5 Writing "Mistakes" I Like

Monday's post highlighted my Top 10 Writing Pet Peeves, so it seemed only fitting that I follow it up with some "mistakes" I find appealing.

5 Writing "Mistakes" I Like

Sentence Fragments
I can't think of one English teacher back in the day who would have tolerated sentence fragments. Every time I use one, I imagine it circled in red with a sad face. But I find myself drawn to them for emphasis. Short and powerful.

Starting a Sentence with And or But
I'm seeing red marks again. Teachers hated this, probably still do. I see the allure, I must admit. Sure, it can get gimmicky and overused. But a well-placed and or but sentence starter can stand strong alone, instead of getting lost in a compound sentence.

Adverbs

The road to hell is paved with adverbs.

Stephen King

I disagree, with a caveat. They should be used sparingly and powerfully. Despite King's famous quote and my utmost respect for him, I think the road to hell is paved with poor editing. A well-used adverb won't jar me as a reader like a pretentious verb will. And they are a must in dialogue. Let's be fair, people love their adverbs.

Just
Maybe it's because I'm from the south and we love our justs, but sometimes just just says it all. Please, if you have a southern character, use it. If you want a southern character in your writing and have never visited the south, please contact me. I'm from there, and my mother is from Georgia. Like all things we love, don't overdo it. Chocolate's not bad for you in moderation. Neither is just.

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition
Grammar purists, and I consider myself darn close to one, everywhere just cringed. This is something, however, I can simply put up with. Even wrap my head around. Again, my southern upbringing might be to blame. Sometimes, it sounds pretentious and over the top to work around preposition endings. But I do hate when people ask, "Where you going to?" when a simple "Where are you going?" would suffice. But if you have a deep-south character, do the first sentence. Trust me (see just example above).

Note: All of these mistakes I like in fiction and creative writing. Journalism has always been, and should be, a different breed of writing. It's a follow-the-rules kind of game.

What writing "mistakes" do you like?

My Monster Rises: ROW80 Update

Several of my writer buddies have signed contracts lately, either with agents or publishers or both. While I'm insanely happy for them, these moments allow the dreaded insecurity monster to creep into my brain. This monster hates my muse and runs her off at every given opportunity.

My route to writing was natural, but not academic. Writing has always been second nature. Growing up, teachers told me I had a knack for writing and grammar/punctuation. The product of an engineer father and a poet mother, I majored in finance but took every English elective I could fit in my schedule.

Until last week, I'd never been a member of an in-person writing group. My first novel, co-authored with my mother, was a passion project and took ten years. Although it was well-received, my monster convinces me that it was a fluke.

I wonder if I should get a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, take more writing courses, and/or throw myself into all things author. In the last year, I have embraced the writing community. I've discovered some talented writers and amazing books. Sometimes I find this encouraging, other times my monster uses it to make me question my own writer status.

I'm left wondering, who the hell do I think I am?

Then, I'll pick up a book with obvious and upsetting editing issues or a boring story, and my muse will start to take over again. I can do this. Yes I can. Yes I can.

Now to find the balance. The highs and lows of writing have really surprised me. When I was in the closet, there was no pressure or worry. I wrote for the pure love of writing. Now that I've declared myself an author, my monster lurks around every review, critique, blog post, wordcount, and so on.

Knowledge may be power, but it's also overwhelming. There are so many how-to articles on writing good novels and row after row of craft books. Am I supposed to read them all, consider them all when I write? My head is spinning. Sometimes I miss the days of writing in a vacuum. Now I feel like my writing is an open wound.

Where do you turn when the insecurity monster takes over?

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My A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

Writing: I struggled to write 1,019 words toward my WIP this week. I'm proud that I didn't give up, but I'd like the wide-eyed optimism and confidence of the pre-publication girl back.

Reading: Just finished two amazing books. Both reviews will be up this week on Mom in Love with Fiction. (These two books coupled with several writer friends signing contracts lately have created the perfect environment for the monster to take over.)

Blogging: Daily.

Social Media: I'm struggling to stay above water. It's such a time sucker, although a productive one. Time is cowering in a corner with my muse lately.

Editing: Insecurity is taking over here, too. I think I'm helpful and have an "eye" for errors and missing story elements, but I've never actually done a beta read or critique in a writing group setting. I'm wondering if I need some classes to gain confidence, and not just trust my "knack" for editing. So many questions lately.

Many congratulations to my newly contracted/signed writing buddies. I couldn't be happier. The writer side of me respects your achievement and journey, and the reader side of me can't wait to read your books!

Story Strengths: Surprise

During April's Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I wrote a post about Story Strengths with an S theme: Sarcasm, Sweet, Saucy/Sexy, Sincerity, Secrets, Silly, Sadness.

Thanks to a comment by Linda Luke, I realized I forgot one of my favorite S story elements. Surprise. Nothing will irritate me more than a well-written book with interesting characters that is overly predictable.

