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For Those Times When You Might Want to Do Without 'Had'
by C. M. Clifton
Have you ever read a short story you've written and discovered an overuse of the word 'had?' I certainly have. It's one of the dilemmas I once faced with my own writing. Besides learning and practicing the rules of grammar, and the rules of fiction writing, I also found myself grappling with 'had.' It's not the occasional 'had' that troubled me, but the 'had' that appeared in every, or every other, sentence.
So, in an attempt to keep improving my writing, obeying some of the rules of fiction writing while breaking others, I tried to find an alternative to 'had.' The solution I found happened to be the same solution for ridding as many adverbs as possible from my stories. The solution for ridding 'had' from a few of your sentences is to replace 'had' with a strong, more specific verb.
Consider these sentences:
Richard had two minutes to beat his deadline.
Tom had five marbles.
Rewritten without 'had,' the same sentences might read as the following:
Two minutes remained of Richard's deadline.
Tom owned five marbles.
Now, consider this short passage:
She had the fate of the world in her hands. Mankind had brought the earth to the brink of destruction. No one but her had the power to save millions of lives.
After attempting to get rid of 'had,' and to hopefully strengthen the sentences, the passage might read like this:
She held the fate of the world in her hands. The earth teetered on the brink of destruction, thanks to mankind, and no one but her possessed the power to save millions of lives.
Or, perhaps, the passage would read like this:
She held the fate of the world in her hands. Thanks to mankind, the earth now teetered on the brink of destruction. No one but her possessed the power to save millions of lives.
Try playing around with the words to see how you might rewrite the sentences without using the word 'had.' And remember to have fun while you do.
The suggestion I've made on how to eliminate 'had' is by no means written in stone. Just as it appears okay to occasionally use passive voice, the occasional use of 'had' appears okay, as well. "'Had' is not always bad," as the saying goes. Please remember to take my suggestion with a grain of salt, and to have fun with it should you decide to give it a try with your own writing.
C. M. Clifton may be contacted here . Or you can click here to view more of C. M. Clifton's articles.
C. M. Clifton is a published fiction writer and an author at Writing.com which is a site for Writers.
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The Unveiling: An American Teacher in a Saudi Palace
by Kristin Decker
My husband and I eagerly accepted positions as private tutors for a visionary princess in Saudi Arabia. She dreamed of providing the best education possible for her children and secretly opened a private school. We championed her dreams as if they were our own. However, a year later, we encountered a medieval system of palace intrigue and subterfuge. Under threat of imprisonment, we were detained and coerced into signing false statements. Would God's deliverance come in time or would we be forgotten and imprisoned in a foreign land? Journey with us to the center of the human heart and to the mysterious Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where the shifting sands are full of dreams, intrigue and revenge.
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Silent Knight
by Jody Slyman
Born in a small Alaskan village, all Joseph Thompson wanted was to live a simple life. He was taught the old ways of the village natives and trained in martial arts. However, when tragedy strikes, Joseph is exposed to city life as his family moves to San Francisco, a city run by the powerful Martoni family.
As Joseph grows up, he meets his true love, Kristen Shobe. The two plan a long and loving life together, but once again tragedy would strike Joseph's life. This time, Joseph goes over the mental edge. Seeking revenge against a powerful family, Joseph puts his training of old to use and creates a figure that will hunt in the city nights.
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America: The Oil Hostage
by Paul Bures
Numerous solutions are available to the U.S. government to bring us back on a path of freedom from oil-rich countries. With just a few steps we could be self-sufficient in less than a generation, with plentiful and much cheaper sources of energy at our disposal. Just a few simple steps and global warming would be a thing of the past. Just a few simple steps and these bloody oil wars can end, allowing America to move into a bright and energy abundant future.
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Earth Angel
by Sarah Louise Reynolds
What if you were an angel with a big mouth but no message?What if all the angels were starting their missions except you?What if God was keeping you in Heaven because your soulmate hadn't asked for you yet? What if one day... he did?Meet Shayna and Kane, two twin souls from opposite ends of the universe. She's a divine messenger in the loudest possible way.He doesn't believe in angels.This is the poignant and humorous story of one prayer and its answer.Believe in miracles.
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Inherited Shame
by Michael A. Gibbs
Arun Colbert is the half white/half black illegitimate son of a Royal Navy deserter. He turns to the war-torn waters off the Carolinas to hide from his shame, to redeem himself, and to find and slay a man he's never met - a man who murdered Arun's father and sold his mother into slavery. From the decks of a merchant vessel to those of an American privateer, Arun fights the British Navy, pirates, and the images of shame that push him toward an end he cannot see. Here is the story wherein the lives of both honorable and dishonorable men are spent or spared according to the whims of wind and tide, love and prejudices, sin and politics. Here are characters and occurrences brought from America's youth - a time of conflicting acts and emotions that would change forever the rights of men and nations.
