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| original work by Christine I Steeves Speakman |
Every writer has their own habits…the good, the bad, and the WTH ugly. I know I do and I sure do not profess to know everything about writing. However, this year I think I’ve read about 300 (yes, I used numerals instead of writing it out and yes I’mlow-ending the volume, anything higher and I think I might scare myself) submissions, I’ve discovered writers love their pronouns. I think I’m beginning to hate them.
Hmmm, might have overdone that opening paragraph. On purpose? Of course.
Now imagine one page of writing containing, say, 50 usages of the single word “I.” No, joke. And not only one page like this, but multiple pages, close to every page.
Yes, there are readers who do not like the first person story style. Personally, it doesn’t bother me, if done well. Which means, taking out the “I.”
Use your sentences in combination. Use your actions and dialogue to show the readers your character and their story. Easiest method…do a find and replace to highlight all your <space> I <space> and rewrite.
Works for HE-HE-HE-HE-HE stories, too. And no, let’s not forget: she, his, her, him, them, they, and all other pronouns. Oh, and please do not just change to the characters’ names, then you have a page of Sally doing this, Sally that, Sally the other thing, while doing that Sally did other thing, which thing Sally had done that.
Make your readers (and editor) love Sally, not sick of Sally.
So, am I making fun of writers? HECK, no. I’m one, too. We all have our ugly habits. Writers cannot self-edit. We’re too close to our stories. We’re too story blind.
Take a moment and read a page and if you see a word, say more than 5 times (yes, still maybe high for some, but it’s a start) go ahead and highlight it. Visuals clear story blindness.
Change your I-I-I-I-I-I story from becoming an Oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. And, keep your He-He-He-He-He tale from causing a hehehehehehehehe fit.
Now…GET WRITING!