This will be short and sweet. I have a longer Harry Potter post coming soon!
Writing tip of the day: do you find yourself using the phrase “began to” in your action scenes? Consider these:
1. The noise got louder, and my heart began to thud harder.
2. When I saw they were chasing me, I began to run.
I see this kind of phrasing often as I edit. I think it’s partly a novice thing and partly a rough-draft thing. Whatever its origin, don’t do it. It’s clumsy and actually slows the action down. Consider the revisions:
1. The noise got louder, and my heart thudded in my chest.
2. When I saw they were chasing me, I ran.
Sure, there are times when it makes sense to use “began to,” but they aren’t as frequent as you’d think.
If you have any questions about writing or editing, leave them in the comments or shoot me an email at sharon@editorsharonhoneycutt.com. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to share this post!
