Everyone has character, little quirks about themselves. There is no such thing as a “normal” person. No one is average; we are all at least a little bit if not a lot different from each other. This is what makes us unique.
Take writing. No person writes exactly the same as another. We may generically use other authors’ styles of writing, but it still boils down to our own personal traits blooming in the four corners of our papers. For example, although a person finishes a novel with perfect grammar, punctuation, and spelling that even an English teacher who swipes the words with her white gloves never finds a smidgen of a verb, adjective or comma out of sync across the virginal papyrus, there may still be something lacking in the story: the author himself. Don’t get me wrong; some novels do well with plain, simple words for easy expression. The novel may be an ordinary story, but the string of words displayed in an easy-going manner pull the reader into its world and the reader can’t escape and must find out the ending. Other novels weigh heavy in description, such as Jack London’s stories, and the reader cannot help but fall into its story trap until the finale.
My drama class teacher taught us a lot, but foremost the rule was to act naturally, and if needed, insert your own words to fit closely within the scene. This does not mean to change the entire lines, as the next actor may forget his or her lines, but to paraphrase them, add a little stuttering, maybe some trite phrases of your own to add to the whole gamut of the scene. In writing, the same goes forth, as synonyms can replace the usual words, and a glimmer of surprise awaits the reader.
First, write YOUR words down quickly, without stopping to correct the grammar, punctuation or spelling. Let the words rise out of the depths of your soul. There is something to be said for letting go of oneself, to let the freedom of writing pursue itself with words loud enough to shout through the walls of standards. This inner core must speak boldly, come forth willingly and honestly in words heavy in expressive thought.
Next, embellish on these thoughts. Add descriptions of scenes or things of value; lesser descriptions where it is not needed. These treasures should stand out in 3-D form in eclectic style, like a mannequin without a head or with rebar arms and legs. Experiment with this unique style before bleeding it thoroughly on the open page.
Last of all, editing is most critical at this point. Put on the editor’s hat and start whittling away at drawn- out passages that may ho-hum the reader. Slice away at redundant phrases and words. Pull out those extraneous commas and either re-word the sentences or cut those intrusive curves dangling aside wary words altogether.
In any case, don’t forget to have fun writing to your heart’s delight before slashing away all those cumbersome words and thoughts. - Signed, Linda
