Welcome to the blog of science fiction author Eileen Rhoadarmer--where science fiction and Mommyhood collide!


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I'm a Bad English Major

Hello all, as I make another attempt to swim out of the baby whirlpool.

The good writing news is that hubby and I finished the first draft of our animated screenplay a few weeks ago and I've been busy editing it for grammar and readability.  We need to cut about 15 pages from it, and that will come next, but I want to get it edited first.  And that brings me to why I'm a bad English major (not to mention the "and" at the beginning of this sentence.)

Hubby was the scribe for this project, so I sat next to him giving my input about what should come next while he did all the typing.  I've been correcting the verb tense a lot because he has a tendency to use the wrong one.  And I don't even know the name for the verb tense he's overusing.  Bad English major.  Bad.

(Well, I am a literature major so I avoided taking all the grammar classes.)

He keeps using phrases like "Eileen is writing her blog," "Frank is walking through the town," and "Zaxxon is destroying Mama's peace and quiet," when "Eileen writes her blog," "Frank walks through town," and "Zaxxon destroys Mama's peace and quiet," are more direct.  This isn't technically passive voice:  "Hubby is lectured on grammar by Eileen" is passive where "Eileen lectures Hubby on grammar" is active, but it's still a less active way to write.  I'm trying to remember the proper usage of this tense he uses so much.  I believe an action that continues through the scene would be one time to use it, ("Picard walks up to the cabin where Kirk is chopping wood") but I confess I don't know the actual rule.  Any grammar fiends out there care to correct me?

On another note, here's another cute picture of my kiddos.  Yesterday, Zaxxon wanted to wear his brown overalls and a red shirt and wanted Kal'El to wear the same.  So that's how I dressed them.  :)

1 comment:

Linda said...

Cute picture and haven't a clue about the grammar rule!