I have several tics that show up in my writing first draft.
TICS THAT MUST BE DESTROYED:
1. In Nova Scotia we say, “I’m going right across the street right now.”
This becomes “I’ll walk across the street now.” Eliminate right and use a better verb.
2. Use active verbs. Not “The kid was sucking his thumb.” Write “The kid sucked his thumb.” (And you know not to use adverbs right? If you use an adverb, it means the verb you’re using is a weak sissy.)
3. Eliminate the unnecessary wherever you find it. Sometimes I fall into explaining explain too much or go for the too clever (i.e. obscure) joke.
My wife is my first reader. She went over a story I edited last night and noticed how my writing is now a faster read.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s improved immensely recently. A quantum leap, I think…which by the way used to mean a very small leap but somehow the meaning of quantum got converted to its antonym so, a very big leap. Ironically, this is exactly the sort of bullshit-who-cares tangent I no longer include in my writing.”
Cut that out right now.
Filed under: rules of writing, Writing exercise, better writing, editing. writing exercise
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