CREATIVE

WRITING
GRAMMAR
{ Creative Writing Grammar Tips
Tit l e s
What’s in a title?
Would a story by any other title be as good?
Yes… but less people
would read it.

A good title is meant to

do three things:
1) It predicts content.
2) Catches the reader's interest.
3) Reflects the mood/tone of the
writing.

If you are writing something for

online, it should contain
keywords that will make it easy to
access by a computer search.
Titles should be:
1) Interesting/ Unique
- When looking at a pile of, book of, or shelf of stories,
a reader or editor will always be drawn to the most
interesting title.
- (THE + Noun) is rarely something that will catch
anyone’s eye. It has been done too many times.
2) Memorable
- If someone reads your story and likes it, wouldn’t it
be nice if they could remember the title and
recommend it to someone?
3) Appropriate
- People don’t like being mislead. Don’t name your
story something that makes no sense after reading the
story.
Here are some story titles:
which ones stand out to you? Would you read any of them?
- ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ - Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the
- Richard Connell Apocalypse- Robert Rankin

- ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ - To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

- Edgar Allan Poe
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- ‘The Body Snatcher’ -Stephen Chboski
- Robert Luis Stevenson
- John Dies at the End-David Wong
- Do Androids Dream of Electronic
Sheep? – PK Dick - A Thousand Splendid Suns
-Khaled Hosseini
- Everything I Never Told You
- Celest Ng. - The Devil Wears Prada
- Lauren Weisberger
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy
 There are lots of literary devices
here…
- ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ - Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the
- Richard Connell Apocalypse- Robert Rankin

- ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ - To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

- Edgar Allan Poe Personification Metaphor
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- ‘The Body Snatcher’ -Stephen Chboski
- Robert Luis Stevenson
- John Dies at the End-David Wong
- Do Androids Dream of Electronic Dramatic
Sheep? – PK Dick - A Thousand
Irony Splendid Suns
-Khaled Hosseini
Alliteration
- Everything I Never Told You
- Celest Ng. - The Devil Wears Prada
- Lauren Weisberger
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy Alliteration
 Some titles are simply surprising…
- ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ - Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the
- Richard Connell Makes you curious Apocalypse- Robert Rankin
random
- ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ - To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
- Edgar Allan Poe Personification Metaphor
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- ‘The Body Snatcher’ Creepy -Stephen Chboski
- Robert Luis Stevenson
- John Dies at the End-David Wong
- Do Androids Dream of Electronic Dramatic
Sheep? – PK Dick - A Thousand
Irony Splendid Suns
Asks a new question -Khaled Hosseini
Alliteration
- Everything I Never Told You
- Celest Ng. - The Devil Wears Prada
Play on popular phrase - Lauren Weisberger
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Interesting image
Galaxy Alliteration
According to NY Times book editors, some ways
to come up with a title are to answer reader
questions:

Who is the novel about?

Examples:
- Forrest Gump (Winston Groom)
- The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien)
- Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)

What is the novel about?

Examples:
- The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
- The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
When does your novel take place?
Examples:
- Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)
- One Thousand and One Nights (folklore)
- Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)

Where does your novel take place?

Examples:
- Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Paul Torday)
- Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)
- A Passage to India (E.M. Forster)

Why should someone read your story?

Examples:
- John Dies at the End (David Wong) – Does John really die at the
end? How does he die?
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers) – In what way
is the heart a hunter?
- As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner) – Why is she dying?
ALSO! USE POETIC PHRASES
Consider using a poetic phrase for your novel’s title. But
challenge your concept of poetry. It doesn’t need to be
flowery and it definitely doesn’t have to rhyme.

- It can be alliterative. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John le

Carré)
- It can be action paced. Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
- It can be ominous. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
(Hunter S. Thompson)
- It can be descriptive. Snow Falling on Cedars (David
Guterson)

Think of your title as a very short poem, a tiny-sized

haiku. How could you convey the sentiment of your story
in just a few syllables?
Try to be different. Neil Clarke at Clarkesworld Magazine
compiled a list of the most commonly used words in titles that
have been sent to the magazine:
Be sure to brainstorm your idea. Your first,
second, and third ideas are probably not your
best ones…

Once you have one chosen, be sure to edit. This

is the first (and possibly only) chance you have to
draw in your reader.
What letters are capitalized in a title?
CAPITAL LOWERCASE

- The first word in the title - Articles (a, an, the)

- The last word in the title - Prepositions (on in,
- The important words in the after)
title - Conjunctions (and, but,
if)
Important words:
- Adjectives (tiny, large, etc.)
- Adverbs (quietly, smoothly,
etc.)
- Nouns (tablet, kitchen, book)
- Pronouns (they, she, he)
- Verbs (write, type, create)
Paragraphs
When do you start a new paragraph?

