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The Writer's Lexicon Volume II: More Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos
Why do you write? Perhaps you're penning a memoir, fantasy, or romance. Maybe you're writing a sci-fi series or creative nonfiction novel. At the receiving end will be readers who demand clarity. If you confuse them, you lose them. Learn how to capture their attention and keep them engaged. Discover when to bend or break the so-called "rules" and motivate everyone to finish "just one more chapter." • Explore ways to create convincing dialogue without resorting to distracting dialect, pauses, or ill-placed exposition. • Conquer words and phrases that propagate like a virus. • Find answers to the following - Is it ever alright to use "alright"? - What is the correct order for stacked modifiers? - Why should you avoid filter words? - How can you reduce word bloat? - Are adverbs really as villainous as many insist? - What about semicolons, present tense, and head-hopping? - What is contractionitis? How can it be cured? • Learn how - Minimize repetition of words such as "but" and "because." - Decrease reliance on crutch words. - Reduce word bloat. - Maximize action beats. This book is a must-have for all writers, from amateur to professional, fiction to nonfiction. Sprinkled throughout, you'll find exercises and examples with ideas for story prompts. Snap 'em up at will, and ... ... write on.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 16, 2018
73 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Steinemann
29 books52 followersKathy Steinemann, Grandma Birdie to her grandkids, lives near the Rocky Mountains in the land of Atwood and Shatner and Bieber. A writer and retired editor, she loves words, especially when those words are frightening or futuristic or funny.
Her career has taken varying directions, including positions as editor of a small-town paper, computer-network administrator, and webmaster. She has also worked on projects in commercial art and cartooning.
Join her at KathySteinemann.com for word lists, how tos, and sometimes irreverent reviews of writing rules.
Her career has taken varying directions, including positions as editor of a small-town paper, computer-network administrator, and webmaster. She has also worked on projects in commercial art and cartooning.
Join her at KathySteinemann.com for word lists, how tos, and sometimes irreverent reviews of writing rules.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 22, 2020
Kathy Steinemann's The Writer's Lexicon Volume II (K. Steinemann Enterprises 2018) is a must for any Indie bookshelf. It addresses the most common overused words among writers and how to rephrase them more accurately. This includes words/actions/emotions like:
Afraid
Angry
Bad
Blush
Clenched Fists
Good
Like
Nice
Pout
Sad
Sigh
and more...
I can't edit without it and it's companion, The Writer's Lexicon Volume I. in front of me. Literally. I have 3 screens on my computer. One is for email; one for writing; the last for my three favorite edit/research books, including both of Kathy Steinemann's. I let Kathy help me figure out other ways to describe a nodding head or a shrug. Let's take 'shrug' as an example. Kathy first discusses why characters shrug. It's not always because they aren't sure of an answer. Sometimes they are being deceptive, defensive, indifferent, resigned, or about ten other emotional reasons. Then Kathy explains what body movements reveal those:
Defensive--squinting, licking lips, leaning away, holding something in front of the body
Denial--sweating, shuffling backward, locking eyes with someone, raising palms in a not-me gesture
She forces me to analyze why my character is reacting as s/he is and then show that correctly. I couldn't ask for more. The book also includes a bonus section with 'taboos'--adverb abuse, ambiguous verbs, crutch words, word bloat, and more.
Highly recommended for those who are serious about their writing.
Afraid
Angry
Bad
Blush
Clenched Fists
Good
Like
Nice
Pout
Sad
Sigh
and more...
I can't edit without it and it's companion, The Writer's Lexicon Volume I. in front of me. Literally. I have 3 screens on my computer. One is for email; one for writing; the last for my three favorite edit/research books, including both of Kathy Steinemann's. I let Kathy help me figure out other ways to describe a nodding head or a shrug. Let's take 'shrug' as an example. Kathy first discusses why characters shrug. It's not always because they aren't sure of an answer. Sometimes they are being deceptive, defensive, indifferent, resigned, or about ten other emotional reasons. Then Kathy explains what body movements reveal those:
Defensive--squinting, licking lips, leaning away, holding something in front of the body
Denial--sweating, shuffling backward, locking eyes with someone, raising palms in a not-me gesture
She forces me to analyze why my character is reacting as s/he is and then show that correctly. I couldn't ask for more. The book also includes a bonus section with 'taboos'--adverb abuse, ambiguous verbs, crutch words, word bloat, and more.
Highly recommended for those who are serious about their writing.
February 18, 2022
This second book in Kathy Steinemann's Writer's Lexicon is every bit as useful as the first. Not only does it offer the working writer more choices to replace those tired and overused words, there is excellent advice on writing rules and how and when to break them, and a plethora of pointers to prevent the bloat of puffed up, flabby words. Peppered with handy exercises and story prompts, there is no longer an excuse for not producing crisper, richer writing. The chapter on proofreading is excellent: a must when you come to polish that precious manuscript!
