I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil .~Truman Capote

We writers are constantly challenged to find the right words–to be descriptive, but not verbose. To make our language leap from the page, but at the same time, control our word choice.

One of the easiest ways to clean up your writing is to omit unnecessary words.

Check out the following articles on words you can cut from your writing, and note your own worst offenders. Next time you write something, see how many you can avoid.

1. Plague Words and Phrases, Guide to Grammar and Writing
2. 51 Overused Adverbs, Nouns and Cliches in Writing ,Quips and Tips for Successful Writers
3. Writing Concise Sentences, Guide to Grammar and Writing
4. Ten Words You Should Cut…to Improve Your Writing Style, Bright Hub
5. Are Vampire Words Sucking the Life Out of Your Writing?, Copyblogger

Once you’re used to writing more concisely, look at one of your older pieces of writing. Notice how the unnecessary words pop out at you?

The biggest one I’ve learned to cut is “that.” Now, I cringe every time I see it used without cause. My other pet peeves are:

• “Firstly, secondly, thirdly,” for, “first, second, third”
• “Try and,” instead of, “try to”
• “Extremely,” used to describe something that cannot really be extreme

I’m not suggesting we strip our writing bare, but I do prefer to see each of our words count. We can do that by cutting weak words and replacing them with stronger ones.

While you don’t need to completely banish these words, use them only occasionally, and with good reason.

What words are you trying to eliminate from your writing? Which ones do you find particularly grating?

Can you suggest any other articles or resources on the art of concise writing?

A couple of weeks ago, we noticed there were certain topics writers just can’t agree on.

Discussion seems to be a huge part of the writing life, especially because there are so many hot topics to choose from. And, as we move toward the digital age, I believe the number of friendly arguments will continue to grow.

If you had to cast your vote for one side or the other, which would you choose?

1. (S)he, S/he, Him/Her vs. They, Them. Should ‘they’ be used in place of ‘he’ or ‘she’ when the person’s sex is unknown? If not, do you prefer to see said person referred to as ‘he or she,’ ‘he/she,’ ‘s/he,’ or ‘(s)he’?
2. Literary vs. Genre. Which style of writing are you committing your life to–literary or genre–and why? Which do you prefer to read?
3. Print books vs. E-books. Will E-books take over print books, or will they continue to be secondary? If you could only choose one format, which would get your vote?
4. Kindle vs. iPad. Devoted reading device, or multi-functionality? With all the recent hype over the iPad, do you think you’ll be converted?
5. Self-Publish vs. Remain Unpublished. If you knew you had a good book on your hands, but you were certain to never be offered traditional publication, would you self-publish and market your book yourself, or remain unpublished? Would your answer be different for fiction and non-fiction?
6. Plotting vs. Pantsing. Do you outline your projects before writing them, or do you pants your way through a number of drafts?
7. First-Person vs. Third-Person. Which point of view is more effective–first-person, or third-person? Does one POV work better for certain types of writing than for others?
8. Self-Edit vs. First Draft. Is it better to edit yourself as you’re writing (so you end up with a polished piece of writing on the first try), or to bang out a quick first draft (and be able to see the overall story before going back to add details and edit)?
9. Routine vs. Random Creativity. Do you commit yourself to either a strict writing regimen or a somewhat flexible schedule, or do you just write whenever the muse takes over? Do you force yourself to write even when you don’t want to?
10. Prologue vs. No Prologue. Are prologues more awkward and annoying than anything, or are they a useful tool? Would you include one in your current work, or should they only be used when absolutely necessary?
11. Library vs. Amazon. Would you rather grab a much-anticipated book from the local library for free (and maybe have to wait until it’s available), or fork out the money to purchase it online or from a bookstore?
12. Rhetorical questions vs. Not. Some agents claim to hate them in queries,  and here’s The Rejectionist‘s not-so-polite look at why rhetorical questions don’t work. Do you think a ‘no rhetorical questions policy’ is too harsh, or are there circumstances in which they’re effective?
13. Agent vs. Direct Submissions. When your work-in-progress is complete and polished, do you plan on searching for a literary agent to represent you, or will you go the route of direct submissions?

So, how do you vote?

What’s your pet mispronunciation?

I once had a school teacher who said hippo–crissy for hypocrisy, and polly-gammy for polygamy. I thought it was pretty funny.

