Those crazy “ly” words are a bane to a writer’s existence. At least that is what I have been told and have read that you should never use adverbs. It is verboten! (german for forbidden).

Well, I see Tolkien didn’t get THAT memo.

Maybe it’s a modern thing, but save me from being modern if my books would become classics and so well-read that movies are made from them. LOL

So my plight was that I began to reread and edit book 4. I hadn’t touched that for several years. When I first started writing, I couldn’t stop. Every day I was typing on my computer. I think my husband thought I had lost my mind. Book 1 was written so on to book 2 then 3 then all the way to 6 or 8 or I’ve lost count, but the storylines are there.

About 5 years ago I stopped writing and thought. What is the purpose to continue when I haven’t even finished cleaning up the first book, let alone publish one? That is when I joined the Writers of Kern club and my critique group. The amount of instruction I received at each meeting and conferences gave me the tools to relearn the written English language.

My critique group had the privilege of making sense of my whimsical characters who did not understand grammar, punctuation, or sentence structure.  My stories blossomed under their tutelage and my characters came alive.  It has been a great journey which has led me to the actual publishing of my books.

Okay back to the editing of book 4. Oh my goodness! It’s chock full of those dreaded “ly” words. Every other sentence has them slowly, carefully, or gently moving something or somewhere. Do you know how hard it is to fix that problem? Well, you might not, but I have my work cut out for me. Don’t get me wrong the storyline is there and it’s great, but can I make it better? Yes, I can! I think it was Steven King or some other well-known author who said that a writer must write every day. I understand it’s like a muscle you need to exercise.

So I’m off to exercise my writing muscles. Until next week be safe and remember,

“Do not fear for God is in control. Be at peace and don’t let the evil one rob you of it.”

 


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