Strong vs Weak Words – Part 2 ~ People

Tags

Overused Words, Overusing the Word People, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Words, writers, writing, Writing Advice

Another gem for you! In a word, PEOPLE. Not the magazine, but the word.

It is vague and overused in the most basic sense. When you use the word “people,” stop and ask yourself, “What people?” The students? Sunday-school teachers? Drug addicts? Artists?

Here are two examples:

The people at her funeral were dressed in leopard skin.

What people? Were they Steven Tyler wannabees?

Her friends knew she loved animal prints so they dressed in leopard skin as a  tribute to her quirks.

~~~~~~~~~~

The people around me appeared to be psychotic criminals who had more tattoos than teeth.

 In this case, the “people” were already described.

 I was surrounded by what appeared to be psychotic criminals who sported more tattoos than teeth.

Rather than calling it the “Search and Replace” function in Word, I now call it “Seek and Destroy.” I deleted  73 “people” from my manuscript. If you try it on your writing, let me know what you find.

Don’t take this photo personally. I’m sick of the word, not you.

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Strong vs Weak Words ~ Part 1 ~ Went

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Overused Words, Overusing the Word Went, Strong Verbs, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Verbs, Weak Words, Went, writers, writing, Writing Advice

Stop the presses folks.

I discovered another innocuous verb lying flat on the pages of my manuscript.

“Went”

The word “went” is mild-mannered, but it serves to dam the flow of the story, cause the reader yawn, and make an “action-scene” read as exciting as the phone book.

Like other sneaky little weak words such as “got” and “that,” when edited out, the sentences belt out a song rather than hum off-key. Here are a couple examples of the passive-aggressive “went” torn from the pages of my book.

I went home and cried.

Oh yeah? Big deal. So I changed it to:

Dejected, I crawled home and cried.

~~~~~~~~ 

Angry, I went into my boss’s office.

Boy, you really showed her! The re-written sentence became:

Angry, I slammed open the door to my boss’s office.

I challenge you to search for the weak word “went” in your writing and see if you can change it to a strong verb with pizazz. Let me know what you find.

Ever Lose Your Point When You Write?

Tags

Dear Abby", Humor, Losing Your Point, writers, writing, writing tips

Do you have a point when you start to write? Do you start out with purpose toward your point, get lost along the way and end up in Peoria?

For a light-hearted way to end the week, check out how an advice-seeker writing to Dear Abby loses his point. Thanks to Sandee at Comedy Plus for this.

Dear Abby Advice Seeker Forgets His Point

Did you know Dear Abby has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

I sure didn’t!

The Danger of Typing and Driving – Writers Take Note

Tags

John Branyon, Texting while driving, Typing and Driving, writers, writing

In recent posts by writers, we’ve learned that many of us have pulled the car over to jot down an idea for our novel, poem, short story, or whatever. If we didn’t, the idea would go POOF. Some of my brilliant ideas where captured on the back of an envelope, grocery receipt, or gum wrapper because that was the only paper in the car.

Comedian John Branyon does this bit below where he comments that in the pre-cell phone days of texting and driving, we didn’t need to be warned about the danger of typing and driving. Imagine if we writers took our laptops in the car . . .

I promise it will make you laugh.

 

If you want to see Mr. Branyon’s take on a Shakespearian re-write of The Three Little Pigs , click here.

Two Guardian Angels for Moi, a Writing Contest Loser

Tags

ABC Award, blogging, writers, writing

My bitter disappointment (ooh . . . look who is being dramatic) over not winning the writing contest (see previous post) was pacified when two guardian angels swooped down and handed me the ABC (Awesome Blog Content) Award. What a lovely consolation price. Don’t you just love it when guardian angels are all swoopy-?

My angels, Corey at Corey M.P. and Ms. Katykins at Come and Check This Out are delightful and I owe them a debt of gratitude.

The award asks the recipient to name 26 alphabetical things about themselves and then nominate other bloggers. Here we go!

Me from A to Z

A = Adaptable (I was tempted to say “Adorable” but decided I should remain humble lest you un-follow and delete me.)

B = Blonde (At least I used to be.)

C = Cheerleader-to-all (You guys rock!)

