Of, ‘S, And
So, you’re editing your book, newsletter, business correspondence, and looking for ways to make it snappier. Sharpen your red pencil, then take a look at Of, ‘S and And.
OF: I notice that when people write draft #1, Of is an overused word. “He thought of her often.” vs. “She was often in his thoughts.” “They came of good Irish folk.” “Their ancestors were Irish.”
Of is unconsciously used as a transitional word. It often weakens a description or the intensity of an emotion you wish to convey. When editing, circle your Ofs and look for alternate phraseology.
‘S: Apostrophe S, the possessive S, is a simple tool to tighten a sentence. For example, in Scroll 3, a new character, Rodias, is hunting. The original sentence read, “The easterly wind would not carry the scent of Rodias to the rabbits.” A quick fix: ”The easterly wind would not carry Rodias’ scent to them.” As another example, “… they were at the edge of the lake” vs. “…they were at the lake’s edge.”
Edit asking yourself what can be strengthened (and usually shortened) with ‘s.
AND: I’m guilty of overusing and. Have to slash it out of my drafts because it stretches a sentence to take away the oomph.
Draft 1: Blades clashed and sparks spat into the mist. Agonized shrieks shredded the air and Danai could not tell whether from daemiani or feyree.
Edited: Blades clashed, sparks spitting into the mist. Agonized shrieks shredded the air; Danai could not tell whether daemiani or feyree.
Watching out for ‘and’ can make your actions more “now” and urgent, and keeps the energy in your writing.
Get that red pencil to work, and hunt for these simple way to punch up your copy.
