Another edition of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and the glory that is their steadfast support.
If you’re into things like that, their Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG
The awesome co-hosts for the August 2 posting of the IWSG are Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner! Go check out their posts and enjoy.
~The more I post with this group, the greater has become my gratitude for it. Now that I’ve been posting with big public sites like Her View From Home and Mamalode I have run into the internet fun that is trolls and it just makes me appreciate the wonderful people who wander over from IWSG more.
Not only do you guys click on my site and read you leave comments. Nice comments. Thoughtful comments. Comments that don’t include any ALL CAPS or nasties. It’s like an oasis, after dodging through badlands where some comments are ok to step on and some are raging lava geysers that come out of nowhere. So, thank you guys. Thank you for being normal, kind, decent, supportive commenters.~
August 2 Question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?
Woot woot! A pet peeve post. My peeves are much petted and I love ranting so this one is going to be fun. Let’s make this a listicle, cause why not.
Pet peeve the 1st: Being unable to disappear into a book because I’m mentally editing while I’m reading.
Now that I know the tips, tricks and tools they stand out EVERYWHERE. It’s like those magic pictures where there are lots of colored blobs and then you adjust your vision and all of a sudden there are shapes and faces in it. Now that I know, the author has to be really good to get me to turn off that inner editor and just read. I guess that’s also a benefit? In a way? My filter for bad writing has become much finer. Silver lining or no, that’s going down as a peeve.
Pet peeve the 2nd: Not being able to use adverbs in my writing.
I adore those lovely scene painting bits of goodness. A lot of my favorite authors use the heck out of them (Hi Robin McKinley! As if you’d need to be on my blog, but whatever.) The universal discrimination against them right now peeves me. They’re like gorgeous embroidery that used to adorn clothing back in the day. They will be back in fashion some day though, and then the books written in this DeATH to teh adVERBS!!!@ way will look old-fashioned and silly. Meanwhile, I sneak in a couple adverbs per page and try hard to make them necessary (while also, of course, using lots of strong, action-y writing and not relying on adverbs to be my crutch because there’s a difference between richly detailed writing and just plain weak writing.)
Pet peeve the 3rd: Second-guessing every freaking word I chose to write when I edit.
When I go through to edit I forget that I’m editing and start *writing* again. Half the time I don’t make it more than a few sentences before I start to re-write. From here on out I will cease to think of it as “editing” and think of it as another draft. I’m polishing up the manuscript with many drafts. Not editing. This must be why God made editors.
How about you? Pet peeves? Slight annoyances? Tell me all about it! Just, you know, keep in mind how much I raved about your kind comments in the beginning of this post when you tell me adverbs are straight up green slimy evil.
featured image via Stocksnap.io and Nathan Fertig
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14 comments
Sorry about the trolls. 🙁
This is a wonderful group! And yes to editing while reading. Sigh.
Thanks Yvonne
I get stuck on words too! Sometimes for days! I know what I’m trying to convey, but it doesn’t work. Then, when I leave it for a week or so and go back to it I can instantly rectify it. It’s so frustrating!
I haven’t tried just leaving it and going back though. That’s a good idea, even if it is frustrating 🙂
I think you are talking about writing style. Seems like things go in and out of fashion. It has to do with what comes naturally to us as writers. Some people are very literary and write with beautiful metaphors. I think I am very straight forward in my language. I have read things written in different styles and have liked all of them. So I think if something works for you and is expressing something in a style you like, it is ok.
I wish agents and editors were as chill about it as you are Deborah! They’re very much on the no adverbs train.
Now you got me thinking about this and I will be checking for adverbs as I read books. I love Jane Austen and now want to go and see how many adverbs she used.
I like to re-read Dickens sometimes for that. He packs 3-4 adverbs in per SENTENCE. With lots of commas. Lol
Well if I could write like Dickens, he is one of my all time favorites…I just did some quick research about this adverb prejudice and found this http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2016/06/02/abolish_the_adverb_you_seriously_must_be_joking.html Thought you might be interested. 🙂
Totally agree with your comments regarding IWSG. It is the best! And the people are so awesome. 🙂
With Love,
Mandy
Ha! You could have written my list of peeves for me. But the aversion to adverbs thing really chaps me too. Too wordy? We are writers. Painters use colors, writers use words. Gone are the days of “See Spot run”, or at least, they should be.
Solidarity! We will advocate for writers being able to use wordy words.
I hear you about not being able to turn off the inner editor when reading. I remember the words of a wise old Southern lady I once knew: “Honey, ever’body’s got something to teach you, even if it’s how not to be.”
That’s a good way to look at it