If you could magically change one thing about your writing ...

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   misterhollywoodposted 9 years ago

   
   If you held in the palm of your hand one magic wish that could only be used to change one thing about your writing, what would it be?
   
   Abracadabra - poof!!

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      MichalWrotterposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It would be my grammar. It sucks! lol

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         Pam Morrisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         If you not happy with your grammar it a lot of software, that will assist you with your grammar. Invest in yourself and enjoy writing. Bad grammar poof be gone, better writing

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         misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I would pick grammar too!

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      Kylyssaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      A change in my writing would be a change in me. It's my voice you're talking about. So I'd wish for the ability to understand exactly how my writing makes an average reader think and feel as I'm writing it.
      
      Then I could change my writing until it came as close to making my readers think and feel what I'm trying to get across as possible.

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         Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Kylyssa,  You might know that I'm a writer who barely reads, so I haven't read your hubs.  BUT  first of all, I simply love your view of life that I glean on the questions/answers section of hubpages.  Second of all,   I just ran over to your hubs and clicked on Chapter 2 of your science fiction.  I picked the science fiction because that's where I think voice shows up the most and where the average reader "feels" something.  Just  from reading a few paragraphs, this is what THIS reader thinks and feels.  I felt a great comedic sense to your tone in this story.  It made me smile. At the same time,, there is a very intellectual tone to your writing in the few paragrahs I read.  Your writing is smart, logical with a playful element.  I LOVE it.  BTW, did you put all your homeless articles into an ebook?  On a brief glance, it seems to me that you might get even a wider audience (you can't get a higher score !!!) with an ebook.  Of course, the science friction episodes easily become a book. ( At one point, I emailed the staff and I THOUGHT they told be that once you publish here, you can publish under different formats like ebooks, etc.  I should check that out again.)  I love your writing and your thinking.  I'm not a professional, but I say, "Don't change a thing! "

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            Kylyssaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Wow. Thank you for your insight. You've given me much to think about and really brightened my mood.

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         misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I love the deep thoughts here - truly. At its core, change in us is the "magic"

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      erorantesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My wish will be to know exactly the perfect topic for my hubs that absolutely, no one else know.

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         misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Oh God I would love that wish too! Actually, my wish would be that all of my hubs went viral. Ha

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      Bredaviesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My actual signature. It honestly sucks. haha

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         misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I love that you wrote this!

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      classicalgeekposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My wish would be that as soon as I think of an article or ebook topic, it would be magically written for me. I could cross hundreds of things off my to-do list.

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   Phyllis Doyleposted 9 years ago

   "I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English - it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them - then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice."
   - Mark Twain in a Letter to D. W. Bowser, 20 March 1880
   
   I will stand by Twain's thoughts here, since I tend to get too "flowery" at times. Good question Mr.H.

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I love this Phyliss - great quote!

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   Glenis Rixposted 9 years ago

   I try to avoid using too many adverbs - as advised by the tutor on a creative writing course. Also, I try to avoid conjunctions, such as and, which tend to make my sentences too long.
   
   Adverb :-  a word or phrase that modifies the meaning of an adjective, verb, or other adverb, expressing manner, place, time, or degree (e.g. gently, here, now, very ). Some adverbs, for example sentence adverbs, can also be used to modify whole sentences.

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I can relate to what you said about adverbs and conjunctions big time!

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      Barbara Kayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Stephen King has said to delete any word that ends in ly. They would all be adverbs.

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   Pam Morrisposted 9 years ago

   Interesting question, If I had magical abilities to change one thing about my writing it would be writers block. At times, I get writers block and it hard for me to put my writing into words or write fascinating articles. I would say writers block poof be gone to exist no more. I would be able to enjoy doing what I love to do, and that write interesting articles without struggling to come up with the words.

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Pam I wish I had several wishes so I could pick the writer' block one too! Horrible when it sets in!

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         Pam Morrisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I know I go through it off and on and sometimes it gives me the blues

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   Chriswillman90posted 9 years ago

   I wish my writing was more complex and technically stronger. In some aspects, a simpler language is more accessible but it's quite limiting. I really should keep a thesaurus handy at all times.

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Chris, do you think it will improve over time? I am thinking it might with more articles/hubs on those types of topics.

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   Kylyssaposted 9 years ago

   Why wish for things one can get with practice or by analyzing and editing one's writing? If you have a magical wish, why not go for something that requires magic or something that requires immense effort?

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well, we need to have some kind of fun. Ha:)

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   firstcookbookladyposted 9 years ago

   If I HAD a palm full of magic dust and I had ONE wish... I would wish for MORE DUST
   
   yeah.. but that's me....

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      Pam Morrisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Lol, well thought out.  You will have more than one wish, wise choice.

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   Billie Kelpinposted 9 years ago

   Thank you for this question.  It helps us define what we really want in our writing.  Since I prefer personal essay and short story writing, I wish I could magically change my mind to come up with metaphors and figurative language faster.  I'm in love with language.  My dream would be to write the perfect quotable quote within my writing.  "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield..."  "sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care..." "the quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as a gentle rain from heaven upon the earth beneath"  "he who has a why to his existence can bear with almost any how". "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..." "it is a tale told my an idiot, signifying nothing.   I adore, absolutely ADORE that kind of juxtaposition of words.  There, I said it, I just want to be like the giants of literature (That's all).
   I wish, wish, wish my mind would work faster AND I'd also love to be able to write comedically - again wishing for a faster mind. 
   I don't like writing the journalistic type article at all - so I don't write often here and when I do; it's like pulling out my own teeth.  But I come here for the statistics and stay for the camaraderie.

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi, Billie,
      
      I really enjoyed reading this response. I can tell it resonated with you on some level.
      
      PS I love your writings!

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   bwhite062007posted 9 years ago

   If I could magically change one thing about my writing it would be...that I had more time to do it!!
   
   Not that I don't have grammar issues, or the all too common writer's block etc...because I most certainly do. It's just that my biggest issue is that I would love more time to dedicate to my writing, editing, proofreading,  and publishing to get my work out there. Bring on the magic dust!

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      misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Hi, BW,
      
      Ah yes - more time. Oh I wish I had that too. There is only so much we can "time manage" so to speak in order to have enough time to actually do it.
      
      I love the magic dust picture myself. Ha!

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         Jean Bakulaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I would learn how to be a better fiction writer. I've been looking into courses. I might still write about Astrology, but have tried a few pieces with fictional characters and put them in situations that someone of their sign might be likely to find themselves in. I want to develop them better.

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            misterhollywoodposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I love this idea! I'm sure you would be great at it Jean! Actually those kinds of stories could help people a lot!

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    NatNat34posted 9 years ago

    I wish that I would take a little time each day to write...get into the habit more.

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