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Q&A Suggestions for revising style and cadence within a children's book

You have a few problems here. One is basic command of grammar. You have run-on sentences, weird dialogue attributes, and just outright incorrect sentence structure. You need a proofreader before an...

posted 10y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:24Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/12492
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T03:38:43Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/12492
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T03:38:43Z (almost 5 years ago)
You have a few problems here. One is basic command of grammar. You have run-on sentences, weird dialogue attributes, and just outright incorrect sentence structure. You need a proofreader before anything else.

The other, as the publisher pointed out, is that you go back and forth from "artificially antique and formal" (_Oh, mighty buzzard, please do not despair_) to casual and modern (_Too bad for that little squirrel, though_ and _This time, that old buzzard pulled it off._)

Either you are trying to tell a modern story or you are pretending to relate an old fable. Pick one and make everything that style.

Formal: "Oh mighty buzzard, please do not despair."   
Casual: "Hey, big guy, don't worry — I bet I know one more trick you could do."

Formal: This time the great bird met with success.   
Casual: This time, that old buzzard pulled it off.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2014-07-28T20:12:28Z (over 10 years ago)
Original score: 2