Category: Writing Tips

WORDING: CANNOT

Do or do not, there is no CANNOT.

I don’t like the word CANNOT. Not because of its connotations of being unable to do something/anything/whatever. I just don’t like the look of the word.

I’ve always been more of a CAN’T kind of guy.

CAN’T is the contraction of CANNOT. It’s supposed to be informal, but maybe I just didn’t grow up all hoity toity. CANNOT has always looked like a rotten carrot to me.

I tend to use CANNOT when I have an angry character, someone being stern.

YOU CANNOT HAVE DESERT. HAVE A ROTTEN CARROT INSTEAD.

vs.

I’M SORRY YOU CAN’T HAVE DESSERT BECAUSE OF YOUR TOOTH ACHE.

But there are times where you should use CAN NOT, with the space between. It’s when it comes before a phrase that begins with NOT.

YOU CAN NOT ONLY HAVE DESSERT, BUT A BIG HUG, TOO.

(Sometimes you need a big hug).

WRITING TIPS: DELETE THE LAST WORDS

We have a need to finish what we started. But sometimes, finishing that sentence before the end of a writing session is a death sentence to a story.

Why?

Because when we come back the next day, we’re no longer in synch with the story. Our mood has changed, our energy is different.

We were in it the day before, what happened?

We closed a thought.

Leaving a thought open by not completing the last sentence in a writing session is a great way to trigger the synch the following day.

Becuase you’ll read: Then Jeff left the house, slamming

And you’ll remember what he was slamming . . .the door.

I don’t know where I first heard this tip, but it is one I forget too often. If you can’t finish a story or a chapter, but have to get back into that world, deleting the last few words has helped me a lot in a pinch. I just have to remember to do it.

Want more writing tips? Check back every last Wednesday of Every Month.

WORDING: MOIST

Do you know someone that hates the word MOIST?

You’re not alone.

But it’s not me. I will always equate the word MOIST with fresh brownies or a delicious cake. Moist is the opposite of dry and stale. But other people think of gross bodily fluids being moist or hate the way it sounds ‘M-OY-STUH’.

So, it’s a word I’ve tried to learn to be careful with, mostly around my wife. She shudders when I say things like, it was perfectly moist!

It’s good to know if there is a word that triggers people, especially readers, because you wouldn’t want to put them off because of word choice. But now knowing the reaction most people have to the word MOIST, I like to throw it in to the scenes I want to be disgusting. It brings out the sadist in me.

WORDING is an ongoing series of posts on Words I love, misuse, overuse, and/or hate.

WRITING TIPS: INSERT NAME HERE

Whether you want it or not, here’s my tips and tricks for writing . . .

Like turning off spellcheck, using placeholders is another way to streamline your draft writing.

Deep into a novel, I might forget a name or a location. Rather than pausing my writing, I type ‘INSERT NAME’ or ‘INSERT TOWN NAME.’

When I’m done with the draft, I’ll be revisiting it a few times, with my workbook where I tend to collect names and locations and I can correct it then.

But I don’t limit this just to names. I might also need my thesaurus or simply have a word on the tip of my tongue (as they say). I write ‘INSERT WORD’ and then keep writing.

This can be used for other things that you might have to google, like ‘INSERT BEE FACT’ or maybe even ‘INSERT JOKE HERE’ if you’re not feeling especially witty. I’ve even written ‘INSERT FIGHT SCENE.’

I personally find it easier to get as much on paper (or screen) as I can in the time that I’ve allotted for writing. There will be time later to dwell on the details. And you can even search in WORD for those ‘INSERT’ phrases but capitalizing them usually is enough to make them stand out.

Want more writing tips, check back every Last Wednesday of the month . . .

WORDING: THAT

I used to use the word THAT a lot. Too much. You know that too much that people notice, and they point out that you do it too much?

That’s how much.

Read the definition . . .

The word itself began in Old English as a pronoun and a demonstrative adjective. Originally a masculine word, it eventually became used in Modern English for all genders.

It’s considered a more specific or emphatic version of ‘THE’ and the two words are often interchangeable.

Hand me THAT cup.

Hand me THE cup.

It can also be used to imply something previously said, like that example above with the cup.

Even though the word belongs in many sentences, if you’re like me and using it too much there are ways to remove it from your writing.

First off, remember that thing about THE above? If THE doesn’t change the intention of your sentence, then you’re good.

You can drop ‘THAT’ anytime it follows a verb:

The president said that we could mail our taxes to him.

VS.

The president said we could mail our taxes to him.

But if there are more words between your verb and dependent clause, you probably will keep THAT.

The president said on TV that we could mail our taxes to him.

VS.

The president said on tv we could mail out taxes to him.

There’s also the case that you might be using THAT when you should be using WHICH.

THAT introduces information, but WHICH precedes information that is not essential, which is why sometimes THAT is wrong.

The president said on TV that we could mail our taxes to him, which sounds illegal.

The president said we could mail our taxes to him that way.

I also look out for THAT used multiple times in a single sentence. Unless it’s how your character speaks, you can and should usually eliminate at least one.

If a sentence sounds awkward without ‘that’, then it needs it. Always be sure to read your sentence out loud.

WORDING is an ongoing series of posts I’ll be making about words. I won’t always delve into proper use. depending on the word and what it means to me and potentially others there may be articles about words that trigger me, words I love, words that always look misspelled to me and more.