Tips on Writing

I find find helpful tips on the blog info@daily writing tips.com .  Some days I read it, but do not save the information. Other days it is spot-on with the exact answer I needed that day.

I belong to the Writers League of The Villages, FL — where I live. We often have great speakers. Recently I heard Rik Feeney usabookcoach@gmail.com   of Orlando, FL give a talk on Editing: 11 Easy Steps to Improve Your Writing.   Rik  is a Book Coach, consulting with authors to write, publish and promote books. He has published numerous books and is a sought-after speaker.

Here are just some of his tips:

• Take some time off, 48-hours to a week, to distance yourself from a freshly written piece. The edit the writing for clarity and competence.
• Eliminate one word out of every ten .  For example, words like “and, or, but, nor, so, and that” and almost every word ending in “-ly”
• Remove excess “its.”  Too many “its” can lead to confusion. Use the name or a noun instead.
• Exterminate He’s and She’s and Him’s and Her’s. Replace with the proper name of the person.  Instead of “He climbed the hill after her.” Try, “Jack raced up the hill after the girl of his dreams.”
• Read your writing out loud. You will be amazed at the mistakes, or awkward phrasing you will find. It may have sounded right in your head, but doesn’t work on paper.
• Use the five senses in your writing. Bring the story alive by incorporating the five senses.  For example: Sight, add descriptions of color, lightness, darkness, speed of motion.

Rik says, “No book is perfect.”  That  is a comforting thought for me since my first book is being released in mid-July

Watch for MONASTERY TO MATRIMONY, A WOMAN’S JOURNEY.  Find it at Balboa Press bookstore www.balboapress.com , on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and on Ebooks, and For a personally signed copy, contact me at maweakley4@gmail.com. Balboa Press is a division of Hay House Publishing in California.