#WWoW! Author's Craft: The "ING" Trap #AmEditing

Editing Tips

Tighten Your Copy Yourself

Don't get caught in the ING trap.
Think twice whenever you see an ING in your manuscript. You likely don't need it so get rid of it.

How?
Take out the "were" or "was". Eliminate that pesky ING. Switch to past tense.

Watch what I mean...
"We were beginning to..." = "We began to..."
"He was pressing his palms to..." = "He pressed his palms to..."
"She was touching..." = "She touched..."

Eliminating excessive INGs makes your writing clearer.