I spent last weekend going through my novel, The Bonne Chance Bakery. My agent is about to submit it to some editors again and she suggested I might want to read through it. I hadn’t looked at it since last August, when I rewrote it. So I said, yeah, I’d take a glance.
Geezus.
I’m really happy with the overall state of the book. The rewrite I did last summer is the best yet, reversing some of the horror of the previous revision and adding in new dimensions to the characters and story. But I could not believe some of the terrible mistakes I repeatedly made. I offer them to you as cautionary examples. Such as:
–My main character, Madeleine, waffles. She says things like, I was fairly certain, when she could just use the word certain. Or, it seemed a bit like. C’mon, Mad, be direct! All her statements are modified, pacified, dumbed down, softened. (Have to admit, I was on the lookout for this because I’d read in The Bestseller Code that characters in bestselling novels were strong, direct, not afraid to have opinions or take action. Once I started looking for how Mad acted, I cringed over and over again at how she weakened herself.)
–I over explain. Instead of trusting the reader to get it, already, I hit them over the head with what I’m telling them. Over and over again.
–I write one sentence too many. (Similar to above.) I’ve written what I need to write, and then I write more. Sigh. JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN’T GET IT.
–I tell, then show.
My clients are laughing as they read this, because I would never let them get away with doing any of these things! I was never able to see them before because I was too close to it. Oh, and let us not forget the Wordstrumpet Hall of Fame for words that are used so many times they need a new warranty:
At this moment
And (swear to God, I start every other sentence with it)
And so
In order to
Actually
So
Of course
One of the things I found helpful was paying attention to the Word grammar suggestions. Sometimes they are laughable off the mark, but they also showed me how often I used “in order to” when “to” would do just fine. And there may have been a few unforunate instances of using not one, but two adverbs together in a sentence. Such as really miserably. Oh God, I’m hiding under my desk at the thought!
The moral of the story is twofold: letting your work sit for a while is a good thing, and yes, those people at Microsoft know at least a few things. Or, use whatever tools you got!
What’s your worst writing habit? Leave a comment so we can revel in it together.
And please don’t forget connection calls! I’m loving connecting with you guys. You can go here and book an appointment directly.
Photo by clix.
