ON WRITING

My very good friend and critique partner, Diane, shared this with me, and I asked her permission to share it on my blog. It sort of sums up what we writers face, besides writer's block, threats of plagiarism, and covers that don't work. :) Since I'm still ailing, it came at a good time. I don't have a clear mind to be creative today. Thanks, Diane.

On Writing

Destroy those 'ings' and other things,
Banish the woulds, coulds and shoulds.

Ignore the was and were of prose,
Cull passive voice, stay 'on your toes'.
But that's a cliche and too must be gone,
Of Words that end in 'ly' never grow fond.

To be or not to be must never be used,
To have and have not is over abused.

Don't say the 'felt' - describe how they feel,
Use active verbs to 'show' its appeal.

Never let your participles dangle.
To end in preposition must be strangled.
Don't start with But, As or And,
Keep your dialog tags as simple as 'said'.

To follow these rules, there is little left,
The plight of a writer makes me bereft.

By Diane Scott Lewis