Are You A Lazy Writer?

We're about to enter those 'lazy, hazy days of summer' as the lyrics of an old song puts it. That might be fine for kids out of school but for writers, it's not so great to lay around doing little or nothing. You might get away with a I'm thinking about writing while I'm lolling on the beach. But only for so long.

There are definitely writers who fall under the category of Lazy Writers no matter what the season. So, what defines these people? Check out my list.

Lazy Writers...

• tell rather than show. It's so much easier that way.
• use passive verbs rather than search for active ones that show.
• use too many adverbs which translate to telling--quick and only one word needed.
• don't study markets thoroughly before submitting.
• skip writing exercises because they take time, too much work, and who cares?
• don't proofread or do it so hurriedly they miss half the errors.
• don't let what they've written simmer a few days or longer before submitting.

Test yourself using this list. Are you guilty of any of these things? Most likely, we all do some of them when we're in a hurry. That's going to happen. After all, we're humans who are not perfect all the time! The bigger question is whether or not you do them on a regular basis. If you find yourself answering yes to several, then you know which category you are going to fall into. 

Wouldn't you rather shed that label and change it to Successful Writer? Who wouldn't? The way to do it is to turn all the negatives above into positives. Hard work? Yes, but well worth it for the results it can bring.