The Writer Who Has A Way With Words

Letters and Words

Have you ever heard someone say She/He has a way with words? Maybe you've read that sentence in a book review. What do they mean by a way with words? To me, it says this writer is one to make us sit up and take notice. She/He doesn't give us information using only the basics, or the necessities to get the thought across.

Instead, they treat us to words and phrases that bring an image to mind, or allows us to hear, feel, touch and taste what the writer is showing us. They don't use a  passel of passive verbs. Those writers who have a way with words offer us poetic prose that we will remember much longer than the words the get it on the page and move on writer does. 

Simple word choices can make a difference. If you want to tell us someone was too serious, perhaps you could say that he was 'mirthless' which is far more interesting than 'too serious.' These writers use interesting words, not ones you've never heard of before, but ones you'll enjoy reading. Whether consciously or subconsciously does not matter. These writers work at increasing their vocabulary.

Those who have a way with words use similes and metaphors to illustrate rather than only basics to let the reader know a piece of information. They employ emotion in their writing which drifts right across the page to the reader.

The has a way with words writer works to pull the reader in and holds on until the final sentence of whatever he/she is writing. 

Do you want to be known as a basic writer or one that has a way with words?

Strong Writing Uses Active Verbs

For most of us, our first draft will be filled with 'to be' or passive verbs. Verbs that are weak and do nothing more than serving as a line between nouns and other parts of speech. You know the ones--is, are, were, will be, was. They have no energy, no power, no pizzazz.

Author, Gary Provost wrote a small book called 100 Ways To Improve Your Writing. I recently purchased it and am finding it a worthwhile read and reference book. The guide was originally published in 1972, but this is an updated 2019 version. His section on using strong verbs is short and to the point. It's quite inexpensive.

 A couple of quotes from Gary Provost regarding action verbs: "Verbs, words of action, are the primary source of energy in your sentences." He goes on to state that verbs are the ones in charge of the sentence. He continues with "If you choose strong verbs, and choose them wisely, they will work harder for you than any other part of speech."

Action verbs give a sentence energy, even excitement. They will also reduce the number of adverbs you use. We're always being told to ditch the adverbs. If you use strong verbs, you can do that with no problem.

If you use a verb like walk or look, you might feel as if you're scratching that 'to be' form for a better verb. It is better, but it isn't good. We consider it a weak verb. Turn walk into stroll, pace, lope,. For look, you might use words like peek, gaze, stare, peer. Here's where your thesaurus can be of help. Look up those weak verbs to find a better, stronger one.

Action verbs bring an immediate mental image to the reader. Those 'to be' forms do not. Mr. Provost gives an example of two paragraphs from one of his novels. One was from his first draft, while the other is from the published book. There is a world of difference in the two. I am quite certain that you and I use far too many of the 'to be' form of verbs in our first drafts. You don't want to let them float right on to your finished piece.

I write using Word, and in the far right-hand corner, at the top bar, there is the word Find. Click on it, then enter the word you want to check, such as was. Lke magic, every was in what you've written will show up in color. It can be a very rude awakening to see dozens of them throughout. You know that your next job is to replace as many as possible with strong action verbs. Other programs will have something similar.

There is no way to get away from ever using an is, was, were. They have a place, but you don't want them to take over your story or essay and make the entire thing passive. Use them, but do so only occasionally. 

Good Writing Is Not Guaranteed With Every Try

If we're honest with ourselves, we know that not everything we write is going to be great. Or publishable. I'd guess that a good many successful writers have stacks of stories/essays that have never seen publication in their files. 

Even the 'good guys' write not-so-hot tales at times and so do we who are still working hard to be one of those often published writers. Why? 

• an idea comes and we write too fast and carelessly
• we don't let that first draft sit and simmer for a few days
• we don't edit carefully
• we're too hurried to consider major revisions
• we're tired
• we're in the I'll never be a great writer mode at the time
• we write with surface thoughts; we don't take time to dig deeper

The more we write, the better writers we can become if we pay attention to all the little do's instead of the don'ts in the writing world. We also have to have a mindset that not every single piece we write is going to be super. Even if we're good, we're not perfect.

The positive in writing many pieces is that the writer can go back later and improve on the ones that were not picked up by an editor. That is reason enough to keep the ones you consider 'bad.' 

