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« Immaculate Syntax | Main | Be Ruthless About Protecting Writing Days »
Monday
Jun252012

Don't Overwrite

Don't overwrite. Avoid the redundant phrases, the distracting adjectives, the unnecessary adverbs. Beginners, especially, seem to think that writing fiction needs a special kind of flowery prose, completely unlike any sort of language one might encounter in day-to-day life. This is a misapprehension about how the effects of fiction are produced.

SARAH WATERS

Posted on DateMonday, June 25, 2012 at 12:41AM
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Reader Comments (1)

I found myself guilty of this, especially in my earlier works. When I had the opportunity to see my first published short story go through a workshop for editing, I was able to see this issue tackled. My style, between then and now, has substantially changed into a form that is much clearer and more concise as a result of it.

June 25, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJames Darrow

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