Although I will read all genres and authors, I shy away from romance novels. Too often, they follow the same formula: woman is immediately attracted to man, woman falls in love in 20 pages (if that!), man gives into heat but fears love, a misunderstanding occurs, man realizes he does love woman, man and woman ride off into the sunset.

But worse than formula is a surprise gone wrong. Case in point: Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. She had an interesting story, a child conceived as a bone marrow match for her sick older sister, but the surprise ending ruined the entire book for me. I thought the author took on a very sensitive and controversial topic, but copped out of taking a side with a surprise ending that didn't make sense or add anything to the story.

My favorite way to incorporate surprise is little by little, like small bursts of flavor in a delicious cake instead of a dill pickle in the middle of my cupcake. Too much and too wrong.

Another favorite: a book I don't think I'll like but end up loving. Come to think of it, that's the best kind of reading surprise.

Do you like the element of surprise when you read? As a writer, do you feel pressure to put something in your novel the reader's not expecting?

Top 10 Writing Pet Peeves

No writer is perfect, and perfection would be boring anyway.

I'm a big believer in keeping a reader engaged. Some mistakes, at least for me, bring me out of the story and back into my own head.

My Top 10 Writing Pet Peeves

Lose/Loose
This one annoys me, because I don't get it. The words are just so different. Chose/choose bugs me, but I can understand why people confuse them. Although I guess you can lose something that gets too loose. Hmmmm.

Similar Sounding Words
Examples: there/they're/their, its/it's, you're/your, two/to/too

The spell check function fails this test. I get it. When you are typing fast, you might accidentally use the wrong one. If you know you make these mistakes often, do a Search and Find as part of your editing process and make sure these words are used correctly.

Mark Twain (from Wikipedia)

Overuse of Very
Using very gets old very quickly. I love the Mark Twain quote, "Substitue damn every time you're inclined to write very; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."  Rarely is "very" needed (with the exception of dialogue).

Irregardless
I. Hate. This. Word. Why? It is not a word. It's a double negative, and actually means not having no regard. So irregardless would technically mean having regard. Are you confused? Me, too. To me, it would be like saying irrelevantless.

Too Many Ellipses in Dialogue
I like an ellipsis for dramatic effect within story (or a blog post). However, I don't like line after line of dialogue with ellipses. Yes, it is a good indicator of someone being interrupted, but if someone is interrupted line by line, I think the conversation should be over. I know I would clam up by then.

Also, some writers use it to show pauses when a simple comma will do.

Unnatural Dialogue
Speaking of dialogue, I want it to sound like two people talking. Good dialogue should read fast and true. It shouldn't read like prose. And rules that apply to good writing, do not apply to good dialogue. People speak with words writers are told to avoid: just, that, very. Even irregardless. Furthermore, if you craft a teenager, don't have them speaking like an adult.

Read dialogue out loud to catch awkwardness.

Using the Word Believe Too Often
If a writer is using first person point of view, "I believe" is obvious. If the narrator is telling you about other characters and using believe, the reader doesn't know for sure what the narrator really knows. Do we just take the narrator's word for it?

Example: "I believe ghosts haunt the house up the street. My friend believes they don't."

If I is the narrator, we know he/she believes it simply by stating it. And we can't know for sure that the friend doesn't believe in ghosts, unless the friend character says it or the narrator shows why they don't think the friend believes it.

Am I making any sense?

Using Spell Checker as Editor
The spell check feature is awesome, and it will save you from typos and misspelled words. It will not save you from #1 or #2 above. Or some typos, like typing form for from. Use it, but don't let it be your editor.

Too Many Characters with Similar Initials
Maybe it's because I read at night, or maybe it's because I have three kids, but I can't keep it straight when Molly loves Max who was once wed to Mindy who fights constantly with her sister, Melissa. Oh, and Mike is falling fast for Molly, but Mindy is jealous.

Inconsistency
This is the worst. I'd rather an author own a mistake throughout, or own a style that I might consider wrong, than to switch back and forth. Confused as to whether to use the oxford comma or not. No problem, pick a way and run with it.

Example: I recently read a book where a main character was Molly for half the novel and Mollie for the other half.

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While I was compiling this post, I thought of 5 "Mistakes" I Like in Writing. I was going to include it, but decided to tease you with it instead. That post will appear on Thursday.

What is your biggest writing pet peeve? Or, what mistakes make you cringe when you are reading?

Note: I edited and edited this piece, terrified I'd make a mistake. There's nothing like writing a post about mistakes that contains mistakes. I hope it's as error free as possible.

Reading to Write Plus ROW80 Update

Another great prompt by the Author Blog Challenge, so I had to answer it.

How do the things you read impact your writing? What do you love to read? What do you avoid reading at all costs? How would your writing change if you read more of the things you typically avoid?

Like I don't remember life before my little sister (I am three years older), I do not remember life before I loved books. It is so much a part of who I am. With every book, I find elements I want to incorporate into my writing and elements I don't.

What I love most about books... rarely do people agree. For the last ten years, I have been an active member of a book club. Not only has this helped me appreciate books even more, it's helped me with rejection and critiques. Rarely has a book brought all the members together in either unanimous like or dislike. Readers are individuals, and trying to write a book to make them all happy will make a writer crazy.

