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27 Words and Phrases That Have Worn Out Their Welcome

July 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
what are word for?

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Sometimes freelance, fiction, ghost, travel, and non-fiction writers use certain words and phrases that have worn out their welcome. Writers, you are creative people and can certainly think of new words and phrases to use. Unless a client specifically says, “Use the following words and phrases,” grab the thesaurus and spice up your writing. It’s time to toss out the same old, same old, and bring in the new.

27 Words and Phrases That Have Worn Out Their Welcome

1. Awesome! Some people from the 1980s may not be ready to use a ‘new’ word but ‘Awesome’ is getting a bit old.

2. Azure. Travel writers love to use this word to describe a body of water. Believe it or not, there are other words to describe water. FYI: Turquoise is also overused. How about an indigo sea you can see for miles? Put your creativity hat on and leave ‘azure’ alone for a while.

3. “Think outside of the box.” I can hear everyone from the 1990s saying, “What? You don’t want us to think outside the box?” Sales and marketing and motivational gurus love to use this phrase. How about saying, Get out of your comfort zone and try something new,” or something like that.

4. Lol! I must admit that I overuse use this. I hardly use ‘LMAO‘ but need to back off of Lol!

5. Literally. This brings back memories of Janeane Garolfalo guest appearance in an episode of The King of Queens. She used this word over and over which drove Carrie Heffernan aka Leah Remini nuts.

6. Seriously. See above.

7. Enchanted. This is another favorite word of travel writers. Believe it not, some castles are not enchanted. Some of them may be haunted (overused as well), but you can think of another word to describe a castle, B&B, or region of a country.

8. “We’re leading the world.” Are you truly leading the world? If you are leading the world, show people how you’re leading the world and what you’re leading the world in.

9. Really. See literally and seriously.

10. Go for it! I too have overused this word. It’s motivating, but you can use another phrase to motivate people.

11. “He/she is a spiritual person.” Can you elaborate on the word spiritual? What does this mean? How is a person spiritual?

12. Beautiful. I know U2′s hit song, “Beautiful Day” is catchy, but the word beautiful is overused and boring. Why not use gorgeous, stunning, or vibrant?

13. So. I’ve overused the word so and could probably go back and rewrite sentences on my blog posts, but they’re already in cyberspace. So what is the point of changing them? Just kidding!

14. Great. Yep! I’ve overused this word. It’s time to give it a rest.

15. Good. It’s good to break out of your writing comfort zone and use another word.

16. Nice. See above.

17. Very. I’m not sure about this word. Sometimes it’s better to say ‘very’ instead of using a One Dollar Word. It’s your call.

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. C. S. Lewis

18. Pretty. See beautiful.

19. “The sky’s limit.” I believe the universe is vast, and don’t agree with the phrase the sky’s the limit.

20. That. This is another tough one. Sometimes you need to use ‘that’ in a sentence. Of course, you could always rewrite sentences to eliminate that overused word.

21. Love/hate. How many relationship articles have you read with love/hate sprinkled throughout them? Did you write those articles? You may want to use another expression.

22. Whatever! I love this phrase but admit it’s overstayed its welcome. Whatever!

23. Bitch! This was never one of my favorite words for obvious reasons. I believe it’s time to give it a rest and for women to respect each other (men to).

24. Gay. Decades ago ‘gay’ was used to convey a sense of happiness. Today, it means something else and is sometimes used in a derogatory tone. Watch how you use this one or don’t use it at all.

25. Viral. Marketing gurus love this one, but it burned out in a short amount of time.

26. “Aha Moment.” Oprah fans won’t be happy about this one, but having an ‘Aha Moment’ is getting old and stale. How about an epiphany instead? How about being enlightened? On second thought, enlightened is overused.

27. “I’m Just Sayin’.” These are some of the most overused words and phrases found in writing. Push yourself as a writer and avoid using these words whenever possible. If you’re stuck, take a break and rest your mind. Go and “live life to the fullest” to be all the writer you can be!

