Tips

The approach of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and a message from a Facebook friend mentioning that she was planning on participating this year reminded me of a piece of advice I gave myself three years ago around this time.

Just Show Up.

That little phrase became my mantra when the going got tough, such as the times when I opened my laptop without a clue as to what I was going to say.

Not a clue.

As I wrote on my blog a little later:

I learned that even I, who wrote sporadically at best, when the planets were in perfect alignment and the air was at exactly the right temperature and, you know, I felt like it, could discipline myself to write for 30 days with little knowledge of what was going to happen, or how. I learned to forge ahead without all the answers, which meant a lot of informational gaps, but was rewarded with character revelations I could never have expected. And somewhere along the way, I was even hit with an idea for a second novel.

Now, honesty compels me to admit that I’m not all that good about remembering or following that advice. But something magical seemed to happen when I just “forged ahead without all the answers.” Perhaps that simple act of trust freed the creative side of my brain to explore side roads it wouldn’t have gone down if I’d had a preset agenda. I don’t really know.

But I think I’m going to try it more often.

How about you?

One of the hallmarks of effective writing is the elimination of unnecessary words. Whether you’re padding a piece to make a word count or they’ve crept in so stealthily that you haven’t noticed, sharp-eyed readers as well as editors will pick them up. They’re not your friend.

Redundancy doesn’t come just in the form of repetitive words or ideas, but in filler phrases that add length but no additional meaning to a sentence. A few common examples:

At this point in time
In order to utilize
Because of the fact that

Better to simply say:

Now
To use
Because

Some are so ubiquitous that we rarely stop to think about them, such as “added bonus” or “free gift.” Others slow your sentences down:

It is necessary for all students to complete the final exam.
There are three options from which you can choose.

Better:

All students must complete the final exam.
Three options are available.

Even the most skilled writers miss things like this on occasion. Let your piece sit for a while, if possible. (Actually, this is good advice for a number of reasons, which I’ll get to later.) Then go back and read it again, looking for instances where you can cut without losing your meaning. Read it out loud—your ears sometimes pick up things your eyes don’t. Have someone else read it.

And if you find it’s a repeated problem, one option I occasionally suggest is taking a journalism class. More than 30 years after my first and only one, I’m still reaping an invaluable lesson on getting to the point.

Here’s to writing tight.

Writing Tip: Just Show Up

Writing Tip: Eliminate Redundancy