Hold That Thought - Placeholders While You Write
I am notorious (well notorious
only to myself) for putting placeholders in manuscripts when I can't think of
the right words.
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| Maybe I need to schedule a brain massage? photo by Julia Freeman-Woolpert via sxc.hu |
Stopping for too long causes a break in my flow which leads to picking my nose, eating a few donuts, changing the laundry, and then remembering I was writing several hours later.
My current selection of placeholders includes:
"in the hallway something frickin' hilarious
ensues"
"name that is sweet and
rascally"
"funny sound an orange would
make"
"eats something grosser than
a caterpillar, but not as gross as a tarantula."
"mom gives her incentive so
she has to win"
"The octopus' arm falls off or
some other very bad thing happens"
"XXX" (I am trying not to use this anymore, because I kept inserting kissing scenes which was awkward in a picture book)
Smart writer type people say to write your
best idea down in the moment, even if you know it needs to change. There are times the best I can do is gobbley
gook, so the placeholder has to do the job. (Hey, would you read a story about gobbley gook that took over the world? Hmm. Where's the donuts?)
HELP NEEDED! In the comments won't you please help me
replace my placeholders with something better?
What sound would an orange make?
What is something bad which would happen to an octopus?
Oranges are famous for their onomatopoeiac utterings like smplatch and squirauch. As for octopi, they are rather smart and strangely affectionate critters but oh so shy. They love to play pranks and then run and hide. I would imagine it quite horrifying if one ventured out of hiding and then couldn't disappear...even running out of ink in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteI am so unworldly. I had no idea it was commonplace for oranges to squirauch, but it seems so obvious now.
DeleteOoh ooh! So an octopus tries to make all sorts of different shapes with his body so he isn't caught?! Halleluja the ideas are raining down.
Wow, Lara. You must win some virtual cupcakes for that answer.
DeleteCatherine Johnson
I know right? And Lara isn't even a children's writer (just a natural storyteller.)
DeleteI use placeholders too. Good way to keep the momentum going.
ReplyDeleteWhat about slugs for something between caterpillar and spider?
mood
Moody Writing
Now wait, are you saying you would eat a slug? G-ross! I would think it would slide down pretty smooth rather than a tarantula which would be hairy and crunchy (not a good combination). I think we have a winner!
DeleteLol Lauri, I must be as green as I'm cabbage looking because I've never thought of place holders, but I love the idea. I like the thought of an orange who takes a self-improvment course to bounce like his hero, a tennis ball, and an octopus who trips over his arms and inks himself.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you have a natural gift to know the right word! I love this idea of a clumsy octopus struggling with all those arms ("I can't dance-I'm all arms!)
DeleteHi, Lauri,
ReplyDeleteI love placeholders. I usually make mine ALL CAPS so they stand out. Here are a couple for you:
name that is sweet and rascally: try Puck (the impish nymph in A Midsummer Night's Dream), or for a girl, Dixie (a la the Confederacy). Both have some spunk (in my opinion).
mom gives incentive: something she wants to have: her sister's room, her brother's bike,
or maybe keeping something she has already: she won't have to give her favorite teddy (who's kind of babyish) to the church charity, she can keep him without admitting she still needs him,
or maybe something that is going to happen anyway like "done with third grade forever!"
Thanks for the a.m. brainstorming session! Always glad to see you!
I did read the advice to use XXX as a placeholder so it is searchable. Then you can just say "find XXX" and go one by one to fill in the blanks. If I ever get beyond 1000 words, I just might go back to that.
DeletePuck is great. He will be my next MC for sure. I love this thought of incentive can be what is given or taketh away.
It's always nice to see you - thank you for all you are doing for the Wordsmiths!
And here I thought I was the only one who did this (albeit a bit different than how you handle it, but it's the same issue nonetheless). Great post!.
ReplyDeleteI left you a Shout-Out on my blog today, just so you know. :)
Thank you! I love making new friends.
DeleteI wish I always had the right word, but I don't. So I lean toward moving on rather than fighting with a phrase. Heck, sometimes I edit out the whole paragraph that housed the placeholder - so why waste time fretting about word choice too soon?
An orange noise might be "sqoosha" (if it's being squeezed). If it, say, falls off the counter unpeeled, then "kadunka-dun."
ReplyDeleteMy mom's words of inspiration often were "Don't be a candy ass."
You're welcome!
You are my new go to source for sounds. I love kadunka-dun. It has a hardness too it, like this orange wasn't raised in the suburbs; it's an orange from the streets.
DeleteI totally love "slug" (shudder) and the ultimate incentive is having a sibling do all your chores for a weeek/month. The taste of revenge and leisure is a heady combination! :)
ReplyDeleteNiiice! Chores suck and siblings doing them is the best (unless you are Cinderella and then things just got way out of hand)... And welcome to the blog Chantel!
DeleteVery fun read, Lauri. I love the dancing octopus idea. I too make notes, usually in parenthesis, in places where I have trouble finding the right phrase or word. I hadn't thought of using the XXX for searching purposes. (Maybe because I haven't gotten much past that 1000 word place.) ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one with a 1000 word wall. I will say I used to have a 500 word wall, so I am making progress!
Delete