While hippo-crissy and polly-gammy are fairly extreme examples, most of us are less-than-perfect when it comes to speech. We swap letters, we slur, we substitute.

I was recently looking through this post on The Most Often Mispronounced Words in English, and here are the ones I see frequently:

• supposably for supposedly
• sam-wich or sangwich for sandwich
• irregardless for regardless
• flustrated or fustrated for frustrated
• flounder for founder
• anyways/towards/forwards for anyway/toward/forward
• aksed for asked
• ex cetera for et cetera
• sherbert for sherbet
  
• ex-pecially for especially
  
• mis-chee-vious for mischievous
  
• ex-cape for escape
• ar-tic for arctic
• nu-cu-lar for nuclear
• obeast for obese.

Some of these examples are misuses of words, rather than mispronunciations, as in irregardless for regardless and flounder for founder.

Now, don’t go thinking I’m on my high horse. A degree in English is not a free ticket to perfect speech. There are plenty of words I misuse and mispronounce, and I’m ashamed to say my biggest offenders are:

• cloze for clothes
• Feb-u-ary for February
  
• min-a-ture for miniature
• san-wich for sandwich
• comf-ter-bul for comfortable

While I spell these words correctly and know how to pronounce them properly, my problem mostly stems from slurring words.

I’m generally told I speak very well, but I can’t help but be self-conscious about these peccadilloes.

For the most part, our pet mispronunciations have been perpetuated since childhood. Eventually, one of three things will happen:

(1) Someone will point out our mistakes and we’ll correct them, or (2) someone will point out our mistakes and we won’t bother to correct them, or (3) no one will point out our mistakes and we’ll continue to make them.

Which words do you misuse or mispronounce? Do they bother you, or are you able to shrug them off?

Are there words you once used incorrectly, but you’ve now reformed your ways?

Which mispronunciations are your biggest pet peeves?

Last week, I was thrilled to receive a message from literary agent Nathan Bransford, of Curtis Brown Ltd., letting me know I was one of 3 winners in his recent blogging contest.

It was a tremendous honour to have my article, Are You a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel? aired on Nathan’s website. The post ended up with 130 comments worth of debate over a few finer points of grammar.

There was quite a lively discussion about whether the phrases “white snow” and “cold snow” are redundant, or descriptive. Eventually, it turned into a debate over how many words the Inuit people have to describe snow.

Many commenters felt very strongly about these points, on one side or another.

This made me stop and think about the things writers just can’t seem to agree on. Indeed, even the title of this post (which ends in a preposition) will be controversial to some.

Here are the 3 things I believe divide writers into distinct philosophical camps:

Grammar

He/she vs. They. To fragment, or not to fragment? Who or Whom?

Show me a writer who doesn’t like to argue over grammar, and I’ll show you one who thinks books are a waste of money.

There’s simply something about it–its strictness in certain areas, and its ambiguity in others–that makes people crazy to jump in one boat the another.

What aspects of grammar get you all riled up?

Outlining vs. Pantsing

Here’s one that’s cut-throat. Truly.

There’s been much heated discussion around the blogosphere regarding which is more effective–planning your stories first, or making them up as you go along.

One must eventually ask oneself this: whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous pantsing, or to take arms against a sea of outlines?

To Self-Publish or Not

Ooh, another one that makes people hopping mad.

Is self-publishing really publishing? Is there a magic number of book sales that makes a self-published author successful?

Should publishing houses be allowed to offer self-publishing services to authors of rejected manuscripts?

What Do You Think?

Before I ask you to share your opinions, here are some of my thoughts on these touchy subjects.

I love to talk about grammar, and I love to learn about grammar. I make mistakes all the time, and I’m not too proud to admit it. Some grammar is flexible, some isn’t. My biggest pet peeve is when people forget to capitalize and punctuate–not just one sentence, but entire paragraphs.

I firmly believe in the benefits of outlining, but I’m relaxed on the extent to which one does this. You might plan every scene ahead of time, or just a general plot outline.

In my opinion, self-publishing is good for a few things: it works for those who would simply love to own a copy of their own book, and some non-fiction titles have done well with the right marketing. Do I plan on it? No.

