Tentative language & the intention to act At the basic level, a story is about something(s) happening. Even in a story intentionally about nothing or about the quest for nothingness (looking at you, Mx Moshfegh), a character takes action, has thoughts, moves forward (or backward) in time, and does stuff that means, or moves towards,Continue reading “Hot writing tips from an editor #5”
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Hot writing tips from an editor #4
Adverbs Every writer wants to write beautifully, meaningfully, clearly, and uniquely. And when it comes to a character’s actions, sometimes a verb just doesn’t cut it. Consider the following (unartful) example: ‘He moved, and the punch missed him and went into the wood pillar instead. He shouted. His opponent knelt and showed his teeth.’ Boring.Continue reading “Hot writing tips from an editor #4”
Hot writing tips from an editor #2
Filter Language Verbs carry action, the literal and symbolic movement within creative writing. Without verbs, a narrative would stand still. But, like all things in writing, there is a need for consideration and moderation with every verb used. Why? Because a verb can also be a distraction. This is when a verb becomes filter language.Continue reading “Hot writing tips from an editor #2”
Hot writing tips from an editor #1
Timeline Nudges A common quirk in fiction writing is what I call a timeline nudge. Not doubting that you could offer an accurate guess, a timeline nudge is when a writer uses adverbs like ‘now’, ‘then’, ‘before’, and ‘next’ to clarify the order of events in their narrative. As an (unartful) example: ‘Next, the hoodedContinue reading “Hot writing tips from an editor #1”
The Write Stuff 