Contemplating That Mistake #MFRWauthor #blogchallenge #amwriting

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Welcome to Week 4 of the MFRW blog challenge. Blogging is an opportunity for authors to connect with readers. Despite being fiction writers, blogging is an entirely different style of writing and often stumps us. Our challenge is designed to help our authors blog consistently, thoughtfully and with purpose. Anyone can join at any point in the challenge… FOLLOW THIS LINK TO LEARN MORE AND JOIN THE CHALLENGE.

This week’s prompt is “Sorry Editor! My Common Writing Mistakes”.

Hm, what are my common writing mistakes?

Well, one of them is using the same words and/or actions over and over and over. We have a running joke in my critique group about what the word of the week was, the one that appeared more often than needed.

Apparently, the word that is my favorite word. Even more than very. I can’t believe how many times I use that in a manuscript. Some can be easily deleted without changing the meaning of a sentence, but sometimes I find myself rewriting in hopes of finding another way to express myself that doesn’t involve a that or two.

Kissing couple

Kissing couple –© bibacomua

And then there’s the same action over and over, and we see this in a lot of books. How many times can the hero run his hand through his hair? How often can the heroine let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. How many times can the hero cup the heroine’s head before the reader wants to throw the book across the room? How many ways are there to describe a kiss? Two pairs of lips coming together. Well, if you write romance, there had better be an infinite number of ways to describe kissing. And other intimate encounters.

I write pretty clean, so grammar and spelling isn’t much of an issue for me. I start with dialogue, and sometimes end up with a page of “talking heads” with lots of white space but not much action, emotion or inner thought interspersed. My critique group points out when I’ve rushed through a scene like that. (And there’s another that!)

To learn more about other common writing mistakes, click on the linky list below.

Linda

Book Review Club: A Desperate Fortune @SusannaKearsley

Desperate Fortune coverA Desperate Fortune
by Susanna Kearsley

This is another of Kearsley’s signature story-within-a-story tales. In the contemporary world, Sara Thomas is a computer programmer with a talent for deciphering puzzles. She also has high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome. When she needs a new job, her cousin recommends her to decipher an 18th c. diary written by a Scottish Jacobite living in France.

The 18th c. story involves clandestine Jacobite spying. Mary Dundas, a young Scottish woman born and reared in France, is asked to provide cover for a wanted English Jacobite. When she gets to Paris she meets the enigmatic MadPherson, who acts as bodyguard and protector of both the wanted man and Mary. At first she’s afraid of the large scary violent man of few words, but when she comes to see his good qualities and many thoughtful gestures, like carrying her dog, she eventually falls in love with him.

Saint Germain of Auxerre

Catholic church of Saint Germain of Auxerre in Paris where Mary attended services.
Copyright: efired via DepositPhotos.com license

Mary’s story is revealed as Sara makes progress deciphering the diary. In the meantime, Sara is courted by a handsome and easy going Frenchman named Luc. Sara has always shied away from relationships because of her Asperger’s. She doesn’t expect to find someone who can understand and appreciate her, but Luc isn’t easily discouraged. And since this is a romantic novel, all ends happily for both couples.

Kearsley is one of my favorite authors, and I found this book to be very enjoyable, as did two of my friends (one a non-romance reader) in my readers group.

Click here for more great reads in Barrie Summys Book Review Club.

Linda