D = Dedicated (And Determined.)

E = Efficient (I am the Tasmanian Devil of the To-Do list.)

F = Feeding people (Come over for dinner!)

G = Germy (I have a cold . . . sniff.)

H = Humble (See Letter A above.)

I = Interesting (At least I strive to be.)

J = Joyful (Yup.)

K = Kind (Yup.)

L = Loving (Except when my mother-bear comes out.)

M = Mom (Three beautiful daughters.)

N = Nature-lover (Give me the mountains and I am happy.)

O = Organized (My husband and kids think I am the Google Maps app for locating everything in our house.)

P = Planner (I am in my element when I have something to plan.)

Q = Queen (Oops. Make that Quaint.)

R = Reader (But not enough time.)

S = Sensible (Except for when it comes to shoes. I love a good pair of uncomfortable heels.)

T = Tenacious (Watch out when I latch on to a project.)

U = Unique (Don’t read that as weird please.)

V = Virtuous (I don’t know any other way to operate.)

W = Writer (My kids would have said “Worrier.”)

X = X-Ray-able (Sorry.)

Y = Yacky (Love a good conversation.)

Z = Zippy (Well, that sums it all up.)

And the nominees are . . .

Hover Craft Doggie is a treat for the eye. They are architects and post one stunning photo with a pithy title that draws you into their blog.

Dodging Commas is always fun and thought provoking.

Lime Is Better makes me want to be a part of their blog so I can ask, “Better than what?”

Sadie and Daisie posts three themed-photos and I am moved to comment every time they post.

Blurt is an irreverent and amusing blogger and takes me by surprise. Ask him about his job.

Ella Dee is a sweetheart and everyone should read her blog.

Wanderlust Gene shares insight, humor, and lovely photos from far away lands.

Thank you again for the ego-boosting award Corey and Katykins . . . aka my angels.

Writing Contest – I Did It But Didn’t Win It

Tags

Book Group, books, Novels, writers, writing, Writing Contest

Several weeks ago I wrote about leaping out of my comfort zone and entering my novel, In Search of Beef Stroganoff, in a writing contest. Today I found out that I didn’t win. Happily, I was in the top 416 entries! No matter that only 416 people entered the contest, right?

Oh well. I am glad I entered and wish the nine finalists much luck in the last round of cuts.

Now I’d like to ask you all to wish ME luck on the next daring feat I’ll be performing without a safety net. My book group selected my novel for our May discussion. Yikes.

I’m excited about it and nervous at the same time. I look forward to hearing their feedback and because the book has received positive reviews from other readers thus far, I won’t have to drink myself silly before going to the book group meeting. However, it will be rather unnerving to have the book discussed while I am present.

One good thing about having my book as the next group’s book selection is that I won’t have to burn the midnight oil to get it read in time for the meeting. Goodness knows I can recite entire passages.

Be thinking of me on May 7^th and I’ll let you know how it goes, unless I am hospitalized with a mysterious nervous disorder after the meeting.

Guest Blog Post

Tags

adverbs, Commas, Corey M.P., Grammar, Guest Blog Post, intensifiers, Verbs, writers, writing, writing tips

To my utter delight, I was invited by Corey at Corey M.P. to do a guest post. It came out today and you can check it out at Writing Tip #11: Moldy Verbs, Adverbs, and Intensifiers.

The prompt she gave me was “Writing Tips,” so I rummaged in my bag-o-writing tips to see what I could come up with. It isn’t an actual bag. It is a notebook filled with scratching and musings. Do you have one of these?

I considered writing about my nasty habit of overusing commas. Since I am not an expert in commas, hence the overuse problem, I avoided the topic. Effect/Affect was tossed out with the trash because the proper usage makes me stumble and I avoid using the words all together. I do consider myself a quasi-expert on moldy verbs, adverbs, and intensifiers because I spent a great deal of time editing them OUT of my novel.

Thanks again Corey for the opportunity to do a guest post. It was fun!

A well-placed comma is a beautiful thing.

 

A Visual Way To Think About “Show, Don’t Tell”

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Abbey Road, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Show Don't Tell, The Beatles, writers, writing

“Show, don’t tell.” You’ve heard it a million times.

