Day 4 - CH

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 - Day 4:

I spent some writing time early this morning before work.  I realize I am circling back over the same 950 words I have so far.  It's my typical, 'lets edit the first chapter to death' syndrome.  I will give myself a little leeway since I consider myself to be on this long, learning curve.  It's hard to un-stick certain routines and writing these short stories is supposed to give me the lessons I need to learn in a quicker block of time. It's instead of taking on the work of a novel or even a novella.  I figure it's the same process, just shorter.
My main circling on these few words this morning have been more of a technical nature.  I received some very good advice from an individual on writing.com on my 650 word piece A Penny. 
I received an e-mail from a Thomas Beckett.  I was a little intimidated by the name alone and even though I had received some positive feedback from others I had a feeling I was going to hear some, well, I was going to hear some truths.  So, like a big girl, I took a deep breath and opened the e-mail.
Mr. Beckett introduced himself as a retired newspaper journalist with a reputation as being a tough critic.  He also wanted to point out that I take his comments in the nature they were intended which was to help and correct.  Right.  Yes.  Read on, big girl.
He very wisely went through my entire piece with crossed out words and reasons why.  He made examples and pointed out the obvious (that I hadn't caught as obvious, but were).  In other words, he helped!
He made me realize that I was telling a story instead of letting myself tell you a story.  The difference of passive vs. active became apparent.  It is the difference between boring a reader with a voice going on and on on a subject to a voice getting the reader involved with actions happening now as the story goes along.
Light bulb!  Stop telling the story and tell them a story!  Change those words like 'She had chosen' to 'She chose'.  Technical, technical but what a difference in the read-through it makes.
And that is what I did this morning with the 950 words I have so far.  It isn't easy because I am not good at finding all that passive stuff.  So what else could I do but set up my tools, my gadgets.  I went into my word settings and sure enough, there was an option for it to immediately warn against passive-voice!  When I started my document this morning I was at a 7% passive and when I stopped I was at 3%.
I feel pretty good about that and ready to move on.  It is just a draft so far, anyway, and I need to move on with it. 
But not before, and I did, thank Mr. Thomas Beckett.
TT