dbskyler

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I came across this article on self-editing, and it has some really great advice that applies to fanfic as well as to original fiction:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen-lamb/six-easy-tips-for-selfedi_b_3838124.html

I have to admit, I have been guilty of doing some of the exact things it says not to do! At least I know there's room for improvement in my writing, right?

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From:

eve11

Those are some great tips :)

I also keep a list of words and phrases I know I tend to over-use, the words themselves and then a list of synonyms :)

From:

dbskyler.livejournal.com

Wow, that's great! I don't even know which words and phrases I tend to over-use. I'm sure I have some!

From:

aralias.livejournal.com

I have to admit, I have been guilty of doing some of the exact things it says not to do!

me too... begun ironing is the main one. i even edited it out of someone else's work this morning (at actual work...) - largely for space reasons, but still. it does give a different meaning to the sentence. i think. maybe i am just deluding myself. anyway - interesting list!

From:

dbskyler.livejournal.com

I once had a beta reader edit something like that out of my fic, and I remember thinking "ooh, yes, that does sound better." But I still don't look for it in my writing. I think you're right and it can convey a slightly different meaning, which is fine if that's the meaning you wanted. The trick is to use it on purpose.

From:

lolmac

It's definitely better than most, but -- why do so many professional wordsmiths suddenly turn OCD literal when they meet a usage that they don't like?

And why the knee-jerk hatred of "saidisms"? I had one person, supposedly literate, accuse me of "fear of said". I didn't ask her why she has "fear of saidisms".

In the first tip, the blogger took the time to recognize that context matters -- she bucks the handwaving dismissal of ALL adverbs, metaphors, etc., and focuses on whether a given example supports or distracts. "Save the best and ditch the rest" is excellent advice, and recognizes the value of rhythm, tone, stress, timing and context.

But having resisted knee-jerk dismissal in her first point (the one that she admits to loving, herself, in her own writing), she jumps into knee-jerk dismissal for most of the rest.

We are smart. Really. followed by . . . Her eyes flew to the other end of the restaurant.
Amazingly enough, I am able, as a reader, to understand that this is a metaphoric use of "flew", and that the writer is using a powerful, active verb to convey an additional dimension to the character's reaction. Why exactly is this supposed to be a Bad Thing? Did the line appear in a piece of writing that was already loaded down by cliched passages? Doesn't that indicate that context plays a role?

A character can't "laugh" something. They can't "snip" "spit" "snarl" "grouse" words. Yes they can. They can express themselves in many amazing ways. Powerful, active and evocative verbs are cheered in most cases by writing gurus -- but let a writer try to use one in place of 'said', and the wrathful ghost of Elmore Leonard is summoned from Hell to smite them.

It's much easier to post a laundry list like this than to get into the difficult subject of developing an ear for balance and tone. It's certainly difficult to admit that you've been swallowed the dictates of cranky old men with limited imagination, and that you don't want your own language to stretch. It's tough to stretch: you have to learn how to tell that you've stretched too far, and that's much harder to post in a laundry list form. It's a tip that encourages instead of condemning, but it's not an "easy" tip.

Okay, rant over . . .

From:

dbskyler.livejournal.com

Well, every editor is going to have writing styles they like and styles they don't like. It's fine to ignore the advice if you don't agree with it.

I do think that she's right in general, though, and that these are pretty good rules to follow. While it's fine to break them for a specific purpose, it's better if the writer knows that they're breaking them -- that they're making that stylistic choice. "Eyes flew" is indeed a metaphor, and once isn't a problem, but I have seen authors basically have characters' eyes doing aerobics with all their movement, and I do think those fics would be better if their authors used that type of phrase more sparingly. But I fully agree that it's a matter of taste.

As for the "said" business, not only do I agree with the blogger, but it is actually one of my pet peeves as a reader. Well, I do think you can snarl words, but some of the others? "That joke was really funny," she laughed. vs. That joke was really funny," she said, laughing. Sorry, but I do think the second version is correct, and the first version is wrong. I don't know, maybe it's just another type of stylistic choice, but it bothers me every single time I come across it.