off its face to reveal the neglected watch.

Maybe the money wandered off on its own. 

Knowing the Difference

It's not easy to tell when to use its and it's, so double-check them every time. Know what the sentence means, and read its and it's as it is and it has to see if they make sense. Remember that you're really using two words every time you put the apostrophe into it's, and just one word when no apostrophe is there. 

Books on Film: Freaky Friday

I was lucky enough to discover the book version of Freaky Friday first. It was in my school library, and the title seemed interesting enough. Little did I know that through the years, I would eventually become exhausted with what's become one of the most over-used plot devices in the whole of fiction writing. But when I first read the book, it was brand-new and unique. I think that's how author Mary Rodgers intended it.

The Book

Freaky Friday was published in 1972, and adapted into film almost immediately. The story quickly caught on with young readers. They probably identified with Annabelle Andrews, like I did. Annabelle wakes one Friday morning after arguing with her mother, and discovers she now is her mother -- at least, she's in her mother's body instead of in her own.

Freaky indeed. Now, Annabelle has to run the house and take care of her brother Ben, whom she calls Ape Face. As it turns out, being a homemaker is one adventure after the next, and Annabelle really has no idea what her mother does all day to keep everything running smoothly. She ends up getting aid in the form of Boris, a neighborhood boy with whom she's secretly in love. Instead of being in her own awkward teenage body, with teeth covered in braces, she's in her mother's gorgeous body and Boris is more than willing to hang around. She doesn't tell him who she really is, of course.

It's not Annabelle's intention to spy, but through no fault of her own she does obtain surprising information as the day wears on. As it turns out, Ben actually adores Annabelle and craves her friendship. She also learns that Boris's real name is Morris; he just has such terrible congestion he can hardly be understood.

Meanwhile, Annabelle has no idea where her own body is. She's got little time to think about this problem, however, as the house is practically falling down around her ears. But she can't help but think about the argument she had with her mother, and realizes that it was by Ellen's doing that their bodies mysteriously switched. 

And the bodies switch back again. When Annabelle finds herself back in her body, the braces are gone and her hair and clothes are different. Mrs. Andrews has been quite busy! But both have a new understanding and respect for each other after the switch, and the mother-daughter relationship is much closer. 

It's a great little read, so don't let my summary keep you from reading it. But even if you haven't, you're probably pretty familiar with the story. After all, Disney's turned it into a movie three times.

The Film

The very first film adaptation of Freaky Friday was written by the book's author and helped propel one Hollywood leading lady into lasting fame. It was made in 1976 with Barbara Harris as Mrs. Andrews and a young Jodie Foster as Annabelle. Foster made two other films that year, and won the most notice and acclaim for Taxi Driver, but did get a Golden Globe nod for her turn as Annabelle Andrews.

Rodgers greatly expanded upon her own story to create the film. This time, mother Ellen Andrews was a protagonist along with Annabelle, and watchers get to see how she's faring in the wilds of High School while Annabelle is struggling with the responsibilities of running a household. Annabelle was also given a talent for waterskiing, and set the stage for the two to have a comical switch while Ellen-as-Annabelle is trying not to break her neck while hanging onto the back of a boat. 

In this version of the story, viewers actually get to see the switch happen. Barbara Harris is fantastic in her role of Annabella-as-Ellen, and Foster is equally exceptional acting like a grown, married lady while in the midst of a bunch of lackadaisical teenagers.

This time, we see Ellen-as-Annabelle leaving school to go to her "father's" office, where she asks for his credit card and intimidates the heck out of his young, attractive secretary. The movie ends with an allusion that Mr. Andrews and Ben, the younger brother, might be on the brink of switching places themselves.

The film was a big commercial success, and both the leading ladies were nominated for awards...so Disney decided to do it again in 1995. This time, Freaky Friday was a made-for-TV movie starring Shelley Long as Ellen Andrews and Gaby Hoffmann as Annabelle. This time, the switch between them is actually explained -- a pair of magical amulets causes it all to happen. Lots of changes were made in this version. Annabelle is now a diver, Ellen isn't even married and Bill is her boyfriend, not her long-time husband and Annabelle's father. Boris/Morris is reduced to a cameo character, and Annabelle's love interest is now a guy named Luke. The dynamics of her life at school are greatly expanded upon. This time, the cast includes a principal, teachers, and the school's Queen Bee.

