Word Weirdness
One of the things you pick up on when editing a book, really going through it end-to-end for the first time, is how often you use certain words. Usually it's because in a first draft it doesn't matter, just get the point across and figure out the 'real' words later.
But then you begin to notice things, and it sometimes starts to feel like a theme. In Book 6 so far, the word 'warm' (and variations) has come up 56 times! I know I have a thing about eyes, but 197 times 'a thing'? WTF? I don't even notice I'm doing it! Luckily I did at this stage and can still fix it, but that hasn't always been the case. I've looked for parts of words in books that are already published and the computer's like "Yeah, you should have used the thesaurus I came with once and a while." Only when I physically see all the highlights scattered all over does it usually stand out, however. Often it's accidental, but sometimes it's bad enough where I have to stop reading and go the the 'Find' feature to confirm that it's not my paranoia, they really are out to get me.
But it's not always fixed with a thesaurus. We've all read books where those words stand out like a sore thumb. They don't fit, nobody uses them, it stops your eyes from reading to narrow them at the author that just leapt out of the page. Just rephrase what you were trying to say or shift it a little bit so that 'world' becomes 'global' or 'Earth' or 'the planet' or something. (If that sounds suspiciously specific... uh... how about that weather we're having? Pretty good/bad/whatever/Biblical, right?)
Victoria is a godsend in this regard. Her vocabulary is bigger than mine, and virtually any word I put in her mouth/head works, because she's read All The Books. (Well, not all. Katya has a tatty romance or two she hasn't found yet.) It's one of the reasons I love writing her so much. Her mind is so precise, only a word that matches that precision will do. "I haven't the fortitude to endure it" is what she means; "I'm not strong enough" isn't exactly right, and sounds like surrender. Going deeper on the dictionary bench also makes her voice distinctive and memorable. Win-win!
I've mentioned before here that over the course of the series I have written the word 'witch' so many times that I literally don't notice when it supposed to be 'which' anymore. Like, I just don't see it. I've written 'sandwitch' more than once and never noticed until the little red squiggle told me. (The subtext of what it said was 'go have a coffee or a lie down.')
But these are all just little niggles, and aren't the kind of thing you worry about until the last polishing drafts. In the grand scheme, very few people than me will ever even notice. Right now, the most important parts that need fixing are [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. Oh, and you'd better believe [REDACTED] still needs another few passes to get right.
I guess I'd better get to it.
Happy Pride!
PS: The 'word frequency' feature in Scrivener will give you a complex if you look at it too much. The bar graphs it spits out will make you go 'Huh, neat' at first, then the 'grimace and tug your collar' thing from cartoons, then bam! full existential crisis.
But then you begin to notice things, and it sometimes starts to feel like a theme. In Book 6 so far, the word 'warm' (and variations) has come up 56 times! I know I have a thing about eyes, but 197 times 'a thing'? WTF? I don't even notice I'm doing it! Luckily I did at this stage and can still fix it, but that hasn't always been the case. I've looked for parts of words in books that are already published and the computer's like "Yeah, you should have used the thesaurus I came with once and a while." Only when I physically see all the highlights scattered all over does it usually stand out, however. Often it's accidental, but sometimes it's bad enough where I have to stop reading and go the the 'Find' feature to confirm that it's not my paranoia, they really are out to get me.
But it's not always fixed with a thesaurus. We've all read books where those words stand out like a sore thumb. They don't fit, nobody uses them, it stops your eyes from reading to narrow them at the author that just leapt out of the page. Just rephrase what you were trying to say or shift it a little bit so that 'world' becomes 'global' or 'Earth' or 'the planet' or something. (If that sounds suspiciously specific... uh... how about that weather we're having? Pretty good/bad/whatever/Biblical, right?)
Victoria is a godsend in this regard. Her vocabulary is bigger than mine, and virtually any word I put in her mouth/head works, because she's read All The Books. (Well, not all. Katya has a tatty romance or two she hasn't found yet.) It's one of the reasons I love writing her so much. Her mind is so precise, only a word that matches that precision will do. "I haven't the fortitude to endure it" is what she means; "I'm not strong enough" isn't exactly right, and sounds like surrender. Going deeper on the dictionary bench also makes her voice distinctive and memorable. Win-win!
I've mentioned before here that over the course of the series I have written the word 'witch' so many times that I literally don't notice when it supposed to be 'which' anymore. Like, I just don't see it. I've written 'sandwitch' more than once and never noticed until the little red squiggle told me. (The subtext of what it said was 'go have a coffee or a lie down.')
But these are all just little niggles, and aren't the kind of thing you worry about until the last polishing drafts. In the grand scheme, very few people than me will ever even notice. Right now, the most important parts that need fixing are [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. Oh, and you'd better believe [REDACTED] still needs another few passes to get right.
I guess I'd better get to it.
Happy Pride!
PS: The 'word frequency' feature in Scrivener will give you a complex if you look at it too much. The bar graphs it spits out will make you go 'Huh, neat' at first, then the 'grimace and tug your collar' thing from cartoons, then bam! full existential crisis.
No comments have been added yet.