I think it’s wrong to encourage authors to self-publish if they’re rejected.  Self-publishing needs to be a personal decision, and an informed one.

Now, your turn.

What do you think?

Are you a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel?

I recently came across this amusing post on Humorous Reminders of Common Writing Mistakes, which made me ask myself this very question.

Reading through the list of writing faux pas, I kept vacillating between, “Oh, I would never do that!” and, “Uh oh, I do that all the time.” Once, I would have referred to myself as a definite Word Nerd (because I must admit to the guilty pleasure of reading the dictionary).

Today, I’m not so sure.

So I stopped to consider what separates Word Nerds from Grammar Rebels, and what unites them in their love of language. This is what I came up with:

Word Nerds are well-educated in the technical aspects of language and believe we should obey its rules.

Grammar Rebels are also well-educated in the technical aspects of language, but they believe it’s okay (and sometimes necessary) to break certain rules.

So, what’s the one thing Nerds and Rebels can still agree on?

There are certain language rules that must never be broken. Ever. (Well, except if you’re writing dialogue and your characters can’t speak English properly.)

Here’s a list of rules that both groups of writers agree shouldn’t be broken:

• Spelling: Unless you’re talking about the difference between American and British English, spelling is not a matter of preference.
• Double Negatives: Say, “I don’t have any cash,” not “I don’t have no cash.” If you ‘don’t have no cash,’ you actually do have cash.
• Semicolons: Semicolons separate two clauses that are related to one another, but which could be used on their own. Alternatively, they can separate items in a list. Don’t use them for any other reason.
• Apostrophes: There’s no juggling these little guys. Use them only to show possession or in a contraction.
• Commas: Commas should only be used when necessary, and they must be put in the right spot.
• Redundancy: The common sayings, “I, personally,” or “I, myself,” are redundant. Just say “I,” and go from there.
• Quotation marks: There are hard and fast rules about how to use quotation marks. Learn them and use them correctly.
• Punctuation: Periods, question marks and exclamations should only be used where they’re meant to be used. No swapping allowed.
• Formal writing: If you’re writing a business letter, an formal essay or a work document, adhere to the commonly accepted rules of grammar.

Can you think of any others?

Now, for the rules Grammar Rebels routinely break:

• Split infinitives: It’s okay to say, “To boldly go,” instead of “To go boldly.” I’ve heard this rule is bendable these days.
• Run-on sentences: I’ve seen this done in fiction to produce a stream-of-consciousness type feel.
• Sentence fragments: Your sentences don’t always have to be complete with subject and predicate. Like this.
• Beginning sentences with conjunctions: You can start sentences with and, but, and or, for emphasis. But don’t do it all the time or it gets annoying.
• Contractions: You can freely use contractions in any kind of informal writing. We use them everyday in speech, so they’re somewhat necessary.
• Ending sentences with prepositions: Usually you can end with a preposition and it sounds fine. In cases where it sounds better to use the more formal structure, use that instead.
• Paragraphs: Paragraphs length is up for experimentation, but variety is the key.
• “They” as a singular pronoun: You can use they or them to mean one person, informally. In fact, you probably do it all the time when you’re talking. “What did the person on the phone say?” “They said to call back in an hour.”

Which camp do you fall into? (Or should I say, “Into which camp do you fall?”)

I highly suspect there’s a little Rebel in all of us. In fact, I’m almost willing to guarantee you’re less of a Word Nerd than you might think.

When is it okay to break the rules? When is it not?

Whether we like it or not, slang has become a major part of how we communicate.

Like dialects that arise out of various languages, English has developed its own nuances over time. Words that may have meant one thing to your parents or grandparents might mean something completely different to you.

I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with slang or informal language (except in a formal written work or letter). I use these words all the time, in fact.

My only thought is this:

Why do we change the meaning of words?

Was our language inadequate the way it was, or are these simply errors that have been perpetuated over time?

Here are 6 words I believe we’re using incorrectly, according to their original meanings.

Incredible

• What we think it means: Amazing; extraordinary
• How we use it: “These brownies taste incredible!”
• Its original meaning: Not credible; unbelievable
• How it should be used: “The witness’s testimony is incredible because he was intoxicated at the time of the accident.”

Can a brownie really be incredible? You tell me.

Great

I’ve heard this one used correctly in the UK, but not so much in America, Canada and Australia.

