The conversation between two family members went something like this: “Well (sigh), you sold your aunt.” “Say what? You sold your aunt?” “No! Haha! I said, ‘You soldier on.’” Now whenever we speak of getting past something, we talk about selling an aunt, or selling the wrong aunt, or having to sell more than one…
Unnecessary word: “Up”
A fixture in American vernacular is verb-up. It’s ubiquitous and unnecessary. My favorite, the one I like least, is “write up.” How can you write up? Try lying on your back with a notebook over your head (small because, unless you clip them, the pages fan). The ink stops flowing and you can’t write at…
Bugger Beginnings
Staring at 85,000 words of a first (or tenth) draft and trying to find where the story starts is like wandering in a field of goldenrod looking for a yellow flower. A beta reader of mine said she had a hard time getting into a story, but past the beginning, she couldn’t stop reading (her…
Seasonal Affect Disorder and Writers
The passing of the autumnal equinox signals the approach of dark, windy days and long winter nights. For many, diminishing daylight triggers Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) and they experience symptoms of isolation, blue moods, sometimes deep and disabling depression. I don’t suffer SAD, but I wonder if, in our personal calendars, we all have “seasons”…
Unnecessary Word: “Quite”
While listening to a Hawthorn and Horowitz audiobook, my brain stumbled on the writing and fell out of the story. Anthony Horowitz had written a sentence using the same word twice. This is a curious but common pattern among writers. Jennifer A. Nielsen once wrote, “Mott strode across our long room in less than a…
Infinite Possibilities, Singular Voice
How difficult can it be to write a children’s book? No problem! I wrote a few scenarios, joined SCBWI, went to conferences, took classes, joined a writers’ group, wrote, wrote, wrote. I wrote fourteen middle grade novels, of which I thought maybe three or four were worthy of more than the recycle bin. I did…
Unnecessary phrase: “That said…”
Many words and phrases have nothing to contribute to communication. Some of my blogs will feature such words and phrases to identify them and suggest writers use them less often. “That said…” [My favorite, the one that bothers me most, along with its many variations: that being said, having said that, or just saying.] Who…
Sacred Obligation
“Every step toward your dreams fulfills a sacred obligation.” — Pilar Gerasimo Dreams of Writing When I consider my life and my dreams, the only thing that consistently rings in my head and heart is to write. As I child, when I learned to play piano and guitar, I wrote songs. If I tried story-writing,…
Striking Out
At a softball tournament recently, I saw this advice proudly displayed on the back of a t-shirt: NEVER LET STRIKING OUT KEEP YOU FROM PLAYING THE GAME I felt discouraged. My batting average was (and still is) exactly zero. Since I began sending queries, I have accumulated about a hundred and fifty “strikeouts.” Most disappointing…
Ready?
Last month a friend asked if I was ready for this next BIG step of putting myself out there. The question gave me pause and, naturally, I spent time in the library reading about fear of failure and fear of success and what holds us back from achieving our potential. What I discovered is that…