NOTE FROM CINDY – Our apology to Denise for the typo in her title that was sent out earlier in the week. As we were working in the site, it went down and was down for 24 hours. Our tech guys were frantically working to restore all our sites but in the meantime, we couldn’t make changes. Some may have experienced not being able to see the site at all even with the links we provided. We were all surprised that the autosend sent her post despite the fact we had not saved it to send. So we apologize to both Denise and you for the technological blunder that happened. Technology is our greatest friend and worst enemy.
By Denise Loock
According to Merriam-Webster, a gimmick is “a trick or device used to attract business or attention.” We expect marketers to indulge in this kind of chicanery to grab our attention. But professional writers are held to a higher standard—clarity. M-W defines clarity as “directness, orderliness, and precision of thought and expression.” No fluff. No contrivance.
What gimmicks do newer writers often use? Italics, all-caps, boldface, exclamation points, and unnecessary quotation marks. Seasoned writers avoid these keyboard crutches in favor of precise words and deliberate sentence structure, which better communicate their point.
Let’s look at three examples.
Example 1: John was so angry he picked up the statue and threw it at the wall!
This writer has tried to show John’s anger with an italicized so and an exclamation point. Neither are necessary. John’s actions show his anger. No need to say he’s angry. Instead, the person could write this: John picked up the statue and threw it at the wall.
Why is the exclamation point unnecessary? Seasoned writers rarely use this punctuation mark. Instead, they use word choice and sentence structure to create emphasis.
Original version: Tom waited an hour! Then he left the restaurant in a huff!
Revised version: An hour later, Tom stuffed his shredded napkin into the empty glass and stalked out of the restaurant.
Original version: The child threw herself on the floor, grabbed her mother’s leg, and wailed, “Don’t leave me!”
Revised version: The child crumpled on the floor and clutched her mother’s leg. “Don’t leave. Don’t leave. Don’t leave.”
Example 2: Rahab was a “lady of the night.”
This writer has used a euphemism for prostitute and placed the term in quotation marks. Neither the euphemism nor the quotation marks are necessary. Clarity is the better choice: Rahab was a prostitute.
As for the quotation marks, if readers are unfamiliar with the euphemism, the quotation marks don’t help them define it. If readers are familiar with the term, then the quotation marks are unnecessary. Seasoned writers prefer original metaphors and clear terms over euphemisms and cliches. Use quotation marks properly: for cited material and for dialogue.
Example 3: She shouted, You are a LIAR! This relationship is over!”
This writer has added emphasis by using all-caps. Seasoned writers rarely, if ever, use this technique. Far better to communicate the speaker’s intent another way: She severed their ten-year relationship with a single slash. “Liar.” Using a strong verb, severed, and adding the adjective ten-year increase the drama without resorting to all-caps and exclamation points.
This week, review a few pages of your work in progress (WIP). Revise any sentence that contains one of the gimmicks I mentioned. Here are a few revision techniques: (1) rearrange the words in the sentence, (2) eliminate unnecessary words, (3) use one precise noun, adjective, or verb instead of multiple nouns, adjectives, or verbs, (4) remove euphemisms and cliches, and (5) ditch the exclamation points.
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Assignment 5 - What in the World is a One Sheet - Andrea Merrell
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Assignment 4 - Storytelling Your Life Lessons
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Learn to Show, Not Tell Your Story
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Oh! I Need a Professional Email Address?
