It’s Saturday. I hope you are all well enjoying a fine week. Right. Editing part two
Editing your work can be a chore or a pleasure. Whatever rocks your boat, right! Yeah. Personally, I find it a necessary, interesting pleasure. It’s like picking tics from a blanket. It’s something needing to be done and when you finish, you have a fine blanket again or you’re going to get cold.
Well, woopydoo – I suppose you could say it’s a blanket expression.
Now now. We writers are serious people, serious about what we write and how we write. Agreed?
Whatever! I prefer the blanket.
So when we have completed our first draft, maybe a week or so later, we polish our fine work. True? No … don’t tell me you do it straight away. Nah. Nah. Nah. Wrong in other words. Let your fine work breathe, rest, let its memory fade from your conscience. Move to another project and forget it for a while.
When you return to it, just stare at page one for a few seconds and focus. No, you are not going into battle, it may feel like it. However, you are going to fight Pa Ssive – the Moriarity to the writer and you are going to be Active (geddit?)
Most of you will be using a computer with a word processing program with a ‘find’ feature. Good. If you haven’t got a pc, don’t worry, you can still do this although it will take a little longer.
Right, back to the action. I’m going to present you with a list of words. These words are all valid. Words used in everyday language BUT they also contribute to passive writing and therefore are only the weapon of choice for the Pa Ssive team. Not you. Remember you are leader of the Actives.
‘Find’ the word, read and hear the sentence using the word and play with it mentally. What I tend to do is take the word out, rearrange the sentence without it, or use an active substitute. If you are struggling with it, leave it. It usually means your sentence has to stay as it is, or if you can’t find another combination, then come back to it. Do not fret. Move to the next sentence.
Remember, there are over 30, 000, 000 words in the English language. These words are often abused, overused and misused. So use them sparingly.
• and, but: These two often co-join two sentences. What will happen if you take them out and separate the sentences?
• that: ONE OF MY MOST HATED WORDS. Most sentences can do without it.
• that: You know my feelings. However, most people use ‘that’ when they mean ‘who’.
• just: Oh dear.
• very: How very do you mean?
• nearly, almost: How near, how almost do you mean? Again.
• really: Really, please.
• seem, appear: How do these seem or appear to you? Are they full of life?
• felt, feel: Ok, we’re adults. Yes. Right. So do we still feel, or felt something, or have we got something more powerful in our ammo store?
• begin, began: In the beginning …. When it all began…. When did we actually begin or began?
• would, should, could: These are grown up versions of won’t, shan’t, can’t. We all know what happens when we knock the ‘t’ of ‘can’t’?
• quite: How ‘quite’, not quiet are you? Quite near, quite far or quite close?
• few: So how many make a few? Two, a thousand, thirty billion. It’s all relative!
• rather: Rather what? Rather hot? Rather cold? Rather sweet? Describe how rather it is.
• thing: My second most hated word. Which thing do you mean? Things have names, so use them. There is no such thing as thing. Or, you are some unnamed, unlabelled, uncategorised creature from a horror movie – then you become a thing, because we haven’t found a name for you yet. Poor thing.
• stuff: So, what is stuff? How much is stuff? How stuffed are you? The room was full of stuff? Can you see where I’m going?
• anyway: Anyway … what
• because: Try taking because out and see the impact on your sentence and your writing.
• ‘ly’ adverbs: Many famous writers and teachers have advocated this golden nugget of wisdom. Listen to them. Please. Adverbs kill good prose.
• so: Can you think of any other words to replace so? However, Although, In other words ….
• then: This is a lazy word. Then he did this. Then she did that. Get rid off then and you will have power, impact, a life.
• even: Do you mean how level a surface is? No! What do you mean? As well as, in addition to?
• only: Only what? Only the lonely. I only said. I only wanted. I only looked in the drawer. Please.
• down, up: She sat down. He stood up. In these contexts, these words can be easily replaced and eliminated. She sat. He stood. They are both fine and in fact better.
• got, get: He got what. She is getting what. Find another word please, something a tad more descriptive.
Oh yeah. I’ve got one more word to obliterate – WAS. More on this next week. GET RID OF IT. Rearrange your sentences. Do something, please. Start ‘A Hate Was’ Campaign. Something. Put ‘was’ into Room 101.
We’re there. Where? At the end of part two, that’s where. Oh don’t worry we haven’t finished with turning you into the Superperson ‘Active’ You’ll have to wait another week for part three, however. And until next weekend, I’m wishing you all a great and peaceful week.
Remember, love each other, genuinely.
Tata.
A Writing Mind 