One of my favorite quotes:

I don't know the key to success,

but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.

Bill Cosby

Now that I review books and read book club selections, I can honestly say there is not a type of book I avoid. I thought I hated science fiction. Then I read Margaret Atwood. I thought I hated horror. Then I read Carrie Green (go indie authors!) and Stephen King. I swore off non-fiction, and then I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

The only thing I still shy away from is erotica. But the day the ladies in my book club put aside convention and throw one on the calendar is the day I say, "Game on!" As long as we have wine and open discussion, there's nothing I won't read. And I pride myself on finding redeeming value in every book. Even the ones I don't like.

What do you avoid reading?

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My A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

Writing: This round of words (since Wednesday) has been a bust. My reasons would only bore you, not matter how legit. Excuses seem to be beating my muse in the writing version of arm wrestling.

Blogging: Daily, now thanks to the Author Blog Challenge. This is it for daily challenges. My brain is becoming mush. My Mom in Love with Fiction blog suffered last week. Not one post.

No reason to prolong the obvious trend here. Reading, some. Social Media, some. Editing, some. Nothing to brag about.

I will only say this in the way of defending myself. These last two weeks of school are crazy. All the sports wrap up, summer swim starts, girls have ending projects and exams, and so on. In trying to explain my overloaded brain to my husband, the following dialogue transpired:

Me: "I think I need to throw up." (I didn't lead into this, just announced it.)

Hubby: "Did you eat something bad?"

Me: "No, my stomach is fine. I just thought if I threw up, all the stuff floating around in my head would purge. After all, my brain is closer to my mouth than my stomach is."

My husband loves these conversations. (Did I mention he grew up in a house full of boys, and now lives in a house with a wife, three daughters, and a female dog?)

I'm so far behind in all the things I want to do, I don't know how to proceed.

What do you do when you are so far behind catching up or moving forward seems impossible?

Inspired Writing: Author Blog Challenge

Today marks the kickoff of the Author Blog Challenge. Throughout the challenge, we will be given writing prompts. I won't always follow them, but I sure like having the option.

My writing muse is a little skittish lately. (When all three of my children are running around, the muse is more easily scared off than normal. June could be very interesting. One more week of school left!).

Today's prompt: Who are the writers you most admire? Who are your writing mentors?

The writer I most admire... my mother. She's the one who inspired me to write. But, more importantly, she's the one who made me believe I could write. I never thought I'd publish a novel. I wrote for therapy. Whenever I questioned life, I wrote about it. Journals. Stories.

I would fill up spiral notebooks full of teenage melodrama. My first crush became a story about a woman falling for a guy but not knowing how to tell him. When I didn't have friends, I created characters. My mother not only encouraged me, she shared her own stories with me. Writing felt like something I was destined to do.

When I was younger, I was obsessed with Judy Blume. She not only made me want to write, she helped me through the awkward teenage years. Now, I read anything and everything I can get my hands on. In finding my path as a writer, I learn as much from books I don't like as I do from books I love.

Only in the last few years have I had the confidence to consider myself a writer. I feel inspired every day by the writers in the blog universe who uplift writers. Some of the online writing communities that inspire me: Kait Nolan's A Round of Words in 80 Days, Rachael Harrie's Writers' Platform-Building Campaign, and Melissa Foster's World Literary Cafe.

I'm looking forward to meeting the authors in the Author Blog Challenge. I'm sure I will find new sources of writing inspiration.

Who gave you a love of words?

Fun Facts Fridays Debuts

June 1st... the first day after sixty days of challenges. So what do I do? Why I sign up for another challenge, of course! I'm excited to participate in the Author Blog Challenge, which begins officially tomorrow, June 2.

Source

After that, I'm going to try a new routine for July and August. I'll be posting 4 times a week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday (ROW80 updates). Occasionally an inspired Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday might happen. I'm nothing if not flexible (my husband is laughing somewhere!).

In the past, I haven't stuck with theme days for long. But I'm going to give it another whirl. Starting now, Fridays will be Fun Facts Fridays. I was so inspired by the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, because it allowed me to expand my creativity beyond the theme of writing and mother and daughter stories. Fridays are now up for grabs... whatever facts I find fun!

Today I found some fun and  interesting facts about words.
(Source: EnglishClub.com)

1. Only two English words in current use end in "-gry". They are "angry" and "hungry".

Funny... I am always angry when I'm hungry.

2. A sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet is called a "pangram". The following sentence contains all 26 letters of the alphabet: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." This sentence is often used to test typewriters or keyboards.

Now, what I really want to know... What person sat there and came up with that sentence, and how long did it take? I was going to challenge myself to do one, but it seemed silly to take away some other person's achievement. ;-)

3. The word "alphabet" comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, bēta.

Okay, that's just plain obvious. So why didn't I know it?

What's your favorite fun word fact?

Please check back every Friday for some fun and interesting facts.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!