The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing: Common Pitfalls of Prose . . . and How to Avoid Them
5/5
()
About this ebook
This concise guidebook borrows the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins from the Middle Ages and applies it to the craft of writing—revealing seven “Deadly Don’ts” that the author, a veteran book editor, has encountered time and time again in writers’ work.
In addition to showing you how to avoid those all-too-common mistakes, she provides a “Divine Do” for each, offering useful take-aways writers can use to communicate more clearly and effectively, whether they’re working on a masterpiece-in-progress or just want to sharpen their everyday writing skills.
Related to The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing
Related ebooks
Tell Me <How to Write> a Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Write, Keep Writing and Keep Motivated: Tips for Aspiring Authors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSizzling Style: Every Word Matters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing Active Hooks Book 1: Action, Emotion, Surprise and More: Writing Active Hooks, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Seasons of Creative Writing: 1,000 Prompts to Stop Writer's Block Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Art of Proofreading & Editing Your Manuscript Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Be a Writing Machine: Author Level Up, #3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/530 Days to The End Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Mistakes Beginner Writers Make: Mistakes Writers Make, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Awesome Book Blurbs: A Modern Indie Author's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5200 Words: How to Be a Prolific Writer in 5 Minutes a Day: The Unfocused Writer's Guide, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTips on WRITING DIALOGUE Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent Editing: The Writing Process: Red Sneaker Writers Books, #7 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Write Stories that Sell: Write Faster Series, #3 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Writer's Lexicon Volume II: More Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFiction Tips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Short: A Quick Guide to Writing Short Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Naked Writer: A Comprehensive Writing Style Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Five Day Novel: The How To Guide For Writing Faster & Optimizing Your Workflow: Writer to Author, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No More Writer's Block! Become a Prolific Writer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Write A Short Story in 7 Days Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Heart & Craft: Bestselling Romance Writers Share their Secrets with You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be a Successful Writer in a Nutshell - 100+ Writing Tips: Be a Writer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThink Like a Writer: How to Write the Stories You See Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArt & Craft of Writing: Secret Advice for Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWords Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know about Writing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing Prompts: 99 Karate Chops to Writer’s Block Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings7 Essential Writing Tools: That Will Absolutely Make Your Writing Better (And Enliven Your Soul) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Composition & Creative Writing For You
The Emotion Thesaurus (Second Edition): A Writer's Guide to Character Expression Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Letters to a Young Poet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself: 35th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5THE EMOTIONAL WOUND THESAURUS: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing to Learn: How to Write - and Think - Clearly About Any Subject at All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Attributes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Best Sex Scenes Ever Written: An Erotic Romp Through Literature for Writers and Readers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Everything Writing Poetry Book: A Practical Guide To Style, Structure, Form, And Expression Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Better Grammar in 30 Minutes a Day Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing to Wake the Soul: Opening the Sacred Conversation Within Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elements of Style: The Original Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rewrite Your Life: Discover Your Truth through the Healing Power of Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing - Angie Kiesling
Common Pitfalls of Prose
…and How to Avoid Them
Angie Kiesling
THE 7 DEADLY SINS OF WRITING
Common Pitfalls of Prose…and How to Avoid Them
© 2018 Angie Kiesling
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com
The Morgan James Speakers Group can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event visit The Morgan James Speakers Group at www.TheMorganJamesSpeakersGroup.com.
ISBN 9781683506850 paperback
ISBN 9781683506867 eBook
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017911645
In an effort to support local communities, raise awareness and funds, Morgan James Publishing donates a percentage of all book sales for the life of each book to Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.
Get involved today! Visit www.MorganJamesBuilds.com
Contents
If Writing Were Baking…
How to Use This Tiny Tome
The Deadly Don’ts
Deadly Don’t #1 - Passive Voice
Deadly Don’t #2 - Weak Verbs
Deadly Don’t #3 - Adjective/Adverb Overload
Deadly Don’t #4 - I Began to Start…
Deadly Don’t #5 - That, That, That…
Deadly Don’t #6 - There Is/Are Overload
Deadly Don’t #7 - Telling vs. Showing
Now It’s Your Turn
About the Author
If Writing Were Baking…
How to Use This Tiny Tome
If you were a baker, across three decades of baking you’d have seen a lot of crescent rolls, right? You’d know the recipe so well you could probably bake those rolls in your sleep.
When I hit my third decade in the publishing business as a writer and book editor, I realized I could spot most bread-baking
mishaps at fifty paces. Maybe, just maybe, other writers might benefit from the discipline I’d learned across the years, I reasoned.
Wanting to keep things light, I borrowed a concept from the Middle Ages, likening the seven most common pitfalls of prose to the 7 Deadly Sins—or Don’ts, as they’re referred to in this tiny book.
Tiny is a key word here because I