I was reading a blog written by Kristen Lamb – Six Easy Tips for Self-Editing Your Fiction. She was referring to the brutal truth about adverbs, metaphors and similes that are so overly vivid and overused that they yank the reader’s attention away from the movement of the story. Metaphors like ‘rock coffee table’ make you pause to figure out what the writer means – something flat on legs and made of stone? No, apparently he/she meant a large flat rock. In that case, just say what you mean and don’t try to be too cute. “She reached out her arm to open the door”. Surely the extra words aren’t useful unless she used her prehensile toes. The other examples made me laugh. “Her…

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