I have written a few fiction stories that I thought would turn out pretty well. The idea I had for the story was a good one. After reading what I'd written, I thought something like What a bunch of drivel this is! When we read our first draft over, we know if it has potential or if it is one to file and forget for awhile. Some of them should be forgotten for a long while!

All of the above is a good reason to write regularly and produce myriad stories, essays, poems or whatever your specialty happens to be. Make writing a habit, not an occasional pastime.

When You Write Something Really Good

If you've ever had the experience our friend, Snoopy, is talking about, you're a fortunate writer. We write and we write and we write over the years. Sometimes we're satisfied with the result but other times we squirm a bit because we know what came forth was not the best. 

I've looked at old pieces I've written when trying to decide what to submit for a contest and discarded quite a few. Why? Because I know it is not my best writing, it is not high quality that will outshine other entries. Maybe my effort was lackadaisical. So, why pay a submission fee and send it? Instead, I set it aside with the thought of revising it someday. That someday often takes a long time, however.

The ones that excite me--those I consider good writing--are usually submitted for publication soon after they are complete, meaning that they have simmered awhile and have gone through revision and editing. They're the ones I'm eager to send out because, in my heart, I know they have a good chance of being published. 

As for the contest entries, I don't send only old pieces in my files. I often write something new with the theme and/or guidelines of the contest in mind. Just recently, I found a new anthology I wanted to submit to. I read the guidelines and gave it some thought for a few days. I decided to write about a difficult time in my life. I wrote the personal essay over several days and ended up with a nearly 2000 word story. I felt good about the way it had turned out. I was excited that maybe this story might help someone else in a similar situation. I went back to the call for submissions page and reread the guidelines. Guess what? My story did not fit. I had strayed too far from what the editor was seeking. Even so, I have a new story written, revised and edited that I can submit somewhere else. So, all was not lost.

When I read those guidelines originally, I apparently skipped right through a crucial element. It's why I always suggest here on the blog that you not only read the guidelines carefully. Study them! That's what I tell others to do. Time I took my own advice, isn't it? 

I once wrote a fiction short story for a contest trying to write to their theme. I wrote to the theme alright but the story was pretty darned awful. I was racing to make a deadline and this was the only idea that had come to me. Another time I had not taken my own advice. Don't wait until it is close to the deadline to begin. 

You have definitely derived from the above that I am a human being, not a robot trying to give you tips on writing and encouraging you in your writing life. I'm not perfect and I doubt that any of you are either. We hit bumps in our writing journey and sometimes we even fall flat on our face. What's a writer to do? Stand up, dust yourself off and keep moving. Whatever you've done wrong can be corrected or something new started around the next curve in your journey. 

But do get excited when you've written something you know is good. Don't put it away and do nothing with it. Send it out into the vast writing world until it lands somewhere for publication. Take some time to evaluate that good piece of writing. Determine why you felt it was good. What did you do to make it shine? 

When you know you've written something really good, pat yourself on the back. It doesn't happen day after day. Revel in the times that it does!

Too ManyPassive Verbs Make For Boring Reading

VERBS

ACTIVE VS PASSIVE

When I critique someone's work, I am sometimes overwhelmed by the number of passive verbs used. We warn about not repeating words too close together, but somehow we ignore the large number of words like was, were, is are sprinkled like daisies in a field throughout our story or essay. It's terribly easy to fall into this habit. And it can beceome a habit. 

It also becomes the lazy way of writing. And it creates boredom in your story or essay. Using passive verbs tells me that something is being done to the subject and that gets tiresome. I would much prefer reading about the subject doing something. 

After you write your first draft, go back and highlight all the passive verbs. You might be shocked at the vast number of yellow splotches throughout your document. One by one, check to see if you can make each of those passives into active verbs. 

You cannot just substitute a word and call it done. You may have to reverse the order of your sentence to make the active verb fit into the sentence. That's alright. It's probably going to make it read better anyway. 

You've also read time and again that you should limit the use of adverbs. Using the passive is or was calls for more adverbs. She is what?  He was what? Another reason to limit those passive verbs.

Am I saying to never, ever use a passive verb? No. You will use them occasionally but don't make a habit of doing so. 

There are programs to help you count the number of times a specific word is used. I'm not going to recommend one over the other, so use a search engine to find them and then decide which one works best for you. 

Be conscious of eliminating passive verbs. The more you use active verbs, the easier they will come to you. Using the active verbs becomes a habit just as using those passive ones were habitual, too. 