Single Space:
1) When the content changes
2) When the time changes
3) New perspective/ Speaker

Double Space:
1) Large time changes

Remember:
1) ________ USE THE TAB KEY WHEN YOU START A
NEW PARAGRAPH!!!!!
2) If you go more than half a page you have probably
missed a paragraph opportunity.
Where should the paragraphs be?

“Magic rings are- well, magical; and they are rare and
curious. I was professionally interested in your ring, you
may say; and I still am. I should like to know where it is, if
you go wandering again. Also, I think you have had it
quite long enough. You won’t need it anymore, Bilbo,
unless I am quite mistaken.” Bilbo flushed, and there was
an angry light in his eyes. His kindly face grew hard.
“Why not? He cried. “And what business is it of yours,
anyway, to know what I do with my own things? It is my
own. I found it.” “Yes, yes,” said Gandalf. “But there is no
need to get angry.” “It is mine, I tell you,” said Bilbo. “My
own. My Precious. Yes, my Precious.”
Where should the paragraphs be?

“Magic rings are- well, magical; and they are rare and
curious. I was professionally interested in your ring, you
may say; and I still am. I should like to know where it is, if
you go wandering again. Also, I think you have had it
quite long enough. You won’t need it anymore, Bilbo,
unless I am quite mistaken.”
Bilbo flushed, and there was an angry light in his eyes.
His kindly face grew hard. “Why not? He cried. “And
what business is it of yours, anyway, to know what I do
with my own things? It is my own. I found it.”
“Yes, yes,” said Gandalf. “But there is no need to get
angry.”
“It is mine, I tell you,” said Bilbo. “My own. My
Precious. Yes, my Precious.”
Dialogue
 Quotation Marks in Dialogue:
1. A speaker's exact words (also called dialogue) must be
surrounded by “quotation marks.”
Example: ”Mornings are for coffee and contemplation,” said
Hooper.
2. Opening quotation marks (example: ") are used to mark
the beginning of the speaker's words, and closing quotation
marks are used the mark the end of the speaker's words
(example: ”)
3. If dialogue is split or separated, use quotation marks to
surround each part that is spoken.
Example: ”Mike,” said Dustin, ”I found the chocolate
pudding!”
 Quotation Marks in Dialogue Cont…
4. If dialogue is split or separated, use quotation marks to
surround each part that is spoken.
Example: ”I need this phone,” said Joyce, “And two weeks
advance.”
5. If a quotation is not split or separated, don't close the
quotation until the speaker is finished. This could
sometimes involve numerous sentences.
Example: “ Use the shampoo and conditioner when your hair’s
damp, not wet. Okay? When it’s damp, you do four puffs of
the Farrah Fawcett spray,“ said Steve
 Punctuation in Dialogue
6. Commas and periods are always placed inside the closing
quotation marks.
Example: ”Plan B: we’re telling your mom,” Lucas told Mike.
Jordan replied.
”No,” interrupted Eleven.

7. Use a comma to introduce a quotation after a dialogue tag.

Example: Eleven watched the bully her friend and said,

“Mouth breather."
 Punctuation in Dialogue
8. Every time a new person speaks, you must start a new
paragraph.

Example:
“Have you ever heard of Mirkwood?” asked Hooper.
“I have not,” replied Callahan. “That sounds made up to
me.”
Lucas interrupted the two men. “No, it’s from Lord of the
Rings.”
“The Hobbit,” Dustin corrected.
Lucas held in a deep breath and snapped at his
friend, “It doesn’t matter!”
“He asked!” Dustin snapped back.
Now it’s your turn:

1. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Dustin said.

2. I don’t care if anyone believes me, said Joyce. I am not

gonna stop looking for him until I find him and bring him
home! Joyce took in a deep breath. I am going to bring him
home!

3. You’re going to take out the demigorgon with a slingshot?

Said Dustin. It’s a wrist-rocket, said Lucas.

4. Jonathan looked up at Nancy and said, don’t take it so

personally, okay? I don’t like most people. He’s in the vast
majority.
ANSWERS!!!
1. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Dustin
said.

2. “I don’t care if anyone believes me,” said Joyce. “I am not

gonna stop looking for him until I find him and bring him
home!” Joyce took in a deep breath. “I am going to bring him
home!”

3.
“You’re going to take out the demigorgon with a
slingshot?” Said Dustin.
“It’s a wrist-rocket,” said Lucas.

4. Jonathan looked up at Nancy and said, “don’t take it so

personally, okay? I don’t like most people. He’s in the vast
majority.”