• What we think it means: Very good
• How we use it today: “You seem to be in a great mood.”
• Its original meaning: Very large; of unusual size; remarkable.
• How it should be used: “A great flood covered the earth.”

Fantastic

• What we think it means: Very good
• How we use it today: “You’re doing a fantastic job today.”
• Its original meaning: Having to do with fantasy or the imagination
• How it should be used: “The Hobbit was a fantastic work of fiction.”

Extremely

Maybe you think I’m being picky with this one, but if something isn’t capable of being extreme, then it shouldn’t be modified by the word extremely.

• What we think it means: Very
• How we use it today: “She makes an extremely delicious cheesecake.”
• Its original meaning: To the extreme
• How it should be used: “It’s been extremely cold this week.”

I feel the example about the cheesecake is incorrect because deliciousness can’t really be extreme. In this instance, I think it would be more correct to just say delicious. Saying very delicious would be redundant.

Terrific

Just looking at the word terrific would be enough to help you guess its origins. Makes you wonder why we changed the meaning.

• What we think it means: Very good
• How we use it today: “He’s a terrific sportsman.”
• Its original meaning: Frightening; terrifying
• How it should be used: “I just saw a terrific car accident on the highway.”

Awesome

• What we think it means: Very good
• How we use it today: “We had an awesome vacation over spring break.”
• Its original meaning: Inspiring awe
• How it should be used: “We saw an awesome display of fireworks on New Year’s Eve.”

What Do You Think?

Perhaps you disagree with me on one or all of these words. I’m open to discussion, so please let me know what you think.

Are there other words you feel we’ve changed the meanings of? Do you have a problem with language changing over time, or do you think it’s inevitable?

*Please note, all references on word origin taken from Dictionary.com.

Before you read this post, I want you to take a moment to turn on your favourite song.

Go on. Full blast.

As you listen, try to pick out what instruments are being played. Pay attention to the lyrics, the quality of the singing voice, and the underlying rhythm.

What’s your gut reaction to hearing those familiar beats? A fast song might make you want to bob your head, or click your heels, or flat-out bust a move. Maybe you want to sing along to a slower song, or do a pirouette (as long as no one’s watching, right?).

Considering how people naturally react to music is a good reminder of how readers react to rhythm in writing. The words on the page should have a certain sound. Depending on the type of writing, that sound might be smooth and fluid, or punctuated and choppy.

While most readers won’t be able to define the elements of good rhythm, they’ll notice if the words just don’t sing.

Here are some tips to help you find a writing rhythm that rolls off the tongue:

Vary the Length of Your Sentences

There’s nothing more monotonous than reading the same length sentence over and over.

Maybe you tend toward long, detailed sentences. Maybe you write short ones. One important aspect of rhythm is to vary the length of your sentences so the mind feels the natural ebb and flow of your words.

The following passage, from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, illustrates this point:

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope [sic]. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous.

Notice the passage alternates long sentences with shorter ones.

Start thinking about sentence length and variety as you’re writing, and soon you’ll find yourself doing it automatically.

Rearrange Words or Phrases

If you have difficulty writing first draft material with good rhythm, don’t give yourself an excuse to forget about it; the editing stage is perfect for fixing up those little glitches.

Whatever you’re writing, read it aloud. Pay attention to how the words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs connect to each other. If you find yourself verbally stumbling over certain areas, you can be sure your reader will stumble as well.

Take the opportunity to rearrange whatever is necessary for a smoother read.

Consider What Your Rhythm Evokes

Before you sit down to write, consider what emotions you’re trying to evoke.

There will be times you don’t want your words to be smooth, like when you’re writing a suspense scene. If that’s the case, the last thing you want are a series of long, drawn-out sentences.

Spot the difference in how the following two passages make you feel:

• A breath caught in her throat as she forced herself to keep still long enough for the man to pass her by. She couldn’t see him, but she could feel his presence as he weaved his way between the crates, closing in on the spot where she hid. She quietly reached deep into her coat pocket and grabbed the handle of the sharp object, reassuring her it was still there.
• She held her breath and crouched low. The man was close behind, weaving his way between the crates. She fumbled for the knife handle deep in her coat pocket.

