Stand out :
When I hand in a text to my English teacher the first thing he does is begin to cross out the word "very". I can now assure you that it is very unlikely that you will find it used in one of my sentences.
Now, we all have those times when we find ourselves re-reading our rough drafts and noticing that some of our sentences are kind of bland, right? Those moments when we find ourselves reading what our character is doing and realizing that it kind of bores the reader, even if it is your own piece you're reading. So, what can we do to make your writing stand out - make it pop?
Well, let's make an example here :
Jacquelin quietly cried.
Alright, as you can see - that sentence is pretty bland right? Well, there is a way to spice it up and make it more interesting to the reader.
A common mistake is to believe that by adding a bit of description and an explanation the world will be a better place, even if you use those annoying -ly words that stand out like a sore thumb. It just makes the reading bland, and quite repetitive if at every turn you find yourself walking slowly, eating quickly, etc.
Example : Jacquelin quietly cried, staring at herself in the mirror, mourning the loss of her father.
Two - try using some synonyms which is the most effective way to remove those pesky -ly words.
Example : Jacquelin wept, staring at herself in the mirror, mourning the loss of her father.
When writing, using synonyms is a lot more effective when you want to spice up your writing, when you want to stand-out from -ly word-using crowd.
