Eliminating repetitive “which was ... ” statements at the end of sentences
I have noticed lately, that when I write letters describing things I've done recently, I default too often to sentences that look like "We did such-and-such, which was really great." I notice that I often have to append the "which..." to almost every event description, just to get the point across that I enjoyed something. Is there a better way to go about this, or a fix to this fundamental problem?
I know there is this idea of show, don't tell, at least when it comes to writing a story, but I'm not sure how to apply that here usually.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/21387. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Do a search for "which was." (or whatever your problem structure is)
Set up a checklist of five different ways to rewrite it:
1) We did such-and-such. I enjoyed it.
2) When we did such-and-such, everyone had a great time.
3) Plus we really had fun that time we did such-and-such.
4) Have you ever done such-and-such? What a blast.
5) Such-and-such is so much fun; I have to tell you about the most recent time.
et cetera.
Then go through and rewrite. You can leave some of the originals, but vary them until your ear stops tripping over it.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads