Seven Down-and-Dirty Tips to Transform Your Writing
As a book editor, I spend much of my time in “heavy lifting” work—assessing a manuscript for overall flow, shoring up gaps, and ensuring clarity and consistency. But the rest of my effort goes toward sentence-level changes that will impact the reader’s understanding and experience.
Some of these edits are nuanced and require a deep knowledge of grammar and style guides. Others come from intuition about pacing and structure gleaned from years of reading and editing. But a few are so easily accessible that anyone can apply them. I’ll share seven of those with you now. Applying them can elevate your writing, and even help you make better use of the time and money you spend on editing (for more on this, see this past post).
1. Minimize your “state of being” verbs.
This won’t be a grammar lesson, so don’t worry. But to channel Ms. Chadwick, my 11th grade English teacher who made us adhere to no more than two of these verbs per page, I’ll divulge how this can help your writing.
State of being verbs can’t be seen (or heard, tasted, etc.) while they occur. They include forms of the word “be,” such as: have/has/had/having, is/are/was/were. Sentences that include them are often written in passive voice, or they aren’t as vivid as possible. This doesn’t mean you can or should eliminate them all (as you can see, I’m using them in this post). Especially when they link to another verb, like “I was swimming,” they may be necessary. But scanning your writing to see where these verbs appear can make your writing more lively—adhering to the oft-repeated adage of “show, don’t tell.” Look for these verbs, and consider transforming a sentence or replacing them with more vivid verbs (action words):
· I was astounded by the sunset. (passive voice, with state-of-being verb)
Can become:
· The sunset astounded me. (straightforward, and fewer words)
From there, you may even be inspired to get more creative with something like:
· The sunset stole my breath.
A quick, more advanced note about passive voice: It’s useful sometimes, especially to highlight a subject’s lack of control. For example, this sentence uses passive voice to show victimization:
· Vivian was attacked by the dog.
But you may prefer something more straightforward and concise:
· The dog attacked Vivian.
Either option works! You decide what effect you want to imply, and it may depend on whose point of view you want to highlight (e.g., who is your subject?).
2. Ensure your pronouns are clear.
I’m not talking about using preferred gender pronouns, although that’s important too. Rather I’m speaking of using pronouns like “it” or “them” when it’s not clear what those words refer to. Ensure it’s clear which subject you’re referring to. Example:
· Bob ate candy, and Henry sampled the soup. He liked it a lot.
Who liked what they ate—Bob or Henry? Without knowing that, we also don’t know if “it” is referring to the soup or the candy. This could be changed to:
· Bob ate candy. Henry sampled the soup and liked it a lot.
Scan your manuscript for pronouns, especially “it” and “them,” and make sure we can tell what (or who) you’re referencing. This may seem so simple that it’s unnecessary to say, but I see this error frequently.
3. Reword “there is/are/were” when possible.
Starting a sentence with these words shows passivity. Work to make your writing more active by replacing or eliminating them.
· There were many deer crossing in the road.
Can become:
· Many deer crossed the road. (more concise)
“It is” can similarly be reworded in many cases, often adding clarity over who is doing the action.
· It is so frustrating that you did this.
Can become:
· I’m so frustrated that you did this.
4. Eliminate “I remember” unless it’s the act of remembering that matters.
I see this often in memoirs. The problem is that we already infer you remember something if you’re writing about it. I usually edit this out, unless the very act of remembering is what matters. This would be the case, for example, if you’re memory has been hazy about other facts, but this is a scene you recall.
5. Swap out repeated words, especially within a sentence or paragraph.
If you see the same nouns and verbs appearing often within the same paragraph, it’s time to do some word swapping. Consult a thesaurus if you need help. Using distinct words keeps a reader’s mind engaged. The same applies if you repeat the same word too many times in a manuscript; the reader will tune out if you start to sound repetitive.
6. Mix up the lengths of your sentences.
The best writing has a varied cadence. Integrating both long and short sentences into the same paragraph will achieve this balance. See how I’m doing it here? You can too.
7. Avoid too many superlatives like “very” and “really.”
Rarely do these words add value. Often, they weaken the writing. Really! Eliminate them when you can, or consider using stronger words to show greater impact:
· I thought the story was really sad.
Could become:
· This story made me weep.
What tips would you add to this list? Reply to let us know.
Happy writing!
