JustWannaWrite

Call me Harbinger The voice of a new era Of great things to come

I’ve traveled ‘cross seas And danced ‘cross all four corners The worlds greatest stage

I will never yield Bring forth the strong and boastful Let them test my will

This masterlist is a masterlist of words that you may use alongside the word very, very being one of the most common words that are used when writing. I hope this helps you as much as it helps me in our writing seem more sophisticated and unique. 

A:

Very accurate - exact Very afraid - fearful Very angry - furious Very annoying - exasperating

B:

Very bad - atrocious Very beautiful - exquisite Very big - immense Very boring - dull Very bright - luminous Very busy - swamped

C:

Very calm - serene Very careful - cautious Very cheap - stingy Very clean - spotless Very clear - obvious Very clever - intelligent Very cold - freezing Very colourful - vibrant Very competitive - cutthroat Very complete - comprehensive Very confused - perplexed Very conventional - conservative Very creative - innovative Very crowded - bustling Very cute - adorable

D:

Very dangerous - perilous Very dear - cherished Very deep - profound Very depressed - despondent Very detailed - meticulous Very different - disparate Very difficult - arduous Very dirty - filthy Very dry - arid Very dull - tedious

E:

Very eager - keen Very easy - effortless Very empty - desolate Very excited - thrilled Very exciting - exhilarating Very expensive - costly

F:

Very fancy - lavish Very fast - swift Very fat - obese Very friendly - amiable Very frightened - alarmed Very frightening - terrifying Very funny - hilarious

G:

Very glad - overjoyed Very good - excellent Very great - terrific

H:

Very happy - ecstatic Very hard - difficult Very hard-to-find - rare Very heavy - leaden Very high - soaring Very hot - sweltering Very huge - colossal Very hungry - ravenous Very hurt - battered

I:

Very important - crucial Very intelligent - brilliant Very interesting - captivating

J:

K:

L:

Very large - huge Very lazy - indolent Very little - tiny Very lively - vivacious Very long - extensive Very long-term - enduring Very loose - slack Very loud - thunderous Very loved - adored

M:

Very mean - cruel Very messy - slovenly

N:

Very neat - immaculate Very necessary - essential Very nervous - apprehensive Very nice - kind Very noisy - deafening

O:

Very often - frequently Very old - ancient Very old-fashioned - archaic Very open - transparent

P:

Very painful - excruciating Very pale - ashen Very perfect - flawless Very poor - destitute Very powerful - compelling Very pretty - beautiful

Q:

Very quick - rapid Very quiet - hushed

R:

Very rainy - pouring Very rich - wealthy

S:

Very sad - sorrowful Very scared - petrified Very scary - chilling Very serious - grave Very sharp - keen Very shiny - gleaming Very short - brief Very shy - timid Very simple - basic Very skinny - skeletal Very slow - sluggish Very small - petite Very smart - intelligent Very smelly - pungent Very smooth - sleek Very soft - downy Very sorry - apologetic Very special - exceptional Very strong - forceful Very stupid - idiotic Very sure - certain Very sweet - thoughtful

T:

Very talented - gifted Very tall - towering Very tasty - delicious Very thirsty - parched Very tight - constricting Very tiny - minuscule Very tired - exhausted

U:

Very ugly - hideous Very unhappy - miserable Very upset - distraught

V:

W:

Very warm - hot Very weak - frail Very well-to-do - wealthy Very wet - soaked Very wide - expansive Very willing - eager Very windy - blustery Very wise - sage Very worried - distressed

X:

Y:

Z:

1. Interesting- note worthy; thought-provoking; fascinating; attracting; appealing; attention-grabbing; captivating; gripping; invigorating; engrossing; engaging; electrifying.  

2. Beautiful- striking; stunning; magnificent; lovely; charming; gorgeous; radiant; dazzling.

3. Good- acceptable, wonderful, exceptional; positive; brilliant; first-rate; notable; stellar; favorable; superb; marvellous; prime.

4. Bad- awful; lousy; poor; unacceptable; crummy; dreadful; rough; inferior; substandard; atrocious; appalling; dreadful; defective.

5. Look- glance; fixate; observe; stare; gaze; peer; scan; watch; study; browse; eye; glimpse; review; inspect.

6. Nice- lovely; superior; pleasant; satisfying; delightful; likeable; agreeable; correct; adequate; swell; fair; okay; approved.

