When I was in middle school, the teacher instructed the class to memorize a long list of prepositions. You remember them, don't you...at, about, but, before...remember?

(You can google the word 'prepositions' to find the list. I tried four times to put the link here for you but my browser bar won't let me do it.)

Another flashback: when I was about 5 or 6 my mother handed me a thick book and a pencil. She wasn't feeling well that day and wanted to take a nap, and she also wanted to know where I'd be while she slept. So, she thought by giving me a task she could rest without worry. She asked me to circle all the 'to' words on the page. Always wanting to please my mother, even though it never worked, I set about looking at every word to find 'to' and then circle it.

Why do I tell you these seemingly disconnected stories of my childhood? Because they are good tips for writers.
1. Know the prepositions and when to use them. 2. Take a book that has been professionally edited, circle the prepositions and learn how they are used. Every manuscript I have ever been asked to edit has had incorrectly used prepositions. These small words may not seem that important but they do change the mood or intention of the sentence. To me, prepositions direct the reader into a particular flow.

For example:
I am going to take the garbage out 'but' the dog needs to go out.

I am going to take the garbage out 'and' the dog needs to go out.

Do you see the difference? Picky, picky, I know. In the first sentence it sounds as if the dog should be taken out first. In the second sentence it sounds like both the garbage and dog need to be taken out together.

By circling professional edited books writers can learn the power these words have.
Until next time,
Jan