One of the (many) side projects I’m working on is a Zombie Guide to Good Grammar. I’d like to finish in December and have it out by Christmas, but I’m having a little trouble with it, so I thought I’d ask for some help.
I have 25 common grammar mistakes, but I need to write 25 zombie/apocalypse themed examples. Ideally these will be fun. Each example could be its own mini story/paragraph… or just a sentence or two. They should be vivid and interesting enough that the scene sticks in your head. However, kids might use it, so it can be “he ate the brains” but not “the shotgun sprayed his brains all over the walls.”
This is the description:
Most people’s grammar is terrible. That’s because grammar is boring. We wanted to make it a little cooler. So we used zombies to illustrate the top 25 common grammar mistakes. You might think you’ve got these basic grammar rules mastered. But that’s why they’re so dangerous. Our brains are funny things (that taste great with ketchup). Even though you know these rules, they’ll still pop up in your writing all the time. So kill those little buggers. Each rule comes with a gruesome example sentence that’s sure to stick in your memory.
I’ll turn it into a powerpoint, poster, book and put it all over the interwebz, plus run some giveaways. It probably won’t earn much money, but it should be fun enough to get people to share (I’ll also make one huge infographic with all the tips). I’m using it to boost traffic and SEO. Help me out and share the benefits.
How would this work?
You can write examples for any of the 25 tips you want, and if I use one, you’ll be credited in the book and all the pages I post it to (with live links back to your site, and a short description; your name + a book + your website). So especially for book editors or zombie-novelists, who want more traffic and visibility, this could be an easy win for you. You get a few backlinks on some of my sites, for specific keywords (zombie/writing tips/editing/book editors).
Plus I’ll send you a copy of the book.
Grab the file here, add in as many examples as you want to, then email it back to me before December 10th (email is in the document).
Thanks!
I’m a philosophy dropout with a PhD in Literature. I covet a cabin full of cats, where I can write fantasy novels to pay for my cake addiction. Sometimes I live in castles.
6 Comments
Hi Derek! I’ve just emailed you! I love your idea!
I’ve been watching as many of your videos as I can. Anyway, great idea. I’ll see what I can come up with.
I absolutely love the idea of using zombies to teach grammar. I read over the file, and I found myself talking aloud (nothing I want to write publicly) about many of these errors that annoy me to bouts of bad language. I thought of a few examples that could be used as I read over your list.
I really wish you’d omitted one of the earlier errors (maybe #6 or #7, though selecting any for deletion would be a tough decision) and included a serious grammar error I see far, far too frequently: the confusion of plurals and possessives. I am astounded at the number of published authors who do not understand that two dogs are not dog’s. I subscribe to dozens of authors’ blogs and frequently see possessives listed as plurals and vice versa. I saw this mistake repeated over and over just today. It is appalling. When I see this in a book blurb, I know I do NOT want to read that person’s book.
On another note, I want to thank you for one of the most fun giveaways I’ve seen. I loved every one of these items. You have outstanding taste. Thank you for doing this for your followers. I would be thrilled beyond belief to win any of these prizes.
I hope your holiday season is peaceful and productive.
Thanks – you’re right, I should add the plurals issue too. Thanks for the feedback. I’m newly smitten with giveaways, I love giving stuff away. 🙂
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