Do you have a pet peeve about your own writing? Maybe you use weak verbs, or passive verbs, or too many adjectives. Could be you tend to use the same word in close proximity, or you use too many pronouns. You may overuse certain words, or use “that” too often. Maybe you are overly fond of cliches.
I’ve done all of the above at one time or another. I’ve stopped myself, or at least improved, on many of them.
One of the things I need to work on now is transition. I tend to slip out of a scene into dialogue, or vice versa, abruptly, with no transition. Sometimes an action rendered in just a few words, or a little extended dialogue will make all the difference.
My goal for publication is Woman’s World magazine. Because of the limited word count, I try to cut words. Sometimes it’s in the transitions, and I don’t even notice it until later.
What do you need to work on to improve your writing?
Joyce H. Ackley, Writer 