Writing Blog Number 2

20240514 Two More Questions

Two More Questions

So, two more writerly questions to be answered!


1. Does a sentence containing the word 'how', ‘why’, ‘what’, etc. always denote a question? Does it always require a question mark?
Let's look at some examples:
         I saw how big the whale was when I stood next to its skeleton.
         I understood why the sky was blue after the science lecture.
         I know where the shop is.
         She saw who had stolen the bread.
         Cows know what they can eat so they don’t get sick.
No, they don’t always need a question mark!


2. When you have a difficult time finding descriptive words to use in your stories, how do you get around it?
Okay, this is a case where every writer is different. Some will have their own ways of doing this.
         In that light, this is what I do. I start with swearing just to fill in the gap.
                   The f'ing murderer held his f'ing knife above his f'ing head.
         No! Seriously. This tells me two things - one if a word is actually needed, and two that I really need to find a proper word to fill in this gap.
         Then, if I decide an adjective or adverb is needed, my next step would possibly be to use a word that’s close, but no cigar.
                   The murderer held his stained knife above his disfigured head.
         Then, in the editing process, I use Roget’s Thesaurus, which I trust more than the online thesauri, to find more appropriate words.
                   The murderer held his bloodied knife above his misshapen head.
         Notice I got rid of the "f'ing" before "murderer"? That's because, if you cannot find the right adjective or adverb, you generally don't need one. Most editors will tell you the same thing. That's why I look at that first.
         Basically, in the case of this question – it is completely a personal thing whether you use descriptors or not. But I will say that if you find yourself getting get hung up on one specific word, then there may possibly be other issues with the story at that point, so restart from a previous different point or rewrite that section from a different angle, and see how that works.