The Curse of Unnecessary Words
Be Direct
Wandering through the wilderness of words is a no no. It is easy to do, but DON’T do it. As a writer, your goal is to communicate your story in a clear, clean, concise, and entertaining manner.
NO: He was beginning to get angry with his irresponsible sister.
YES: He was angry with his irresponsible sister.
NO: “I’m fixin’ to start thinkin’ about buttering your cornbread!”
YES: “I’m gonna butter yo’ cornbread!”
Avoid Useless, Repetitive Words
My two most abused useless words are “that” and “just.”
NO: “I hope you don’t think that I’m intimidated by you.”
YES: “I hope you don’t think I’m intimidated by you.”
NO: Jeff gave himself just enough time to get ready before the concert started. Shelby was nervous. Jeff knew just how she felt. If he could just get to the concert hall before her opening number, he just knew he could convince her to relax.
YES: Jeff gave himself just enough time to get ready before the concert. Shelby was nervous. He understood how she felt, and if he arrived at the concert hall before her opening number Jeff knew he could convince her to relax.
Banish Adverb Vomit
Ah, adverb vomit--my phrase for the pointless peppering of adverbs throughout your manuscript.
When it comes to adverbs, just say no. Seriously, say no. Less is more. Go team. Goodnight, John-boy, and all that jazz.
Adverbs disrupt the flow of most sentences and they encourage you as the writer to “tell” instead of “show.” Please use them with caution. (Sparingly, even. Lol)
GAG: Leslie looked to him nervously.
BETTER: Leslie stared at him, eyes wide and hands trembling.
As far as adverbs are concerned, when in doubt, leave it out. Go through your manuscript with a red pen and unmercifully *grin* mark out every little word ending in “ly” you find. Root them out. Annihilate them. Then go back and see how much smoother your text reads. Trust me; you will be glad you did it.
No comments:
Post a Comment