I have decided to take up writing in E-Prime, which means that I will not use any form of “to be”. That means the following words I will eliminate from my future writing (as best I can): “is”, “was”, “be”, “being”, “been”, and “am”. I must say that this project has proved quite challenging, but not impossible. Writing in E-Prime makes you rethink everything you want to say. The end result usually sounds a lot better than it did in standard English.

Prior to converting to E-Prime, I had trouble editing my class essays. Somehow I find editing someone else’s work easier than editing my own work. So I picked something interesting and experimental such as converting to E-Prime. It forces me to examine my sentences closely and abandon excess words.

For anyone that knows me this sort of behavior comes as no surprise. During high school after one English teacher told me to eliminate the use of contractions from my academic papers, I took it upon myself to eliminate all contractions from my writing. I admit, occasionally I slip up and use a few, but only in blog posts or informal everyday speech. You will never find a contraction in any of my stories. With the exception of character dialogue because I deliberately use them there to make their speech sound natural. If I want a character to sound more intelligent than the other characters (like a scientist or professor), then I also eliminate contractions from their speech.

So far I feel that the incorporation of E-Prime and the elimination of contractions has strengthened my writing. At least it has greatly improved my academic papers. I will look out now for more interesting ways to improve my writing. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Your genre(s): Science fiction, specifically cyberpunk.

How many books are you working on now: One right now, there are two others waiting patiently off to the side.

Are you a linear or chunk writer: Linear, because that’s just the way my brain works.

The POV you’re partial to:  Third omni is what I mostly write in. I’ve only done first person perspective with a few short stories.

The Tense you use: Past tense always. I only ever use present tense when writing my outlines or notes or whatever.

The theme that keeps cropping up in your books: Lack of control, loss of identity, epic destruction.

How many days a week do you write: Maybe two or three a week. I’d write more, but I have a lot of other work to do like class assignments.

What time of day do you get your best writing done: Usually at late at night. Any other time of the day I lack 100% clarity or am too busy.

Who are your mentors: William Gibson, Raymond Chandler, and Philip K. Dick.

My favorite authors to read: See above.

1) What author do you own the most books by?
J.K Rowling, because I mostly stick to trilogies so she beats all of them out. Admittedly I stopped reading halfway through the fifth book. I’ll get around to finishing… eventually.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
I only keep one copy of any book, any extras I give away as gifts.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
I managed to remain calm.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I’m not in love with any character at the moment.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children)?
1984 by George Orwell, I’ve read it about four times so far.