Rebecca

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Tone of Voice: Misinterpretation Happens

July 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Voice over day

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I’m a writer and can’t help but read, proofread, and question everything that cross my path; from newspaper and magazine articles to newsletters; from eBooks to flyers; from blog posts to catalog script; from sales letters to email blasts; from Twitter and Facebook updates (including my own); and everything in between. Last week, I received an email reply from someone and chuckled when I read it. As the reader, I felt the ‘tone‘ of the email was matter-of-fact and sharp. It started off with, “I suggest you…” and carried on from there. Of course, I could have read it with a soft “I suggest you,” but I read it as a forceful “I suggest you…” Perhaps I was feeling the pull of the partial solar eclipse on July 1! Then again, it could be I have more experience than the person who wrote the email. I would have begun the email with, “Thank you for contacting so and so,” and would have written it from there.

According to Dictionary.com the word tone has the following meanings:

1. any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc.: shrill tones.
2. quality or character of sound.
3. vocal sound; the sound made by vibrating muscular bands in the larynx.
4. a particular quality, way of sounding, modulation, or intonation of the voice as expressive of some meaning, feeling, spirit, etc.: a tone of command.
5. stress of voice on a syllable of a word.

Your tone of voice does matter, especially in sales and marketing. While you’re not responsible for the reactions of others, you don’t want to use a tone of voice that deters them from purchasing your books, eBooks, teleseminars, webinars, and or writing services. It would behoove you to read and re-read your newsletter content, email blasts, and other marketing materials you send out. Also, make sure your personal assistant or staff knows how to write effective copy. You want people to buy your books, CDs, and other products. You don’t want them ‘tweeting’ or posting something on Facebook about their horrible experience with you or your company. Like it or not, this does happen from time-to-time.

FYI: Your tone of voice could override the words you speak and write.

Before you or your staff writes an email blast, sales letter, newsletter, or replies to an email, make sure the tone of voice matches you and your brand. Read your writing out loud to ‘hear’ the tone of voice. How does your writing sound? How does whatever you’re sending out read? What will readers get out of your writing? Make sure the tone you use is one that you want to convey instead of being misinterpreted.

Rebecca

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Author Facebook Fan Page

July 1, 2011 by 2 Comments
Facebook's homepage features a login form on t...

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In case you don’t know, Facebook has a fan page feature that allows you to communicate with your readers. How well you communicate with your ‘fans’ could determine how successful you and your book will be. Most authors (public figures) are creating Facebook fan pages for their ‘fans’ and aren’t really participating in the conversations that are taking place on the page. This could work against you.

There’s no doubt that a Facebook fan page is a fast and easy marketing tool. You can post your latest YouTube video, links to your latest book, teleseminars and webinars events; radio and television appearances, book signing events; hold a contest, and provide other pertinent information for your ‘fans’ to share with their friends. It’s an easy way to generate income. However, if you’re constantly selling and selling, and not giving your fans anything else, they could leave you and your fan page high and dry.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Author Facebook Fan Page

1. Take an interest in your fans. Let’s face it, without your fans (consumers) your book won’t be #1 on the New York Times Best-Sellers list. Unless, of course, Harry Potter comes along and waves his magic wand to make it happen. Take an interest in your fans. A “thank you” here and there will go a long way.

2. Post relevant information besides your own. It’s all right to post other links besides your own. Who knows, you could end up with a great business partnership because of it.

3. Engage in conversations. What do your fans want? What do they like about your latest book? What don’t they like about it? Be transparent and become a part of the conversation.

4. Stop posting ‘automated’ content on your fan page. If you don’t have time to post thoughtful comments or information, hire an intern or part-time person to do it for you. Fans may not appreciate the ‘coldness’ of your fan page.

5. Be active on your Facebook fan page. How active are you on your fan page? When you create your writing schedule, make sure to include time for social media. You don’t have to spend hours each day — 15 minutes per day will do. Of course, if you’re a social butterfly, be as active as you want to.