7. Very- extremely; exceedingly; exceptionally; immensely; tremendously; abundantly; particularly; remarkably.

8. Fine- satisfactory; worthy; respectable; exquisite; suitable; well; imposing; decent; admirable; praise-worthy; decent.

9. Happy- cheerful; delighted; pleased; content; amused; thrilled; elated; thrilled; ecstatic; on cloud 9. 

10. Really- genuinely; truly; honestly; actually; undoubtedly; certainly; remarkably; incredibly; downright; unquestionably; extremely.

11. Sad- miserable; gloomy; devastated; down at heard; distraught; distressed; dispirited; sorrowful; downcast; feeling blue; desolate.

12. Big- massive; huge; giant; gigantic; enormous; large; colossal; immense; bulky; tremendous; hefty; sizable; extensive; great; substantial. 

13. Shocked- taken aback; lost for words; flabbergasted; staggered; outraged; astonished; astounded; stunned; speechless; appalled.

14. Small- tiny; petite; mini; miniature; microscopic; minuscule; compact; pocket-sized; cramped; puny; undersized; limited; meager; modest; minute; pint-sized. 

15. Angry- irate; enraged; touchy; cross; resentful; indignant; infuriated; wound-up; worked-up; seething; raging; heated; bitter; bad-tempered; offended; frustrated. 

16. Know- understand; comprehend; realize; learn; perceive; recognize; grasp; sense.

17. Change- alter; transform; replace; diversify; adjust; adapt; modify; remodel; vary; evolve; transfigure; redesign; refashion; advance; transition; shift; adjustment.

18. Old- aged; ancient; matured; elderly; senior; veteran; decrepit; seasoned; venerable; past one’s prime; doddering; senile.

19. Think- ponder; reflect; conceive; imagine; contemplate; consider; determine; realize; visualize; guess/assume; conclude; envision. 

20. Funny- comical; ludicrous; amusing; droll; entertaining; absurd; hilarious; silly; whimsical; hysterical; joking; witty; facetious; slapstick; side-splitting; knee-slapping.

21. Go- move; proceed; advance; progress; travel; walk; journey; depart; exit; flee; make one’s way; clear out; get underway.

22. Give- grant; donate; hand-out; present; provide; deliver; hand over; offer; award; bestow; supply with; contribute to; send; entrust.

23. Get- acquire; obtain; receive; gain; earn; gather; collect; buy; purchase; attain; score; secure; take possession of; grab.

24. Easy- effortless; simple; clear; smooth; straightforward; uncomplicated; painless; accessible; apparent; basic; plain; child’s play; facile; elementary; cinch. 

A stranger asks to borrow your cell phone. You agree. She turns away and talks on it for a moment, then faces you once more. “I’m sorry,” she says, eyes red. “I’m so sorry.” Then, she runs away.

I reached for my phone, only to let it slip out of my hands and into the path of thousands of feet. One person kicked it, not noticing how I gasped and swore at him. I stood up and made my way through the crowd, bumping people and apologizing as I swam through. I picked up my phone and walked back to the bench. I noticed the screen cracked, but it was still working normally.

I unlocked it and swiped through my list of contacts. As I read through it, I began finding names I was unfamiliar with. Soon, I couldn't make sense of any names or words I was reading. I felt lost. Alone.

"Excuse me."

It was a woman's voice, light in pitch and soft in tone. I looked up and immediately noticed the shape and color in her eyes.

Almond. Brown.

She introduced herself as Sara, and asked if she could borrow my phone. For a moment I hesitated, wondering why only she was the only person talking in the city. She sat next to me, her leg pressed against mine, and I could feel a warmth flow through me. She apologized for being so forward, but I told her I was fine. She was familiar to me, but I couldn't recall how or why.

I handed my phone to her and apologized for the broken display. It's fine, she said. I have the same problem with my phone too, except I don't have any power left to use it. She dialed a phone number and place the receiver to her ear. At first her eyes widened, excited. Then she started breathing heavily, and soon her eyes puffed and watered. She closed her eyes as she handed the phone back to me. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry" she said as she rose up. "I'm so sorry."

She turned away and walked into the crowd, and in a movement of several steps, she disappeared in the crowded streets.

