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Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

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Home » Writing Craft » Craft » Page 9

Craft

Five Words to Strike from Your Fiction

By Bob Hostetleron July 24, 2019
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Maybe you’ve heard of James A. Michener. He wrote some books. And he once said, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.”

Rewriting is the better part of writing, and deleting words (or “killing all your little darlings,” as Faulkner put it) is a key part of rewriting. It is a painful process at times, but some words are more easily deleted than others. Here are five that can almost always be safely and productively stricken from your fiction (except, perhaps, in dialogue):

Then

Your readers are experiencing the sequence of actions in the present (even if you’re writing in past tense). So “then” is almost always unnecessary. Replace it with “and.”

Suddenly

“Suddenly” is similar to “then.” Both the character and the reader experience everything “suddenly” (that is, in the moment), so unless you’re describing a drastic change from what was expected, it’s usually best to delete it.

Said

Dialogue tags are sometimes helpful to, well, tag whoever is speaking. But dialogue is best tagged with action (She ended the call. “We have to go.”). And if your characters and their voices are distinguishable from one another, you may be surprised at how many “saids” can be deleted, which will move things along faster and keep the reader turning pages.

That

Almost everyone overuses the word “that.” Here’s a fun game. Go through your scene or chapter, finding every “that.” If your sentence still makes sense without it, delete it. For example, “God can restore things that the enemy tried to steal” can become “God can restore things the enemy tried to steal.” I’m not saying that you can or should delete every “that,” but that you can and should get rid of many.

Up

No, not the movie. The word “up,” when appended to an action, is often unnecessary. For example, “He stood up and went to the window.” We (your readers) got the “up” part from the word “stood.” You can similarly delete “down” much of the time, but “up” is much more common.

So there you have it. Just five words. But finding and deleting these as often as possible will strengthen your writing.

 

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Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Real vs. Fictitious Settings

By Guest Bloggeron May 23, 2019
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Today’s guest post is from our client Mindy Obenhaus. She is a three-time Carol Award nominee who writes contemporary romance. Mindy is passionate about touching readers with biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com. …

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Category: Craft, Guest Post, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Tips on Writing a Novella

By Guest Bloggeron May 16, 2019
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Today’s guest post is written by one of our clients, Lynn A. Coleman (www.lynncoleman.com). She is the founder of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), as well as the author of more than 50 novels and novellas. She lives with her husband of 45 years, who is the lead pastor of a church. ___________ Novellas are fast paced, short novels that run anywhere from 20k to 30k words, depending …

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Category: Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Details Are Great Except When They’re Not

By Bob Hostetleron April 10, 2019
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One attribute of good writers is an eye for detail. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, relating relevant and memorable details can make your writing sing like a soprano at the opera. Like Nero Wolfe’s love for the Phalaenopsis Aphrodite orchid or Wendell Berry’s onomatopoeic depiction of the “good, good, good” sound of men drinking from a moonshine whiskey jug in Jayber Crow. But …

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Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Break the Rules…On Purpose

By Bob Hostetleron April 3, 2019
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As a rule, writers should have a good grasp of the rules. Rules of grammar. Style. Usage. And the fundamental rule that you never walk the out man. Oh, wait, that’s baseball. It’s a good rule, though. As a writer and an editor, I like the rules. Most of the time, they make perfect sense because they make things easier and clearer for the reader, which is one of the keys to good style. For example, …

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Category: Craft, Grammar, Writing Craft

Write for Narcissists

By Bob Hostetleron March 27, 2019
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Every reader is a narcissist. Hold on, there. Don’t get all mad and sassy yet. Let me explain I often tell developing writers, “No one reads about other people; we read only about ourselves.” Go ahead and quote me, just be sure to give me credit and send me the royalties it produces. Seriously, I think it’s true. For example, I read several memoirs every year. And many of them are about writers …

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Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

A Plea for Preciser Language

By Bob Hostetleron March 20, 2019
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Not everyone is a grammar nazi and spelling tyrant as I am. And some people write so brilliantly that spelling and grammar mistakes are more easily overlooked. I don’t know any of those people, but I’m told they exist. The vast majority of writers will do themselves a huge favor if they do their best to use precise language, grammar, and punctuation in everything they produce. Below are a few …

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Category: Craft, Grammar

Loving Ideology

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 7, 2019
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Since we all experience life, we tend to gravitate toward those causes that have impacted us. Or you may feel affected by the idea of wanting to stop an injustice because your heart is moved. Stopping harmful behavior is a worthy goal. And since Jesus told stories, many authors want to tell stories to encourage readers from destructive activity. However, the parables Jesus told were meant to teach …

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Category: Craft

The Book as Therapy

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 28, 2019
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Have you ever read a novel and wondered if the author was working out issues in her own life? Fiction can be therapeutic for both the author and the reader. However, the therapy portion can’t be too visible. At least, that rule applies 99.9% of the time. For instance, let’s say your boss unjustly fired you from your day job. You’re feeling unvarnished emotion and rightly so. Now that you have …

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Category: Craft

Negative Feelings

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 21, 2019
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I wish everyone I came into contact with loved me without reservation. Unfortunately, I was forced into contact with someone for many years who didn’t love me at all. This person would pick fights with me, harass me, bully me, and cause much unnecessary conflict. Though this person called themselves a “Christ follower,” this person rejected all the rudimentary doctrines of the faith. When this …

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Category: Craft
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