Category Archives: Writing Tips

Today’s Writing Tip

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I’m amazed by how many authors don’t know how to punctuate dialog properly.  I’ve seen periods instead of commas for statements, missing question marks, overuse of explanation points, lack of semi-colons, and multiple speakers in a single paragraph. Knowing these rules is an author’s responsibility. While not all readers will notice if you honk it up, experienced authors will. I remember learning this no later than high school, probably earlier. However, I’ve always been a writer at heart; that may be why that information stuck. Others, if they came to writing later in life, may have never paid attention and simply haven’t noticed it in reading.

Besides punctuation, which really ought to be obvious, the one mistake I see a lot is when one of the characters is on a long-winded speech or monologue. Visually, it’s good to break these into more than one, huge, eye-bogging paragraph. Great. So, if that’s the case. do it correctly.

The way you do that is to start it as you do all dialog with a quotation mark. However, if it goes on to a new paragraph, don’t use a close quote on the first paragraph. This tells the reader there is more to come from the same speaker. The new paragraph will start with a quotation mark, telling the reader it’s still someone speaking and not to be confused with prose.

It’s amazing how many authors don’t know this. Apparently, some editors don’t, either.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Preposition phrases are one thing that get a lot of bad press. If you had the not-so-joyful experience of diagramming sentences in school, you’ll remember that they were placed below the main subject/predicate/object line. This is a graphic illustration that they are add-ons. One way to get around them in many cases is by using possessives. For example, “the pencil’s tip” vs. “the tip of the pencil.”

You’ll be surprised how often this streamlines a sentence, not only be eliminating words, but by compacting the sentence’s meaning, making it easier for the reader to digest. Often prepositional phrases are redundant, too. Give them an evil eye when you’re editing. First see what happens when you take it out entirely. If it contains important information that needs to be included, see if using the possessive form works.

You can’t get rid of them entirely, but assessing their value and then using them sparingly gives them as well as your writing as a whole more punch.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Few writers capture all the elements that make an outstanding story in their first draft. It is comparable to the sketch a master painter uses. It capture the essence, but still requires refinement. My first draft usually is primarily action and dialog. I’ve often thought I’d make a great screenwriter, leaving the other details up to the director and producer. However, that isn’t going to work in a novel.

Granted, some genres are heavier on description than others. A Gothic Romance, for example, is likely to go on and one describing the setting, which would be beyond annoying for a suspense thriller. However, some description is required to fully engage your reader.

I use the acronym IDEAS as a reminder for what to look for when I’m editing. This stands for Imagery; Dialog; Emotion; Action; Suspense. All of these are important story elements. The balance may vary with genre, but each is essential. After you finish your first draft, these are some things to watch for and make sure you haven’t left anything  out. You may have envisioned the story in your head while you were writing, but did you give the reader enough information to do the same?

Today’s Writing Tip

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We perceive the world through all of our senses. However, more often than not, the main ones addressed in writing are sight and hearing. These are only two of the five–touch, taste, and smell are just as important.

One thing to bear in mind is that the sense of smell is one of the strongest as far as triggering memories. You have probably experienced this, encountering one that’s familiar. Why do you think the smell of certain foods evokes memories so strongly? Thus, if you describe a smell that is familiar to your reader, it enhances the description tremendously. For example, the smell of autumn leaves, roses, and even something unpleasant like diesel exhaust, are familiar to most people, drawing them into the story.

Touch and taste are also important when they connect with the reader through their own experience. Be sure to use them where appropriate. They provide additional dimensions to your story and more ways to connect with your readers, making your story more memorable.

Today’s Writing Tip

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How many books have you read where you had no idea what the characters looked like? Maybe the author neglected to mention it at all, or perhaps only once in passing, when the person was introduced.

Imagery is important in a story. Thus, it doesn’t hurt to remind readers what characters look like occasionally. One way to do so without being redundant is through action, such as “he raked his hand through his dark hair” or “her green eyes burned with passion.”  That hits the “refresh” button in your reader’s mind without slowing down the story and is one example of “showing” as opposed to “telling.”

Another trick is to give your characters some outstanding trait. Do some people watching the next time you’re shopping or at an event for ideas. It’s been said that people who are too perfect looking are the least memorable. This applies to fictitious characters as well.

Today’s Writing Tip

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Yesterday I pointed out that overuse of adverbs is a common mistake of new writers. Adjectives are in that same category.  For example, instead of saying “he lived in a small house” try “he lived in a cottage.” What image does that evoke?  How about “he lived in a shack?” Or “he lived in a bungalow?” In many cases the right word takes care of what you’re trying to say. In others, you might want to add “rundown” or “well-maintained”,  but only when it’s truly required and adds something other than to the unnecessary word count. Use them sparingly and they’ll have more impact.

Being more specific and finding exactly the right word to capture the image and feeling you want to convey is a challenge, but once achieved is the mark of a true professional.

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.

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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.

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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.