In honor of national Grammar Day, I’m going to post the MBT Good to Great Checklist!  See, it’s not only about WHAT you write.  It’s HOW you write it.  We often say it’s about story.  And it is.  But a good writer can make any story compelling…..a bad writer can take a great story and blow it.  Yes, there are mediocre writers out there, but the story compensates.  And there are fabulous writers out there, writing a story that doesn’t deliver. You have to have structure AND art to deliver a powerful story.

An author’s voice is ART.  It’s how you express the story.  It’s the one component that is more instinct than rules.  However, before you can start to express yourself through your voice, you need to know the basics of writing. Just like in dancing you must know the basic steps before you can add flair.

So I’ve come up with a system to help you (and me) to evaluate your wordsmithing.  A Checklist.

Wordsmithing Checklist:

Clarity.  Have you said it as clearly as possible?  Or are you trying to make your manuscript more valuable by filling it with million dollar words?  The thesaurus is NOT your friend if you have to look up the work in the dictionary, too.  You can have maybe ONE million dollar word…per book. But, don’t confuse clearly with dullness.  Good writing isn’t dull.  Consider the difference between WALK – dull, Stroll – clear but interesting, and perambulate – wordy.   Writing gets stronger as it adds precision, not length.  (Gary Provost – Make your words work)

No Overwriting.  Look for redundancy…in idea, in words, in sentences.  We often repeat ourselves when we want to make our point. Resist the urge!!

Simplicity.  Simple sentences create impact.  I see people writing these long runon sentences:

She sat on the bench and began opening peas, one by one, until the pile grew, while the sun beat down on her neck and caused rivulets of sweat to dampen her blouse.

Try: She sat on the bench.  One by one she, began opening peas, until the pile grew.  Rivulets of sweat to dampened her blouse as the sun beat down on her neck.

3 sentences, three actions.  Simplify.

The smaller the number of words you use to contain a thought or an image, the more IMPACT that thought or image with have.

Ie:  For sale.  Baby’s Crib.  Never used.  (Thank you, Hemingway!)

Fresh Symbolism. Are you avoiding Cliches? They are for people who are lazy, or too tired to reach deep. Look for a new symbol, preferably one in the world around your POV character.

Word order.  Are you utilizing the tricks?

Are you using punch words correctly?

One work punch: If you want emphasis, put your punch word last. 

Or alone.

One home step and he’d be home.

Home.  Finally after three years at war.

Home.

One-Two Punch: Two words/phrases connected without a conjunction.

“I don’t know. You started this.” Impatience. A sign of a brewing

argument.

He loomed over her, a shadow, menacing.

She laughed, running her hands around his neck, hooking her finger behind his neck.  He bent just close enough to her lips to invite, tease.

3 Step Punch:  3 words that build on each other.

He was good at spelling. He was better at writing. But he could stun the world with his speeches.

Are you writing positively? Iff possible, say it in the positive than the negative…

Eg:  There was no light in the cave.  – You think first of no light, and then the cave.

But what if you say, the darkness in the cave seeped inside her..

IOW: Show them what you want to see, not what you don’t want them to see.

Have you deleted Weak words?

– Ly, words make VERBS weak.  Ie:  walked slowly.  Plodded.  Replace –ly words with power words:  active verbs, Jumped suddenly = pounced.  Ate quickly = gobbled.

– Or two or more adjectives before or after a word takes the power from the word.  A mean, cantankerous woman…  Shrew.  A slow, meticulous man…Bean counter.

Are you using Power Nouns? (instead of adjective) Use Specific nouns:  Car =  Roadster.  Model T.   Porsche.  Ford pickup.  VW Bug.  You are trying to create a picture, an emotion, a sense of identity.  DETAILS and SPECIFICS MATTER.

These also add to the mood of the scene.

Using Active voice?  IOW:  delete:  WAS.  Watch your was words – they’re instant action cutters.  Yes, occasionally you want to slow the action, but this construction is devastating to the movement of your plot.

Add Attitude!  Remember, it’s all about POV.  And the closer you are to the source, the more real it will feel.

 

Next week, I’ll show you how to take your WAS sentences and turn them active!

Have a great writing week!

Susie May