Monday, July 27, 2009

Day One-Hundred Ninety-Seven: However

I find I overuse the word "however" when I write. It's especially funny when I'm writing a play, because it is not unusual that one scene will take me upward of an hour to write if I'm easily distractable that particular day, so I'll lose all sense of rhythm and pacing from one line to the next. Also, I don't generally go back and read but more than a couple of lines from where I left off, since the story's stayed fresh in my mind and that's what I'm most concerned about with a first draft anyway. Nevertheless, it's a bit painful/embarrassing to get to a workshop/reading and hear the word "however" used three times within about ten lines.

I do like "however"; it's a good word. Unfortunately, it's also one of those words that sticks out when you start hearing it more than once in a given conversation.

On with your day, now.