Comments on: Getting the Words Right

By: mizwrite

mizwrite — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:51:54 +0000

Crystal — Ah, so you’re with Amethyst on the the “just” (must be an affliction for those with gem names! ha, ha. …) “Which” is a word that introduces a complex phrase, which I love too. <—- See???

By: Crystal Posey

Crystal Posey — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:07:17 +0000

“just” and “which”

Don’t ask but I love those two words and I over use them something fierce!

By: mizwrite

mizwrite — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:07:12 +0000

Hi, Patti! Thanks for coming by! Ah, yes, another “gaze” and “look” person. I think I do it (not sure if same for you?) because what people look at — or which direction their “gaze” goes — can show a lot about them. If they look away, or focus on a tabletop while they’re talking, or study their conversational partner — all of those really show a lot. A “look” can show embarrassment, evasiveness, confrontation, fear, bravery, etc. It’s so revealing. So my characters end up doing a lot of it! I need to find some other revealing actions, though. …

Hmmm … That’s another good post: Involuntary actions.

By: Patti

Patti — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:27:23 +0000

I over use gaze. Walked. stared, regarded. Anything for looking. I hate the word look and never use it, hardly ever, but gaze is every other sentence. I need to get over it. My MIL pointed out I use the word Rake alot. I did in my first book. This one, not so much. So if anyone has words for looking look, let me know.

By: Amethyst

Amethyst — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:07:58 +0000

Ack. I’m a big one on the smiles, too. It just seems like my characters are always teasing each other.

Meanwhile, thanks for the name compliment (I’m rather proud of my dad’s creativity there) and for–um, ‘looking forward’ to SILVER.

Amethyst

By: mizwrite

mizwrite — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:25:06 +0000

Amethyst (beautiful name!) — Yes, those filler words are weird when someone points them out to you, aren’t they? So yours is “just”? Interesting. I found out that I use the filler word “little” an awful lot. I had to have a critique partner point it out to me, but then when I did a search I was stunned at how often I used it! Strange. Thanks for sharing. We’ll look forward to SILVER.

December (another beautiful name!) — So true about someone else having to point it out. (Thank goodness for critique partners, eh?!!) “Grinning” is a great one — I can imagine how easy it is to overuse that. I noticed in TWILIGHT that Stephanie Meyers used “laughing” or “laugh” constantly. I haven’t read her later books, but I hope someone pointed it out to her so she could look for it in later writing. When someone points it out, it helps us become so much better.

By: December

December — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:51:35 +0000

My problem is, I never see it until someone else points it out. I’m trying to get better.
I have everyone GRINNING. smiles, grins, smirks, they walk around with big cheesy grins all.the.time.
ugh.

By: Amethyst

Amethyst — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:25:52 +0000

In about two weeks when I start picking SILVER apart word-by-word I’ll have to do a serious look-up of the word ‘just’. I use that one a ton, and while I haven’t been so bad about it in novel-writing I’m horrible with the word ‘also’ in comments and blogs. I almost always have an ‘also’ to tack on. It’s just how I am. *grin*

–Amethyst

P.S. Also.