So I've wanted to try this for a long time. Basically, I wanted to check if I was unknowingly abusing words, and immediately thought of Wordle. In Wordle.net you can make your own pretty clouds in all kinds of shapes. See how lovely mine are? The first looks like a bloated heart, the second like a big fat slug, and the last... well, it looks like a whale on support.
If you click on them, you'll see the words clearly. Now to the point. What do these words represent?
They are the words I have used the most in chapters of my current WIP projects. The first one spans the first 13 chapters of my scifi novel, the second the next 17 chapters (NaNo 2010), and the third my fantasy novel's lousy half of a first draft I did for NaNoWriMo in 2009. Ta da!
So I do overuse words. It's blatantly obvious in the first and second wordles that I have basically raped the word LIKE. Jeez. This tells me I'll have to literally go back to those chapters and slay one in every paragraph. *arms self with patience* Other words I have to look out for are: just, felt, thought, made, even, one, back, and looked. The ones that really concern me are 'felt' and 'thought'. It just means I'm probably telling more than showing. *stocks more patience*
The second wordle hints at my preference for one of the MC's best friends. (Sigh.) Though this is balanced in the first one because see, Boon is one and Gob's the other. While Gob predominates in the second, Boon trumps him in the first. Win/Win. And there the third major ally is! Reven. She's awesome and tricky, a typical minx. However... I can't see the antagonist's name anywhere! OMG. Has he gone missing from my chapters? Have I completely forgotten to include him in the MS? WTF?! Ok, calm down... *breathing*
Yet other words to watch out for according to the second wordle are: know, one, looked, time, back, and people. (And don't forget the huge-ass LIKE, the monster!) I'm glad 'time' got its place in there since the entire concept of the book lies on this single word. Like that whale perched on a stick up there in the third wordle. Speaking of which...
Now this one is very useful and concerning indeed. While the first two illustrated what I did wrong in the scifi book, which is written in first person, the third wordle concerns my fantasy WIP. Guess what person it's written in. That's right, in THIRD. (Double sigh.) Obviously, I have practically raped my MC's name in the early first draft, and since the second draft is hardly done, I'd better torch the whole thing and start over. O_o
Nah, just kidding. As tempting as that is, I'll just keep working at it.
Moving on. Mike, Connor and Kim are the other three 'main characters' who embark on this journey with Sarah, or rather she's the one embarking on it by their side. Anyway, again I have favored one of them, and that's Connor. Well, makes sense since I am practically in LOVE with the guy. Can you keep a secret? He's going to end up together with my MC. Shhh. So of course I've fixated on both him and her, making this draft practically unusable. I'll have to consult Ed (the Editing Monster) on this...
Interestingly though, the only concerning word I see in the third wordle is 'looked'. I suppose I'll never grow out of that. But at least I haven't overused like again... which probably means that I've started overusing it in the last two years. Hmm, that's a thinker.
So there you have it. I've analyzed my drafts. I haven't gone into detail here but you can also check for the recurring themes among those words, for example if most of them are action-related or sensation-heavy, which would mean you'd have to revise just as heavily. So try it for yourselves and let me know what you got by dropping me a link sometime, so we can all share what we've learned and hopefully learn from each other. Here's the link to Wordle: http://www.wordle.net.
Happy Wordling!
P.S. I also got a useful link from fellow tweep Anne Mhairi Simpson, who is a very talented and helpful fantasy writer. (You might as well check out her blog too!) It's called EditMinion and is basically a free editing program which highlights the weak links in your texts. For example, it will highlight passive voice, adverbs, overused words, and weak words. It's very nifty. Say thanks to Anne! :)
Happy Wordling!
P.S. I also got a useful link from fellow tweep Anne Mhairi Simpson, who is a very talented and helpful fantasy writer. (You might as well check out her blog too!) It's called EditMinion and is basically a free editing program which highlights the weak links in your texts. For example, it will highlight passive voice, adverbs, overused words, and weak words. It's very nifty. Say thanks to Anne! :)
