Verbal Quirks

When editing works by others, I am struck by the quirks that show up over and over. I have one author who can't resist, "and thus". And thus, her work is propelled to the next idea or thought. Another seems stuck in hell. As in, "Hell, it was more than he could have expected." And, "Hell, he was there anyway."

Verbal quirks can be quite useful in framing a character's personality. The trick is to be sure that the quirk remains theirs alone. If it starts showing up in other characters, or in descriptive paragraphs, the reader is going to know that it is your verbal quirk, and the author has suddenly inserted himself into the story, which is usually jarring, and a detriment to the willing suspension of disbelief.

The exception, of course, is when the story is framed around a first-person narrator. In that case, verbal quirks can help the reader see into the narrator's mind. But be careful--you want that to be the narrator's mind--not the author's. Unless they are one in the same.

Most writers tend to have a strong voice and language skills formed by both place and time. So how do you avoid the pratfalls of your own linguistic quirks? That's where the 21st century comes to your aid. If you are writing in Word, and let's face it, most of us are, then part of the editing process involves using the "find" function. When reading your manuscript, make sure you note repeated uses of words or phrases. If "hell" shows up more than four times in a couple of chapters, do a search on "hell" through the whole book. "Find" is on the Home tab, to the far right, if you are on any version of Word from about 2003 on. Click on it, type in "hell", and see what it finds. If you have more than a dozen or so occurrences in a 250 page book, they merit a look-see, and some careful consideration. Do they need to be where they are? Do they advance the story, or say something about the character?

Part of the writing process is learning a bit about yourself, and in the process, learning about your verbal quirks, where they work, and where they don't. Think of it like taking your baby to the pediatrician. As much as you adore your baby, you'd probably prefer that the pediatrician mentioned that your baby has six toes on both feet--an anomaly you were blinded to because they are such cute, soft little feet . You'd want to know the consequences of that, and whether or not it was prudent to do something about it. A good editor can help you do the same thing with your precious tome. First, to make you aware of any anomalies, and then to advise you on the merits of some judicious surgery.

If economics dictate that you must be your own editor, then it's time to make sure you are your harshest critic. And cultivate a well-read friend or two. Ones who are willing to be frank about what they've read. And ones that you are willing to listen to. All defenses down. Ready to go back and excise those quirky appendages that may be getting in the way of a very good read.