That One Habit You Can't Kick

[Anthony Tompkins]

Dear writers,

Just wondering if anyone has a bad writing habit they just can't seem to get rid of? It could just be a repetition issue, or an outright mistake. For me, it's the misuse of the word "it's". In every project I've ever written, I consistently have a problem using "it's" as a possessive, instead of "its" I've been reminded constantly by editors that "it's" is only used as the contraction of "it is". Yet still, when I'm in the flow of writing, I make the mistake probably 4/10 times. I catch it when I go through to edit (mostly) and I kick myself every time because I KNOW it's its for possession (see what I did?).

What's your bad habit that you just can't outrun- if you have one?

 

[.matthew.]

That - it drives me crazy that I overuse that word all the time, and that's a bad habit.

 

[-K2-]

Check out this thread: Words you can cut

I used the technique listed of highlighting words throughout before the next read through. It helps tremendously to make the words pop out at you, but not remove them where they might be needed. So, I added all of the words in their list, all that I know I overuse (in a different highlight), and as I go along I add new ones that I notice, re-highlighting the whole MS.

So, a page from an old alpha version looks like this:

Eventually they become 'less' as I delete words or rephrase, and once done I eliminate all highlighting.

K2

 

[ginny]

So this is your worst habit

Check out this thread: Words you can cut

I used the technique listed of highlighting words throughout before the next read through. It helps tremendously to make the words pop out at you, but not remove them where they might be needed. So, I added all of the words in their list, all that I know I overuse (in a different highlight), and as I go along I add new ones that I notice, re-highlighting the whole MS.

So, a page from an old alpha version looks like this:

Mine is picking on people who don't seem to read or heed the thread.

 

[-K2-]

Mine is picking on people who don't seem to read or heed the thread.

Indeed: Looking for a Word...

You funny

K2

 

[Mouse]

I can never spell exercise. (It had to be corrected there!)

 

[Astro Pen]

" Remeber " about 8 times out of 10
Also " Think " and " Thing ". It is completely random which of the two words will appear in the sentence regardless of intent.

 

[.matthew.]

I can never spell exercise. (It had to be corrected there!)

I never exercise

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Mine is excessive use of ellipsis...

 

[-K2-]

I'll second @Stephen Palmer 's ellipsis issue (as I've mentioned often). However, @Astro Pen ; do you have any idea as to 'why' you might do that? I ask because I do exactly the same with those words. I always assumed it was just me and my literacy issues, perhaps it's not after all.

K2

 

[.matthew.]

I'll second @Stephen Palmer 's ellipsis issue (as I've mentioned often). However, @Astro Pen ; do you have any idea as to 'why' you might do that? I ask because I do exactly the same with those words. I always assumed it was just me and my literacy issues, perhaps it's not after all.

K2

I don't see ellipsis use as an issue (I use them all the time too). They are a convenient way to throw an extra thought into the sentence without messing with the structure.

When that misspelling happens to me it's because I've moved on in my head (I'm too far along in the sentence and my fingers forget what I was typing). Weirdly, when writing enemy with a pen on paper, I'll often write emeny and in that case, no idea, doesn't happen when typing it...

Sidenote: I always put the . after the ) if the ) is at the end of the sentence. I know it really shouldn't be there but in a world of emojis .) doesn't work anymore (it's a winking face).

 

[ginny]

ellipsis-that reminds me.

...the...sun...

That's a total ellipse of 'the sun'.

My second worst habit is...bad jokes.

 

[.matthew.]

That's a total ellipse of 'the sun'.

Why not a total ellipse of 'the heart'?

 

[Stephen Palmer]

That's a bonnie idea.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Too many glances and rippled muscles in cheeks to indicate stress.

 

[JNG01]

I use too many dashes--you see, my writing often reflects the parenthetical nature of my thinking--and have to go back later and clean them all up. 80% of the time, I can improve the text just by deleting the offset phrase.

 

[HareBrain]

I use too many dashes--you see, my writing often reflects the parenthetical nature of my thinking--and have to go back later and clean them all up. 80% of the time, I can improve the text just by deleting the offset phrase.

Me too. And though I don't allow myself to use brackets in fiction, my emails are full of them.

In my YA writing I make a conscious effort to keep the sentence structure simple where possible, but I find it's a real effort.

 

[Pyan]

And me - like this - and ellipses, usually at the end of sentences...

To my English teacher, comma splices were absolute anathema, and anything submitted to her, that looked like this, in an essay, or other piece of work, came back with red lines through it that, actually, in at least one case, scored through the paper: it was a habit you lost very quickly...

My bogey word is necessary - I can never remember which of the 's' sounds are doubled, and whether they're soft 'c's or 's's...

 

[Astro Pen]

My bogey word is necessary - I can never remember which of the 's' sounds are doubled, and whether they're soft 'c's or 's's...

That never gave me any trouble after I was taught the 'shirt' rule:

"1 Collar, 2 Sleeves"

 

[Boneman]

I think (Brian might confirm) that Joe Abercrombie never uses semi colons, because nobody ever thinks in semi colons. Might be speech he's referring to...

I like ellipses....