Fixing ‘Wasy’ Wording

Challenge yourself to create more vivid writing.

I appreciate the advice from children’s writer Christian Harder Tangvald: “Circle every is and was on your manuscript; you don’t want writing that’s “isy” and “wasy.”

So I checked each use of was while I edited the 60,000-word YA novel. It started with 942. I cut that to 786.

The word isn’t evil; but it’s often slothful. These before-and-after examples … Continue reading

Baby Your First Draft

Like an infant, a manuscript needs further work.

Five months after my newest granddaughter was born, her parents continue to nurture her. Though she’s recently learned to roll over and is working on sitting, Mom and Dad know she has further potential—as do their three-year-old and almost seven-year-old.

That’s not to say … Continue reading