In 2003, the story changed again. And again, Disney did the changing. This time, Freaky Friday starred Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mom. An enchanted Chinese fortune cookie causes the switch this time, because that's not stupid at all. Anna is now into rock-n-roll, and she's given a little brother again (Harry, played by Ryan Malgarini). She's in a rock band, and her mother (now named Tess) completely disapproves. Dad/husband died three years ago, and the family is still trying to adjust. Anna is also failing English and has a terrible time getting along with her mother. Tess has a wedding rehearsal occurring the same night Anna wants to go to a band audition, and it starts a huge argument while they're at the Chinese restaurant. A magic fortune cookie later, and the stage is set for a freaky Friday.

After making the requisite attempt to switch their bodies back immediately, the two are forced to carry on in each other's bodies and lives. Tess finds out why Anna is getting bad grades in English and confronts the teacher in front of everyone, thus taking care of the problem. Meanwhile, Anna has to try and fake her way through work. Tess goes on to give Anna a makeover before the two go back to the Chinese restaurant together. The two learn more about each other, Tess discovers how important the band is to her daughter, blah, blah, blah, they switch back. By this point, Freaky Friday doesn't look anything like the original book.

What Got Adapted? 

In the original movie version, Annabelle continues to narrate the story in Jodie Foster's voice. This is because the book is told from her point of view, and the film maintains that flavor. The movie actually takes watchers into Ellen's day as Annabelle, something we didn't get to see in the book, and it's a nice addition. We learn that Annabelle plays field hockey, marches in the band, has a ton of friends and even water skis.

Annabelle-as-Ellen loses control quite a bit more in the movie. In the book, she manages to hold it together until the very end. In the movie, she ends up firing the maid and causing one calamity after the next.

Body-swap stories are turned into books and movies all the time, but it wasn't Rodgers who started the trend. The book Freaky Friday is quite similar to the 1882 book Vice Versa: A Lesson to Fathers. In this story, a father and son switch bodies. A magic stone causes the switch, and as the story goes they end up with a deeper understanding of one another.

The best film adaptation of Freaky Friday is the original, and this is the only one written by the book's author. It actually does what film adaptations should do: it expands on the original story, and gives readers even more. That's why the 1976 version of the story is a can't-miss adaptation, and a great representation of its inspiration.

From the Trenches: Too Talented to Print

Do you automatically conjure up an image of the authors you like? I used to love imagining what the authors behind the words looked like; then I discovered paperbacks, which commonly find a way to plaster a bio picture on a glossy cover somewhere. Everyone has some vision of what authors look like, and what the are like: dramatic, wordy creatures who sit hunched over a keyboard pouring out flowery words all day. The vision is almost never the same as the reality. Sometimes, when the reality doesn't fit that vision writers just can't get published.

In the Victorian Era, three women had to pretend to be men before anyone would pay any attention to their words. Today, millions have read at least one of their books -- which are always printed with their real names.

Creative Spirit

Literature was always a big part of the Bronte household, but tragedy would leave its mark as well. The family had six children in all, but their mother and the two oldest sisters would die young. This left Charlotte, Anne, Emily and their beloved bother -- who painted the picture of them above. He used to be in the painting, but later took himself out. They loved poetry and novels, and read the magazines their father subscribed to regularly. As children, they wrote stories on matchbook-sized papers and stitched them together with thread to create books.

As they matured, their writings (and their binding methods) became more polished. Charlotte, the most ambitious of the bunch, wrote to poet laureate Robert Southey to introduce him to her poetry. He wasn't very impressed, and she waited months to get a lukewarm reply. He was far too important a man, you see, to be bothered by a woman.

And maybe at that point, a lesser woman would have given up. She gave it her best shot. But Charlotte Bronte was far from finished. After discovering a notebook of her sister Emily's poetry, she began to put together a bold new plan: a joint project featuring writing from herself, Emily and Anne. They each picked their best poems, 19 from Charlotte and 21 from each other other two.

Only this time, they would use male names. The sisters decided to keep their relationship -- an their initials -- and transformed themselves into three brothers instead, and so the Brontes became the Bells. Using the names Currer, Ellis and Acton they submitted their poems as a collection and became published through a small company in 1846.

Three copies of the book were sold. One of those buyers, however, admired the work so much he wrote to the publisher to request the autographs of the authors. This is the only known document containing all three pen names.

It was little enough encouragement, but it was all the sisters needed. Each went about writing her own novel, and about a year later three great books were created.

Anne Bronte created Agnes Grey, a novel about a young governess. Her simple style of prose has been lauded as "perfect," and her insights on wealth and class-based society are still studied and discussed today. She wrote the book largely from her own experience as a working governess, and title character Agnes has a background and family life similar to Anne's own. It became popular shortly after publication. Anne Bronte continue to write and penned The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, regarded by many as one of the first feminist novels. Anne ran out of time before she managed to write another novel; her brief life ended at age 29.

