Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Spring Cleaning

If you haven't taken a look at YA Highway yet and you are interested in writing and reading, I recommend you do so.  Each Wednesday, they pose a question for writers to answer.  Last week they mistakenly skipped it, but had posted the question the prior week.  This week, they ask, "What novellas would you like to see inspire YA books?"  Because I have no answer that warrants a good post, here is my answer to last week's:


What do you hope to "clean out" from your writing? What habits/tropes/words, etc do you want to eliminate?

 Oh boy.

 1.)  First and foremost, I would like to clean out that word that crops up in situations that don't warrant its use:  THAT.  I also overuse the word slightly.
2.)  Next, cliches are still very much my anthrax.  They are oddly fascinating but disgusting.

 3.)  As I sit here at my computer typing with my fingers and drinking my morning coffee in my workroom, I think I find myself occasionally adding extra superfluous words and phrases into my writing.  
I do not need to say my characters "push back the chair and stand."  It is enough to say they stand.  Pushing the chair back is implied.
4.)  Finally (and this should be first and foremost), I need clean my mental chambers of self-doubt.  I love LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS.  I love writing it.  I love editing it.  I will be successful.   

 My question for you:
Is avoiding prepositions at the end of a sentence a stylistic preference or grammatically correct? 

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3 comments:

  1. Stephanie AllenMarch 20, 2013 at 10:20 AM

    THAT is my kryptonite, along with passive voice and extra superfluous words.

    If memory serves, avoiding prepositions at the end of a sentence is technically grammatically incorrect, but I feel like it's one of those rules no one really pays attention to anymore. Personally, I don't mind it, and it's not something I ever notice.

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    1. UnknownMarch 20, 2013 at 11:32 AM

      Oh my god, yes! Passive voice. I hadn't even thought of that one.

      In college, one of my writing professors would whack us on the back of the hand with a ruler if we placed a preposition at the end of a sentence. Okay, so maybe she didn't hit us, but believe me, when she saw it, she wanted to.<---preposition :)

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  2. UnknownMarch 20, 2013 at 12:14 PM

    Not sure if it's written in stone, but I think I remember being taught that the consequences of putting a preposition at the end of a sentence would be severe and/or catestrophic. I am also an abuser of THAT and lately find myself saying "a bit" constantly. Apparently I have verb commitment issues.

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