When you're trying to show that someone has just thought of something disturbing or revolting or perhaps even frightening, and you want that character to do more than shiver, it's SHUDDERS with two 'd's in it, not SHUTTERS with a 't.'
Shutters are on your house. You can feel shudders when faced with something revolting.
THEY ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE.
Going forward I will automatically reject any story that mis-uses these two words.
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Friday, September 28, 2007
Advice for Writers
Posted by John Klima at 9/28/2007 01:10:00 AM
Labels: Writing
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9 comments:
Now, of course, I want to write a story about a person who actually shutters when she's revolted. In science fiction, anything is possible!
Jennifer --
I wonder how that would work.
Maybe her skin could be made of shutters (like scales) that open-and-close when she's revolted (or upon any strong emotion).
That would be quite interesting.
And now I'm imagining a group of people whose skin is covered in a household item. Shutter-skinned girl would be one of them. And what about a girl with vases over her skin, that crack on strong emotion. I wonder how many times they could crack before they were just rubble, and what that would mean for her.
I wonder what the plot would be.
You just made me laugh out loud.
Allison
Well the plot would obviously be that they are revolted by the non-shuttered skinned 'humans' who have moved in across the street who shake uncontrollably when faced with something revolting instead of shuttering and closing the revolting object off from their senses. And then they all deal with their differences and either accept or reject them.
Sounds like a collaboration is in the making!
Maybe they were really scared of the incoming pain. Window pane, that is. :P
Oh, Paul. I didn't need that on a Friday afternoon.
=(
I was thinking more of shutters that covered her abdomen, allowing her to air or protect her delicate innards as necessary. But that's an interesting take on it as well.
At some point in the story, she also needs to fall into a comma. I'm thinking the title of the story should be "Shutter Girl in Punctuation Land!"
And her insides will be filled with colons.
At least, with shutters that could open over her abdomen, surgery would be pretty easy!
This thing is writing itself!
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