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Strong Verbs, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Verbs, Weak Words, writers, writing, Writing Advice, writing tips
We learned about telling our readers what happened instead of what “didn’t” happen here. Related to “didn’t” is “wasn’t” and ”isn’t.” Again, when I read the words “wasn’t” and “isn’t” in my WIP, I asked myself if it “wasn’t” something, then what the heck WAS it? Let’s explore this idea.
My day isn’t complete until I read Robin’s blog.
Do you have a life?
My day was incomplete after reading Robin’s blog.
~~~~~
I wasn’t happy when Robin didn’t follow my blog.
She didn’t follow mine either.
My blood pressure rose to dangerous heights when Robin failed to follow my blog even after I liked, commented, liked, commented, liked, and endlessly commented on her asinine blog.
~~~~~
She isn’t my favorite blogger but I read a few of Robin’s posts placate her need for attention.
Gosh, Robin is annoying.
My favorite blogger was Robin Coyle until she went on ad nausuem about strong vs weak words. Geez Louise, give it a rest Robin.
Robin Coyle 
I wasn’t going to leave too many comments today. Alas, I’m wasn’t good at sticking to my plan.
I’m glad you weren’t good at sticking to the plan. I love your comments.
I wasn’t going to post a comment, but then I did. Shoot. I think you’re right on the money. Here’s hoping I don’t find a ton of “wasn’ts” in my stuff.
Let me know what you find Anne.
I’m on a sabbatical from looking at my WIP at the moment. You’ve given me some MORE food for thought when I return to it. Will editing ever end ??? 😀
With the way I am feeling right now, NO the editing will never end. However, I see a faint light of hope it will off in the distance. Enjoy your sabbatical.
Thanks. Even a glimmer of light is good 🙂
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I’m intrigued to know where these words cropped up in your manuscript. In dialogue, or “thoughts in the head” these would be ok, but in other places?
Here is an example from the manuscript . . . sounds lame out of context tho.
“I wasn’t looking on the right continent for my mom’s recipe.
changed to:
“I was looking on the wrong continent for my mom’s recipe.”
Is that dialogue or thoughts? While I agree the change reads better, is it better for the character?
Thoughts. I like the positive spin better.
I struggle when I have to go the other way, when the characters thoughts or dialogue need to be more slang, or less grammatically correct.
I didn’t change all the “wasn’t-s” and “isn’t-s.” In some places changing them would like the sentence awkward or disjointed.
One of your most amusing posts 🙂
Coming from you, the master of a good laugh, that means a lot to me!
😀
Robin, now you know my book is already in print, so what am I suppose to do?
So sorry darlin’. Second edition?
Good idea, except I’m hoping my second edition will be in Norwegian 🙂
How cool would that be!?
I wasn’t going to comment…oops, I was going to make a cup of tea rather than comment 😉
Lovely. I’ll take mine with two lumps and a little cream.
I finally found one that isn’t littered through every page. Phew.
Yeah for you! I love it when I hear that. However, “wasn’t’ and “isn’t” WAS littered in mine. No more!
LOL ironically I littered it in my comment. I was excited to see how few I had of this little varmint. I will take a picture of my whiteboard for you. It has your words on it.
I would LOVE a photo of your white board. I could do a post on it. If you’d like, I will leave your name off as the “here is a photo of a happy offender’s white board.”
I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that my “weak” words haunt you every day. Sorry ~ the images does make me happy.
LOL in a good way of course. Absolutely, that’s a great post. I’m happy for you to put my name on it.
Your blog has had me considering posting the list of words I look for when I edit. They are passive words, and also words I tend to overuse. There are lots of them, so the list would go on ad nauseam. I better rethink posting them. 😛
What I meant was … your way of putting them here is much more entertaining. My list is … well … a list.
Ha ha . . . I knew what you meant.
I don’t know if you’ve seen in past comments, but I am putting this series together in book form. I plan to including a shorthand checklist with one-liner prompts as to why one might not want to use “WEAK WORD.” Promise you will buy the book?!?
Love how you remind us that stronger writing is found in what happens, rather than what doesn’t happen (please forgive the weak word!) 🙂
I now hear in my head, “Lights, camera, ACTION!” while I type/edit. A director on the movie set doesn’t say, “Lights, camera, DON’T DO ANYTHING PEOPLE!”
I removed a number of these from my last drafts. But with the revisions, I know I’ll have to check again!
Why is it by default we say what “didn’t” happen? Curious, eh?
Indeed. Is it cultural? Or human nature in general?
Great question. I wonder. I will hazard the guess cultural. What do you think?
I’d bet cultural, too.
Eastern philosophy especially focuses on what IS.
Good heavens, Robyn, I won’t have a novel left after I delete my weak words and adverbs. thanks for taking my word count from 300,000,000 to 85,000. Geez, like people don’t want to read a 300,000,000 word novel steeped in purple prose. *shakes head*.
But they will want to read 85,000 snappy words and then ask for a sequel!
Isn’t it funny how you can read what you wrote a gillion times and still go back to find your tenses off, your words incorrectly placed, and, yes, the wasn’t and the isn’t wrong. Amazing any of us remove the words from our brains in the first place. I can reread and reread and my other half will sit down and go, “hey, you screwed up here”. Most annoying. Nice pointers as always.
I know what you mean. I’ve looked at the words on the page so much I can’t see them anymore. I know it should say “buy,” the the word on the page is “by.” Maddening!
Ok if I delete the double comment?
There you go. WordPress is lagging on my end today – don’t know why. Please do.
WordPress like to play with our heads. Evil I tell you, evil.
Some days it truly has a mind of its own
As I’m going through my manuscript one last time (after I submit it back to the editor, only line-edits are allowed with the final pass-through), I’m still finding weak words. I know I won’t get them all out, and sometimes they even need to stay, but you’ve definitely helped me thin them out. 🙂
So how did your manuscript look after your editor have a go at it? I’m curious! I have a vision of him putting “just-s,” “that-s,” and “didn’t-s” back in!
I’m relieved, because his recommendations are mostly odds and ends (left out hyphens, a few dangling participles, some word changes, etc.). Nothing structural thank goodness. Phew!
Those darn dangling participles! If I knew what one was, I would blog about it~!
That is great news. I’ll take all the credit. KIDDING! Good for you. Now what happens?
I finish going through it, making the recommended changes (and others I’m finding on my own–still!). Then I send it back, and I assume he goes through it again. Then I receive one final go-through but for line-edit only, meaning no new substance or changes, just making sure no typos remain, forgotten commas, etc. It’s amazing how you can read through something so many times and still miss a comma or a quotation mark or something small.
Yeah . . . your brain sees “buy” but the word on the page is “by.” Stinking maddening.
I must admit, I’m a tad bad in this department too. Thanks, Robin.
The “wasn’t-s” and isn’t-s” aren’t horrible, but the sentences are better without ’em.
Great post! Such a good point – focus on what actually happened rather than stating what didn’t. 🙂
As I said in the post about “didn’t,” the difference is subtle, but there is a difference.
So very true!
One of my bad ones! Thanks!
Hopefully is “wasn’t” too bad!
mine too!
I had a ton and fixing the “wasn’t-s” and “isn’t-s” WAS pretty easy.