All bullies are mean, all jinxes are bad luck, and all redundancies are repetitive. We’ve all done it, and it’s embarrassing when we don’t catch it. Sometimes these creep into our writing because they’re part of the vernacular and they don’t sound wrong. Here are some to watch out for: Past history, Small village, Tiny berg, My own personal experience, The reason is because, General public, Advance planning, Exact replica, Still remains, Serious heart attack, About half a mile or so, Close proximity, Song lyrics Make every word count by scrutinizing your sentences and plucking out those phrases that take too many words to say one thing. Otherwise, you may look like a foolish half-wit.For SATW Professional Development, I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave
The word “so” we’re talking about is not the “so” that means therefore: “It rained so I took my umbrella.” Or the “so” that intensifies something. “That movie was so long.” We’re talking about the word “so” that’s become a space filler. In interviews, you’ll often hear an exchange that goes something like this: “When did you become a travel writer?” “So, after I graduated from college, I took a gap year.” In writing, you may encounter: “So despite a 10-run lead, the Dodgers never let up.” The sentence can stand without the “so.” It becomes a space filler in the vein of “like” or “you know.”Think of your writing this way: You have a word budget, say, a story of 500 words. How you spend your writing capital is up to you, but using fillers like “so” is a waste. Best make expenditures on strong nouns and verbs that get right to the heart of the matter. So…for SATW professional development, I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman. SaveSave SaveSave
When we write, “The lumberjack chopped down the tree" or “Serena Williams crushed the shot over the net,” you can picture the action. But sometimes, we paint word pictures in the passive voice. That means that what should be the strong subject of the sentence becomes the object of the action. In the lumberjack example, the sentence becomes “The tree was chopped down by the lumberjack.” Not as strong. Passive voice can be a useful tool. You might say, “The window was left open.” – if you don’t want to accuse someone or start a fight (or, if you’re writing a murder mystery and you don’t want to reveal a spoiler).If you’re not sure whether passive voice works, try the sentence both ways. The right choice will be made by you. Or, you’ll make the right choice. For SATW professional development, I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave