Word Choice

[Tariel]

Ok, I don't know about any of you, but for me word choice is important. I have been known to spend hours writing just one sentence. Not that I think I'm perfect; there are MANY MANY flaws in my writing, but I want to know if anybody else ever gets the urge to make sure a particular sentence sounds perfect.

 

[Fledge]

I don't think I've ever spent that long on a single sentence, but I have taken ten or fifteen minutes upon occasion. Typically, if I get that stuck on a sentence, I quit writing and come back later, so perhaps you could say I've spent multiple days on one sentence

 

[shakingthedustoffmyfeet]

I usually write down the idea, and then I look at diction later. Sometimes it is easy to get bogged down with perfect word choice when that will come later. For me, it is important not to interrupt the flow. In college - both in my journalism classes and English classes - the professors quoted Truman Capote (an old, weird but successful author) all the time: "No such thing as good writing, only good rewriting."


Unfortunately I think Truman was right! Get those ideas down and smooth out the language later. That is the way it works in the book and publishing world!


Best of luck. Many blessings!

 

[Fledge]

I usually write down the idea, and then I look at diction later. Sometimes it is easy to get bogged down with perfect word choice when that will come later. For me, it is important not to interrupt the flow. In college - both in my journalism classes and English classes - the professors quoted Truman Capote (an old, weird but successful author) all the time: "No such thing as good writing, only good rewriting."


Unfortunately I think Truman was right! Get those ideas down and smooth out the language later. That is the way it works in the book and publishing world!


Best of luck. Many blessings!

Kind of funny that you should mention great rewriting, because I've always felt compelled to rewrite just about everything I do. I'll write a story, and think it's not so bad, and then look back over and rewrite everything in the process. Sometimes this almost doubles the length of the original book, and then I have to go back and rewrite the rewrite.

 

[Tariel]

Kind of funny that you should mention great rewriting, because I've always felt compelled to rewrite just about everything I do. I'll write a story, and think it's not so bad, and then look back over and rewrite everything in the process. Sometimes this almost doubles the length of the original book, and then I have to go back and rewrite the rewrite.

Sounds like how I write . For anyone who's read my story (I know you have, Fledge), a year ago it was five pages long. That's it. Five pages. I wrote it for a short story class.
Then I revised.
Around November I finished the second draft--45 pages. (that's a little more than doubled ). Now I'm on the third draft and it's looking like it will be at least 150 pages.

And yet I still get stuck making sure I have the right word (though by draft three there's not too much else left to add).