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Bio, Bio, Who's Got the Bio
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Get in the Mood to Write - Assignment 5
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Assignment 4 - The 5 Cs of an Elevator Pitch
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Appropriate Emails - [email protected] - Assignment 3
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1/21/2023
Assignment 2 - Creative Non-Fiction
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1/15/2023
Don't Write Your Bio - Write WHY ME? - Assignment 1
Bob Hostetler
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How to Make the Most of Your Conference Experience - Assignment 7
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2/12/2022
Sensory Perception Enhances Your Writing - Assignment 4
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1/22/2022
January 16, Assignment 3 - Bring Your Characters to Life
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1/16/2022
Assignment 2 - Titles & Sentences - Nancy Lohr
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1/8/2022
An Adjective Safari - Assignment 1
Denise Loock
1/5/2022
Assignment 5 - Don't Waste Your Conference Experience
Cindy Sproles
2/6/2021
January 24, Assignment Four - Time to Shoot the Weasel Words
Cindy Sproles
1/24/2021
Assignment 3 - The Role of Speaker Tags and Beats
Cindy Sproles
1/21/2021
January 10, Assignment 2 (1 of 2 assignments)
Cindy Sproles
1/10/2021
Assignment 1 - ACWC January 5 - Let's Start with a Bio
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1/5/2021
February 1 - Assignments 5 & 6 - Linda Glaz
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2/1/2020
How Not to Get an Agent - Assignment 7
Bob Hostetler
2/10/2019
It's Not What You Know; It's Who You Know - Assignment 4
Bob Hostetler
1/20/2019
Stay on Track with a Writing Schedule - Assignment 3
Larry Leech
1/13/2019
Assignment 2 - Finding Speaker Topics
Beth Fortune
1/5/2019
IMAGERY–WHEN THIS IS LIKE THAT
By Ann Tatlock
12/30/2018
Asheville Christian Writers Conference Privacy Policy
Cindy Sproles
6/4/2018
2018 Writers Charge
Cindy
2/18/2018
Getting Rid of “I” Disease - Assignment 3
Andrea Merrell
1/14/2018
Curb Your Adverb Addiction - Assignment 2
Denise Loock
1/7/2018
WHO ARE YOU? - Writing Your Bio
Cindy Sproles
11/17/2017
WRITING IN A PICKLE
Cindy Sproles
11/13/2017
THE NaNoWriMo CHALLENGE
Cindy Sproles
11/10/2017
BRINGING YOUR CHARACTERS TO LIFE
By Andrea Merrell
2/12/2017
DON’T LET SPEAKER BEATS RUIN YOUR MANUSCRIPT
By Andrea Merrell
2/5/2017
HOW TO CRAFT GREAT DIALOGUE
By Andrea Merrell
1/30/2017
AVOID REPETITION AND WRITE TIGHT
By Andrea Merrell
1/20/2017
THE QUOTATION QUOTA – ASSIGNMENT 2
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1/13/2017
ELIMINATE THE EXCLAMATION POINTS – ASSIGNMENT 1
By Andrea Merrell
1/7/2017
WRITING ADVICE FROM MARK TWAIN: WRITE WITHOUT PAY UNTIL SOMEBODY OFFERS TO PAY
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12/22/2016
WHEN THE STORY STALLS IN THE MIDDLE
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12/20/2016
WHO REALLY SELLS YOUR BOOKS ?
by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted
9/20/2016
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE APPOINTMENTS
by Cindy Sproles
9/16/2016
ARRRGH! ANOTHER REJECTION – CINDY SPROLES
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9/12/2016
FROZEN IN PLACE – ICEY SELF-TALK TO FREEZE YOUR WRITING
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9/8/2016
THE BIO – THE FRAGRANCE OF WHO YOU ARE
by Cindy Sproles
9/3/2016
THE PAIN OF UNSOLICITED
by Cindy Sproles
8/29/2016
REDUNDANCY: AN EXCESSIVE, OPPRESSIVE, PERVASIVE DISEASE
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8/26/2016
7 THINGS TO DO NOW TO BE READY WHEN WRITING INSPIRATION STRIKES – EDIE MELSON
by Edie Melson
8/23/2016
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS
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8/20/2016
WHY SHOULD I ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ CONFERENCE?
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8/17/2016
YOU NEED A PLATFORM – LIVING A STORY- ASSIGNMENT 3
By La-tan Murphy
1/20/2016
THE ONE SHEET
by Cindy Sproles
1/8/2016
OVER-EDIT?
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11/4/2015