Charlotte Bronte created a book that's considered classic today: Jane Eyre. Jane is a strong character who falls in love with the master of a grand house. The book is told in a first-person narrative which follows Jane through much of her life. Charlotte sent the book out with the two written by her sisters, receiving multiple rejections and dismissals. Finally she managed to get a deal where the three books would circulate through certain libraries. Jane Eyre quickly became a bestseller. It was an instant success, and it propelled Charlotte into the career she'd so wanted. Charlotte abandoned her pen name and became a well-known literary figure. She continued to write as a famous novelist, and finished two more full-length books before she died at age 38.

Emily Bronte was not famous in her own time, nor was her novel very well-regarded. Unlike her sisters, who wrote from their own experiences and created singular central characters, Emily was inspired by an old, desolate-looking house near her own country home. Also unlike her sisters, Emily never worked as a governess and wasn't too keen on publishing her novel. Emily was quiet and shy by nature, even around visitors to the family home. She didn't travel with Charlotte and Anne when they went to persuade publishers to buy the three novels, and her novel won immediate criticism. Some even condemned the book, which became quite controversial.

She became ill shortly after the book's 1847 release while attending her brother's funeral in the fall of 1848. By the time the year 1849 rolled around, Emily Bronte was gone at age 30. She never knew that her one novel, Wuthering Heights, became the most celebrated of all the Bronte works, or that I would write about her book some fifteen decades later.

Emily Bronte was one of many one-hit wonders in the literary world, and to this day one of the most well-known. Read this amazing post about other one-hit wonders. Sometimes, you don't need to write a dozen great books. Just one will do.

The Bronte sisters wrote in the trenches of fiction when the world said they shouldn't. They had to pretend to be men to find voices, and only after they'd already proven themselves was it safe to reveal their true identities. The somewhat tragic tale of the Bronte sisters is beautifully told in the movie Devotion, which I love, starring Olivia de Havilland as Charlotte Bronte. Watch it!

Writing 101: Then and Than

It's just one little letter, but it gets confused all the time. Change the a in than, and you've created then -- and then, you've got grammar problems. Knowing the difference between then and than is essential to good writing, because the two are as different as night and day. The trouble is, you can't change day to night with a single letter...but a wrong then can totally destroy all your good writing work.

Then

Most of the time, then is an adverb or a noun. It means at that time or even next, which are two pretty unrelated sentiments. This is why the word is confusing. I might say Well, that was back then and clearly I'm referring to some past time, and things have now changed. But it's also correct if I say We dated for awhile, then I learned he was a jerk, which would still have the same meaning if I type next instead of then -- in this case, it's used to refer to the future past (truly the worst tense in the whole of the written word).

But sometimes, then is an adjective, a descriptive word. When used in this fashion, then means being or existing. Written as an adjective, then is commonly paired with a dash. Here's an example: He started a business back in the 90s. Bill Clinton, the then-president, had what he considered a favorable tax policy. See what I mean? I'm using then to describe something about Clinton, so it's an adjective. Another example: Davy, her then-boyfriend, glared angrily at Steve, a known flirt.

Then is also used idiomatically. You can use it to mean on the other hand. Example: Then again, I'd just as soon have pizza for dinner instead of tacos. When used with the word there, it's a common expression: She pulled out a spoon, ready to start tasting her choices then and there. It just means right in that moment. 

When then first appeared around 900 AD, it was spelled thanne. Maybe that's where all this then/than confusion comes from in the first place.

Than

Than, on the other hand, is a conjunction. This just means it's a linking word, and most commonly used to link adjectives and adverbs to each other. Than means otherwise; it's used to introduce an alternative. I'd rather have pizza than tacos. This one is prettier than the other one. I like that carpeting better than Jody's.

Like then, than first appeared in the English language around 900 AD as a variant of then...but today, the two are distinctly separate.

Telling Them Apart

Until the 18th century, then and than were actually interchangeable. That's no longer the case. If you put a then where a than ought to be, you're going to confuse readers and look like you don't know what you're doing. How are you supposed to tell them apart? There are a few ways to go about it.

Remember that then essentially means next. If I want to write about grammar, then I better research it first! You're describing something that happens next. Then is conditional; it can't really stand alone. If I type Then I'm going to walk without a proper frame of reference, you have no idea what's going on. Then needs something else to happen first, then it can introduce option 2 or the next event.

Than, on the other hand, appears only when something is being compared to something else. I liked this movie better than Avatar. Two things are being mentioned and contrasted or compared, that's the function of than.