You strive for it, sometimes achieve it, and if you are like me, most of the time wonder what all this showing-not-telling means.

This picture of the Beatles immediately before the photo shoot for the Abbey Road album cover is poignant. It “shows” the bond between two members of the band. Maybe Paul is teasing Ringo, or maybe he is adjusting his collar, but the photo captures an intimate moment.

An article accompanying the photo could read, “The Beatles were a tight-knit band.” Or, a writer could say, “Paul sensed Ringo’s anxiety and whispered a joke to lighten the moment.” The first sentence “tells” about the band’s relationship and the second “shows” us they cared about each other.

Another thing I love about this photo is that Paul is wearing sandals. Did he kick them off just before crossing Abbey Road? Also, what do you suppose the lady was saying to them? Get a haircut? I have all your albums? Don’t even THINK about breaking up?

P.S. Some feel the word “iconic” is overused and therefore diluted its meaning. I don’t believe that is the case when using it to describe the Abbey Road photo.

Blog Stats I Can’t Explain

Tags

Blog Statistics, Blog Visits, blogging, Curious Blogging Observations, writers, writing

Many of you commented on my post about Blogging is a Strange Thing. The observations seemed to have resonated with our fellow bloggers. Here is another “strange thing.”  Has this happened to you?

Writing Contest – “Just Do It Robin,” had a fair number of visits the day I posted it. Then, there was little or no activity for weeks. Starting five days ago the post has generated HUGE activity every day for no apparent reason. Why the sudden interest in it?

Why, why, why?

Can anyone explain this?

You thought I was done blogging for the day. I was, until I watched this video. I want that dog! My dog William’s biggest achievement is getting me to feed him dinner at noon. He is masterful.

Hate Chain Emails?

Tags

Chain Emails, Chain Letters, Inspirational Poems, writers, writing

Do you dislike, or even hate, chain emails? You know the ones I mean. Emails forwarded from friends and family featuring cute kittens, sappy inspirational poems and blessings, and a threat that your hair is going to fall out if you don’t forward it to ten people in the next five minutes.

I don’t forward or respond to chain emails, even if my best friend sent it. I am happy to report I still have a full head of hair.

I received a chain email the other day and rather than immediately deleting it, I scrolled to the bottom. It was from my dad so I thought I better see if he added a note. He didn’t, but this photo captured my attention.

How nice when Mother Nature smiles down on us. It was probably photoshopped but I like it anyway.

Happy Friday.

Blogging is a Curious Thing

Tags

blogging, Bog Statistics, Curious Blogging Observations, writers, writing

This blog is a few months old now and I have made these curious observations. What would you add to the list?

• At times it feels like I am talking (writing) into space, and I’m left to wonder if anyone is listening (reading). How fun it is when the comments come rolling in.
• Blog statistics are a cruel mistress. One day they are abysmal and the next, for no apparent reason, they soar. (Perhaps it is the writing you say?)
• Again, for reasons I can’t explain, I have had dozens of visits from Viet Nam, Malta, Mongolia, and many other far off places.
• I’ve made what I consider friends, even though we have never met.
• It helped me reconnect with people who found me because of my blog.
• More strangers follow and comment on my blog than do friends and family.
• There are a lot of smart people out there with cool things to share, which makes it next to impossible to keep up with reading blog posts.
• Bloggers are a friendly and supportive lot. At least they are in the blog circles I run in . . . maybe that wouldn’t be the case if I were reading/writing blogs on controversial subjects.
• Bloggers make up a GIGANTIC small community.

I’ve learned helpful things from my fellow bloggers, viewed cool images/videos, and laughed out loud more times than I can count.

Thanks for making me laugh, scratch my head, and teaching so much.

Wise Words About Being Happy From John Lennon

Tags

John Lennon, John Lennon Quotes, writers, writing

I have been in Portland for the past week visiting my 91-year-old uncle who is convalescing in a nursing home after spending five days in the hospital. I wrote about my uncle in this previous post where you can see a really cool picture of him from his days on the Broadway stage.

Uncle Mitchell is the most upbeat, grab-life-by-the-collar, live-every-moment person I know, even while his failing body is giving him plenty to complain about.

