Writing Exercise: Three Little Words

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He whispers the three magic words: “I cooked dinner.” … no, wait. “Go read tonight.” … “Let’s sleep in.”

Okay, maybe I might be a little tired right now and would love a break. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that three words can have a huge impact. Crafting around interesting words can stretch vocabulary and add interest to a story.

WRITING EXERCISE: Look at the blurb on the back of your present read-in-progress or a blog post you recently reviewed (even this one), and choose three words from it. Now create a scene where those three words appear. Try to work them in organically, make them an actual part of the scene.

Don’t do: “He looked at the xylophone at the edge of the stage.”

More like: “The toddler hammered the xylophone, determined to make music, while her father worked on putting all the pots and pans back into the cabinet. Whatever her next stage would be, he hoped it wouldn’t be as nosy. The constant sound set him on edge.”

Remember the words don’t have to be nouns. Verbs and adjectives can add color and action. Comment below what three words you used.

Editing Rant: Felt

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“felt” is an imprecise word, often overused. Try to limit it to once per page, switching it out for a stronger, more precise verb whenever possible.  Don’t avoid it altogether, because its broadness does offer its own charm in the range of interpretation. But decide when you want the reader to put their own feelings on the page and when you want to put the feelings on the page in them.

Above is the polite version. The full-on editing rant – felt doesn’t MEAN anything. How did they feel? What did they feel? Only time “feel” is good is “I feel a disturbance in the force.” If I got six feel/felt on the same page, I’m going to start taking the felt and making toys with it.