BMG

I remember vividly the first time I heard about abusing verbs by tacking an ING onto their pure, undefiled state. Having used such milk-toast verbs with bold verbosity and heaven forbid…I oft did it at the beginning of a sentence; I also punched up said verbs by precipitously adding an adverb.
  

And, I was proud!
  

I had an emailed query, answered by a Harlequin editor.  She’d requested the first three chapters of my work in progress. I’d promised to send it out by a specified date since she wanted to discuss it with me at the 2004 RWA Nationals.
  

One early summer evening, before my manuscript was to go out via snail mail, I attended my first critique group meeting…ever. It was there surrounded by a group of my peers, I was informed that using “ing” and “ly” should be done spar-ing-ly.
  

What?  Could you repeat that?
  

This was evidently a well know element of writing and style of which I was glar-ing-ly clueless.
  

Hurridly rushing home, no…I made a maniacal dash home to check my manuscript. Obviously, or I wouldn’t be writing this, my work was saturated with the offensive endings.  No…no just saturated, I’d set a record for the most ings and lys stuffed into a single sentence…or so I thought at the time.  

From that point forward, I’d learned my lesson. I searched my Thesaurus for the strongest, most powerful verbs known to mankind.  I went on the prowl for vivid verbs, those which made even the most insignificant sentence seemly shine.  No way would I be caught using sissy verbs ever again!
  

And so I proceeded, until I signed a publishing contract.
  

Suddenly, I had not one but two editors ing-ing and ly-ing me. One sentence which preciously had zero ings was given five words ending with ing. By this time, I had established a second critique group, one not so large and intimidating.  However, none in the group were published as of October of 2004.  They didn’t like the fact I now had two editors who both told me to do what I’d learned I shouldn’t do.  But I threw my hands into the air and did it…
  

I’m no longer with that publisher, but I now realize my editors were more than likely new and without a great deal of experience.  The publisher was new and I’m not certain they’re still publishing. I imagine one day I may even work with one of editors again and I will do it gladly.  Many of the changes in that first story, made it better and I thank them.  However, I’m no longer afraid to resist an ING if I don’t want to use it. Nor have I had any subsequent editors at the two other publishing houses I’ve signed with who were so heavy handed with them.
  

I recently signed with my forth publisher, but she’s been at this a long time and whatever she says I’ll do with a smile on my face, just for the privilege to work with her.
  

Also, as time went by and I learned more about the craft of writing. I’m not a strict as I was at first, but I still try not to use too many adverbs and avoid weak verbs. I’ve also learned it’s an on-going process and I have little patience for editing.  It’s also a necessary evil, which reminds me of another story.
  

I was sitting at Phoenix Desert Rose Romance Writer’s meeting, while a well-known author (but not by me)(obviously) spoke at our table. When I said I’d let my editor fix my manuscript she had an apoplexy attack. She snarled a well-deserved comment at me and I cowed beneath my taco. 
  

She was right…how foolish to believe an editor would be at my beck and call!  That kind of attitude could have kept me from becoming a multi-published author.
  

Now when I critique other’s work, I see the exact same mistakes I used to make.  It seems a common trait for new writers to begin their sentences with an ING word.
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And, now I’m not afraid to use the occasional ing or ly without cringing, but I have critique partners who ding me every time!
  

Brit Blaise 

Don’t forget to stop by http://britblaise.com/blog/?p=22 for a chance to win a copy of Knights of the Magical Realm: Warriors Gone Wild.  Just leave a comment to enter. Drawing on Nov. 15th.