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Write From Home
Kim Wilson P.O. Box 4145 Hamilton, NJ 08610 E-mail: kim @ writefromhome.com |
The children's book market is highly competitive. In order to make your manuscript rise above the rest, you not only need an enticing story and vivid characters, but your prose must be solid and fresh. Say exactly what you mean, but say it differently from everyone else. Sound impossible? It's not, if you know what to look for. The following are words which, if used in excess, will cause writing to feel flat. While these words can't be eliminated entirely, often they can be replaced with more creative choices. Quantifiers Sometimes eliminating the quantifier will make the sentence more powerful. "Sara stood at the bus stop. She was very cold." The word very is not necessary and delays the reader from getting to the essence of the sentence, which is that Sara is cold. Telling Instead of Showing One word many authors rely too heavily upon is "felt." How a character feels should be evident from the surrounding text and dialogue. If the author has to tell the reader that Max feels happy, then the rest of the text is not working as hard as it should be. Show how Max is happy (maybe he's turning cartwheels on his way home from school), and let the reader draw his own conclusions. About the Author: Copyright 2001, Children's Book
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