Monthly Archives: March 2019

Today’s Writing Tip

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Overuse of adverbs is another symptom of amateur or sloppy writing. Often they can be avoided by using a better verb. For example, instead of saying “He walked slowly” use strolled, dragged his feet, etc. It’s usually possible to incorporate more imagery as well as emotion into the scene by using the correct word.

Getting rid of adverbs is something you should do during your first edit, if not before. One way to find them, as one author friend of mine has noted in this forum, is to search on words ending in “ly”. If stopping to find a better verb interrupts your creative flow, then clean them up later. Just make sure you do. After you’ve been writing for a while and expanded your vocabulary, this will become automatic.

There are certain bad writing practices that are common to new writers and this is one of them. Clean up these bad habits little by little and you’ll eventually be seen as a true professional.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in high school, my Senior Lit teacher instructed us to avoid using the same word more than once in a paragraph, much less sentence. Unnecessary words slow down your story and thus frustrate or even annoy the reader. If you need to repeat the word for clarity, try a synonym. In many cases, this is a job for pronouns. If all else fails, rewording the sentence or combining it with another one will do the trick.

Using the same word repeatedly shows lack of writing skill and/or laziness to refine your own work. I recently read a novel that comprised a clever, interesting, and suspenseful story, but the author clearly didn’t understand this concept. There was one paragraph where he used the word “hangar” (in reference to those buildings where you park airplanes) five times in one paragraph. It was even more amusing since he spelled it “hanger” a couple times instead. Am I the only reader who catches such things? I can’t help it, but I edit as I read something that is poorly written. To this book’s credit, there were very few typos, only two or three, where it was something a spellchecker would miss but an alert reader or editor would not, since it was clearly the wrong word.

Like I said, the story was good, the writing and editing sub-par. This happens a lot with indie novels. I suspect this particular story would have been 10% shorter if cleaned up properly, saving the reader not only time but the energy expended in rolling his or her eyes.

Today’s Writing Tip

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If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for via Google, another research resource is Quora.com. This is a website where you can ask a specific question and someone who knows about that subject responds. It may have been asked previously, the answer already there. This is a great way to find information, often from experts, to help keep your writing accurate. This is also a place where you can highlight your own talents, knowledge and experience.

I recently had a question about the insurance industry. I threw it out there on Quora and within hours had several answers. They didn’t all agree, which made it even more interesting! Since you can ask a very specific question, the response will be, too while often Google is too general. Check it out.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Do you ever check your manuscript for over-used words? Some editing software will do this for you. Otherwise, think of words you may use too often. One I used more than I realized was massive. We all have our favorite adjectives and adverbs. Make sure you don’t wear it out.

Don’t worry about this during your first draft. That can slow down your creative flow as you get your story on paper. However, when you get to your first edit, watch for them. When one stands out, search on it so you can replace its repeated usage with as many synonyms as possible.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Do you have a reverse dictionary? If you’re a writer and don’t know what that is, you’re missing out on something that can be a tremendous help. A thesaurus works when you’re looking for a synonym. But what about when you’re trying to think of some elusive term that relates to a certain topic, such as a specific business or sport? That is when a reverse dictionary is worth its weight in gold.

For example, if you look up “mountain” it provides numerous words that relate to it from its geology to mountain climbing. There are several available on Amazon. This is the one I have had for years.

Do yourself a favor and get one today. You’ll love it the next time you’re writing and get lost, thinking “What do they call it when….?”

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Use short sentences to depict fast, tense action or conversations. This establishes the pace. Longer ones work well for descriptive narrative, or more casual dialog. It helps to think about the tone of voice you or your narrator would be using for a given scene, then capture it in the sentence structure itself.

Over all, vary sentence length to maintain reader attention rather than droning on and on…You don’t want your story to come off as being told by that teacher or professor who used to put you to sleep.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Details add authenticity to your story. They provide imagery and indicate whether or not you know what you’re talking about. There are details that come strictly from your imagination, such as your characters’s personalities and appearance as well as the setting in general. Then there are details that have a factual base. For those, make sure they’re correct, such as scientific principles or even something as simple as time zones or Daylight Saving Time.

For example, I’m currently reading a book that states the date and time at the beginning of each chapter. The fact the author specified it was Daylight Savings Time for date when it’s not in effect made me shake my head. If you’re going to get that specific, for heaven sake, get it right. That’s what Google is for.

Another trick is to balance details properly, so they don’t bog down the story action. Lengthy descriptions don’t belong in an action scene or lively conversations. Also make sure you don’t repeat yourself. Know the difference between an occasional reminder, such as the color of a character’s eyes, and over-stating it to the point of being redundant.  Being inconsistent is another faux pas. Readers often have a better memory than you think.

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Use your POV character’s name sparingly. Some authors seem to think they need to use it repeatedly, even when it’s clear (or should be, if written properly) who’s doing what. Same goes for the other characters as well.

It drives me crazy when authors do this. Unfortunately, the editor in me kicks in when I read something that’s not well-written. Then I start rewording sentences in my head and rolling my eyes rather than staying connected with the story. I’m reading a book right now that has an interesting plot and quite a few good qualities except the author repeatedly makes the same mistakes, such as this one.  He also uses far too many prepositional phrases, which often introduce redundancy as well.

When you’re editing your work, pay attention when you use the POV character’s name more than once in a paragraph, or even too many times on a page. If it’s clear who’s involved in the action or speaking, you don’t need to repeat the name. This is why we have pronouns! Use them!

Today’s Writing Tip

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Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em…

That phrase from the Kenny Rogers’s song, “The Gambler,” came to mind the other day and reminded me of how difficult it can be to edit your own work. As authors we tend to be attached to our own words, especially when we say something really clever. Yet sometimes, it really does nothing for the story other than to slow it down.

It requires a high level of objectivity to cut something out of your own work. It isn’t easy and for some, it’s impossible. Sometimes letting your work sit for a while so you can go back and see it as a reader would works. If you absolutely can’t do it, hire someone. Just make sure they know what they’re doing. I know too many people who have been ripped off by editors who really didn’t do a proper job.

Remember that there are several kinds of editors, i.e. copy editors, line editors, and content editors, to name a few. If your work requires all three, but is only reviewed for one or the other, it will still have problems.

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Using holidays and special days to promote your book, using the appropriate hashtags, can be one way to draw in an audience you may have otherwise missed. Of course knowing in advance when these special days occur is essential for proper promotional planning. This is where the website https://nationaldaycalendar.com is worth its weight in gold!

It tells you what all the special days for each month will be as well as designated weeks and months. It may take a while to go through and find them all for the year, but even if you do it once a month, you’re likely to find certain days that you can tie into your book in some way. For example, my book “The Terra Debacle: Prisoner’s at Area 51” has a main character who is a telepathic walking plant with an IQ that rivals Einstein. When National Vegan Day comes along you can bet I’ll promote it!

Just remember to use hastags designated for it to get the full benefit.