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Vision 3000: The Transformation of Humanity in the New Millenium
by Michael Aschenbach
VISION 3000 describes the stages of our future transformation as they affect six social functions: Human Science, Spiritual Culture, Technology, Media, Economics, and Governance. We are shown how emerging evolutions of human consciousness bring in new worldviews that completely transform each of these dimensions. This vision lays out a blueprint for individuals, organizations, and our whole planetary society to awaken and set us free.
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Wooden Spoons
by Dennis Ruane
When Professor Daniel Whaley abandons his position at The University of Wisconsin, leaves his wife and isolates himself on a mountain in southwestern Pennsylvania, it appears to be an act of desperation. Events that envelop him during his one year tenure on Hemlock Knob suggest that the professor has been pulled toward a fate that long awaited him. Rising above Lick Hollow, the town where Daniel grew up, Hemlock Knob is where his great-great-grandfather, Adam Reilly, settled after returning home from the Civil War. Daniel remains on the mountain to restore the family homestead, which has been neglected for decades, and, as Adam once did, carves wooden spoons. While thus employed, the professor mysteriously comes to resemble his legendary Irish ancestor in dress and demeanor. Daniel's arrival on the mountain is timely. Attorney Maurice Nicklow and his treacherous son, Donald of Nicklow Developers Inc., are moving to acquire Hemlock Knob for a wealthy client from Pittsburgh. The transformation in Daniel is to his great advantage during the inevitable confrontation with the Nicklows.
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The Tree Stood Still
by Sheina Sachar Gertner
Unlike the stories of children who survived the war by hiding among the peasants, The Trees Stood Still reveals the experiences of a sensitive, insightful woman. Sheina Sachar-Gertner distills her thoughts and feelings in a compellingly personal, courageous and moving book. Its terse, compressed style evokes the sense of a confessional. What emerges, despite the pain, is an affirmation of mankind's humanity from an individual who is strongly committed to life at the same time that she is forever attached to the souls of the dead. At the end of the book, Sheina, finally granted her emigration papers by the Russians, and she is on the plane headed toward Israel. Clutching two-red-tulips in her hand, she thinks, “I cannot forget. All I can do is hope.”
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Queen of Diamonds
by R.O. Palmer
Queen of Diamonds is the story of Ngoc Soàn, a flamboyant Vietnamese gambler and businesswoman who has overcome gender barriers, racial discrimination and war wounds to build a thriving Philadelphia diamond company. When she discovers that wealth alone doesn't bring happiness, she pursues her dream - lowering diamond prices for the masses. With the De Beers diamond cartel in control of the world supply, Ngoc defies the cartel in her quest for a revolutionary mining discovery - a discovery that De Beers will do anything to suppress. A sinister Russian, a brilliant geologist, a rival tycoon and Ngoc's ambitious niece complicate Ngoc's risky bid to bypass the cartel. Enter Paul Weeks, master of surveillance and disguise, who sells Ngoc the secret mining specifications. In the process, he uncovers Ngoc's own painful secret, opening new possibilities for the Queen of Diamonds.
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A Fine Smirr of Rain
by William Bridges
In "A Fine Smirr of Rain," poet and essayist William Bridges explores life and the natural world through the lens of rain. Starting from the question "How long has it been raining?" he describes the world's oldest rock and its evidence of water 4.4 billion years ago. From the sound, shape, and smell of rain, he moves on to "Death by Umbrella" -the rain-related assassinations of a Napoleonic finance minister and (possibly) JFK. Before the book ends, Bridges has touched on rain in literature, Earth's wettest and driest spots, the destruction of rain forests, global warming, and ice-coring in Antarctica. The book concludes with a meditation on the beauty and transience of the world. Bridges is a storyteller, whose work has been called "beautifully crafted" and "never far removed from the daily course of things." Susanna Rich, author of writing textbooks, calls him "by far the most versatile writer I know."
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Fantasy Kick
by Michael Henby
Your next boss probably plays fantasy football!
When it comes to getting a job, it's not always what you know-it's who you know.
Fantasy football is rapidly becoming one of the most popular games at the workplace. It is played by millions of people in office leagues across the United States and throughout the world.
The game creates new and powerful networking dynamics by bringing employees from every level of the organization chart together and different departments for five months during the NFL season.
Written by fantasy football and career expert Michael Hanby, "Fantasy Kick" breaks down how to play the fun game of fantasy football and use it to help advance your career.
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