It's a small thing but it can make a difference in the way your prose reads. Something to work on every time you write a new piece.

Guest Blogger--Barbara Carpenter On Good Writing

Barbara Elliott Carpenter

I'm pleased to have author, Barbara Elliott Carpenter, as a Guest Blogger today.  

                                                          The Eye of the Beholder

     Who gets to decide what constitutes good writing? Critics hand out laurels and brutal assessments with apparent ease. Novels I have found well-written and entertaining have received extremely negative critiques. By contrast, some with rave reviews have left me unimpressed and disappointed.

     All readers have favorite authors. Some, I like for their descriptive prose, colorful description, even romanticism, like Deborah Smith. Others catch my fancy with straight-forward, hard-hitting narrative and dialogue, such as Nelson DeMille. Laura Hillenbrand is unparalleled as a writer of biography/non-fiction. Choosing a single favorite is impossible.

     The criteria for judging a good writer is simple for me. If I forget to edit as I read, the writer has done his/her job, which is to make me forget that I’m reading a book. I become immersed in the story, eager to turn the next page and the next, not wanting the book to end.

What makes the difference?

     After my mother had finished reading the last book of my Starlight trilogy, she looked at me with new respect. “How did you find the words?” she asked. Before I could answer, she continued. “I could do that.” She set about writing her memoirs, pencil to lined notebook paper. We lived 2000 miles apart, but I often asked how her book progressed.

“Oh, it’s coming along.”  Her standard reply changed after a few months. “I don’t have the words,” she confessed.  When she passed away four years ago, we found a stack of papers, hand-written in pencil, with no paragraphing or punctuation, disjointed facts recorded in a kind of “stream of consciousness writing.”

     It is among my prized possessions. One day I hope to convert her efforts into a story that will grip readers with its drama, for her life was certainly that. How will I do it? With words. First I will write a long, drawn-out, wordy account, filled with too many adjectives, adverbs and description. I will put it away for a time before I reread it.

     At that point, I will begin to slice and dice, deleting whole paragraphs and phrases that add nothing to the narrative, not forgetting to save the original. After I’ve worked on other pieces, I will go back to my mother’s story, reworking and editing, adding and taking away. It will take weeks, maybe months, before I have a semblance of what I want.

How will I know when it’s right? The day I can read that story and become immersed in it, forgetting that the petite, blue-eyed protagonist is my mother, is the day I will be satisfied with it. If it is the best I can make it, I won’t care what critics will say. Like beauty, a good book or story is in the eye of the beholder.

     Too many words can ruin a good tale. Too few make it a report. Between the extremes lie honed craft, skilled manipulation, imagination, perseverance and dogged determination. As important as all the above, probably even more, is the love of telling and writing a good story. If no one ever reads what I write, I will still write it, simply for the love of words and writing.

                                                                                                        ~Barbara Elliott Carpenter

Barbara Elliott Carpenter is an award winning writer whose work has appeared in anthologies, magazines and books. Three novels comprise her Starlight Series, and she has written and/or edited two memoirs. Without A Quarter In My Pocket and A Nickel Can of Pork and Beans. Currently, she is a Co-Creator for the Special Occasion book in the new NOT YOUR MOTHER’S BOOK anthology series, published by Ken and Dahlynn McKowen. She is an avid reader, paints, quilts and gardens while still giving attention to her husband, children and grandchildren.

Good Writing

I've had many benefits as a writer, but one of the nicest ones is reading other writers' work and having a real appreciation of what has gone into the story or essay. Sometimes, I find a book or essay that moves me emotionally, appeals to me as terrific entertainment, or speaks to me with its lyrical prose.

It's then that I add the writer to my list of those I admire. I know that they put time and effort into the writing along with the skill they've acquired.

Not everyone who writes can bring out emotion in their readers. The ones who do go on to publish over and over, and their readers clamor for more.

Not every writer can tell an entertaining story. The ones who can keep the reader turning page after page, anticipating what comes next, are writers who continue to be published.

Not every writer can claim lyrical prose. Some who aim for it end up overdoing it, and their prose ends up being sickeningly sweet or too flowery. They decide that if one adjetive is good, three makes it better. The insightful writer realizes that one good adjetive is best, and they have the ability to make the words sing.

When I read a book that is filled with that 'good' writing, I feel very satisfied and slightly in awe of the person behnd the story. The next time you read a really good book, step back and analyze why it appealed so much. What was it about the writing that pleased you?