“I think there simply comes a point at which you're beating your head against the wall with revision, when you're making something different but not better. For me, revision usually has more to do with making the language prettier, finding clearer images, using more active verbs.” ThinkingDifferentLanguageWallFindingsActiveVerbsRevision Author:Mary J. Miller
“There were definitely scenes I struggled with more than others: the car accident and the thunderstorm are two that come to mind. It's difficult to write about a thunderstorm. There are only so many ways to describe it and our vocabulary is so limited. And the car accident scene required a tense, manic quality that had to be conveyed in the language, as well as the character's dialogue and actions. I was editing these scenes long after I thought I was finished with them.” WayWritingMindWellsLongTwoCharacterActionLanguageDifficultQualityCarSceneFinishedAccidentsDialogueEditingVocabularyTenseManicCar AccidentThunderstorm Author:Mary J. Miller
“I've learned a lot about language from reading slush. You can immediately tell if a writer is in control of the narrative. This writer will avoid using too many words like "possibly," "probably," "maybe," "perhaps," etc. He/she will avoid using clichés, as well as a lot of metaphors, and won't take four sentences to say what they could in one (or write a great sentence and follow it up with a bunch of stuff that just weakens it).” IfsWritingWellsReadingLanguageStuffFourMetaphorSentencesBunchNarrativeI've LearnedEtcSlush Author:Mary J. Miller