tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post1074785878176657917..comments2023-10-25T03:45:03.077-04:00Comments on Confessions of a Watery Tart: First Draft Faux PastiesHart Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-69420416801678438852012-10-10T18:11:59.175-04:002012-10-10T18:11:59.175-04:00I don't have quibbles so much as moments of sh...I don't have quibbles so much as moments of shock and horror. I wonder why this sentence sucks or why I have that minor character at all, or if I was delusional when I was writing a particular chapter. After those problems, certain overused words are nothin'.Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14967821142796562697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-83365729139988328992012-10-10T17:31:33.143-04:002012-10-10T17:31:33.143-04:00Some crutch words for me! "Just" and &qu...Some crutch words for me! "Just" and "looked" are definitely two of them. And, strangely enough, apparently "crouched" too. (Although I swear there's a good reason!)<br /><br />And I have characters express their emotions through breathing, too much, too. You know-- Gasps, let out a huge exhale, holding their breath. It doesn't help that there's an anomaly in my book called the Bomb's Breath that adds extra "breath," if you will. Man, I use them a lot!Peggy Eddlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10241451940725996650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-19854797217287718602012-10-10T11:32:43.382-04:002012-10-10T11:32:43.382-04:00I also have the first person problem you have. I&#...I also have the first person problem you have. I'm really hopeful, though, that it will just get better the more i write in first personSarah Ahiershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02795455714801965956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-32965467709246714002012-10-10T00:54:00.640-04:002012-10-10T00:54:00.640-04:00I must admit that I too know pasties as...food. LO...I must admit that I too know pasties as...food. LOL. It's that way in Australia too.Trishahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927558937796802496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-48074700910443524002012-10-09T12:56:57.799-04:002012-10-09T12:56:57.799-04:00Definitely the crutch words. I use 'felt' ...Definitely the crutch words. I use 'felt' way too many times.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-1787036938934566022012-10-09T10:24:16.462-04:002012-10-09T10:24:16.462-04:00omg--"faux pasties"--BAH!!! *snort* you ...omg--"faux pasties"--BAH!!! *snort* you so funny! :D<br /><br />Omg, on the first draft, you're so right. Just forget it and write. But I have a big ellipses problem. And "looked." All my characters "look" too much. <br /><br />*stomps off to find thesaurus* ;p <3LTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-42362392137951417072012-10-09T10:15:01.265-04:002012-10-09T10:15:01.265-04:00I'm quite familiar with all the first person w...I'm quite familiar with all the first person woes in an early draft. "I saw, I thought, I heard" -- cut them all!! I know this and I still catch myself doing it. <br /><br />And my crutch words are "just, really, actually." I know now to do a find/replace for them, but it's ridiculous how often I still use those words. Luanne G. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15762881276976395955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-67804747817885846072012-10-09T09:50:01.054-04:002012-10-09T09:50:01.054-04:00Adverbs. I've gotten out of the habit, finally...Adverbs. I've gotten out of the habit, finally, of starting sentences with them, lol! Sometimes I get passive rather than active--easy fix but time consuming. When writing the first draft I, too, add some of the boring minute by minute stuff that has to be removed. There is also quite a bit of material that <i>I</i> need to know, but the reader doesn't, that ends up in the story archive files. I'll confess, some the bits and pieces I really like--just can't justify them in the story, darn it. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.siamckye.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Sia McKye OVER COFFEE</a>~Sia McKye~https://www.blogger.com/profile/08470562659597351033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-28391150448774716812012-10-09T09:38:32.596-04:002012-10-09T09:38:32.596-04:00Crutch words are the bane of my writerly existence...Crutch words are the bane of my writerly existence. I use "especially" and "definitely" way too much. :)David P. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17259276981865439853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-8593788990697870732012-10-09T09:20:47.220-04:002012-10-09T09:20:47.220-04:00Okay, I used okay about 300 times in one novel. P...Okay, I used okay about 300 times in one novel. Probably not okay.