We're throwing open the comments at Writers In The Storm today for a little of what I like to call "Pimp and Promote."
How does this work?
Here's the rules for this Carnival of Comment Fun:
I’m taking a page out of Chuck Wendig’s book once again for you guys to do the following...
Pimp out somebody else’s work – this can be a favorite author, blogger, post or book you’ve read, a wonderful teacher or just someone who had profound influence on you as a writer or a person.
OR
Promote one of your projects that you’re excited about – a hobby, a blog, a book, a new direction your writing is taking you. You decide. Just tell us all about it in the comments! The rest of us will jump in and “ooooh and coo” at you, and likely promote your project even further (because that's just how we roll).
Better yet, do one of each! And please peruse the comments. You might find something else you like in the plethora of pimping that's about to ensue.
We hope y'all are looking forward to an amazing August!
One of the things we've discussed in our critique meetings is the tendency all writers have to repeat certain words and phrases. “Echoes” is a term I’ve heard applied to frequently repeated words.
Read your chapter out loud, and that’s exactly what they sound like.
Common Causes of Echoes:
Using lame and boring “to be” verbs. When used, they often produce not only echoes but also wordy constructions.
Many echoes are subject oriented. For example, let’s say that in one chapter a wagon plays a big part in the action. Echoing “wagon” may be your repeated offense. Subject oriented words are sneaky. At first, they seem absolutely necessary. A closer inspection proves otherwise.
The writer simply copies his/her chapter then pastes it into the provided box. The program allows a list of 25 to 200 repeated words. I chose the whole 200 because some words should never be used more than once in a chapter.
I like this one a lot as it lists both repeated words and phrases. (And yes, you will find repeated phrases.) This site also provides the average amount of words per sentence, number of question marks, exclamations, quotes etc. Why is that important? Editors hate multitudes of exclamation marks and long convoluted sentences.
In using these sites, I discovered my own set of echoes. Surprisingly, this same set remained consistent throughout my work. I became a maniac, checking my entire manuscript.
In this process, I made an interesting discovery.
When I reconstructed the sentences to eliminate echoes, the material read better. Even the action scenes were energized. Everything became more clear and concise without “sterilizing” my writing style.
Speaking of sterilizing your writing style -- don’t. It’s possible to edit your voice right out of your writing. Sometimes words need to be repeated for affect, especially in dialogue.
Like any editing program, these sites are only a guide. Use your better judgment. The sites also make note of every she, he, the, and character names. For the most part, these can be ignored.
Should these tools be used for every chapter?
This is your choice to make. My recommendation is to run your current work through the tool and study the results. Most writers, no matter how experienced, are “repeat” offenders. In time you’ll become so attuned to your personal echoes that avoiding them becomes automatic.
Below I’ve listed echoes I’ve found in my own writing and my critique partners’. You might be surprised at some of them. (We were!)
I suggest you make your own list, or add to this one down in the comments.
The words in bold font below are the "bad boys."
The number one word that is most abused is “you.”
“But” runs a close second.
Body parts are almost always repeat offenders. Don’t leave a lot of these lying around. (Sorry, I just had to say that.)
COMMON ECHOES
Do you have echoes in your manuscript? What tools do you use to get rid of them? Which word (or words) above do you struggle with? Do you have any great editing tips to share?
All of us here at WITS are answering today, as Sharla is traveling. Let's build up a ton of comments for her to see when she returns!
Talk about two words that manage to strike both excitement and fear in the hearts of all of us who write, yes?
After having published three books and now deep in the middle of my fourth, I’d like to think I’ve got this whole first draft thing sewed up.
Except, well, I don’t.
But while I’m no pro at this yet, friends, like all of us, I’ve amassed a decent catalog of tried-and-trues that work for me.
Since everyone has her or his own tip sheet, what works/what doesn’t when they sit down to write that often elusive, sometimes terrifying but always consuming first draft, I thought I’d share some of mine with you all today. And I’d sure love to hear some of YOURS in the comments section.
