Sometimes when I’m writing, I discover a special new way to
fit words together. This may not actually be new to anyone but me, for the
small moment after my discovery, I feel like a genius.
Today’s small moment of genius: using description to
physically and temporally space moments in text.
We all have tics as writers, words or phrases that we reach
for repeatedly and then have to cross out during rewrites. One of mine: “They
were quiet for a few minutes.” I find myself using this, or some form of it,
pretty much constantly when writing dialogue between two characters. I don’t
think it’s a bad instinct; giving the conversation room to breathe allows for a
more relaxed rhythm and a break from the onslaught of dialogue (unless you want
an onslaught of dialogue between two hyper, fast-talking characters, in which
case, go for it!).
