This is a great post. Thanks so much for reminding us to be mindful of the muzzies. Since reading this post last week, I have become consciously aware of my “this“s and my “that“s. And I’ve even eliminated a few “which“s during a recent Which Hunt.

Keep up the good work. The Deep Genre authors are doing an amazing job here, and I know we all appreciate every word of advice/information that you post.

Now, if only I could improve at proofing my own work!

Cheers,
Erin

Runner-Up:
“I know what you’re thinking, punk,” hissed Wordy Harry to his new editor, “you’re thinking, ‘Did he use six superfluous adjectives or only five?’ - and to tell the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement; but being as this is English, the most powerful language in the world, whose subtle nuances will blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel loquacious?’ - well do you, punk?”
Stuart Vasepuru
Edinburgh, Scotland

Here’s the link to the contest winners & runners up:
http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2006.htm

Am in the middle of revising and was despairing at the amount of lard. “He turned” and ” he glanced over”. Urgh.

And when you are writing first person, all the I knew, I felt, I saw, I heard… or actually not all, as sometimes you need emphasis.

Being one week away from turning in the revised ms. for the next book, I can vouch that the list is truly endless. I thought I was almost finished, and decided on one more pass…aarrgh…still finding things. But it feels so nice when you read over a scene you worked on last go round and it really is SO much better.

The green pencil comes AFTER that first “the End”.

But now, with a deadline, it’s a whole different thing. You have to just get it all down. It’s a better way to work, as long as you don’t read over what you’ve done expecting it to be good. I’ve done that a few times and had to fight down the panic.