2^nd Installment

1)      SEMI-COLONs

Personally, I am a fan of the semi-colon, especially if it reduces the use of “and” or “then” or the infamous dots [ … ].  But as with any editing tool, they can be over-used.  So, as always, try to vary your sentence structure throughout your writing so that no particular type of sentence is over-used (and therefore, predictable and boring).

The semi-colon is used more in informal writing, such as in manuscripts or in dialogue.  (The colon is used more for lists and such – more on the colon later.)

As a general rule, think of the semi-colon as a replacement for “and” or “then,” even though you can still use either of them after a semi-colon. Often, what comes after a semi-colon is a complete sentence of its own, but not always.  I think of it this way; the semi-colon is a way to put a slightly longer pause in a sentence without starting a new one.  It keeps the flow of the sentence moving without the full stop of a period.

Examples: A tiny spurt of joy lanced through her; she couldn’t help but smile.  

Or:    It was spiky, not soft; coarse, not fine. 

2)      COMMAS, COMMAS, COMMAS

I think a major pet peeve for most editors is the over-use of commas.  There are some writers who seem to just throw those pesky things everywhere, even in places where you would not normally pause.  But on the other hand, there are those who rarely use them, even when they are needed, such as after dialogue.  Both problems are just as annoying for an editor.

Example:  “I don’t want you to leave,” she said. 

I tell all my authors that it is a great idea to read your work out loud - whether you have an audience or not – and pay attention to pausing wherever you have put a comma, and not pausing where you don’t have one.  This will really help you to get a feel for the flow of the words, whether it is dialogue or not.  And if you find that you are putting more than 2 commas in any sentence, it may be a good idea to restructure it so that it flows better.

Example of over-use:  He was dressed, like always, unless he were nude, in one of his many expensive suits.

Example of better use:  Unless he was nude, he was always dressed in one of his many expensive suits.

As you can see in the examples above, you don’t even have to change the content of the sentence to eliminate the over-use of commas. 

3)      WELL…

Another major pet peeve of mine is the use of “well” in a sentence.  If I had my way, I would eliminate using “well” at all in anything but dialogue.  And even there, I would use it sparingly. 

I have had many writers defend their use of this word, especially in dialogue, saying that this is how people usually speak.  And they may be right.  Only using “well” over and over looks messy on the page and distracts from a good story.  And when it’s not used in dialogue, it immediately takes me out of the story and reminds me that there is an author there speaking to me, instead of letting me forget that I’m being told a story.  If that makes any sense.  So just be aware, as you’re writing, how often you use that word, and try to eliminate it as much as possible.

4)      HOW WE SPEAK

Another important point regarding dialogue that needs to be addressed is how to write dialogue.  If you ever just listen to people speaking, you will notice that people do not usually speak grammatically correct; that they often pause, or repeat certain words (such as “oh, um, huh, .etc).  And if you wish to make your dialogue realistic, there is a certain amount of that type of thing that is needed… even expected.  But as I was taught in Scriptwriting class - by a professor who loved to embarrass me – realistic dialogue often does not look very good on the page.  (I was reminded of this when I rejected the script for ROCKY because it sounded so incredibly stupid when I read it.  Imagine reading Rocky Balboa’s speech on the written page.) So yes, DO try to be realistic when you are writing dialogue, while at the same time, remember that your audience is READING these words, and that too much of that realism can really turn your reader off.

Example from Rocky:  I don't know. Would you like to maybe … you know, you and me… go out, you know… together?

5)      TO READ OR NOT TO READ

The most surprising thing I have ever heard a writer tell me is that he/she doesn’t read.  How can a writer not read? I would ask.  And I would be told that they don’t read because they are afraid of having their writing become too much like another writer’s work.  And that is just ridiculous.  I’m sorry, but it is incredibly obvious when you read a manuscript that is written by someone who doesn’t read, especially in their field of writing.  You can’t read only nonfiction work if you only write fiction: and vice-versa.  Actually, you need read ALL kinds of work in order to become a great writer.  And unless you plan to become a plagiarizer, stealing directly from someone else’s work, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to becoming too much like a certain writer.  For one, that might actually be a GOOD thing: since quite often someone will pick up a book that has a similar style to another favorite author.  So if you want to become a great writer, READ.  As often as you can, and in as many different styles and genres as you can.  You will not only learn what type of styles you like – or dislike – but you will soak up the best ways to write without even realizing it.  In my own writing composition class, I was once asked how I got straight A’s in all my writing courses, while I had nearly failed my grammar test.  It was because I knew HOW to write the right way, while not necessarily knowing the WHY that was the right way… because I had been an avid reader my entire life.  (Of course, now I know both the how AND the why.)

More in Installment 3