Other Side of the Pen: August 22nd, 2016

As a writer, as a freelance editor, as a reviewer… Well, sometimes Mia gets mouthy, and the fourth week of the month is when she’s gonna let you know just what she thinks!

Be Bold

While editing, and even in my own writing, I have seen a trend of “over-qualifying” one’s words. It is often unnecessary and, in fact, makes things needlessly wordy. Unless you’re writing in First Person about a character with that kind of personality, don’t do it. Be brave! Be bold!

Instead of saying: “He looked over at her,” say “He looked at her.”

Instead of saying: “She started to walk,” say “She walked.” (The exception to this is if the walking was interrupted immediately after beginning. If that’s not the case, then just let her do it!)

Instead of saying: “He headed toward the wall,” say “He headed to the wall.” (Unless you really mean he was heading in a vague direction.)

Try to avoid “sort of” or “kind of” in sentences, or at least use sparingly and replace with adverbs (though use those sparingly as well) instead.

Use active verbs instead of modifying words when you can. Instead of “ran quickly,” maybe he sprinted. Instead of “looked fixedly,” she stared.

Don’t “give a smile” just “smile.” So instead of, “He gave her a smile” be “He smiled at her.”

These are not hard and fast rules, but things to keep in mind. If you’re confident and bold in your writing, it was make for much cleaner, smoother, and more engaging reading. Don’t be timid!