Little did I know this would be the last time I would see my family. I was snatched out of my haven, having just moved in the day before. The homeowner threw me into a confined space, joining others in the same predicament.

We shuffled amongst ourselves as we moved from house to house. Each visit brought one or two new visitors into our fold. It didn't take long for our space to overcrowd, smashing those who had arrived earlier in our little carriage.

This was forwarded to me by a former colleague who attended a course on how to publish/edit a book. You probably already know most of these tips, but there might be something you’ll find helpful, who knows…

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING FIRST PHASE OF EDITING

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK (what the story is and how it is being told):

What is the book about? What is the driving force behind the narrative?

Who is the audience for this book?

Is it based on real experience?

Does the story work? Are there any parts that feel unconvincing or where the narrative drags? 

Are there any parts I don’t understand?

What is the trajectory or the shape of the story?

Does the story start in the right place?

How quickly do I become immersed in the book?

Are there any points where my immersion in the story is broken, or I lose interest?

Do I believe in what I’m reading?

How satisfying is the ending? Does it feel inevitable?

Does it feel like anything is missing?

Is there anything extraneous (characters, detail, unnecessary plot points)?

What is the narrative point of view (first person, second person, third person)? Does it change? Is it consistent? Does it work? What might be lost or gained if the story were told another way?

Is the tense consistent? If it changes, is it necessary?

Does coincidence feature as a plot device? If so, is there another way to engineer the same events?

Hello and welcome to my first blog post! I’m Laura – an aspiring writer, as you may have guessed by the title of this post – and I, like many others, have made a lot of horrible mistakes and revelations with my first manuscript. While I’m only halfway through my first draft, being the masochistic, self-embarrassing person that I am, I thought I’d share what those lessons were.

1.      The first line is hard.

It’s even harder when you put all this pressure on it that you really don’t need. It’s just a collection of words, just like the rest of the novel.

Don’t fret.

2.     Don’t go back and edit.

There were so many times when I finished a chapter or a scene and then realized: Shit. That’s not how I mapped that character. Or, oh my god, I just missed out a HUGELY important part of that character’s backstory.

What I’ve learned is that it’s the hardest but the best thing you can do for your novel to just. Keep. Pushing. Through.

You’ve got to grit your teeth and remember that this is what second drafts are for, because if you go back and rewrite something every time you notice a mistake, you’ll never finish the stupid thing.

3.     Outlines can be really fun. Or they can be torture.

This lesson is kind of unavoidable as a newbie writer. If you’ve never outlined your book before, you won’t know what sort of outline you like. So you could get 20,000 words into the story (like me), realize you screwed up your outline because you did it on Word instead of post-it notes, and lose your damn mind.

“Why is everything so disorganized!?” You scream, before slamming your head against the keyboard for the millionth time.

Take a deep breath. Stop writing. Redo your freaking outline.

4.     Finish ALL character construction before you start writing.

I didn’t take this step seriously because I didn’t take my writing seriously in the beginning; it was just something I was dabbling in which I hadn’t done in years.

But if you’re considering writing a novel, you have to finish all your character construction 100% before you can start the novel.

A lot of my characters have half-finished outlines. So sadly, I’m gonna have to take a break from all the fun writing I’ve been doing to map them out halfway through the story.

5.     Don’t be too hard on yourself.

I’m actually pretty good at remembering this lesson, but I think every writer finds it invaluable.

You don’t need to be the next F. Scott Fitzgerald in the writing world to have an incredible work in your hands – or, well, your head.

Remember that it’s okay to make the above mistakes, and many more (seriously, I could list hundreds). Just push the negative thoughts away for a moment, and keep tapping at that keyboard. Good things are bound to come out of it if you work hard enough.

—Wrong Word affect/effect, lay/lie, sit/set, who/whom, toward/towards, etc.

—Vague Pronoun Reference Confusing: Bob annoyed Larry, but that didn’t stop him from asking for a meeting. Clear: Bob annoyed Larry, but that didn’t stop Larry from asking for a meeting.

—Lack of Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Frequently Disparaged: Everyone withdrew their money. Uncontroversial: Everyone withdrew his or her money. Uncontroversial: People withdrew their money.

More about they and their as gender-neutral pronouns.

—Missing or Unnecessary Capitalization Capitalize proper nouns: The names of things, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. Lowercase common nouns: Descriptions, such as that famous bridge.

