That One Habit You Can't Kick

[HareBrain]

I think (Brian might confirm) that Joe Abercrombie never uses semi colons, because nobody ever thinks in semi colons.

This strikes me as bizarre. Does he think people think in commas?

 

[.matthew.]

Well, I'm fairly sure I think in semi-colons. I mean I clearly don't think the word in-between thoughts but neither do I think full stop or comma. I do often have two connecting thoughts that I don't attach with and, so I reckon that counts as a semi-colon.

 

[Night_Eternal]

For me, it's 'smile', since I have a major character who is pretty cheery all the time. Trying to polish that out in the final draft so you know she's smiling without me saying it (or grin, or smirk, or any other similar word for that matter).

 

[Tavis Newsome]

A lot of my characters shrug in response to things. He shrugged... she shrugged... they shrugged...

I'm trying to get them to 'use their words'.

 

[Narcissus]

I overuse the word "just." I don't know - It just seems to me it just belongs.

 

[Astro Pen]

For me, it's 'smile', since I have a major character who is pretty cheery all the time. Trying to polish that out in the final draft so you know she's smiling without me saying it (or grin, or smirk, or any other similar word for that matter).

I have had a lot of trouble finding a word to replace 'smirk' so have a tendency to overuse it to avoid some "smiled adverbially" substitution.

I overuse the word "just." I don't know - It just seems to me it just belongs.

It's is a self deprecatory word. "Little me" thinking. I suspect it is a habit of defensive speech from a slightly oppressive childhood that lingers into adulthood. "I was just trying to help, mommy, honest."
Sometimes, of course it is useful to suggest that personality trait in a weak character.
( Just my two cents )

 

[Ori Vandewalle]

I have way too many "he nodded" and "she shrugged." Need more evocative verbs and/or more specific character tics.

 

[CTRandall]

"I use double quotes in dialogue," he said, 'instead of the single quotes preferred by publishers.'

I end up doing massive "find and replace" jobs to replace all of them.

 

[Maseeha.Aellari]

Ellipses and tripling

I can write an entire novel of descriptions, dialogue and worldbuilding using tripling only and it is my kryptonite! And my ellipses work... don't even get me started

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

I frequently overuse adverbs excessively. Annoyingly, I frequently find that I have used the same adverb repeatedly.

 

[JunkMonkey]

" Remeber " about 8 times out of 10

Me TOO!

 

[Mon0Zer0]

I can never spell Nescessassessarilery, or beareaucrat and bureacracracy.

"I use double quotes in dialogue," he said, 'instead of the single quotes preferred by publishers.'

I end up doing massive "find and replace" jobs to replace all of them.

wait, wait... publishers prefer single quotes for dialogue?

 

[Venusian Broon]

wait, wait... publishers prefer single quotes for dialogue?

Will depend on house style. I picked up five novels at random near me and 2 had single, 2 had double.

The fifth book was a Cormac McCarthy novel so it didn't have any.

 

[HareBrain]

wait, wait... publishers prefer single quotes for dialogue?

Generally, UK prefers single, US double. Not sure about others.

UK publications were also double quotes before WWII. I think we switched to maybe save on tiny amounts of ink and paper.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

Generally, UK prefers single, US double. Not sure about others.

UK publications were also double quotes before WWII. I think we switched to maybe save on tiny amounts of ink and paper.

I did not know this! Blimey.

 

[.matthew.]

I'm in the UK and I still prefer the double-quotes for speech. There's already use for the single ones.

 

[AllanR]

I think I use the semicolon too much; it's so useful!

 

[Astro Pen]

I always use double quotes when writing. If you submit to a US publisher search and replace is easy.
If you are unwise enough to use single quotes you are in for a hard few days of work trying to insert doubles for a UK house. without having an apostrophe crisis

 

[Guttersnipe]

Whever I try to write while listening to something, I wind up writing Freudian slips, so to speak. Sometimes I do repeat words. My main mistake is probably not using a pencil, as I usually use a pen and scribble things out to the point of uglification.

 

[HareBrain]

I always use double quotes when writing. If you submit to a US publisher search and replace is easy.
If you are unwise enough to use single quotes you are in for a hard few days of work trying to insert doubles for a UK house.

It's (mostly) the other way round. 90% of the UK-published books on my shelves use single quotes. All my US ones use doubles.

You are correct though that replacing doubles with singles is a lot easier. And to be honest I can't imagine the choice will be a deal-breaker in any submission.