"Allen, Michael" <MALLEN@alldata.net> wrote:

Hello all,

DO NOT READ THIS.  I AM LETTING OFF STEAM.  

Why'd you post it then? :-P

Write something without using "headed" more than once.  It is
distracting to see the same word used over and over.  

As in:

They headed to school.  Once they got in the gates, they fought.  They
laughed.  They cried.  They then headed for class.  Class was boring.
They skipped calss and headed for the soccer field.  At lunchtime, they
headed for the cafeteria.   

You're absolutely right. The repetition of words and stock phrases is
something that can interfere with the reading enjoyment of a story.
However, I think your approach for dealing with the problem -- talking
about it in the abstract -- is not a very effective one. Most writers
can't keep track of how many times we've used a particular word or
phrase as we write. We need to be told which words we're over-using, and
where.

If you find a story where someone is overusing "headed," or any other
word or phrase, point it out to the author. Most authors will appreciate
your efforts to help them make their stories better. It's what I do.
It's what you should do. :)


Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics