(Dianne) Fox Writes

Cat the Second ate all my proofing notes for this week (seriously, stepped on the keyboard and poof! they were gone), but I do have this one:
“If I were”/”If I was” — I run into this question a lot in my proofreading, and so this simple explanation really worked for me: “If I/she/he/it were” is [...]

**Great crime-writing resources:
* The Graveyard Shift — author of the Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers goes into detail about various aspects of police investigations.
* Crime Lab Project — supports greater funding for forensic labs, while offering informational resources to writers.
* Crime Scene Questions for Writers YahooGroup — offers a [...]

Anah and I finished up Renovations 6 last week. So exciting! Oh, man, I love Ven and Toby. They’re such fun to write. I’ll miss them. Anah and I will be sending that and Renovations 5 off to the editor just as soon as we clear up a little editing in #6.
Runaway Star got a [...]

Reminders not to over-do using the word “do” and alternatives here.
How to tell whether to use “did” or “had”.
Linking this because I thought the original use of the word “faggot” was pretty interesting!
What the word “epithet” really means.
“Like if” versus “as if”.
More on my own personal proofreading demon: lay, lie, laid.
What’s the difference between an [...]

I’m subscribed to the RSS feeds of a LOT of writing blogs. I decided to share the interesting stuff that comes up. Here you go!
Toni Andrews, at Deadline Dames, writes about using SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) charts to help plan your writing career.
Charlene Teglia gives a list of ten reasons to write a story, [...]

Anah and I are halfway through Renovations 6: Coming Home. I’m so excited about this one, you have no idea. I <3 it. Toby and Ven are a lot of fun to write.
To Do
Write “At the Corner of Fourth and Honesty” (for Kit Zheng’s project)
Finish “Percussion”
Outline intersex ghost story
Outline “Safe”
Revise “Becoming Us” (with Anah Crow)
Write [...]

PANDORA PROJECT: RUNAWAY STAR has been chosen as a finalist for the 2010 EPIC Awards in the Science Fiction Erotic Romance category!
“This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Crow or Ms. Fox, but it absolutely won’t be the last. Very rarely does an unknown-to-me author hop straight to the keeper shelf, but these [...]

Anah and I finished up the first draft of Renovations 5: Mending Fences last night. We’re in edits now, and we’ll be starting up the 6th and final story probably tomorrow. Hooray!
To Do
Write “At the Corner of Fourth and Honesty” (for Kit Zheng’s project)
Finish “Percussion”
Outline intersex ghost story
Outline “Safe”
Revise “Becoming Us” (with Anah Crow)
Write Renovations [...]

I’m rereading “Percussion” so that I can finish it up this month, and I just came across one of my very favorite lines from the story:
“And you, what do you contribute?”
“Me?” Billy laughed. “I remind those geriatric motherfuckers how old they are.”

“Slapshot” is finished, beta-read and critiqued, revised, and off to the editor. It should be up on Turn of the Screw later this month.
Tatterdemalion’s revisions are also complete. I sent them off to Anah, and she’ll be doing her revisions next. And then it’s a final proof, before we send it off to find a [...]