#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

#004 ~ Write Practice ~ End Game Prompt

My Write Practice today is working to the Prompt What's your End Game?

So, here's my 15 minutes of mind and finger vomit ... no words were harmed by editing in the following piece, although some grammar was bludgeoned to death:


My End Game

1.  What’s your purpose that your writing will serve?

I don't dream about being a hugely successful author, like Amanda Hocking, but I do dream that I will eventually publish something that isn't totally crap, that people will laugh at, and point to me in the street.   I also hope that when I do, and that day is not too far off now, I won't fall into the trap of leaving a trail of poor grammar, punctuation and typos in my wake, for the collective reviewing hoard to jump up and down on me.  After all, that would be stupidity beyond belief wouldn't it?  Haven't I just spent the last couple of years criticising others for doing that.  I want to be out there, but not just out there in a quiet way, oh no, out there and proud of my endeavours.

If I'm honest, and I do try to be most of the time ... I want a tribe.  A tribe, that will like what I do, recognise my voice and want to buy into it.  I don't specifically want to be genre specific.  The reasoning behind that is, pure and simple, I'm a Sagittarius (the butterflies of the cosmic world); I get bored easily.

I want to hone what I've learnt, and do it well.  Get better at it - thus why I'm totalling buying into the 10,000 hours to strengthen my writing muscles.

2. Who do you want to talk to?

I could totally stand in front of a group, back the Sagittarius thing, we like an audience, but I would much rather be something that is picked up on an ebook and read, and then the next thing I write is read because of merit.  My tribe, not necessarily all the same as me, would like variety and also a bit of spice.

I naturally gravitate to romance, it's what I love.  I am an incurable romantic.  I am proud of that fact.  I would love to try a bit on monster porn, or fantasy world building too.  Unlike my men, I like non-exclusivity in writing, and reading, habits.

I don't really do children (not even my own *boom tish!*), so I can't imagine ever writing a kids story.  Never say never though.

3. What about the money part?

Money buys shoes and handbags, and Marks & Spencer's Blackcurrant Sundaes.  I would be a fibber if I denied it wasn't important.  You can only buy lots of M&S cakes with lots of money (would I then be a big fab fibber?), so I would like to make money.

I would like money to help my dreams come true.  One day I would love a small, but successful ebook publishing company, that will take money, money, and even more money.  I would love a trip to New Zealand, that will take lots of pennies too.

I am not the next Amanda Hocking, but I am going to be an Indie Writer this year.  For the moment, that will be good enough for me.

I'm doing well towards the whole 10,000 hours thing - 4 x 15 minutes = 1 hour.  I have 9,999 hours to go.

© Kay Bolton

Happy reading, writing, or whatever floats your boat.

Hugs

Kay