This quote from John Lennon reminded me that rather than being sad that my uncle will not be with us much longer, I should be happy I still have him . . . and the wonderful memories he has given me.

Uncle Mitchell

 

The Determination to Write

Tags

Determination, Stephen Dobyns, The New Yorker, writers, writing

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Have you stopped dreaming and started writing? This charming poem by Stephen Dobyns appeared in the April 9, 2012 issue of The New Yorker. It is about the dream of being a writer and having the determination to start writing.

Determination

~by Stephen Dobyns

Cabbage—the first word put down

with his new pen, a trophy pen,

like a trophy wife, not cheap,

absurd to use a ballpoint pen

 

for a task like this, a challenge,

for which he’d also bought a new,

but ancient, rolltop desk recently

restored, with matching chair,

 

also not cheap, and for which he’d

renovated the attic room with

pine-panelled walls, bookshelves,

and good light for his new office

 

or weekend office, a place planned

for many years, even before college,

back in high school in fact, a resolve

rare in his life, but about which

 

he’d dreamed in free moments

at his office, and which kept him

sane during those tedious years

of doing the taxes of strangers,

 

but now at last begun, excitingly

begun, as he leaned forward with

pen raised to put down on paper

the first word of his first novel.

Grammar Pet Peeves Part II

Tags

Dear Abby", Grammar, Grammar Pet Peeves, writers, writing

Some twenty years ago Dear Abby did a “grammar rant” in her column with a great list of her pet peeves – Dear Abby’s Grammar Rant. I shared some of my pet peeves with you here.  I have a few more to add. What are yours?

• I watched an interview on television where the reporter asked the winner of the game, “What are your future plans?” Aren’t all “plans” in the future?
• Saying “my own personal preference” as opposed to “my preference” drives me crazy.
• “Would of/could of/should of” instead of “would have/could have/should have” makes the speaker sound like they are five-years-old.
• If I ask someone how he or she is doing and they say, “I’m good” I want to say, “I wasn’t asking about your behavior. I was asking if you are well, as in healthy.”
• When people end their sentences with a preposition, I want to tell them this joke.

A snobbish English teacher was sitting in an Atlanta airport coffee shop waiting for her flight to Connecticut. A friendly Southern Belle sat next to her.

“Where y’all goin’ to?” asked the Southern Belle.

Turning her nose in the air, the snob replied, “I don’t answer people who end their sentences with prepositions.”

The Southern Belle thought a moment, and tried again.

“Where y’all goin’ to, BITCH?

• My girls have grown up hearing me say, “Cakes are done and people are finished.”
• Similar to Abby’s pet peeve about the overuse of the word “basically,” the use of the word “literally” is rampant. Literally.
• A friend said to me recently, “The reality is, at the end of the day, it is what it is.” Huh?
• How about “orientated,” administrated,” and “preventative?” It is “oriented,” “administered,” and “preventive” even though spell check doesn’t mind them.
• I heard this one recently and it made me laugh. Someone described a person as a “pre-Madonna” as opposed to a “prima donna.”

Pre-Madonna? (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

So, what are your grammar pet peeves? I hope not people who rant about their pet peeves!

 

Banker Saves a Dozen Ducklings. Really.

Tags

Ducklings, Easter, writers, writing

I wasn’t going to do a post today but I have to share this story about a banker who saves a dozen day-old ducklings from a ledge. It is sweet and Easter-y.

The Joy of Books

Tags

Amazon, books, Bookstore, Sean and Lisa Ohlenkamp, Stop motion, writers, writing

I don’t know about you, but I can’t walk by a bookstore without going inside.

For all you book and bookstore lovers, this video is for you! The Joy of Books by Sean and Lisa Ohlenkamp is charming. Have you ever wondered what happens in a bookstore after it closes? The books come out and play.

 Let’s see Amazon do that!

Affirmation is a Lovely Thing

Tags

Affirmation, Blogging Awards, Sunshine Award, Versatile Blogger Award, writers, writing

selosunshineaward (Photo credit: zizabra)

The Versatile Blogger Award (Photo credit: nhighberg)

How cool is this? I had the honor to receive two blogging awards in just as many days.

