Words to delete or replace

1. Really.
“She really tightened her sentence.”
“Aw. He’s really the cutest frog ever.”
Deleting “really” doesn’t change the sentence at all. So delete it.

2. Things/Stuff
“I went to the shops for some stuff.”
This tells the reader nothing. Either “I went to the shops” if the shopping is irrelevant to the story, or “I went to the shops and bought bananas.” So now we know the hero likes bananas. Or possibly has a pet orangutan.

3. I think/feel/know/believe
These weaken the sentence. If we’re in someone’s POV we know it’s them doing the thinking and don’t need to be constantly reminded.
“I think you look good in green.” This is weak and tentative.
“You look good in green.” This is a much more powerful sentence.

4. The verb “to be” in passive voice.
This is weak and overly wordy.
“The lily pad had a frog sitting on it.”
“The frog sat on the lily pad.” This is shorter, sharper, better.
Or even
“The frog was sitting on the lily pad.”
“The frog sat on the lily pad” is still better.

5. Very
Very is often used to intensify a weak word. Save yourself the trouble and use one strong word instead.
“Today is very hot.”
Maybe, “Today is scorching.”
Other times it serves no purpose at all and should be deleted.
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” — Mark Twain

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

True heroes do not smirk!

This is a repost of a previous blog because I'm still seeing this word all over everywhere it ought not be.

Warning rant ahead.

Smirk: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/smirk#smirk_4: to smile in an unpleasant way because something bad has happened to someone else, or because you think you have achieved an advantage over them

Now if you don’t believe me, please feel free to go to: http://onelook.com/?w=smirk&ls=a where 36 other dictionaries will all tell you a smirk is a cruel, unkind, nasty kind of smile.

Yet in every second romance novel I read, the hero smirks at the heroine. Often he smirks at her in almost every chapter of the book.
Ladies, read that definition of smirk.
Now, would any self respecting heroine want a hero like that?
I think not.
A true hero smiles.
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/smile#smile_4: to raise the corners of your mouth when you are happy, pleased, or being friendly, or when you think something is funny

If you need a synonym try grin, laugh, or even beam, or look amused. But please, save all that smirking for the villain.

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com
Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

Why writers make bad decisions

At RWA a few months ago Sylvia Day gave a keynote speech entitled, “Dream Big. Plan Smart.”
She began by listing the changes to the industry over the past decade. Most writers can recite a list of publishers who’ve failed or quit, and of authors caught in the middle. She also pointed out something that I think is vital.
Writing is a business. Authors need to treat their writing as professionals. That means the decisions an author makes need to be done with her head. An author writes with her heart, but she needs to manage her business with her head.
Then she gave three reasons why writers make bad decisions. (The key points are hers. The examples and explanations are mine.)

1. They’re afraid of failing, of success, and of making changes. The world is continually changing and authors need to accept that. I don’t care if your second grade teacher told you good handwriting would get you anywhere. I guarantee that if you send in a handwritten manuscript it’ll be rejected.

2. Writers want everyone to like them and their book. No matter what you write someone is going to hate it. Write what you want to write.

3. If you write good books and learn from your mistakes you’ll bounce back every time. There’s more than one way to WRITE a book (plotting, pantsing etc). There’s more than one way to PUBLISH a book (print, digital, audio, indi etc).

She closed with, “Dream big. There is no dream too big. Read often. Write well. And plan smart.”
That’s excellent advice.

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

Self editing checklist

Grammar Girl has posted a blog with a list of things writers should check. It’s excellent. Well worth paying attention to.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist

Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

Seven Books Every Writer Should Read

Allison Vesterfelt has written a great blog on what she considers are the seven books every writer should read. A couple of them might surprise you. One of them is one of my particular favorites, by Grammar Girl (aka Mignon Fogarty).

The books she lists are; “The Artists Way” by Julia Cameron, “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott, “Thinking Write” by Kelly L. Ston, “Why We Write” edited by Meredith Maran, “The Story Within” by Laura Oliver, “Zen and the Art of Writing” by Ray Bradbury, and “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Every Writer” by Mignon Fogarty.
For her reasoning and the full article, go here: http://allisonvesterfelt.com/books-every-writer-should-read/


Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

Five story mistakes to avoid

1. Overdoing symbolism or themes. Let them speak for themselves. Don’t hit your reader over the head with them. Your theme doesn’t need to be underscored in very chapter or by every character.

2. Trying too hard. You’re writing a book. You want the readers to be hooked by the plot and the characters, not having to stop and look up a dictionary to find out what words mean.

3. Plot flaws. Every scene should move the story forward. There needs to be a reason for it and the reader needs to be able to understand that reason. On the other hand, if a particular item is going to be needed later in the book, make sure you’ve already mentioned it earlier. Don’t let it just magically appear in the nick of time.

4. Hook not gimmick. Your opening hook should not just be a gimmick. It should be an intrinsic part of the story.

5. Don’t hide key information from the readers hoping to create suspense. They need to understand what’s happening to remain interested in the book.


Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.

The blurb is all about the hook

Michaelbrent Collings said it well: The only purpose of the back blurb is to raise a question that can ONLY BE ANSWERED when the reader BUYS and FINISHES the book.
It seems as though I’ve read far too many blurbs lately that tell me too much. They name too many characters and give me way too much information on how the plot will turn out. We all know that a true romance story always has a happy ending. But the readers still want the hint, the possibility, the fear that in this book these characters won’t be able to solve their problems before time runs out.
The whole point of the blurb is to hook the reader, not to tell the story. The book tells the story. Blurbs should be short. In the olden days they were three very brief paragraphs. One about the heroine, one about the hero and the third about the plot. These days they might only be one paragraph.
The only things you need in the blurb are the genre (readers get cross if they think it’s a paranormal and it turns out to be historical), the mood (spooky, suspenseful, lighthearted), and the hook (that’s why they’ll buy the book).


Helen Woodall
helen.woodall@gmail.com

Helen is available to line edit and/ or content edit fiction and non-fiction. Rates on application.