Remember a few weeks ago when I talked about wondering what my new, overused word was going to be? Well, Nicole found it for me (Thanks, Nicole!). It is LOOK, in any form you can write it in. Armed with this knowledge I picked up with my editing last night and realized in most places I used the word, I was being lazy (yes, that's right, LAZY). Most uses were an easy fix of restructuring a sentence to say what I really should have said to begin with.
As for the editing, I have learned something about myself. I can read for others on the computer all day long, and feel as though I am reading a book, and make my comments. When I read my stuff on the computer, I cannot get that same distance. Enter my tablet e-reader. I have been sitting with the tablet in one hand, and a notebook and pen in the other. I've been catching typos and areas that don't flow. Places I need a connecting sentence, or sections that just need to come out as they do nothing.
I am six chapters from an entire read through this way, and plan on re-reading it the same way after I make my changes to find any new areas in need of improvement (and to fix that dreaded LOOK word!) Knowing that I am always on the lookout for ideas from others, I thought I'd share this with you all to see if it might help one of you.
What are some of your favorite words to use? Have any special reading tricks for your own work? i would love to hear them.
Look, then, that... the list is even longer. Good thing I have good beta readers.
ReplyDeleteI've got to get an ereader. I don't want to print because it's bad for the environment, but I miss so many typos on the computer.
My overused word used to be JUST. I got rid of that one and picked up, HAD, THEN, AS, and UPON. Ack. So frustrating.
ReplyDeletejust, then, that, look, glance, stare, turn, face... every story I write has a new crutch word!
ReplyDelete