Okay. Here goes…
First off, don’t sweat the small stuff.
I have found that nothing derails my writing flow in a first draft more than stopping to find that perfect word or the perfect piece of accurate historical detail.
It may seem like a simple Google search, but beware. That simple Google search offers a rabbit hole that could easily steer you far from the source of your search, not to mention your manuscript. When I hit a spot like that in a manuscript, I use a placeholder, three x’s, and I forge ahead. I can always come back.
Just get to the The End.
I’m not suggesting you pull a Jack Torrance and fill 500 pages with a single, maniacal sentence just to reach the end of your first draft. But I am giving you permission to get rough and rude with your first draft. Manners are for second and third drafts.
First drafts are uncouth things, messy things, often filled with gaps and wrong words—even wrong scenes!—but you must let them be just that: rough and messy. Because here’s the thing, my dears: No one is looking!! So go for it!
See the Big Picture
For me, first drafts are about the big items. The emotional core of each character’s journey. First drafts are for getting into my character’s heads and understanding what makes them tick. I try not to get wrapped up in where they go to do what, but rather WHY they go where they go and does it propel them (and the reader) further toward that character’s reckoning?
Whatever you do, don’t stray.
Your first draft is a small child; don’t leave it unattended for any reason. When it comes to writing that first draft, distance does not make the heart grow fonder.
The passion you have for your first draft is very much like the beginnings of romantic love. It’s lustful and all-consuming. Don’t squander that unbridled passion for your story by thinking a few days away will clear your plot’s cluttered head. It won’t. If you can manage it, keep near to your first draft, keep in regular contact with it, let it know you can’t keep your hands off it, and that excitement will endure.
Make notes as you go.
Like I mentioned earlier, you want to avoid breaking the stride of your writing flow. But that said, unless you are truly gifted at keeping a zillion plot points in your head at once (and maybe you are—and more power to you! I, however, am not. It’s all I can do to not lose count of how many scoops of grinds I’ve put in the coffee maker!), then I suggest making a quick note of your inspiration.
Some notes I make in a notebook, others I will make directly in the manuscript, always in parenthesis and IN CAPS.
Sometimes they are character notes, sometimes they are plot notes. Plot notes can either refer to something I plan to write in a future scene, or something I will need to go back and insert into a previous scene for continuity or just to enhance a storyline. Again, this keeps me focused in the present scene without having to lose that light bulb moment.
I always have to remind myself that first drafts are sketches, not finished paintings. Make sure the bones are there and you can fill in the highlights and shading and all those lovely details later on. When Stuck, Take off your Pants and Plot.
It happens without fail with every first draft: I pants and pants along…and then I hit a wall. It generally comes at page 100.
It used to be that I’d flail around stubbornly, determined to continue the flow of story I’d been enjoying (sans outline) from page one to page 99. Now I know better. When the flow stops, I take to the outline. I plot the chapter in full, maybe even the next two chapters.
Invariably, the flow returns and within a few more chapters, the pants are back on. Ahhh. And lastly, accept that your process is never finished, and never final.
This summer, I’ll be on the road for a trip with my family, a trip that comes when I am nearing my fall deadline for book 4. On the road, I won’t be able to take my computer but since I can’t be away from my manuscript at this crucial time, I am going to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to print a hard copy of my pages and read them with a pen, making edits/adds/comments/cuts in the margins.
I know what you’re thinking: Wait—what? This is the first time you’ve done this, woman??
Yes, friends. It is.
And you know what? I can’t wait!
Because something tells me, if I am lucky enough to get to come back and visit you lovelies here at Writers in the Storm after my next novel, I will have a sparkling new tip to add to our list.
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About Erika
A native New Englander, raised in Maine, Erika Marks has worked as an illustrator, an art director, a cake decorator, and a carpenter.
She now lives in North Carolina with her family and still rushes to the ocean every chance she gets. The author of Little Gale Gumbo and The Mermaid Collector, this is her third novel.