The two words are spelled almost exactly alike, and when spoken aloud they sound quite similar. Once, they were essentially the same word. It's very, very easy to confuse then and than. The easiest way to double-check yourself is to use a synonym. Then is a synonym for therefore. Replace all your thens with therefores. If sentences stop making sense, see if they look any better with the word than instead.

Writing 101: Is Gotten Good Grammar?

The word gotten just sounds wrong to me sometimes, yet it always comes out of me naturally. I noticed it earlier when I was writing an email to someone; I typed out that I had gotten something, then quickly backspaced and put in the more majestic received instead. Then I realized, I don't actually know if gotten is good grammar or not. It sounds like slang and somehow seems wrong when I see it on my screen, but it still has its place in the English language. In fact, I've quite recently learned all about it. 

Have Got

Gotten is a past tense form of the verb to get. Get just means have, hold, receive. It can also be used to mean to experience ("I got sick"). The past tense form of get is got; the past participle of got is gotten. A past participle is a word that's used with had, have or has. 

Therefore, it's perfectly acceptable to use gotten if it's being used with its companion word. I have gotten sick before. ...Unless, of course, you're in Britain. 

They stopped using gotten when Queen Victoria was still ruling England, and that was a long time ago (pre-Civil War). But people in the States never did stop using it, so it's still proper English if you're on that side of the world.

That said, I still don't like the word. Gotten can just about always be replaced with prettier words like obtained or acquired, which look much lovelier on the page. In dialogue, however, gotten may sound more natural to your inner reading voice. If gotten seems to make the text flow just the right way, type it on in there -- because yes, it's proper English and when used the right way it's perfectly good grammar.

Get Shocked by Justice

"There are so many twist and turns that you really can’t be sure what will happen next." 

"A page turner and keeps you guessing all the way through to the very end."

A very lively review of Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) was posted at Book Pusher recently, and I want you to read it! Make sure you check out the 3 Reasons to Read while you're there.

Writing 101: Irregular Verbs

Most of the rules of English are pretty clear. When you want to make something plural, you add s or es. When you want to put something in the past, you add an ed. But when you want to write perfectly, you'll take time out to pay attention to your irregular verbs. These words defy all logic, and they know no rules...so you pretty much have to know exactly what to do for each one of them.

Irregular Writing and Reading

Irregular verbs are a big problem. Normal verbs are pretty easy to deal with in fiction writing -- instead of typing that Shelley walks away, you type Shelley walked away to transform your book into past tense. But some verbs refuse to play by the rules. Shelley can't awake in the past; she awoke instead. Many irregular verbs operate like whole new words; writers have to change a letter within the word instead of adding a suffix. Begin and begun, blow and blew, and forget and forgot are all examples of this type of irregular verb.

Makes things confusing, right? Lots of irregular verbs are confusing. Some even have an -en ending instead of the traditional -ed. If you beat eggs yesterday to make a cake, they were beaten. And other irregular verbs want to have their own special letter for reasons undetermined. If something caught on fire last week and was subsequently reduced to ash, it was burnt. Other irregular verbs actually need a letter taken away to be put into the past tense. You can lead a horse to water, but if you did last June then the horse was led to the watering hole.

But the worst irregular verbs, by far, are the ones that don't change at all. Everyone's aware that to be is irregular, because its past tense is was. You've heard the word was, and words like forgot, enough times to know how to use them. Other words aren't used so much. For example, have you ever heard the past tense of the word split? 

Was that wood pile splitted or splitten, or maybe splot? The answer is none of the above. Split can exist in any time period you like. Judy split those logs Tuesday. Simon is going to split logs tomorrow. I split logs all the time.

Cost, cut, hit, hurt, let, put, read, shed, shut, spread and thrust are all unchanging -- no suffix is brave enough to join with them. In any tense, these words just don't change. You can't spreaded the mortar for the bricks or letted John borrow the car.

The biggest problem with irregular verbs is that they're not static. Once upon a time, writers used the word holp as the past tense of help, but nowadays we just use helped. Sneaked is traditionally the past tense of to sneak, but over the years it's somehow turned into an irregular verb to become snuck. 

So how are writers supposed to deal with irregular verbs? If something in your language just doesn't look right, it could be because you've attached the wrong ending to the right word. Check this irregular verbs list if you just can't figure it out. You can also look for specific earmarks of irregular verbs. Commonly, they're one-syllable, actionable words. Cut, beat, bend, burn, buy, choose, fight, freeze, go, keep, split -- these are all quick, short words that make a call to action...and they're all irregular.

