Tuesday Two-Minute Writing Tip – How to Give Your Sentences More Punch

Got two minutes? Then check out this week’s quick tip ~ Backload your sentences with powerful words to give them more impact

Hello and welcome…I am a freelance editor and an editor for The Wild Rose Press, as well as an author. I often struggle with my own writing, and I have found that sometimes, a little reminder of ways to improve the process can be helpful, so, I like to share these moments of brilliance with others :). But, in this busy world of ours, who has time for pages and pages of writing tips? That’s why I’ve condensed mine down to quick flashes you can read in (approximately) two minutes. Enjoy…

Disclaimer: All of my tips are suggestions, and are only my opinion. And, for the most part, there are exceptions when going against my advice will make your story read better. Take what works, leave the rest.

One of the tricks to adding more tension, more impact and punch to your writing is to use the powerful words toward the end of sentences, and especially to paragraphs and scenes.

Here are a few examples from some of my books:

Caster’s Unfriendly Ghost:

“Not only will I continue to screw with you, even on the job, but I’ll appear to Emily, tell her about our little scheme. What do you think she’ll think of you then?”

“You’re bluffing. You wouldn’t hurt her like that.”

Joey shook his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were suspiciously damp. “I don’t want to. But I’ll do anything to keep her from making the biggest mistake of her life.”

Caster let out a resigned sigh and shook his head. “Nah, getting mixed up with the two of us was the biggest mistake of her life.”

Weaker:

Caster let out a resigned sigh and shook his head. “Nah, the biggest mistake of her life was getting mixed up with the two of us.”

Without Mercy:

Did you hear about that?” Stacy asked. “A couple gunned down in a Java Hut. Apparently a sniper. No one knows why. They still haven’t caught the guy.”

The others joined in on the discussion, but China remained silent. The waitress, a perky blonde wearing black shorts and a tight white shirt, brought over another pitcher of beer. “Guy over in the corner sent this to you.”

China’s gaze followed where the girl pointed, and the knot in her stomach froze. Royce. She hadn’t noticed him before, because his table was nestled in a dark corner. He smiled and lifted his glass in a silent salute. Her jaw tightened, and she clenched her glass so hard she thought it would shatter.

Weaker:

Her jaw tightened, and she nearly shattered the glass in her fist.

Lady in the Mist:

I shrugged as though my interest were casual curiosity. From his reaction, Sebastian did know her—and either didn’t like her, or liked her a great deal. “Just curious. I heard she broke up with Drew, then left town. That it’s possible she’s missing?”

“She’s missing, all right.” The words came out strained. “Maybe dead.”

A chill raced over my skin. “Dead?”

The anger in his eyes faded, replaced with something that looked suspiciously like pain. “I don’t know.”

Weaker:

The anger in his eyes faded, and something that looked suspiciously like pain replaced it. “I don’t know.”

It’s actually very simple, and we probably do it instinctively, for the most part. But, it doesn’t hurt to be aware as you’re making a pass through your manuscript,. Try to arrange wording for the most pizzazz.  Just think of it as ‘saving the best for last.’ 🙂

Until next time…happy writing!

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NEW RELEASE – Now Available 

(Click on the cover to be taken to the Amazon Buy Page)

 

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*** If you would like to send me a few sample pages (around 7500 words or so, even though I will not edit that many on the blog. It just gives me more to choose from) for me to edit and share on an upcoming blog post, please do so in the body of an email to AliciaMDean@aol.com. Please use the subject line: “Blog Submission” This is for published or unpublished authors. In the email, please include whether you would like me to use your name or keep it anonymous, and whether or not you would like me to include any contact info or buy info for your books. Also, you can let me know if you would like for me to run my edits by you before posting on the blog. Please keep in mind, this is for samples to use for blog posts. I will not edit or use samples from all the submissions I receive, but I will use as many as possible. 

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How to write a novel? That is the question. There are probably as many answers to that question as there are people who ask it.

Wanting to write and actually doing it are two very different things. I am well acquainted with the sometimes grueling process of churning out a story. Over the years, I have tried many methods for creating and completing manuscripts, and have tweaked and honed it down to a workable (for me) process.

Using specific examples from one of my own novels, Without Mercy, I share my method in this mini how to book. The first eight steps actually deal with plotting while the last two are designed to help expand your outline into a well-developed draft. There is no one, perfect way to create a story, but there will be a method, or methods that work for you. I’m not sure if this is the one, but it works for me. Only you can decide if it also works for you. Fingers crossed that it does!

*** Warning – Please do not purchase without reading a sample. (This is solid advice for any book, fiction or non. If you are not intrigued in the sample, you will likely not enjoy the book)

Amazon: Click Here