The right word

[John Dean]

I recently received a review on Amazon of one of my crime novels, which made me think about the way I write.

I am fortunate in that I receive very few negative reviews but my view is that, even if they are negative, it is worth taking note of them if the comment by the reviewer is well-intentioned.

Writers should regard themselves as constantly learning about their craft and opinions from well-intentioned reviewers should always be welcome. It may be that , having considered the review, the author will dismiss the comment but it is always useful to see what other people think about what you write.

This particular review was largely positive but the writer said that he/she was  irritated by my overuse of lines in which the characters give a ‘slight smile’. When I thought about it, the reviewer was right. It’s a useful phrase to use but I do over-use it.

The same with characters giving each other a ‘glance’ or saying ‘with a sigh’. Useful phrases, often the right phrase, but you have to find other ways of saying these things.

The other potential pitfall, of course, is making sure you do not become contrived when seeking the alternative. A good example is related to the word ‘said’. I believe that ‘said’ is exactly the right word for attributing dialogue and it does not matter if an author uses it a lot because it is important to keep telling the reader who is speaking.

Where it becomes a problem is when the author, in order to avoid using ‘said’, uses phrase like ‘commented’, ‘opined’. ‘observed’ etc. The answer? Just keep it simple – and that means ‘said’.