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http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com/2012/01/action-before-reaction-by-janice.html

Janice Seagraves

These two words are often confused, and to add to the confusion both words can be used as a noun or verb. Also don’t rely too heavily on Microsoft word’s spellchecker when you want know when to use Affect or Effect. Sometimes it’s wrong.

Affect as a noun means to influence, simulate or imitate. Affect as a verb means to influence someone’s thinking, feelings or attitude.

Affect: to influence.

Example as a verb, as it relates to emotion: The homeless woman’s sad story had affected the small group and wallets were brought out.

The homeless woman Affected an emotional response.

Example as a noun, to imitate: She affected a Southern accent.

She Affected an imitation of a Southern accent.

Effect means the profound consequence or result of some action taken.

Effect: is to cause change.

Example as a noun, to change: The effect of second hand smoke can cause lung cancer.

Smoke Effected a physical change.

Example as a verb, to change: The boss’s speech “to work harder” had the desire effect on his employees.

The Effected physical change here: the employees are working harder.

Effect can also mean someone’s property.

Example: The effects of the victim were given to the closest relative.

Still confused?

Maybe this will help?

Use Affect when there is a change in emotions.

Use Effect when a physical change has occurred.

To oversimplify:

Psychological—Affect

Physical—Effect

However, I’m feeling a little bit better than I was and I thought I do a mini lesson.

If I’ve done this one before, please forgive me.

When to use then and than

By Janice Seagraves

Then and Than may look a lot alike but they are used for two completely different functions.

Use then when you need to show when something happened.

Example: Karen went out to the car to get her purse and then came back inside.

I didn’t use a comma here because Karen did both things.

However, you can also use then by itself since and is implied.

Example: Karen went out the car to get her purse, then came back inside.

Why not use and by itself?

Because and is used when something happens at the same time. Karen can’t go out the car and go back inside at the same time, so and can’t be used here.

On shorter sentences you wouldn’t necessarily need the comma, but here I used it in place of the missing and. However on longer sentences you can use and then.

And then there was than.

Use than when you’re comparing things.

Example: I like this banana better than that apple.

Example: I like driving the Cadillac more than I did the Toyota.

Example: I like skiing better than hiking through the snow.

From this example you might think you’d use then more than than, then you’d be right.

by Janice Seagraves

The black moment is near the end of your story, right before the climax. It can also be the moment you’ve been foreshadowing during the entire story.

It’s the darkest part of your story, where everything looks the worst so you reader will keep turning pages just to find out if . . . your couple will get back together. The hero or heroine will survive the encounter with the bad guy.  Luke’s Father going back to the evil Empire’s side. The Mercenaries are going to kill Tree of Souls and neither Jake nor the Na’vi can stop them.

Where it looks like all is lost.

So why do we write the black moments?

Because it make for a more compelling read and it makes the climax even more interesting because that’s when you hero or heroine saves the day.

This is the bottom of lake Kaweah. The water is drained so that they could fix the damn, and now the river now runs again in it’s old river bed.

More of the rocks and water.

This is Robert my daughter’s boyfriend. I asked him to pose for me.

Ah, now he’s just showing off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlYAhSffEDM&feature=player_embedded

I don’t suggest you not polish your work and just send it out.

I, myself, write fast but polish very slowly and I don’t want to get the reputation for sending out unpolished work.

However, this is about getting into the habit of sending out your work and being persistent with your writing.

Also keep in mind Bradbury wrote a lot of short stories

Here’s my report on my website:

http://janiceseagraves.org/2011/annual-report/