Highly recommended for every wordsmith, Kathy Steinemann has handed us another invaluable tool to keep on our writing desks.
Highly recommended for every wordsmith, Kathy Steinemann has handed us another invaluable tool to keep on our writing desks.
July 27, 2018
Subtitled ‘More Descriptions, Overused Words and Taboos’, this is a companion to the first book with the same title.
Like that initial volume, this is an essential for any serious writer. Language is our lifeblood, and words are tools we employ to express our thoughts and ideas. If we’re to do this with clarity, precision, imagination and originality, while keeping our work accessible and entertaining, we need access to the greatest variety of words available.
A thesaurus is a good start for an author seeking alternatives to tired expressions, but it’s a limited source, listing only alternatives for the ideas of words. In Kathy Steinemann’s books, we’re presented with advice, examples and exercises to bed the lessons in.
The author examines writing rules, those wonderful, but often restrictive, laws of the medium we all so often wish to ignore, and explains how we can do that without damaging our text. She looks at how dialogue often ignores these rules, in the same way as ordinary people do when they speak. She lists overused words, presenting these in alphabetical order from ‘afraid’ to ‘wink’, and providing ways of avoiding their use by restructuring sentences, as well as giving us alternatives. Overused punctuation is explained, again with suggestions of how to capitalise on this aspect of writing. And she looks at writing taboos from ‘action-beat abuse’ through to ‘word bloat’, once more providing examples of how to change writing style to make the best use of our extensive language.
There are many usage examples and each section is followed by exercises many will find helpful in embedding the information so that its employment becomes habitual.
Along with the first volume, I’ll keep this valuable resource on my PC to augment my other books on words, to be interrogated on those occasions when words fail me. Using these two books of wisdom, any good writer can become exceptional and produce work of lasting quality to keep their readers returning for more.
Like that initial volume, this is an essential for any serious writer. Language is our lifeblood, and words are tools we employ to express our thoughts and ideas. If we’re to do this with clarity, precision, imagination and originality, while keeping our work accessible and entertaining, we need access to the greatest variety of words available.
A thesaurus is a good start for an author seeking alternatives to tired expressions, but it’s a limited source, listing only alternatives for the ideas of words. In Kathy Steinemann’s books, we’re presented with advice, examples and exercises to bed the lessons in.
The author examines writing rules, those wonderful, but often restrictive, laws of the medium we all so often wish to ignore, and explains how we can do that without damaging our text. She looks at how dialogue often ignores these rules, in the same way as ordinary people do when they speak. She lists overused words, presenting these in alphabetical order from ‘afraid’ to ‘wink’, and providing ways of avoiding their use by restructuring sentences, as well as giving us alternatives. Overused punctuation is explained, again with suggestions of how to capitalise on this aspect of writing. And she looks at writing taboos from ‘action-beat abuse’ through to ‘word bloat’, once more providing examples of how to change writing style to make the best use of our extensive language.
There are many usage examples and each section is followed by exercises many will find helpful in embedding the information so that its employment becomes habitual.
Along with the first volume, I’ll keep this valuable resource on my PC to augment my other books on words, to be interrogated on those occasions when words fail me. Using these two books of wisdom, any good writer can become exceptional and produce work of lasting quality to keep their readers returning for more.
July 31, 2018
Great Resource for Writers
Kathy Steinemann's "The Writer's Lexicon Volume II" is an excellent reference for writers to produce clean, clear copy, be it fiction or nonfiction. The book provides examples for eliminating needless words, redundancies, cliches and poorly constructed phrases. It also contains lists of alternative words to sharpen sentences for better understanding by the reader. Ms. Steinemann offers useful tips for proofreading and grammatical advice. This book, along with the first volume, belongs on the bookshelf of every writer.
Kathy Steinemann's "The Writer's Lexicon Volume II" is an excellent reference for writers to produce clean, clear copy, be it fiction or nonfiction. The book provides examples for eliminating needless words, redundancies, cliches and poorly constructed phrases. It also contains lists of alternative words to sharpen sentences for better understanding by the reader. Ms. Steinemann offers useful tips for proofreading and grammatical advice. This book, along with the first volume, belongs on the bookshelf of every writer.
March 31, 2018
Yet again, Kathy Steinemann has provided writers with a useful tool, full of tips on how to edit your work, writing rules and how to interpret them, overused words and phrases and how to replace them, and much more. Together with Volume I, it is a must-have for any writer when you need to improve that first draft. I love these books and wouldn't edit my manuscripts without them by my side!
June 12, 2020
This is a fantastic extension to Volume One, expanding into additional common actions, and a list of additional checks to polish your writing. It's a must-have-at-your-fingertips during second draft edits.
March 23, 2021
Highly recommended. Easy to use and very helpful.
August 17, 2022
Another treasure trove writers should absolutely make use of.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews