Quotation Commentary #4 - M. Twain

Substitute the word "just" for the word "very" in Twain's quote - and this quote becomes absolutely perfect for me. In my first draft of SHATTERED, the word "just" showed up 291 times. 291. EW.  Thankfully, aware of my addiction to the word, I've cut it down to around 150 at this point in my editing (aka three rounds through the manuscript so far).

Be aware of your own personal "very" words. "Like" is a common one. "Eyebrows" was another for me... (Don't ask... sigh.) 

If you aren't sure what your "veries" are - check out Wordle. Just paste your document in the textbox and click "Go". Most of you probably already know that it creates a word cloud from your most used words - the ones with higher counts appear larger. (Below is an example of one of my chapters from SHATTERED.)

But did you also know that it gives you a complete word count of every word in your text? Here's how to find the count: When you've created your word cloud, click on the "language" dropdown. Scroll all the way to the bottom and select "Show word counts...".  A box will pop up listing every single word in your text - and showing the frequency with which it's used! You can sort by name or by frequency.

(Just an FYI - it does count "Mom" and "mom" as two separate words - so capitalization plays a factor. If you want to know how many times you use the word "eyebrows" make sure you look for "eyebrows" and "Eyebrows"...)

♥ me

Scenes that Matter

I recently received a tip about the editorial process that struck me as common sense... At least it SOUNDED like common sense until I began editing my first draft. HA!  Man, oh man, did I have some serious revisions to complete because I hadn't thought about the concept while writing.  The tip?  Cut every scene in which nothing significant happens.

For example: Let's say in one particular chapter you write two scenes, A & B.

Scene A: A man goes to the doctor and browses a magazine while waiting. A picture in the magazine reminds him of his high school sweetheart.

Scene B: Flash to the memory of the high school sweetheart. She was his first love... and she died in a car accident.  It's a very moving scene and gives a lot of insight into the man - who happens to now be a commitment-phobe.

The chapter ends. At the start of the next chapter, the man is no longer in the doctor's office.

Keep Scene B, it's important.

Scratch Scene A, because NOTHING happened in it. Yes, the magazine he picked up while there is what reminded him of the sweetheart, but that could happen anywhere. So cut it and just stick with the flashback.

If you come across a scene that doesn't serve to move your story forward, creating (or adding to) tension and/or developing character, then that scene doesn't really have a purpose in your story. Use the chainsaw on it and move on :-)

Another really great peice of advice was to create a "deleted scenes" file. Mine is about 22 pages long so far (and growing). Not only is it beneficial in case I ever decide to recreate the scenes by adding something more important to them, but it also made cutting the scenes SO much easier! The text I slaved over won't be lost forever - just put on hold until I take the time to make it into something better (either for the project I took it from, or for something down the road).

Sometimes scenes are written to aid readers in following the story. These scenes spell things out - and often give information that the reader should already have picked up on. I'm pretty sure that this is what makes certain scenes so boring! It's like giving a reader a GPS for your story. They go on autopilot, which may seem convenient at first, but in doing so - the reader misses miss out on the beautiful ride along the way (AND they definitely don't get to make the wrong turns, here and there, that would ultimately have made the route more memorable).

If you're unsure of which scenes move your story forward, try this: map out each scene and attach a note to each one describing the purpose of the scene. If you can't think of a purpose - or if it's something that could easily happen in a different, more important scene - cut the scene.

This is a small part of writing more concisely, which I plan to post more about in upcoming weeks.

♥ me

Word of the Day: Ploce

One thing I've noticed while editing is that I tend to repeat words. And not in a good way.

(For instance, in two consecutive paragraphs, I used the word summer FOUR times. Four. Whoa, Nelly.)  I have a feeling this happens with most writers. In first drafts, it really doesn't matter - as long as you catch yourself and edit them out.

But IS there a good way? Can word repetition ever be a good thing?

Why, yes, there is/it can. And, in fact, the point of today's post is to introduce you (or just refresh your memory in some cases) to a word I've recently added to my lexicon:

Ploce. (Rhymes with glow-see) - It's a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated for emphasis.  It's a technique used when a writer wants to drive a point home.

It's one of my favorite things to read, when done correctly. I've always loved this - but I never knew that there was a name for it. Now I do! (And so do you!)

Thank goodness for my word-a-day e-mails...

Here are some examples of ploce:

"Make war upon themselves - brother to brother / Blood to blood, self against self." (Richard III, Shakespeare)

"If it wasn't in Vogue, it wasn't in vogue." (promotional slogan for Vogue magazine)

"And gentle sleep the sleep of death..." (Thel, William Blake)

"The future is no place to place your better days." (Dave Matthews, "Cry Freedom") 

"Rose is a rose is a rose." (Line of poetry written in Paris by Gertrude Stein, often described as meaning things are what they are...)

"It wasn't a date date... We just got coffee." (A friend of mine when trying to deny that she's into the boy she's into... oops, I just gave another example with my example! Oh and I did it AGAIN! haha)

Okay that's all for today! My goal is to get back to writing a post 5 days a week... Starting now!

♥ me

My Playlist and the Superior Scribbler Award!

So, thanks to Frankie over at Frankie Writes, I've discovered a way to share music selections with you! I've added a playlist to the bottom of the blog (look, it's pretty and pink and everything!) If your volume isn't muted, you've already heard a random song from my selection.

What I've added to it are songs that I listen to while thinking about my next project. (Okay, okay... some of them are songs from Shattered's playlist as well - but I just LOVE them so much that they always inspire me!)

(picture found here)

I set it to play automatically - and in a random order (in case you only hop over for a minute or two, you won't have to listen to the same song each time). So I hope you enjoy!! (And if not, there's a pause button you can click on...)

Next up - Shannon awarded me with the Superior Scribbler!! Seriously, I am on cloud nine. Thanks so much Shannon - seriously, the awards make me blush! And I also find them oddly motivating in my writing process...

What I'm to do with the award is pass it on to 5 other blogs that I've recently enjoyed reading! My selection is really phenomenal - so you should absolutely hop over to the blogs if you don't already stalk them the same way that I do!

1. Angie Kate, over at Always Write
2. Shannon O'Donnell, Book Dreaming
3. Valerie, I Should Be Writing
4. Liana, Liana Brooks
5. Rhiannon, Rhiannon Hart

Again - if you haven't checked out these blogs... you must. MUST.

♥ me

Beginnings (And G.I. Joe)

Every writer, by now, has heard the adage to start a novel in the middle of the story. It's an easy concept to grasp, but can be a much harder one to put in practice. (I pretty much cut the first chapter--and a lot of the second one--from Shattered in my first round of edits because it was all background info.)

It's easy to fill the first pages/chapters with background information about the main characters--I mean, come on! How else is a reader supposed to get to know and identify with them, right?

Wrong. That's backwards actually. A reader isn't going to care about the background information, the stuff that makes our characters tick, UNTIL they know and identify with them.

Think about it. When I'm first introduced to MC Bob in a novel, I don't care about his heart being broken a few years ago. I don't care about his allergy to cinnamon. Okay? So don't tell me that stuff. Throw me straight into the action - capture me immediately.  Because once I've seen Bob in action--or at least in some sort of tense situation, I'm much more likely to be interested in smaller details. 

Once we're past the beginning, tell me what I need to know. If Bob just can't connect with his girlfriend, Steph, I'll be curious about past heartbreaks. When Steph can't handle his intimacy issues, and adds cinnamon to a homecooked meal in retaliation - THAT'S when I care about Bob's allergy.  See what I'm saying?

Don't begin with your MC planning to murder someone. Begin with the MC having just completed the murder.

Over the weekend I watched G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra. (Um, hello... Channing Tatum anyone? Yes please!) And I must say--the movie starts exactly the way I'm trying to describe with this post.  Without giving away anything too significant, here's how the movie begins:

1st: Channing's (character Duke's) Army unit is transporting extremely dangerous warheads. (Enter tension & hook.)
2nd: The unit is attacked by a super stealthy opposing force and a lot of people are killed. The bad guys steal the warhead. And the kicker? The woman who steals it is someone Channing knows. (Expand tension & major hook!)
3rd: Before the bad woman can get away with the warhead a different team shows up and takes it back. This new team is full of good guys, but Channing has no idea who they are. He travels with them and learns about the G.I. Joe program. And he joins them, temporarily, to keep the warhead safe and complete his mission. (BAM. Thrown straight into the story.)

All three things happen in the VERY beginning. I was completely hooked. (Okay, Channing could hook me in a movie of him staring at a wall for two hours, but still...)  Throughout the movie, I found out more about his connection with the woman. I learned more about his past and who he was. And at the points I learned those things, I wanted to know them! Had I learned them all in the beginning, I would have been really bored.

For your my viewing pleasure - here are two pics of Channing. (Don't we make SUCH a cute couple? The second pic was taken, of course, before I met my husband...)

♥ me