Good morning, folks! Hope you had a wonderful holiday. I am back with a new blog post for ya, so here we go. Recently, I read an article about the writing pet peeves of a proofreader through an educational writing platform I am enrolled in. It got me thinking about some of my pet peeves in my own writing or in books I read. I mean, let’s be honest, we all have them. The article I read helped remind me how to hone into strong writing, and I want to share some of my own writing pet peeves. I know, I know, you can’t quiet your excited jitters.
I will be the guilty writer in all of my pet peeves, because—no ‘pots calling the kettle black’ here. This brings me to my first pet peeve: the use of cliches. So, to be clear, I am talking about spoken cliches, and also cliche topics. See: story about the unintelligent jock, or the hero/love interest saving the woman who cannot save herself. Maybe the girl saves herself, and her love interest is alongside her? Or, maybe the jock is a genius? I am guilty of brainstorming cliche topics, and they are only cliche because of their success. So, it’s an easy road to travel down. What are some storylines you believe are overused?
Good writers know when and what punctuation to use…because too much…or too little…can become a trap. A well-placed ellipses is punctuatory excellence. And no, punctuatory isn’t a word, but it should be. In fact, five people signed a petition to legitimize punctuatory in the English language. Case closed. I am careful of overuse of ellipses because too many can seem meandering and lofty in writing. I love them for effect in writing, but have to remind myself to use them sparingly or find a better form of punctuation. What are your thoughts on ellipses?
I use italics for non-English words or occasional emphasis, but too many italics, bolded, or ALL-CAPS words in my writing indicate I need to enhance or tap into my vocabulary. When reading, ALL CAPS scream, and italicized and bolded text decrease ease of reading. I’ve recently subscribed to the ‘word of the day’ emails that come from word genius, and the vocabulary has been so useful in improving my writing. I needed (always will need) that education. What resources do you use to enhance your vocabulary, and writing as a byproduct?
Additionally, from everything I have read, over wordiness is a big book no-no and complicates the read. If you’re like me and lean on the wordy side, proofreading to find one word to replace two will be worth if for your editor and/or reader. The writing will reflect the hard work.
Lastly, while these words (just, like, so, actually, basically, seriously, and totally) totally make my writing seem conversational and non-pretentious, I just use them sparingly, even for conversational pieces. These words can often be replaced or deleted (see above sentence). Also, I find that limiting the use of these words in my writing makes it sound more intelligent and credible.
That’s all for today, friends. Were these pet peeves interesting or useful to you? What are your writing pet peeves or work pet peeves? Please share! I’d love to know.
Thanks for stopping by my blogspot. Have a happy new year!