The first was the Versatile Blogger Award from the lovely Nicola at What’s it all about and other stories. Sarah, the delightfully Introverted Blogger nominated me for the second honor  – the Sunshine Award. Both of their blogs are spot-on and you should check them out!

Since I already accepted the Versatile Blogger Award and because the “rules” are similar, I’ll simply give you my responses to the Sunshine Award.

The rules:

• Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog. Happy to!
• Answer 10 questions about yourself. See below.
• 10-12 other fabulous bloggers must be nominated. Also see below.
• Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.  Will do.
• Share the love and link the person who nominated you. See above. Thank you guys! I am honored and pleased as punch.

And now my answers:

• Favorite color: Any shade of blue.
• Favorite animal: Dogs.
• Favorite number: 5 because I was born on September 5th and there are 5 people in my sweet family.
• Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Diet Coke to a fault.
• Prefer Facebook or Twitter? I have a love-hate relationship with both.
• My passion: Do I have to pick just one? To heck with the Sunshine-y rules . . . my family, reading, writing, gardening, travel, and being in the mountains.
• Prefer getting or giving presents:  Both.
• Favorite pattern: Paisley?
• Favorite day of the week: Friday because the weekend lies ahead.
• Favorite flower: All.

And now my nominees (this was hard – too many good ones to pick from!):

• Nolan Parker – Two writers who write about getting their first book published.
• Harper Faulkner at All Write – Harper is a reader, writer, and traveller.
• Tilly Bud at The Laughing Housewife – Guaranteed to make you smile.
• Subtle Kate – Interesting posts on just about everything.
• Vanessa Chapman – A freelance writer and actor.
• Tess Kann at Let’s Cut the Crap/How the Cookie Crumbles – She shares her irreverent view of life after sixty-five.
• Kreda at Just Words – You never know what you are going to get but it is always fun.
• JM McDowell – An archaeologist turned novelist.
• Judith Adwood at Diabetic Redemption – Don’t let the name of the blog fool you. Judith writes on all sorts of topics.
• Sarah at Sarsm – A English born, Scotland raised writer living in Germany.
• Ella Dee at Ella Dee Words – Her tag line is “I like Words. My favorite word is happy.” Gotta love that!
• Brad Geagley – One of the lucky published writers out there.

Blogging can feel like speaking (er, writing) in a vacuum. It is lovely to receive affirmation that someone out there is listening (reading) and liking what they hear (see). Thank you all!

Strong vs Weak Words ~ Got

Tags

Overused Words, Overusing the Word Got, Strong Words, Weak Words, Words and Phrases to Avoid, writers, writing, writing tips

Once I discovered sneaky little words, such as the word “that,” littered my novel, I have been on the look out to see if there are others like the rascal “that.” I ran across The Guide to Grammar and Writing site sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation. It gives us a page titled “Avoid Problems Created by These Words or Phrases.”

I decided to test my manuscript against the 40 pieces of advice and was smugly confident in myself as I went down the list. That is, until I arrived at Number 13:

Got – Many writers regard got as an ugly word, and they have a point. If you can avoid it in writing, do so. I have got to must begin studying right away. I have got two pairs of sneakers. My novel was free of the words and phrases listed in Numbers 1 through 12, but what about the word “got.”

Thanks to Microsoft Word’s “Advanced Search and Replace” function, much to my chagrin, I used the word “got” a whopping 96 times! I changed all but a handful of “got-s” and wow, what a difference. For example:

I got to the appointment an hour early.

I arrived at the appointment an hour early.

I flew in on my broom an hour early for the appointment.

I am going to work my way down the rest of the list. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Do you have any other sneaky little words I should know about?

Photo Credit Kira Nichols – How cute is that!

Cheeky Little Typos

Tags

Cambridge Study, editing, Proofreading, Typos, writers, writing

You have probably seen this paragraph:

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Ah ha! That explains how cheeky little typos keep rearing their ugly heads in my manuscript! My brain knows the word on the page should be “buy” not “by,” so I read write right over it.

I ran across this video from What You Ought To Know debunking the Cambridge study and I’m back to proofreading my novel with a fine-tooth comb.