Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

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What is Your Writing Tic?

by 251 Comments

It’s been a great and wildly busy week in New York thus far! Thankfully the heat has taken some mercy on my San Francisco-acclimated self, and it’s cooled off dramatically. And not a moment too soon: I was in serious danger of melting.

Now then. We all have bad writing habits and little tics that creep into our writing. Whether it’s overuse of certain gestures (eye-rolling, sighing, etc.), phrases (I mean, like, now then, etc.), or lines of dialogue (“No way,” “Yes way,” etc.)

I must confess that my writerly tic is characters looking at things (Jacob saw, Jacob looked at, etc.). It ends up being a little redundant and I have to watch myself.

What’s yours?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    People blushing /flushing /heating up/ turning red. Somehow it seems to happen to *all* of my characters.

    Also, using the word "just."

    Reply

  3. IsaiahC says

    I ran a word cloud on my book after the first draft and discovered that, apparently, my characters turn at dizzying rates. He turned, she turned, they spun, etc. I should have some of them fall over, that would be fun.

    Reply

  4. Kendra Leigh Patterson says

    My characters are forever staring at nothing or not answering. And sometimes at the same time! As in "I stared at nothing, not answering." Or sometimes I mix it up: "I didn't answer. Instead I stared at nothing." Ugh.

    Reply

  8. Amy says

    Blushing, definitely blushing. And shaking. People shake all the time in my books. They also bite their tongues a lot.

    Hm. Reading over this, I'd venture to guess fragments are an issue for me too. 🙂

    Reply

  9. Carole says

    THAT is the question. I can't think of anything THAT I use THAT often THAT I could cut out. THAT never happens to me. THAT is just so silly THAT people THAT write would overuse a word THAT would cause a tic.

    Reply

  10. Michael Pickett says

    Over explanation of physical movement. This includes looking, seeing, turning, waving, smiling, etc. I have to keep telling myself that the dialogue will imply most of these things and that I can trust the reader to pick up on the character's mood.

    Reply

  11. Ann Elise says

    Hmm, too many to count. Let's see: saying things in overly complicated and roundabout ways, using the words 'scowled', 'grimaced' and 'sighed', disturbing lameness whenever people are going to kiss, having characters who sleep badly. I could go on, but I'm already feeling antsy from working out some of my stuff reads like 'Twilight'. I don't need to upset myself further.

    Reply