#005 ~ Write Pracetice ~ Weasel

Today’s prompt is weasel words. These are words that you will use frequently in a piece of writing. They are quite often not needed.

The practice is to set the timer for the usual 15 minutes, using a weasels as the prompt - the actual furry, bitty kind, not the weasel words - and then identify what are your particular words. The consider how to re-construct your writing without using them.

Here goes:

Something caught Freya’s eye at the edge of the paddock. It, what or whomever it was, seemed to be behaving in a furtive manner.

As if they sensed they were being observed, the figure slunk along the tree line for a little way, and then dashed back into the tree cover, emerging a some way further along and then scurrying down the edge of the paddock, and weaving in and out of the shadows. It struck Freya that the not too small figure was just like a weasel.

Freya’s maid, Maria was slumped atop the mounting block, innocently chewing a small piece of straw, and trying to give off not only the air of patiently waiting, but being patently innocent. No doubt the cheeky minx had been taking the opportunity to talk to Damien the stable hand whilst they had been riding.

Gathering the skirt of her green riding habit in one hand, and shooing Maria along before, her she made for home. Tea time was approaching, and she needed to change.

Glancing back, Freya couldn't see the figure any more. Maria started to chatter about the ball next week, and so the curious incident was put to the back of her mind.

* * *

Sometime later, Freya joined her aunt in the blue drawing room for tea.

As she entered, a stranger was standing by the window with her cousin.

“Ah, Freya my dear,” Geoffrey said as he turned towards her “let me introduce you. This is Lord Rickardson.”

“Neil, my cousin, Lady Freya. She attended Miss Bloomestone’s Academy with your affianced.”

Coming forward from the light of the window, Freya was struck by the man. He wasn't too tall, had sandy hair and a moustache. Smallish eyes, that were so dark, and had a tendency to dart around, rather than fixing a direct gaze on you. He moved with a quick daring gait. The thing that struck Freya most of all, when he smiled as he spoke “So delighted to meet you Lady Freya. Elizabeth charged me with sending you her best wishes,” was that he had small, and somewhat pointed incisors. In all he reminded her of, a weasel.

I ran my text through Wordle, and it created a cool word map

and it's plain to see that I used 'Freya' a lot, so in this particular piece of writing I need to change that. 

From just generally writing, I know that the following a definitely weasel words for me:

• although
• however
• anything
• somewhat
• indeed
• safe
• fairly certain

I am fairly certain, that I have fairly standard phrase weasels too.

10,000 words targets - 15 minutes off and 434 words = 9,998 and 3/4 hour left

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay