3T Writing Tidbit

Garbage words. We all use them. They fill the gap. They provide emphasis. They're little verbal crutches we use as part of our personality.

But for writing? Get rid of them. Make your prose sleek and sharp, like a dagger.

I have a whole list of words I search for and strike before handing my efforts over to the editor. (And even then, they come back with, "Do you know you've used the word 'actually' 247 times?")

One set of garbage words you can easily start with that will not only punch up your writing but hone your brain is adverbs.

Adverbs are words that add paint to verbs. They're always paired with a verb. You can get rid of the adverb/weak-verb pair by using a stronger verb.

They're easy to find, just search your manuscript for LY. Look at the word with its verb. Think of a single verb that means the same thing. Exercise your brain, try thinking of another one or two more. Pick the best.

Here's an example. "I immediately took the meat cleaver."

The verb is "took". The adverb is "immediately."

Some replacements: grabbed, swept up, seized, snatched.

Here's the new sentence. "I seized the meat cleaver."  

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits. 

2T Repeat Performance - easy holiday letter

I've done a number of blog tours over the years, posting on different sites. Now I'm bringing them to you!

Originally published December 14, 2012 for Guilty Pleasures Holiday Bash

Easy Holiday Letter (Author Style)

It’s that time again. The agony of Writing of the Holiday Letter. But there’s an easy way to do it that’s also surprisingly well-received. I call it my Author-style letter because it features two mainstays of authordom—get a great cover and work the high points.

You’ll need a computer, word processing program, and color printer.

Step 1. For each person/pet you want to include, find a recent picture (or take a new one).

Step 2. Pick one significant thing that happened this year per person. If nothing significant happened, pick the most significant aspect of his/her life.

Step 3. For each person/pet, pick one significant leisure activity.

Step 4. If any person has a fun or unusual happening this year, add that.

Step 5. Come up with a greeting. (“Holiday Greetings!” “Greetings from the Frozen Midwest!”) If there is a piece of news at the family level, it can go here. (“We moved!”)

Step 6. Come up with a closing. (“Happy Holidays!”)

 Then just assemble! Alter picture size to make everything fit on one page. You can personalize your letter with a word or two in colorful ink.