While neither of these examples are great prose (I don’t do suspense stories), it’s the length of the sentences that contribute to, or take away from, the desired effect. Suspense needs to be quick, punctuated, sharp. It needs immediacy.

If you’re writing a more sentimental scene, feel free to use a smoother rhythm and longer sentences.

Remember though, too much of anything becomes boring quickly. Variety is the key.

Forget the Rules

Well, don’t forget all the rules, but do forget about any that try to constrain your rhythm–grammar rules in particular.

If you need to split an infinitive, go for it. Be bold and use sentence fragments (you’re such a rebel). Start sentences with words that should never be used to start sentences. Whatever makes the rhythm sound good, and whatever gets your point across in the best way, that’s what you should write.

Sure, maybe Jane Austen didn’t break the rules, but she’s dead. Times have changed. And as much as I adore Jane, modern writing demands flexibility.

So be flexible.

Go Make Some Music

Now you have the keys to improving rhythm in your writing. You know how to make your words sing:

• Variety
• Arrangement
• Emotion
• Flexibility

The more aware of rhythm you become, the easier and more naturally it will flow in your writing.

I understand. It’s terribly easy to forget all those tricky grammar rules you learned back in school.

In fact, there are so many of them, even good writers can have difficulty keeping track of where things belong, or when to use this or that.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I know the ones that confuse me most are the rules surrounding punctuation.

Now wait a minute. Before you start telling me you already know where to put a period, there’s more to it than just that.

How about punctuating quotations? Questions within questions?

You can try to memorize the rules. Or, if you’d rather not, you can redefine your thinking instead.

Here are 3 rules you’ll encounter, and easier ways to remember them based on information you already know:

Stop Thinking: Punctuation needs to be placed inside quotation marks.

This sounds easy enough, but people tend to forget whether the rule is ‘inside’ or ‘outside,’ when they don’t understand the reasoning behind it.

Also, there is an exception to this rule.

Start Thinking: I know all sentences need appropriate punctuation.

You know all sentences need appropriate punctuation.

You know quotations are merely spoken sentences.

Therefore, quoted statements and questions still need a period, question mark, exclamation or comma, before they end. So, when someone is speaking, punctuation is placed inside quotation marks.

• Incorrect: The English teacher said, “Please use appropriate punctuation”.
• Incorrect: “Please use appropriate punctuation”, the English teacher said.
• Correct: The English teacher said, “Please use appropriate punctuation.”
• Correct: “Please use appropriate punctuation,” the English teacher said.

Stop Thinking: Where there is a quoted question within a question, only one question mark is used. It is placed inside the quotation marks.

This one is confusing because people sometimes wonder if they need to punctuate both questions.

Start Thinking: I’ve never seen a sentence that ended with two question marks.

Well, I certainly hope you’ve never seen two question marks in the same sentence. This is simple logic, and it still follows the original rule of placing punctuation inside quotation marks.

• Incorrect: Did you hear the teacher say, “Isn’t grammar fun?”?
• Incorrect: Did you hear the teacher say, “Isn’t grammar fun”?
• Correct: Did you hear the teacher say, “Isn’t grammar fun?”

“Isn’t grammar fun?” needs a question mark because it is a question, and since it already appears at the end of the sentence, a second question mark isn’t needed to complete “Did you hear…?“

Stop Thinking: If a sentence is a question, but it contains quoted material which isn’t a question, the question mark lies outside the quotation marks.

Here’s where it all gets really complicated, because this is the exception to the rule of punctuating inside quotations marks. Exceptions tend to throw people off.

Start Thinking: I know all questions end with question marks.

If you place the question mark inside a quotation that is not a question, then your question doesn’t get its appropriate punctuation.

• Incorrect: Haven’t you heard, “A watched pot never boils?”
  
• Correct: Haven’t you heard, “A watched pot never boils”?
  

“A watched pot never boils” isn’t a question, so it doesn’t need a question mark. “Haven’t you heard … ?” is a question, so it does need a question mark.

Use Your Common Sense

There are umpteen grammar rules out there, and none of us can remember all of them without the occasional (or more-than-occasional) refresher.

Obviously, not all of these rules can be broken down into common sense, but I believe the former three can. I hope the ways in which I’ve rearranged them has been helpful to you.

Then again, you might have your own unique ways of remembering certain grammar rules. If so, please share them with us.