Good Day all! Thanks for swinging by, whether you're starting here, or you clicked on my link from the awesome, Sarah Hegger's blog, *smiles all around* welcome! This week on RWW: The lovely Carrie Elks, author of the Love in London series, has spoken: Stephen King famously said that it's necessary to 'kill your darlings' when editing your work. Do you have anything you had to remove from a book that you're still proud of? Or something that embarrasses you so much it will never again see the light of day? If you're feeling really brave, share some of it with us! I'm going with a simpler answer than I originally thought on this. I have plenty of lines, paragraphs, chapters, to choose from here, but really, what I want to discuss is . . . Ellipses. I love ellipses. They really are my darlings. They bring out the pause I need, the trailing off of a characters thoughts, or . . . Well, you know what I mean. :) I use them a lot. Because my own thoughts trail off into an ellipses from time to time, so I figure . . . why shouldn't the people I write about use them as well? Right? I didn't think it was that bad, after all. However . . . my very first manuscript came back to me from the editing room with a note pointing out just how much I over-use them. Let's just say . . . it was an eye opener. Yeah, it stung. But who doesn't love a good grammar lashing? I got it. I mean let's face it . . . I am an over-user (the first step in conquering your problem is to admit there's a problem. Yes?). These days, you won't see them as much in my books, but that's because I make a concentrated effort not to keep most of them. It doesn't mean they are not peppered throughout my first drafts though . . . A part of me cries every time I delete one but . . . I'll live. And so will my story.
* * * * * * * * * Okay! That was fun right? Learn something new? Probably not. LOL You know me too well. How about we learn something about Steven Mitchel's darlings next? Come with me to his blog and find out who and / or what he likes to kill. Thanks for stopping by! 8/18/2015 03:51:56 am
Oh yeah, it's very easy to fall in love with ...
Sarah Heggr
8/18/2015 06:26:36 am
It's such a pity to cut them, but then...
Sue
8/18/2015 08:38:35 am
As you know, I have a love/hate relatioship with the damn things. <3 8/18/2015 11:19:32 am
Yep!! I am the same way. I've made an effort to curb my addiction them, but... 8/18/2015 12:05:29 pm
Thank heavens I'm in good company! The longer I write, the more I use them. Oh, well . . . 8/18/2015 05:38:09 pm
Love it. I just read the official blurb for True Deceptions and yep...they gave me an ellipse!!! I tend to dash more in my writing. Probably because I interrupt a lot.
Carrie Elks
8/19/2015 01:49:55 am
Ah ellipsis how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... Loved your post. So true, we all have those habits we have to cull! They're the typing equivalent of brain farts I guess! 8/21/2015 09:24:56 am
Oh yes, ellipses. I've been told to them out. I've also been told to put them in. Argh! I don't know where I stand on the use or overuse of ellipses. If your reader likes them and your editors okay them, then go for it! 8/26/2015 06:39:12 am
I love them, too. Unfortunately, they ... what was I saying? Just teasing. It's difficult to get a round of edits back and see how much something is overused. *blush* feel your pain. Comments are closed.
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