<br /><br />I think shelf time is really important. I'm finishing revisions on a novel that I haven't looked at much since June. It's much easier to see what needs to be fixed after some separation. <br /><br />Good luck on your edits!Tonjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08652479946102909276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-76253167433529159262012-10-09T08:44:17.564-04:002012-10-09T08:44:17.564-04:00Ha! Tara- I love parentheses, too, but think they...Ha! Tara- I love parentheses, too, but think they really only work in fiction in that comedic stuff, so I've resisted.<br /><br />Trisha-oh, I have some of those gesture crutches too! And present tense DOES have some extra pitfalls. I don't care for writing in it, but that is more just a preference.<br /><br />Kitty-BAH! In the US pasties are sort of faux undergarments... I forgot in Britain they eat them.<br /><br />MTS-yeah, I do some of that, too. It is a tricky balance, eh?<br /><br />Em-funny how many of us have punctuation fetishes!<br /><br />Tina-that was my route to em-dashes, too--to reduce the ellipses. Too funny.Hart Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-71958155335022493842012-10-09T08:07:52.258-04:002012-10-09T08:07:52.258-04:00Erm...love those three little dots, and in an effo...Erm...love those three little dots, and in an effort to not use them too much (or my beloved parentheses) - I've started using dashes. Sigh.<br />I've never done a first edit, because I haven't finished my first novel, so I'm of no use to you today except to say I love the faux pasties line, it's totally you.<br />http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/Tinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08925730745204736744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-36266637643763612832012-10-09T08:04:18.179-04:002012-10-09T08:04:18.179-04:00I'll show you mine...with my clothes on! Love ...I'll show you mine...with my clothes on! Love ellipses! And exclamation marks. And-em dashes.Karen Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01522178275164058849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-541817759742156542012-10-09T07:36:38.952-04:002012-10-09T07:36:38.952-04:00My characters spend way too much of their time shr...My characters spend way too much of their time shrugging, shaking their heads, narrowing their eyes and so on. I'm also guilty of starting lots of sentences like this, "Shrugging off his backpack, he...", "Pulling the covers back, she...", "Shifting to neutral, he...". <br /><br />"Deleting the entire chapter, she started fresh."MTShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01583110659380717128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-466709086679300302012-10-09T06:10:54.672-04:002012-10-09T06:10:54.672-04:00Cheese and onion pasty for me! :-)
I think writin...Cheese and onion pasty for me! :-)<br /><br />I think writing in first person while keeping in the intended character of one's mc is definitely a fine line to tread!!<br /><br />Good luck with your most NAKED revisions!! Take care<br />xOld Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13185547869183611159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-85206991284725202232012-10-09T03:33:54.595-04:002012-10-09T03:33:54.595-04:00I've been very conscious lately of cutting dow...I've been very conscious lately of cutting down on my ellipses, 'cause maaaaaaaan I love those things. I definitely use a lot of em-dashes too, so yeah, that's on my 'to cut' list.<br /><br />I mostly write in first person present tense when it comes to novels lately, and this brings it own set of challenges. But yeah, a lot of sentences starting with "I" too.<br /><br />I tend to do a lot of "he smiles", "his gaze locks on me", "she arches a brow", etc.. So yeah, I've got plenty of to be getting on with in the fixing game ;)Trishahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927558937796802496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127677169344207651.post-44550258651956717952012-10-09T03:10:52.608-04:002012-10-09T03:10:52.608-04:00I'm an ellipses nut... (and I like parenthesis...I'm an ellipses nut... (and I like parenthesis too). Yeah,I use them WAY too much. But I just love those little dots, and those brackets are awesome for those little extra bits of info,especially when writing humour. And italics. LOVE italics. And capitalizing words...<br /><br />Er,I have a few fetishes,obviously. *shifty*Amber T. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01087021598115958337noreply@blogger.com