Words, Words, Words

You know what you need to write a good story?

Yes, dialogue, characters, plot, conflict, etc. are important components, but without the WORDS to develop these things, you just have a really good idea.

I want to touch on a few things that can hinder your words from being appreciated by your reader.

OVERWRITING

Overwriting is a redundancy issue. We see this in newspaper articles all the time. A writer will quote a source, and then he/she will paraphrase the quote. The paraphrase is repetitive, redundant.

In stories, we can see this when an action occurs and then the characters talk about what just happened instead of moving the story forward. We see this when a writer uses dialogue to “tell” instead of to “reveal” – especially when what he/she is telling has already been shown.

When we overwrite, we slow the reading for the readers because they want to know what happens NEXT – not what already happened.

Outlining can help to combat some overwriting issues. If you have an outline, you can look from scene to scene, from chapter to chapter to see if each component is moving your story forward.

If you don’t outline, it’s important to combat this in the revision/editing stages. Because you will, more than likely, have to write a synopsis for your story, go through each chapter and write a few paragraphs about what occurs. As you write on each chapter, ask yourself, “Is the story moving forward?” “Have I repeated something from a past scene or chapter?” “Does it slow the read?” Questioning as you revise will help you find the slow parts and see if they are redundant or overwritten.

WORDINESS

Wordiness is not the same as overwriting; overwriting is redundancy. Wordiness occurs when we don’t practice “word economy.” It occurs when we use a slew of words for what can be stated in one or two words.

It’s when we use phrases like “final completion” when we could easily write “completion.”

It’s when we use phrases like “basic essentials” when we could easily write “essentials.”

It’s when we use phrases like “due to the fact that” when we could easily write “because.”

It’s when we use “that” like it’s our long-lost friend.

It’s when we use “uh,” “ahem,” “um,” and “okay” as filler instead of getting to the point.

Leave a work after you’ve written it. Everyone needs a fresh pair of eyes, and if you jump into revision/editing stages before taking a breather, you’ll be less likely to catch glaring wordiness errors.

In the revision/editing stages (and it’s smart to bring somebody along – like an editor-as you go through these stages), it’s a good idea to mark passages in your writing that were difficult for you to write. If you battled through writer’s block, if a scene or passage – particularly the middles of books – was slower to write than others, mark those places to return to; more than likely, there are some wordiness issues there.

Study the wordiness patterns that are typical in your writing. Having a second (or third) set of eyes is crucial here because an editor can talk to you about these patterns, and you can keep them in mind for future projects.

Here are some words and phrases that are typically added to a “wordiness” list.

kind of — sort of — type of — really — basically — for all intents and purposes — definitely — actually — generally — individual — specific — particular

COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS

The following are typical words I see in clients’ manuscripts that are incorrectly used:

than, then — to, too, two — bad, badly — hear, here — sit, set — raise, rise — lay, lie — lose, loose — who’s, whose — you’re, your

Even the greatest of writers will have issues with confusing words; the goal is to figure out which words confuse you and keep them close by so you can fix them in your work.

I still have problems with lay/lie, and often will find another way to say something instead of use them!

We should not fear words; if we fear them, how can we manipulate them within our stories?

Shon Bacon is an author, editor, and educator, whose biggest joys are writing and helping others develop their craft. She has published both creatively and academically and interviews women writers on her popular blog ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING. You can learn more about Shon's writings at her official website, and you can get information about her editorial services and online programs at CLG Entertainment.