11.29.2013

This is how my brain works

Writing isn't easy. Especially when you suffer from ADD. Choosing the right words to express what you want to say often leads to bunny trails that serve no useful purpose.

Fore example.

In my post from Tuesday, I had a line that read, "Those are words that you've probably heard countless times before and will hopefully hear upon many more occasions." But that was the final phrasing after a couple rounds of revision. The version of that line in my first draft was, "Those are words that you've probably heard many times before and will hopefully hear many more times."

Problem number one: repetition. No need to use 'many' and 'times' twice in a single sentence.
Problem number two: some intangible fog that I can't quite describe. The way it ended sounded awful.

But my easily distracted brain got sidelined at this spot in the editing process. Here are the steps I took before I could find a rewording that worked for me. These are the thoughts I had while trying to fix my ugly phrasing.

1. Hopefully hear many more times? Ugh. That sounds disgusting. And wordy. Blech.
2. What if I eliminated the last word. Hopefully hear many more. No, that actually sounds worse.
3. I know you shouldn't end sentences with a preposition. But More isn't a preposition; it's an adjective.
4. What if I used it as a noun? Look - it's a more. But that sounds like the Italian word for love.
5. *singing* "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore."

Yes friends, my brain works in mysterious and sometimes frightening ways.

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