First in the Arbiter Series
Agustus Pilot, a detective assigned to Special Services, is not a new kid on the block.
In fact, he’s an Arbiter, a supernatural being assigned to solve any paradox
between God and Satan for the disposition of contested souls.
Question from the e-mail: A bunch of us beginner writers meet at the library once a week to read and critique each other's work. Someone commented that I need to "liven up" my writing and said I use too many gerunds. Any idea what she means?
Answer: A gerund is, ususally, a word ending in "ing." Many writers make it a rule to avoid gerunds and past participles just as they do adverbs. Adverbs have been called "lasy" writing, but it is the tone gerunds give to a work that makes them objectionable.
Too many "ing" words can give your prose a whiny sound that can become wearing to the reader on a subconscious level. Using verb participles, such as "was going" instead of "went" can keep your verbs in a passive voice. Verbs are action words and the more action, the better for "livlier prose."
Another thing that produces boredom in a reader on a subconscious level, is the use of too many prepositional phrases.
No comments:
Post a Comment