More about capitalization.

—Unnecessary Shift in Verb Tense Wrong: John Wilkes Booth barricaded the door while Lincoln is watching the play. Right: John Wilkes Booth barricaded the door while Lincoln watched the play.

More about mixing verb tenses and switching verb tense.

—Sentence Fragments Sentence fragments aren’t always wrong, but don’t use them accidentally.

Fragments: Because she was late. And I held the door.

More about sentence fragments.

—Monotonous Sentence Structure Monotonous: We were late. I called the office. Bob answered the phone. Bob told Sue. Sue stalled the investors. Better: I called the office because we were late. Bob answered the phone and told Sue, who stalled the investors.

More about sentence structure.

—Adjective Drift Confusing: The property has seasonal creeks and trail access. Clear: The property has trail access and seasonal creeks.

—Unnecessary Adverbs and Prepositions Bloated: I was very angry that Bob sat down on the wet paint. Better: I was furious that Bob sat on the wet paint.

More on adverbs and prepositions.

—Parallelism Errors Not Parallel: Kids like singing, chatting, and check their phones. Parallel: Kids like singing, chatting, and checking their phones.

More about parallel construction.

—Passive Voice Passive voice isn’t wrong, but active sentences are often better.

Passive: The bell was rung by zombies. Active: Zombies rang the bell.

More about active voice and passive voice.

—“There Are” Sentences You can often improve on sentences that start with There are.

Not great: There are usually 54 cards in a deck. Better: A deck usually has 54 cards.

More about sentences that start with There are and There is.

—Jargon Jargon: You can often improve on expletive sentences. More Accessible: You can often improve on sentences that start with There are.

More about writing with jargon.

—Missing Comma After Introductory Element Wrong: In the past we bought vinyl records. Right: In the past, we bought vinyl records.

—Unnecessary Comma Wrong: Bob likes pandas, and visits the zoo often. Right: Bob likes pandas and visits the zoo often.

—Comma Splice Wrong: I ate cake, I played games. Right: I ate cake, and I played games. Right: I ate cake and played games.

More about the comma splice.

—Run-On Sentences Wrong: I ate cake I played games. Right: I ate cake, and I played games. Right: I ate cake and played games.

More about run-on sentences.

—Missing Comma in a Compound Sentence Wrong: All my friends came over for my birthday Tuesday and Bobby visited me the next day. Right: All my friends came over for my birthday Tuesday, and Bobby visited me the next day.

—Missing Comma with a Nonrestrictive Element Wrong: Shoes which are worn on your feet come in many styles. Right: Shoes, which are worn on your feet, come in many styles.

More about commas and nonrestrictive elements.

—Mechanical Problems with Quotations In the U.S., periods and commas go inside the closing quotation mark. Semicolons, colons, and dashes go outside the closing quotation mark. The position of question marks and exclamation points varies: They stay with their question or exclamation.

Correct: She yelled, “Help!” I won a copy of “Wrecking Ball”! She asked, “Are you hungry?” Did he just ask, “Are we in Hungary?”

More about punctuating quotations.

—Quotation Marks for Emphasis Wrong: “Free” soda on Saturdays. Right: Free soda on Saturdays.

—Apostrophe Errors Nouns take apostrophes to become possessive. Pronouns don’t. It’s means “it is” or “it has.” Its is the possessive form of it. Acronyms, initialisms, and years don’t take apostrophes to become plural (CDs, 1980s).

—Unnecessary or Missing Hyphen Don’t hyphenate phrasal verbs.

Wrong: Log-in to your account. Right: Log in to your account.

Do hyphenate compound adjectives. These mean different things: silver jewelry cart and silver-jewelry cart.

More about hyphens.

—Spelling Errors Remember to run a spellcheck. It’s obvious but easy to forget.

—Search for these words and phrases to do a quick check: there are, it is, its, it’s, your, you’re, their, and they’re.

1. Avoid weak words

Remember my post on the word ‘take?’ ‘Take’ is a weak word, but it isn’t the only one. 

Compare these:

He ate the sandwich

She walked towards the lake.

The book smelled good.

to these: 

He devoured the sandwich 

She strolled towards the lake. 

The book smelled magical. 

