Editing Success…

I finished my first edit of RUNAWAY CHOICES last night and in the process I figured out a small little nugget I added in to the story to make it much better. I hope… Haha.

Like all first, second and maybe even fifth drafts, it’s surely not ready for submission, publication or the general public. But it is ready for Beta Readers… a couple of whom were emailed last night with squeals of delight with the attached PDF file.

I know there are things that probably don’t make sense to the reader, which is what Beta’s are for. Since I wrote it, everything makes sense in my mind, but it wont necessarily make sense to my readers. So I hope everyone will come back with honest opinions and let me know what works, what doesn’t and what is all screwy! Cuzz it’s what I need.

So while I wait for the first Beta readers to come back, I thought I would be fun to identify two things I search and destroy in my first drafts, which make my MS tighter and much easier to read.

This is just one opinion, but I know this stuff to be true in my OWN writing.

THAT: Poor that… it’s so abused in today’s society. I mean really. So abused in fact writers really need to give it a break. And unless you are speaking of “that object right there….” you should never, EVER use it in a MS. Using that is like saying, Blah Blah Blah… It’s a filler word and it slows the pace down and it just a rotten word. Just say no! Example:

It reminded her that no matter how large the problem, or how small, that He was always there to guide and protect.

*twitch*

It reminded her no matter how large the problem, or how small, He was always there to guide and protect.

Ya digg? Do you see the first sentence is “fine”. In fact, it’s the way some people talk. Fine. But in your MS, it does NOT belong.

Suggestion: Do a SEARCH/FIND for that and highlight them. Then read through your MS and I guarantee you will be able to take out at least 95% of them.

Serious. Try it.

ADVERBS: I don’t feel very sorry for the adverbs of the world… mainly because you use them every day but man are they abused. Adverbs are those pesky -ly words that seem to creep up in a MS and part of the reason your critiques say, “Please show, don’t tell.”

-ly adverbs SCREAM TELL…

She walked quickly down the dimly lit hall, hopefully to find the creature she sought dutifully.

*screams running*

(yes I know, that was a gross overuse, but I had to get my point across and  I have come across sentences like this!)

Please, please don’t do this to me, or your reader. This sentence tells me a lot but shows me nothing. We, as readers, want to experience the hall and the creepy of it all. We experience NOTHING when you write it this way… because the adverb gets in the way. It handcuffs the reader and the writer!

Now, not all adverbs are evil. Some have to be there. Some just move you forward past something that doesn’t matter in your MS and this is completely fine. Just watch for the abuse.

Suggestion: SEARCH/FIND/HIGHLIGHT “ly”. Count how many you have used in your MS. The number may shock you. Then take most of them out by SHOWING us the action, instead of telling us.