Irregular verbs do change, however, and regular verbs change to become irregular. If you're unsure about how you're using your verbs in a particular sentence or passage, read it out loud. Listen to your own voice. If it doesn't sound like it makes any sense or it sounds silly, you're probably wrong. Try making changes, such as deleting the suffix, and repeat it aloud again. Every writer has an "ear" for reading books, so hear yourself saying the words and you'll make much better writing decisions.

Writing 101: How to Ask for Reviews

In the past, I've blogged about how indie authors can get reviews. I even blogged about tips for writing reviews. But what indie authors really need to know is how to properly ask for reviews, in order to use their time more efficiently and avoid making enemies out of book bloggers. 

Review Requests

I've advocated, more than once, that indie authors send out review requests. Self-published books need a lot of marketing, and book review blogs are a great way to get it. The good news is, there's a ton of them out there. The bad news is...there's a ton of them out there. Knowing how to send out review requests is every bit as important as the sending itself. Learn how to ask the right way, and you'll get a lot more positive responses. 

• Twitter. Twitter is a convenient and easy method of communication, and plenty of book reviewers are on it. But no reviewer posts book reviews on Twitter. They have a blog somewhere, so do not contact them through Twitter. In the majority of cases, book reviewers have a blog they've worked very hard on, with a review policy page. Send a tweet or a direct message through Twitter instead of going through the proper channels, and I'll never blame any reviewer for choosing to ignore you.  
• Searching. Even finding book reviewers is difficult. First, you've got to stop looking for book reviewers. You'll be in search engine hell the rest of your natural life if you just do a generic book blog search online. Instead, search for lists of book review blogs. Adding that simple word to your searches will make it much easier to find book review blogs. Bookmark all the lists you find and start going through them every day. Usually, I'll go through one letter of the alphabet a day on my book review lists.
• Look. When you're going through big lists of book review blogs, you're going to get into a certain rhythm. Mostly, you'll be focused on finding the review policy and contact information for each blog. But before you start accessing different pages, stop and look. Always, always check the top post on the blog. You may find that the blogger hasn't posted anything new in over a year, a pretty strong indication that they're no longer taking book review requests. You've got to decide on a cutoff date. I won't write to a reviewer if they haven't posted in the past month, but other review-seekers might be a bit more lenient. 
• Addressing. When you write an email to a blogger requesting a review, take the time to look around on the blog for their name so you can address your letter accordingly. Most often, you'll find this in the "About" second or the Google profile box (on Blogger blogs). If a blogger is especially tricky, you may need to look at the headings and footers of their blog posts. Often, you'll find "posted by" in the footer, and this will include a name.
• Policies. Take the time to find the review policy. Many, many book blogs have this neatly labeled so you can find it easily. Sometimes, the review policy is included on a general "policies" page. Other times, it won't jump out at you so easily. Look for the About section and Contact sections of the blog, if present, because the review policy information may be located here. Some bloggers include very brief review policy information in their bio boxes, so look here as well. If you can't find a review policy no matter what you do, assume this blogger isn't taking requests. 
• Read. After you go through the effort of finding the policy, make sure to read it. Some reviewers dismiss self-published authors entirely; just exit out of that blog and move on. Other reviewers may not read books within your genre. So look the policy over, make sure you fit into it, and then send your request. 
• Time. It sounds like a lot of stuff to do, but once you know what to look for and you're aware of what you need to find you should be able to check a blog for compatibility within 1 minute. Once you know you meet the policy, the blog isn't too old and you know who the reviewer is, send your review request.
• Ask. The review request is a letter where, basically, you're just asking someone to read and review your book. Write it in casual language and don't be afraid to let your natural voice come through; if the blogger can't connect with you they certainly won't connect with your book. Tell them you're requesting a review, explain the genre of your book and how/where it's available, and why you chose this blogger. Always, always, include at least one personal line -- "I'd like you to review my book because I like the way you emphasize on the characters in your reviews," for example. Include the title, Amazon link and blurb for your book at least. In more elaborate requests, you might also include ISBN information, a book trailer and a picture of the cover.

Whoever said "it never hurts to ask" didn't know what book bloggers are like. Don't send out very generic review requests addressed to no one, and don't contact reviewers inappropriately. Asking for reviews on social media or in the comments section is really just an annoyance. If you ask the wrong way, you're already doing a terrible job of selling yourself and your book. If you ask the right way, in a respectful and friendly fashion, you're already spreading good feelings about your book. You may still receive a negative response, because book reviewers can't possibly respond favorably to every request, but they can't all say no. That's why you've got to send your requests every day. When you run out of book blog lists, do a search for new lists and start all over again.