The Judicious Use of Acronyms with John F. Allen

Today author John F. Allen is visiting my blog, enjoying virtual coffee and cookies, celebrating his book, Codename: Knight Ranger, and offering his opinion on acronyms - The Knight Ranger works for an organization called G.E.N.E.S.I.S. and you'll have to read on if you want to find out what all those letters mean. But first, let's learn how the author really feels about acronyms. Please welcome John F. Allen.

John F. Allen's Codename: Knight Ranger Virtual Tour

The Judicious Use of Acronyms in Fiction by John F. Allen

 Plenty of authors are guilty of using acronyms in their writing. I know I am guilty as charged, as I write Spy-Fi and Action Adventure stories/novels, I deal with a lot of “Alphabet Organizations”, quite a few of my own creation.

Of course the acronyms do come in handy as spelling out the individual words can be a real pain, for both the author and the reader. In creating my “Alphabet Organizations”, I find it fun to—most times—get the initials to spell out a word which works to describe the organization.

But, like with most things too much of anything is BAD. That said, I try to limit the acronyms for organizations to no more than two or three different ones (of my creation) within a novel. This is in addition to any already established ones like FBI, CIA, NATO, etc… And even with those established organizations, a good deal of care should be taken as to not overuse them.

There is another use of acronyms within fiction nowadays due to the abbreviations used in texting. For example, IKR, LOL, OMG, etc… I DO NOT use these in fiction unless they are shown as the contents of an email or text message for the reader. I find such acronyms to be annoying and inappropriate outside of those forums. Younger generations don’t bat an eye in using these acronyms, sometimes even when speaking. Yes, it actually happens…

In my opinion, the use of acronyms should be measured and used sparingly to avoid dragging down the prose unnecessarily and cluttering the paragraphs with them. So, if you’re going to use acronyms make sure to choose them judiciously.

 Thank you so much, John. And Genesis? Please read on, dear reader, to learn what it means...

About the author: John F. Allen is an American writer born in Indianapolis, IN. He is a member of the Speculative Fiction Guild and the Indiana Writers Center. He began writing stories as early as the second grade and pursued all forms of writing at some point, throughout his career. John studied Liberal Arts at IUPUI with a focus in Creative Writing, received an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force and is a current member of the American Legion. John’s debut novel, The God Killers was published in 2013 by Seventh Star Press.

John currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife, son and daughter.


About the Book: Codename: Knight Ranger: Captain Alexandre Cornelius “Neal” Du Bois is a US Army Ranger and decorated war hero. When his unit is ambushed by supernatural hostile forces while in Afghanistan, only Neal survives. When he wakes up in a secret government facility, Neal discovers that his whole life has changed forever.

A shadowy government agent named Elijah Bishop arranges for Neal’s brain to be transplanted, without his permission, into a bio-engineered body capable of amazing feats. Armed with advanced body armor and weaponry, he becomes the epitome of the Ultra Soldier.

To protect his family and those closest to him, he must let the world and everyone he loves believe he is dead. With assistance from Dr. Avery Clarkson–the scientist responsible for his new body–Neal reluctantly utilizes his superhuman abilities to work for Bishop and his organization called G.E.N.E.S.I.S. (Global Espionage Network of Elite Supernatural Intelligence and Surveillance), in order to track down those responsible for the slaughter of his unit and keep the world safe from supernatural terrorist forces.

So that's it, the acronyms behind the Knight Ranger, and it's every bit as good as Spectre, or other well-known words.

Where to find the author:
Website: www.johnfallenwriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnfallenauthorwriter
Twitter: @johnfallen1970

Book links:
Print Version: http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-Ranger-John-Allen/dp/1511496533
Kindle Version http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-John-F-Allen-ebook/dp/B00YG3NJZK
Barnes and Noble Link for Codename: Knight Ranger http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-john-f-allen/1122019036?ean=2940151360548

Where to Find Codename: Knight Ranger
Amazon Print: http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-Ranger-John-Allen/dp/1511496533/
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-John-F-Allen-ebook/dp/B00YG3NJZK/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-john-f-allen/1122019036?ean=2940151360548

Where to Find out More and Follow the Tour

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11/4 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author Guest Post
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11/5 Darkling Delights Interview
11/6 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
11/6 Sheila's Blog Guest Post
11/6 Bee's Knees Reviews Review
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