Pet Words

Remember those people who use "like" in sentences to the point their speech is distracting? It happens to me frequently working with teenagers. Here is an example sentence:

"Like, did you see what he was wearing? It was like, too skater-y. He's like so not a skater."

"Yeah, but like, he looked good."

The 'likes' are unnecessary (and cringe-y if I'm honest) but I found that while writing, I have the same problem. 

And I hate it. 

I use the word "that" so many damn times, I have to go through each manuscript and search to remove them one by one. It is beyond frustrating because the word is used so naturally.  But if I focus on not using it when writing the first draft, it affects the story. 

The best advice I got about writing though was to not write and edit at the same time. Complete the first draft without re-reading it or going over it. Then, after the story is told, go back and begin the edits. 
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​I live by this quote to help when the editing part becomes difficult.... because a glass of wine never hurt anyone. 

Happy Sunday,
Jaqueline 

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