{"id":1829,"date":"2011-05-09T01:00:39","date_gmt":"2011-05-09T05:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devokids.com\/?p=1829"},"modified":"2020-05-30T11:29:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T15:29:26","slug":"waffles-are-for-breakfast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devokids.com\/waffles-are-for-breakfast\/","title":{"rendered":"Waffles Are For Breakfast"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love waffles for breakfast with lots of maple syrup and a sausage or two.\u00a0 Yum!\u00a0 Yet waffles of another type often turn up outside the kitchen.\u00a0 Take writing for instance.\u00a0 What we call \u201c<\/em>waffling on\u201d is not a good thing when you\u2019re writing a story.\u00a0 This kind of waffle makes the reader yawn instead of being eager to turn the page.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaffling on\u201d<\/em> means filling paragraphs with unnecessary words that try to explain, show, or describe something. \u201cWriting waffles\u201d<\/em> add nothing dramatic or fun to your plot, and they never make your characters richer or more interesting. They don\u2019t even offer maple syrup! All they do is add to the word count. And if you\u2019re writing a picture book or a short story, there’s often a limit on the number of words you can use. So to keep the waffles in your kitchen, you need to practice writing tight and terrific<\/em>. Tight and terrific<\/em> is the exact opposite of waffling on<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Tight and terrific<\/em> writers make the thesaurus their best friend.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because that\u2019s where the most active, powerful and evocative words hang out \u2013 and these words kick \u201cwaffling butt<\/em>\u201d big time. Think of yourself as a painter of word pictures.\u00a0 No brush and watercolors needed for this kind of painting. What you DO need is a bunch of active and powerful verbs. Then, sprinkle in some meaningful and evocative adjectives. The idea is to choose words that make your reader \u201csee\u201d the scenes you write and the people you describe, words that offer them an instant mental pictures that draw them into your story. This winning combination makes your characters feel so real they might jump off the page.<\/p>\n

By keeping your trusty thesaurus close at hand, waffles will not wander into your writing.\u00a0 Active, powerful, and evocative words help create tight and terrific <\/em>sentences, paragraphs, and pages.\u00a0 This keeps waffles<\/em> in the kitchen with the maple syrup where they belong.<\/p>\n

Look at the top line below. It holds limp and wimpy words that turn your sentences into oversized waffles.\u00a0 Below them are active and powerful alternatives that spin your sentences into tight and terrific masterpieces<\/em>.<\/p>\n

RED<\/span> for the waffle words \u2013 BLUE<\/span> for the active and powerful words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
pretty<\/span><\/td>\nnice<\/span><\/td>\nhappy<\/span><\/td>\nrun<\/span><\/td>\nwrite<\/span><\/td>\nfall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
appealing<\/span><\/td>\npleasant<\/span><\/td>\njoyful<\/span><\/td>\nsprint<\/span><\/td>\ninscribe<\/span><\/td>\nplunge<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
gorgeous<\/span><\/td>\nhelpful<\/span><\/td>\nblissful<\/span><\/td>\nscamper<\/span><\/td>\nnote down<\/span><\/td>\nplummet<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
lovely<\/span><\/td>\nsuper<\/span><\/td>\nhigh spirited<\/span><\/td>\nlope<\/span><\/td>\netch<\/span><\/td>\ndrop<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

EXTRA NOTE:
\n*Beware the sneaky adverb \u2013 powerful verbs do not need an adverb to prop them up.
\n*Never use 10 wimpy words when 5 more powerful ones say it better.
\n*If a sentence does not move your plot forward \u2013 CUT IT.<\/p>\n

Our Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Margot Finke is an Aussie transplant who writes midgrade adventure fiction and rhyming picture books. For many years she has lived in Oregon with her husband and family. Gardening, travel, and reading fill in the cracks between writing. Her husband is very supportive, and their three children are now grown and doing very well.<\/p>\n

Margot didn’t begin serious writing until the day their youngest left for college. This late start drives her writing, and pushes her to work at it every day. Margot said, “I really envy those who began young, and managed to slip into writing mode between kid fights, diaper changes, household disasters, and outside jobs. You are my heroes! ”<\/p>\n

Her 7x book, rhyming series, “Wild and Wonderful,”<\/em> offers fun facts about animals from the US and Australia.\u00a0 Educational and fun, eBooks can be read on a computer, laptop, or various color eReaders. They are great for classroom or home schooling moms. Kids today are computer savvy, and ALL 11 of Margot\u2019s books (both hard copy and eBooks), can be viewed on Margot’s Magic Carpet<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Visit her DOWN-UNDER FUN<\/span><\/a> OR WILD US CRITTERS<\/span><\/span><\/a>:\u00a0 Discover extra fun facts about the animals in this series as well as her other books.<\/p>\n

Margot\u2019s Manuscript Critique Service attracts clients from all over the globe, and her website offers a great deal of help for new writers. Nothing gives her a bigger thrill that to hear that a book she helped polish has been published.\u00a0 \u201cThis is always a huge YEA moment,\u201d<\/em> says Margot.<\/p>\n

Margot\u2019s Magic Carpet
\n<\/em>http:\/\/perfectmagiccarpet.blogspot.com\/<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/em>Kids Books with a WOW Factor!
\n(all 11 books on one page)<\/p>\n

* Taconoi and Claude \u2013 Double Trouble \u2013 mid-grade
\n*Horatio Humble Beats the Big D<\/em> \u2013 dyslexia
\n*Ruthie and the Hippo\u2019s Fat Behind<\/em> \u2013 big change
\n*Rattlesnake jam<\/em> – (for boys)<\/p>\n

Guardian Angel Publishing<\/a><\/p>\n

=============
\n“Wild & Wonderful” \u2013 7x fun and educational eBooks<\/em>
\n=============
\nManuscript Critique Service \u2013 Writing Help
\nhttp:\/\/www.margotfinke.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love waffles for breakfast with lots of maple syrup and a sausage or two.\u00a0 Yum!\u00a0 Yet waffles of another type often turn up outside the kitchen.\u00a0 Take writing for instance.\u00a0 What we call \u201cwaffling on\u201d is not a good thing when you\u2019re writing a story.\u00a0 This kind of waffle makes the reader yawn instead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[477],"tags":[573,1845],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nWaffles Are For Breakfast - 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