Which sentences are more engaging? The latter ones. Why? Because devoured and strolled are stronger words than ate and walked. They’re more specific. They give you more information. To get across the same information with ate and walked, you’d have to add more words: she walked slowly, he ate quickly. 

Replacing good with magical doesn’t work quite as well as the verbs, but magical does tell us slightly more than good: it gives us a better sense of how the smell makes the character feel. 

How do you spot a weak word? Weak words are vague. They’re umbrella terms. They need support from other words to really get their meaning across. If you find yourself adding adverbs and adjectives to a term, question whether or not there’s a more concise way to get your point across. 

Strong word choice, however, isn’t all that’s needed for a good description:

2. Be as specific as required.

This isn’t to say you should describe everything in every scene in perfect detail, but being specific matters. 

Which is more engaging? 

He devoured the sandwich 

The book smelled magical.

or

He devoured the sandwich, stopping only to lick up the melted cheese that seeped through his fingers and ran down his palm. 

The book smelled magical, like a sunlit afternoon. 

Again, the latter ones. They take you into the scene. They evoke the senses. It’s the difference between telling and showing. Devoured is a strong verb, but it doesn’t give us a clear image of what is happening. Showing the character licking away the cheese gives the reader a sense of the desperation and hunger of the action. Evoking a sunlit afternoon is evoking your reader’s memories of their own sunny afternoons.These examples are statements with evidence. They provide details. 

You want to invite your reader into the scene, not give them a summary of the events.

Additionally, specifics make the world feel real. They convince readers that the world actually exists. They keep the story in your readers’ minds once they’ve finished reading. 

This being said, don’t pull a GRRM and describe every meal your characters eat. Some things just aren’t that important. There are occasions when it’s okay to tell instead of show. 

3. Remember the point of view.

Who is giving the description? 

If you’re writing in 1st person or 3rd person limited, remember how your character feels about what you’re describing. If you’re describing a strawberry field, a person who was raised on a strawberry farm is going to see it differently than someone who is deathly allergic to strawberries, who is going to see it differently from a Beatles fanatic. 

Maybe the Beatles fanatic is deathly allergic to strawberries and this field brings up a whole bucketful of conflicting emotions.

Which is all to say: 

Good descriptions reveal character as well as scene. 

If this description is coming from a character’s point of view: what is that point of view? What is this scene making your character feel? Don’t let your narrator slip away from the page. 

This connects to my last point. 

4. Remember why you’re including it. 

Novel writing is persuasive writing. It’s an exercise in persuading your reader that your story is true, that your characters are real people. It’s an exercise in persuading your readers to feel what you want them to feel. 

(There’s a well-known quote about this somewhere, but I can’t remember it exactly.)

Every description must add to the story. It should be doing something: working for some larger goal, advancing the plot, revealing character. 

Maybe you’re describing a house because you want your reader to see why your character doesn’t want to move.  

Maybe you’re describing this lovely-smelling book because you want the reader to know that it’s important to the character. That her favorite memories are of reading it in the attic of her grandmother’s house. 

When you’re writing out a description, identify its purpose and make sure it fulfils it. 

It’s okay if at first you don’t know how the house makes the character feel, or if she’s running or strolling towards the lake, or why the book is so important. Sometimes you just know it’s there. That something happened. Usually things become clearer as you write further and get to know the story and characters yourself. 

Being a writer is hard.  Being a writer who wants to get published is really hard.  It takes a lot of work, a lot of dedication, and more research than anyone ever wants to believe.  Not only are you doing research to write your stories, but once you’re done, you’re suddenly faced with the need to do research on how to get published.

That’s a rabbit hole that’s easy to fall into.

The first step?  Find an editor.  And I don’t mean an editor who works in a publishing house—we’re still a long way from that bit.  No, the first kind of editor you need to find is a freelancer.

A freelance editor is going to take your manuscript and help you get it to the point where you can send it where it needs to be—whether that’s a self-publishing platform, a literary agent, or the unsolicited manuscript pile at a publishing house.

You can’t send an unpolished manuscript to any of these places.  That’s where the freelancer comes in.

But how do things work when you’re working with a freelance editor?  Let’s face it: there’s only so much time you can invest in researching how this all works.  And you don’t want to put money into something when you’re not entirely sure how the process goes.

So here’s a little crash course on how editing tends to work with freelancers—and with publishing houses.