ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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The beauty of writing a fictional story is that, unlike an essay, very few rules apply. [Man writing essay on laptop]

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No idea is too crazy.

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A puppy on roller skates?

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Sure.

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Clouds made of sushi? [Sushi clouds]

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Totally!

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A puppy on roller skates eating clouds made of sushi?

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Why not!

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If you can imagine it, you can write it.

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But just because you're not writing a serious essay doesn't mean there aren't still some

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rules you have to follow – we're talking the rules of sentence structure, grammar, word choice,

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and themes.

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So…let's start with grammar! [Coop teaching about grammar]

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You know what grammar's all about – proper sentence structure, appropriate punctuation…all

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of that boring stuff that makes it easy for people to understand what you're saying. [Puppy on rollerskates eats sushi clouds]

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Just because you're making up a whacky story doesn't mean you get to make up some whacky

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grammatical rules.

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No matter how silly you get, always be sure to keep your grammar in check, or the grammar

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police might get you. [Grammar policeman appears]

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We hear they're pretty ruthless.

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They're as in "t-h-e-y-apostrophe-r-e!"

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Please don't send us to grammar jail! [Man in a grammar jail cell]

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Phew, close call.

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Where were we…

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Oh right!

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You also need to write thoughtfully.

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Pay attention to each and every word choice.

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You want your story to be easy to follow and interesting to read. [Dino discussing word choices]

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And if you're ever struggling to find just the right word, you can always crack open

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your friend, the thesaurus! [Man reads thesaurus]

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We highly recommend it…or encourage, or endorse, or advocate, or advise, or urge…

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…Sorry. We got carried away.

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Anyway, not only can a bizarre word choice or incorrect sentence structure confuse your [Man chanting with a protest sign]

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reader, it can be super distracting.

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After a few too many grammatical errors, your reader will begin to lose focus and maybe

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decide to go grab a pizza instead of finishing your story. [Girl throws book on the floor and runs away]

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Which would be a bummer for everybody involved.

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Especially the pizza.

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So when it comes time to peer review someone else's work, be sure to treat their work like

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you'd want them to treat yours: be considerate, but also thorough. [Coop talking about peer reviewing]

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If there are areas where they can improve their word choice or grammar, be sure to let

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them know.

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Just be nice about it.

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We here at Shmoop advocate doing it through a fun-filled song and dance number! [Coop tipping his hat]

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Y'know like…"Your verb tenses are wrong, so we thought we'd tell

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you through a sooooong!!"

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…Ahem.

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It's still a work in progress.

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And remember, whether you're writing your own story or reviewing somebody else’s,

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always be on the lookout for themes. [Coop talking about themes]

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The best stories always have at least one or two good themes running throughout, so

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if there's ever a chance to flesh one out, don’t miss it! [Man flying in the air with themes]

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Or you know who’s gonna get ya…

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The theme police.

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Okay, that’s not a thing.

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So…let's see, sentence structure, grammar, word choice, and themes.

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That just about covers it!

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Now does anyone have a good rhyme for "themes"? [People working on a new song in an office]

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We're working on a new song.

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