 For Authors: January 15, 2020 Issue [#9966] |
This week: Say What You Mean! Edited by: Annette  
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3. Letter from the Editor
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5. A Word from Writing.Com
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| Dear Authors, I am Annette and I will be your guest editor for this issue. |
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Say What You Mean!
Which words do you think you can do without?
The right words elevate your writing while some overused words can make your writing boring to the reader.
Very
Eliminate very unless it adds real and needed meaning to a sentence. Very is imprecise and tells more than it shows. For instance, instead of being very tired, you can be tired to the bones.
Great
Great can be a good one word reply to someone who made a suggestion that you agree with. In spoken language. In your stories, great is not so great. For instance, instead of coming back from a great vacation, you should come back from a camping trip in the jungle or have seen the Acropolis in Greece.
Crazy or Insane
In spoken language, we sometimes use these words in ways that are far from what we're really trying to say. For instance, instead of working on an insane project, you could have had an intense week wrapping up an exhausting project.
Really
Really is a fluff word that doesn't add much to your writing. While it might be OK in dialogue to show that a character has a laid back way of speaking, it shouldn't be in the narration of your story. For instance, instead of a really big giant, you could have an enormous giant.
Literally
A main issue of literally is that it's often used in the wrong way. In a strict and accurate sense, literally means without exaggeration, yet it's frequently used to add exaggeration. You can simply leave literally out of your written (and spoken) language and thus avoid imprecision in your language.
Amazing, brilliant, or awesome
These words are overused when describing events or concepts that are truly mind-blowing. If you're going to use them, use them in addition to other descriptive words. For instance, instead of gazing into her amazing eyes, you could be captivated by the amazing sea of colors coming together in blues and greens and flecks of gold.
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| | Possession (18+)
In an asylum for the criminally insane, a young orderly discovers true possession...
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For my last For Author's newsletter "Overcome the Reader" , I received these replies:
Goblin Slayer  wrote: To be clear, your section about "to be clear", (see what I did there?) I don't agree with all of it. I believe you need to be just clear enough for the reader to imagine what a scene looks like or plays out. I believe a lot of people read to be able to use their imaginations in a way that doesn't require effort on their parts, such as artists and writers for example. They can be free to use their imaginations to picture the scene the way "they" see it in their minds.
With some things I think your absolutely right and certain things need to be clear to the reader, That being said I think there's a line there where one needs to make sure that your reader can have fun reading and using their imaginations rather than being told what they see. I have made this mistake in my writing and in my second draft, I will be correcting a lot of it. just don't overwhelm your reader with details and boring stuff. But that's just my opinion.
Definitely with you on the boring stuff. Details ... maybe.
Quick-Quill  wrote: I love this NL! The only thing I'll add is; in the beginning of the story make a promise to the reader that whatever is the big question, you will reveal it at the end. Then along the way give them hints, like bread crumbs (or sweets) that keep them turning the page.
My friend told me her M-I-L gave her kids books for Christmas. Her daughter wasn't impressed until one day she came running in showing her mother a $10 stuck between the pages. Now getting a book for Christmas is a big deal! In writing, the blurb is a promise, it's why they bought the book in the first place. Make sure you fulfill that promise. I've been disappointed in many a book. One I never bought because most of the reviews told of the broken "promise."
Are you sure they read the books now or just meticulously flip through the pages until they find the moolah?
hbk16 wrote: I like this advice a lot. Someone should write a text which is clear, fluent, simple and lively. The reader should see the full story lively towards the script. It is here well emphasized. This is a great issue indeed!
Thank you for reading and your kind reply.
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