mbarker: (Fireworks Delight)
[personal profile] mbarker
Original Posting 2021/3/5
Writer's Digest, April 1991, p. 40-42, had an article by Richard Hunt talking about how to avoid formula writing. This is where the twists are ones you've seen before, or maybe you're writing just like somebody else. Overuse, imitation, it just doesn't make the readers keep reading.

The basic strategy – don't take the easy way out. Avoid easy endings, well-worn phrases, and other trite repetitions. Now, how does formula writing sneak up on you? Well, Richard Hunt suggests three ways that it often weakens manuscripts. Imitating the style of an established writer, too many descriptive passages, and those stock scenes that we've seen so many times before.

Now, a good way for beginning writers to understand pacing, plotting, and other techniques is to mimic a famous author. But, you need to find your own voice, your own rhythm, your own style.

Now, descriptions sometimes choke out the other parts of the story. Kind of like kudzu! Pick your details, and clear out the kudzu in revision. By the way, be careful of adjectives.

Finally, make sure every scene has a purpose. Avoid stock scenes. Make sure each scene is interesting, and gives the readers some new territory to cover.

So, you can change the threat of formulas into original work. Twist the ending, mix in odd pieces, borrow from other genres, boost that ordinary uninspired story into the stratosphere.

Go ahead! Take something you've written, or are writing, and see if formula writing has crept into your work. Then try Richard's ideas. Work on your style, clear out the extra descriptions, and make sure that your scenes are all working for you!
[identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Original posting 31 Dec 2007

Ah, it's the first fine morning of 2008!

And over on CNN, we've got a list of overused phrases? Let's see . . .

What fun! Let's see. Perfect storm, webinar, waterboarding, organic, wordsmithing, authored, post 9/11, surge, give back, something is the new whatever, black friday, back in the day, random, sweet, decimate, emotional, pop, it is what it is, under the bus?

Guess I'm going to have to study the list, I don't think I've heard "it is what it is." Seems a bit redundant. Now, something that wasn't what it is, that might be worth a comment, but being itself - can something be anything else?

Well, let's get on with the day. For those of you who are interested in more details, the list is at . . . hum, old lists, ah, there it is http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

The Lake Superior State University article about the list http://www.lssu.edu/whats_new/articles.php?articleid=1431

The CNN article about Lake Superior State University's list http://us.cnn.com/2007/US/12/31/banned.words.ap/index.html

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