Thursday Thirteen: Editing Headaches
13 of My Bad Writing Habits
1. “I’ve got” — yes, I talk like this, but gah, no one should write that way.
2. She verbed. / He verbed. — this is probably my favorite sentence structure. I know why, but breaking a decade+ of habit is hard.
3. Initial -ing phrasing. — If it doesn’t start with one, it’s the other.
4. suddenly, quietly, etc — not as bad as they used to be, but so much simpler to get the meaning across. Oh…. Show.. don’t TELL. Got it.
5. Lord INSERT_NAME_HERE — Ugh. Can we say cardboard nobility? Ok, so it’s not just for nobles any more. Still too many characters to name.
6. see/saw/hear/heard/feel/felt/looked/watched — Zzzzzzzz!
7. repeated words/phrases — What? It worked fine the last sentence? *sigh*
8. smiled, coughed, frowned, raising eyebrows, wringing hands — weak! overused! Boring… but so easy to slip in there.
9. would, could — not enough in the moment?
10. had verbed — again my head never seems to be in the moment at hand
11. word choice — close, only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. *I* know what I meant.
12. scene setting — what? can’t you just picture it? I did… *sigh*
13. it/there and other generic nouns — Umm. yeah. There’s something about it that’s just way too easy to slip it in there without thinking. *scuffle*
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| 1 Tamy | 2 Jeanine | 3 Kat’s Krackerbox |
| 4 Alice Audrey | 5 pussreboots | 6 Chris |
| 7 Miranda | 8 Frustrated Writer | 9 Susan Helene Gottfried |
| 10 Jennifer McKenzie | 11 Gwen Hayes | 12 Kelly McCrady |
| 13 Di | 14 Debbie Mumford | 15 Winter |
| 16 Peter Plum | 17 Gina | 18 Nicholas |
| 19 Dayle A. Dermatis | 20 | 21 |
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Knowing your weaknesses is half the battle. Easier to correct when you know what you’re looking for. Good luck!
Thanks, good list ~ I needed to read your post to help me past my own writer’s blockage!
Oh, man. I hear ya. Thanks for reminding me of all my faults. LOL!
Very valuable resource. Thanks, my readers will be much better off now!
I think we all do that at times.
OH NO! Looks like I need to change some of these too! Happy TT
Nice Thursday List! Come pick out something from my list!
Oh, dear. Have you been peeking at my WIP? 🙂
It it weren’t for revisions, I’d be sunk because of all the stuff I do from this list.
Just don’t over do #12. Too much description can kill a book for me as a reader. Happy writing. Happy TT.
Great list, happy TT
Editing is the bane of our writings. Good TT!
Just.
I swear to you, it’s my favorite word. I edit it out of practically every line, especially in my current WIP. Maybe it IS the way this character thinks, but I really think it’s (just) me.
See what I mean?
I know just what you mean, Susan.
I think dialogue and internal monologue can break rules, but it has to stand out as distinctive for that particular character. I could have used just so many more times than you did there… but I didn’t notice it as a problem word this time around so maybe I’ve subconsciously been avoiding it.
*nods* I’m with you, Kaige!!! You’re actually a better editor than I am.
I seriously doubt that, Jen. Line edits are one thing, seeing bigger pictures — enh… still working on that one!
You sound like my editor.
or me, when I am editing someone else.
But never me when I am looking at my own work, because I just don’t see it.
Knowing your weaknesses will only make your writing stronger. Good list!
I just told my daughter how much I HATE the word “got”, but I use it all the time. 😉
The worst part of being a pro editor is reading my own writing gaffes LOL. I have to kick the “He verbed/she verbed” thing too…and nodded. Nodding, he nodded, nod nod nod–good grief, has this man no other expression? And enough already with the “heat rose to her cheeks.” I’ve got (ha!) to find another way to describe a blush from the inside…
Along with the “just” Susan mentioned, I have to watch my “but”s. I swear the “FIND” feature is my best friend. Lotsa highlights on my to-be-edited pages LOL.
Good luck!
Shameless plug: if anyone wants a professional hand/third set of eyes, I work freelance. http://home.comcast.net/~kelly_schaub/site
You are much too hard on yourself!!!
Yeah…I have a list of things my editor has corrected in prior work that I try to go through before I send anything new out. We each have our shortcuts that work great during the first draft…but MUST go during the polishing phase. *Sigh*
If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone lol Happy T13!
No, you’re aren’t alone. *sigh* My biggest writing bad habit? I am the commaless Queen. I let Sara Jean at writing.com nag me mercilessly about them. Then I go and edit.
I have a WIP that’s a Regency. Maybe we could trade drafts so I can find my Regency Muse again. I’m mired in dragons and vampires at the moment, although those are raging like a CA wildfire. There are shameless plugs on my blog if anyone is interested. *bats eyelashes hopefully* I like this blog, so I shall return!
These are some great tips. I don’t know that I’ll ever get the reason why you’re supposed to use fewer adverbs, though.
Winter,
I have comma issues too. Glad to hear your fantasy and paranormal muse hasn’t left you on your own! Thanks, feel free to comment anytime. I’m trying to get back to posting more regularly again.
Peter,
I think why adverbs have such a bad rap is that they’re too easy to use to tell instead of show what you want to convey. I think judicious use of them can be a good thing, but they really have to zing to work.
Kelly,
I so should have added nodding to that list. I find smiles all over the place. What a happy, agreeable bunch of people we create. Heh.
Interesting list, though I am not sure I understand what you mean by some of them.
Which ones? Sorry. I was kind of vague, wasn’t I?
*joins in sighing* Yep, yep, yep. But I find if I have all my bad habits in mind when I’m drafting, I’ll never get anything written. Looked. That’s my worst one. People are looking all over the place to see how everyone else looks. *rolls eyes*