The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 22 July 2009

Writers' Digest, October 2004, pages 26 to 33, has a collection of short "nuggets of wisdom" related to getting published. Maria Schneider is the author of the compilation. Take a deep breath, and here we go:

"Purge all vague adjectives -- amazing, interesting, compelling, appealing -- and replace them with words that paint pictures. Readers like visual stimulation. Don't say a shirt is 'amazing.' Say it's 'iridescent chartreuse with an orange quilted collar and 16 whalebone buttons.'" Becky Ohlsen

I was about to say that's interesting advice :-) but it's a good tip for revision. Fire up the search (ctrl-f) and look for "ing" words. Then check and see whether they are vague adjectives. If they are, think about what you're really trying to say or show the reader. Replace interesting with it makes me want to run a search on my writing and rewrite those soft adjectives with vivid, concrete action and dialogue. Not quite chartreuse, but perhaps purple prose?

Words that paint pictures. Visual stimulation. Show the reader what you're talking about, what you are thinking about.

So watch out for adverbs (those ly words!) and pare back those adjectives (the ing's that lurk). Pick strong nouns and verbs. Bring your writing to life with vivid, concrete, visual details.