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To enhance your writing, prioritize clean, clear, and direct language that reflects your narrative voice. Avoid common mistakes such as redundancy, unnecessary adverbs, and weak verbs. Focus on eliminating redundant phrases, scrutinizing adverbs, and powering up your verbs for more impact. Engage in revision strategies like reading aloud to catch awkwardness and ensure sentences flow smoothly. By implementing these techniques, you will create polished and effective writing that resonates with your audience.
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Revision Strategies How can we make our writing stronger and more polished?
What are we aiming for here? We want language that is: • Clean • Clear • Direct The language used should be appropriate to the narrator—you!
Common Mistake #1 Redundant words or phrases • “He” (five times in three sentences) • “With his own two eyes” • “Sneaky and suspicious”
Common Mistake #2 Unnecessary words, especially adverbs • “He tiptoed quietly” • “He couldn’t really believe it” • “He thought wonderingly”
Common Mistake #3 Passive, ineffective verbs • “He thought maybe he was actually crazy.” • “It looked like a body . . . ” • “Seemed to be acting . . . ” • “Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him.”
Revision Strategies • Replace redundant words and phrases • Underline and scrutinize adverbs • Delete unnecessary words, altering sentences as required • Read aloud and listen for awkwardness • Put verbs to work
How did I do this? Kelly waited in the smelly station for the local, which as usual took forever to arrive. She stepped into the closest car and sat down. At 3 a.m. the train was empty. Probably she’d get off at 34th Street and look at the Christmas decorations at Macy’s. Her mother would never find her there. Kelly had left a goodbye note in the middle of the dining room table; in it she said she was visiting a friend in Van Cortland Park.
