Pencil and Paper?

[astrangerhere]

I'm not a writer, but I am a storyteller of sorts - I use either a Blackwing pencil or a extra-fine tipped fountain pen to write out all of my trial preparation for court.

[Quoth]

OK Rumpole!
or are you more like Perry Mason?

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Quoth

OK Rumpole!
or are you more like Perry Mason?

I loathe most fictional attorneys, honestly. I would burn every John Grisham novel in sight if I could.

[Quoth]

Ha!

Though his novels are not in the Rumpole or Mason Mold. Some admittedly have legal folk as a MC. I got tired of them, but it did seem that he has a sort of social conscience.

Indeed I worked in Electronics, IT and Programming for many years and I can't stand most films with that. Hacking or programs that would take a year done in minutes. Advanced tech developed by one person in a week. So I can understand your view point.

Oh, and avoid Cabot Cove or Midsommer Village.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I loathe most fictional attorneys, honestly. I would burn every John Grisham novel in sight if I could.

Let's face it, if someone wrote a novel with a real attorney's typical workload as the focus, the average reader would be unconscious inside of 40 minutes. :-)

Hitch

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Let's face it, if someone wrote a novel with a real attorney's typical workload as the focus, the average reader would be unconscious inside of 40 minutes. :-)

Hitch

If that resulted in death, wouldn't that be manslaughter?

Quick, is there an attorney at M̶o̶b̶i̶l̶e̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶m̶e̶r̶ Mobileread?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by mariopepper

By the way, writers.. do you use etc in your writings/essays? It's important for my future novel.

Do you mean, in narrative? Or do you mean as something a character says?

Hitch

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

OK Rumpole!
or are you more like Perry Mason?

I would say more like Matlock.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Oh, and avoid Cabot Cove or Midsommer Village.

Also stay away from Saint Marie.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

If that resulted in death, wouldn't that be manslaughter?

Quick, is there an attorney at M̶o̶b̶i̶l̶e̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶m̶e̶r̶ Mobileread?

Well, if someone voluntarily sits down to read it, I'd say that is contributory negligence. Also, its rather like Russian Roulette - you take the risk so you can't blame someone else for it.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Also stay away from Saint Marie.

Y'know, it's funny; I was looking at a home at the next island over from the faux "St. Marie," lol (which is really the French island of Guadeloupe).

Hitch

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by mariopepper

Yes, in narrative. I tried to find exactly about using etc in narratives, but found only <spam link> and I'm not sure if rules are the same for narrative. Your thoughts?

I think that's not bad advice. I think it's poor in dialogue unless it fits the character of the speaker and is probably wrong in narration. Also different cultures may have a phrase that indicates there are more items.

Anything is possible in dialogue, if it's in character.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by mariopepper

Thank you. I was interested to solve this because some more experienced writers who I've been talking to told me that using etc is necessary for any novel writing/narrative. I will try to use it correctly this time.

Why not spell out "et cetera" in narrative?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by mariopepper

Thank you. I was interested to solve this because some more experienced writers who I've been talking to told me that using etc is necessary for any novel writing/narrative. I will try to use it correctly this time.

I would need more information. If you mean that you are writing a non-fiction book, that would contain narrative elements like lists, then I see no reason not to use "etc." I mean, obviously, not overmuch, but sure, it can shortcut longer lists.

However, I can see almost no reason why it would be used in the narrative for a novel. As the narrator of the tale, either as the omniscient narrator or close first and the like, in what context would you say "etc."? The narrator, unless first person probably isn't "talking to" the reader directly and listing things, right?

I'm envisioning something along the lines of "'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, etc., must be in want of a wife." Loses something with the addition, no?

Or for TTM..."When D'artagnan, Artemis, etc., went to Ghent..."

You just wouldn't. Maybe I've simply absorbed it (or it's invisible, like 'said') and moved on, but I did a quick search of the last five novels I've read and didn't see "etc" outside of a character's dialogue.

Hitch

[Solitaire1]

For the most part, I write with either a Mechanical Pencil or a Rollerball Pen. Which I use will depend on the writing I'm doing.

For a Pencil, I use a Kuro Toga 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil with HB/#2 Lead. I used to use 2B Lead but found that it often breaks due to its softness. Since moving to HB I've only had a Lead break once (when I extended the Lead too far from its tip). While it gives a good solid line, I can also erase it cleanly if I need to. One great feature of the Kuro Toga is that it rotates the Lead as you are writing, it rotates every time the you put the Pencil Tip on the Paper so you never get a chisel tip in regular writing.

For a pen, I use a Uni-Ball Roller 0.5mm Rollerball Pen. I found that it gives a smooth and thin line that I prefer to write with (it writes about as smooth as a fountain pen). Plus, its ink is permanent. I started using them when I heard about check washing, where with some types of inks (such as Ballpoint Ink) you can remove the ink from paper by using certain chemicals.

For the most part, I prefer to write in pencil. I recently started using a Disc Bound Planner and only write in it using a Pencil so I can make changes/corrections if I need to. Due to this, I use thicker paper in my planner (32 pound) because it is easier to write on and it is more durable. I've found that 20 pound paper is just too thin both for writing and for putting in my planner (after punching the paper it often breaks out of the planner). For me, 20 pound paper is only okay for single-side printing in a laser printer.

Concerning writing, I prefer to do all of my writing in a disc bound type binder. Disc bound binders have the following advantages:

• It will lay on a Table/Desk/Counter flat whether it is open, closed, or folded back on itself.
• You can add/remove/reorder Pages as needed.
• There are a large variety of sizes available (my planner is a half-letter size (5.5 inches by 8.5 inches) which is right for me), and you can also choose from several sizes of discs (0.5 inch, 1 inch, 1.5 inches) so that can make it thicker if you need to.
• The parts (such binder covers, discs, inserts) are fairly standard so you can mix them among different companies. While most of my binder is from TUL, the discs are from Staples. Plus, you can easily print your own Inserts if you need to (although you will need a Disc Bound Paper Punch to punch them so you can insert them into your Binder). This allows you to put just about anything in your Planner.

If I do need to make something permanent that I wrote in pencil, I just make a copy. Once I had only one copy of a form, so I wrote it out in pencil and when I was finished I made a copy of it to send out.

Generally, unless I need to write something permanent on an original (like when writing checks) I do all of my writing in pencil. For me, it is more convenient.