Rebecca

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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Self-Publishes through CreateSpace

June 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin

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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin published his book Katrina’s Secrets; Storms After the Storm, Vol. 1 through CreateSpace. Why would he do this? It’s obvious he wouldn’t have a problem obtaining a literary agent and publisher to publish his memoir. Mr. Nagin appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and said, “The literary agent and publisher wanted me to change things. I would not have been able to have said what I wanted. That’s why I self-published my book.” Even former mayors of major metropolitan cities see the value of self-publishing and so can you.

If you’re still undecided about self-publishing, allow Mr. Nagin to put your fears to rest. He probably had many publishers to select from, but he decided to publish his book on his own. This gives him more control over the content and how to market his book. He also doesn’t have to pay a literary agent and publisher. Mr. Nagin has the potential to earn more money from self-publishing versus traditional publishing.

The value of self-publishing

1. You don’t have to pay a literary agent and publisher.

2. You decide what you want to write — how deep you want to go.

3. You decide how your book is marketed.

4. You decide the amount of book signings you want to do.

5. You decide how long you want to do a book tour.

6. You decide who’ll design your book cover (interior and exterior).

7. You decide if you want to produce a book trailer.

8. You decide how many chapters/pages your book will be.

9. You decide how many radio/TV appearances you’ll do to promote your book.

10. You decide when and where you’ll speak about your book.

11. You decide if you want to write a second book.

If you’ve been skeptical of self-publishing your book, you may want to reconsider it. Mr. Nagin is proof that self-publishing works. Yes, he’s a famous mayor. But, he still has to market and promote his book like every other author on the planet. Mr. Nagin saw the value of the self-publishing platform. He didn’t want to make changes to his book. He wanted to write and publish it the way he wanted to. He deserves credit for that. Most ‘celebrities or well known people’ would have caved and listened to the literary agent. They would have gone along with the plan to publish a ho-hum or so-so book. Mr. Nagin had the courage to do his own thing. He deserves respect for standing up for his book.

Rebecca

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Why You Want to Read Your Book Out Loud

June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Austrian writer Anna Kim reading from her book...

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Read your book out loud before you query literary agents and publishers. This is a good way to ‘hear’ if your book is ready for publishing. In fact, you may want to give your book to a trusted confidant and have them read your book out loud. Ask them for feedback such as:

1. Does my writing make sense?
2. How did my book ‘sound’ to you?
3. What can I do to improve the quality of my writing
4. Did you receive the message loud and clear?
5. How does my story flow?
6. What could make it stronger?

Answering these and other questions will ensure your book is spot on before it reaches the desk of agents and publishers.

Reading your book aloud is a great way to gain confidence to speak in public. If you’re terrified of speaking in public, reading your book aloud in front of the mirror or a small group will help you squash your fear. It’s a fantastic way to count the number of times you say words like “um and ah.” It’s all right to have a few “ums” (makes you more approachable) but don’t overdo it. Also, you’ll be able to hear and adjust for pauses within your writing.

Many children’s authors sometimes read a few pages from their books to children. To be 100% confident children will understand the flow of your story and characters, read it out loud to the kids in your life or volunteer to read to kids at the library. Reading your book aloud will help you make necessary changes to ensure your target audience gets the message loud and clear.

As a writer, you’ve worked countless hours on your book and have been stuck in your head. Reading your book aloud is a great way to get out of your head and into your body. If your writing is a work of fiction, you can connect with your characters by lending them your voice. Read dialogue and scenes and ask yourself, “Would he/she say that?” Perhaps character traits, dialogue, and scenes require fine tuning.

Don’t be afraid to read your book out loud. If you don’t belong to a writing group, join one and read your book. Ask for constructive feedback on character and scene development, dialogue, grammar and punctuation, and flow of the story. Whether or not you use the feedback is up to you. However, reading your book aloud to your target audience is a good way to know if your story will sell. Remember, publishing is a business. Agents and publishers want stories that sell. Reading your book out loud will help you determine if your story is ready.

Happy reading!

Rebecca

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