Yet another great post! As a writer, I find that I tend to get lazy with verb usage during first drafts, when I'm just trying to create the framework that I'll then fine-tune -- as you described -- in subsequent revisions. Does the human brain naturally lean toward lazier verbs in day-to-day processing?
I love your niche- using dog training to inform writers. Thx for description reminders. I can’t hear it enough. Always helpful. My dog is 7. Too late to teach him how to hunt? He’s a Springer Spaniel.
Never too late - it may just take a bit more patience (or maybe a lot more, depending on the dog). My current border collie is kind of a jock - good-looking but not the brightest, so that plus his age means things take quite awhile!. So glad you enjoyed the post.
I love dogs. I love writing. I love this post. Thank you for this great advice. I’ll be thinking of this when I write my next post! Get the red pen ready.
Of course I love this post. Love all your posts. I'm particularly bad at assigning words to actions for my dogs, and being consistent with them. At least in agility. It's all so confusing. I wish I had you for a teacher! But at least i'm incredibly fortunate to have you for a writing partner, so I can learn from you as a writer. I also love that Lessons in Chemistry is still coming up in conversations, and as recommended reading.
Aaaah love your on point thoughts on verbs. I agree, actions sometimes need some razzle dazzle to transport the readers! With dialogue, I actually like to use action beats, not always "she said", "he screamed", etc.
Such a great analogy and excellent writing advice! And nice use of the canine companion, too. Have you read LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY? If not, read it for the dog alone...
Being a "Cat Person," I think I am wordy by nature. I appreciate your point of view and admire dogs...I'm just afraid of them. Those teeth, the fact that they could enclose my face in their mouth and forever alter my appearance, just leaves me, well, scared of dogs. Of course, I'm also scared of sharks ever since watching "Jaws" in the summer of '75 at the age of 14. Oh, and snakes, ever since the summer of '67. I digress...I will look at my latest manuscript and see if I am over explaining tone, rather than showing it. Excellent lens, Wendy!
I totally understand - we all have fears of certain creatures (for me, it's those snakes., too). If you should ever decide to train your cat like a dog (yes, it can be done!), maybe this approach will be useful for you!
Now, Wendy - don't get any ideas (maybe there is a book in it) ... but maybe you could try training men in this way. There are, apparently, a huge number of women (many are still married), ranging from spinsters with high prudish standards, to loose-goosy divorce-ayze, sex workers/massage parlor operators, and high school teachers of unruly over-hormone'd boys - this is 'the training methodology' to modify their behaviour. Cheers, Mark ... p.s. I expect that performance, on the other hand, might require and entire series of books!
Yet another great post! As a writer, I find that I tend to get lazy with verb usage during first drafts, when I'm just trying to create the framework that I'll then fine-tune -- as you described -- in subsequent revisions. Does the human brain naturally lean toward lazier verbs in day-to-day processing?
I think it does. But oh, that revision process is so much fun for this very reason. We get to clean up those verbs!
I love your niche- using dog training to inform writers. Thx for description reminders. I can’t hear it enough. Always helpful. My dog is 7. Too late to teach him how to hunt? He’s a Springer Spaniel.
Never too late - it may just take a bit more patience (or maybe a lot more, depending on the dog). My current border collie is kind of a jock - good-looking but not the brightest, so that plus his age means things take quite awhile!. So glad you enjoyed the post.
I love dogs. I love writing. I love this post. Thank you for this great advice. I’ll be thinking of this when I write my next post! Get the red pen ready.
haha, I don't think I ever put my pen down! Thanks so much for reading it, Kim.
Of course I love this post. Love all your posts. I'm particularly bad at assigning words to actions for my dogs, and being consistent with them. At least in agility. It's all so confusing. I wish I had you for a teacher! But at least i'm incredibly fortunate to have you for a writing partner, so I can learn from you as a writer. I also love that Lessons in Chemistry is still coming up in conversations, and as recommended reading.
You know a lot more than you think, with all your experience in both dog training AND writing. It makes me so happy that you always read my posts!
Aaaah love your on point thoughts on verbs. I agree, actions sometimes need some razzle dazzle to transport the readers! With dialogue, I actually like to use action beats, not always "she said", "he screamed", etc.
Yes to action beats! Even better than tags in many places.
100%!!!
Such a great analogy and excellent writing advice! And nice use of the canine companion, too. Have you read LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY? If not, read it for the dog alone...
Yes, I couldn't put it down. Science, dogs, and women's lib - what's not to love?
Being a "Cat Person," I think I am wordy by nature. I appreciate your point of view and admire dogs...I'm just afraid of them. Those teeth, the fact that they could enclose my face in their mouth and forever alter my appearance, just leaves me, well, scared of dogs. Of course, I'm also scared of sharks ever since watching "Jaws" in the summer of '75 at the age of 14. Oh, and snakes, ever since the summer of '67. I digress...I will look at my latest manuscript and see if I am over explaining tone, rather than showing it. Excellent lens, Wendy!
I totally understand - we all have fears of certain creatures (for me, it's those snakes., too). If you should ever decide to train your cat like a dog (yes, it can be done!), maybe this approach will be useful for you!
Now, Wendy - don't get any ideas (maybe there is a book in it) ... but maybe you could try training men in this way. There are, apparently, a huge number of women (many are still married), ranging from spinsters with high prudish standards, to loose-goosy divorce-ayze, sex workers/massage parlor operators, and high school teachers of unruly over-hormone'd boys - this is 'the training methodology' to modify their behaviour. Cheers, Mark ... p.s. I expect that performance, on the other hand, might require and entire series of books!
I'll leave you to write that book, Mark!