I’ve been having an almond croissant craving recently. And I’m picky about my croissants. They need to be flaky and not too crispy on the outside. I also like them with plenty of almond paste filling and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.
Maybe I want a croissant because I’m in the middle of edits. I’m in my revisions cave attempting to incorporate comments from an editorial letter. This is for book two in the L.A. Night Market Mysteries.
Hot Pot Murder is next in the series. It’s releasing this coming spring, and you better believe there’s a lot of food references, including hot pot!
My search for the perfect croissant is currently paralleling my search for the perfect word.
Looking over my manuscript, I’m discovering that my vocab issues can be split into four categories:
1. The Right Word
This is when I need to change the word and use the actual one needed. (Example: “His feet were stuck in shoes” versus “His feet were stuffed into shoes”)
2. The Better Word
A more appropriate word is needed in the sentence. (Example: “He wrote tantalizing” to “He wrote entertaining”) Thank goodness I didn’t say he wrote stuff that was titillating!
3. The Familiar Synonym
I throw in food mentions in my book, like this one from a scene at a Vietnamese restaurant: spring rolls. But is that spring rolls like egg rolls? Or fresh spring rolls? Or are they known as summer rolls? These are the cold rolls filled with vegetables and wrapped in rice paper. (Which term would you choose?)
4. The Unknown Word
There’s a character in my story that has a haircut, where the sides are half-shaved. I didn’t want to write the description out, so I shortened it to half-shaven hair. Then my editor was confused about whether it was head hair or beard hair. Oops. (Apparently, this haircut is also known as an undercut, which is a term I’d never heard of until I did some research.)
Here’s hoping I revise my manuscript well and swap in words that, if not exactly perfect, enhance and fit the story better. Maybe I can even reward myself with a croissant after I’m all done.
What’s your latest food craving or (im)perfect word choice?
Chicks on the Case 
Don’t you just love those editors, and hate “good enough” and “better,” the enemies of best? Besides the right words, may you find the best almond croissant ever!
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I do love my editor but, yes, I’m always reaching for the best word (and best croissant)!
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I’m looking forward to the chocolate croissants on the cruise ship in just a few weeks. The ones in the coffee shop are so delish. My husband and I go there mid morning for our lattes and treat unless we are off on an excursion. But don’t you worry the coffee shop is open 24/7 so I’ll be sure to have a few. That’s one of the foods I can eat. I have this list of foods I can’t eat because of these darn ulcers the doc discovered I have. Imagine going to Hawaii and you can’t have pineapples or coconuts.
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Mmm, chocolate croissants! (My friends went on a cruise during the summer. Their favorite part? Getting to eat ice cream all day long, even for breakfast!)
Enjoy your coffee shop treats & the cruise! Too bad about the ulcers. I enjoy pineapple and love coconut!
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Totally spring rolls, Jen. I feel for you in your search for the perfect word. I’m revising Record Store book 2 and have my thesaurus as well as my book of synonyms & antonyms close by. Or is that nearby? Or close at hand? 😅
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Thanks, J.C.! My editor and I will have to chat about those spring rolls. 🙂 I have a worn thesaurus on my bookshelf–er, it’s somewhere there and hiding behind my TBR pile. And perhaps it’s near at hand?
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I’m going through the last revision before I submit the fourth Homefront mystery and doing the exact same thing. Is that the best word I can use? Is it the right one? Very picky.
And I always thought of spring rolls as warm, like egg rolls, but with a thinner wrapping.
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Oh, funny Liz! I think of spring rolls as cold in that see-through soft wrapper whose name I can’t remember. Gah! (This happens in my mss too.)
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Ha! Sometimes I’ll just asterisk the places where I need to do research.
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Becky, I keep thinking phyllo, but no, that’s Greek.
And there are lots of places in my first drafts with “XXX” which let’s me know I have to find the right word. I do it with street or person names as well, when I can’t be bothered to look it up right that second. LOL
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Best with revisions, Liz! I’m sure the book will turn out great!
Hmm, interesting about the spring rolls. I’ve had them served warm or cold–but mostly chilled.
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Jen, I’m a vote for “spring rolls” all the way! I just assumed they were all fresh, ha, and I have never heard of a summer roll unless it refers to lobster here in New England. Then the question is, mayo or without? I am currently in NJ, visiting an Italian bakery every morning for what I call “half moon cookies.” They say “black & white”. I’ve also heard them called “headlight cookies.” I like half moon because I think it’s pretty and probably fewer calories. (Upstate NY was where I learned that name.)
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Three for spring rolls then! Ooh, lobster rolls! (Wait, I thought they all had mayo…)
I’ve eaten those cookies but know them as “black and white” cookies. I haven’t heard of them as half moon, and I studied in Upstate NY!
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When I write a first draft, I don’t agonize over word choices. I just pick a word that comes close to what I want to say and keep writing. I consult the thesaurus and the dictionary (in that order) when I revise.
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Same here, Tom. Speeds things up dramatically!
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Same! I only agonize after the first draft. When I’m creating, I just need to finish the sucker. Fascinating that you consult both the thesaurus and the dictionary–I think I only use the former.
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I’m in the middle of this revision heartache (and brainache) too, Jen. Mine isn’t so much word choice with this ms, but I have a lot of placeholders for actions. Dena <> … Kober <> … Evelyn <> across the floor. Gah.
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Eek, Becky. On the other hand, plenty of opportunity for exciting actions and activities! (And are you saying you have paper strewn across the floor?)
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I love the word-choice part of writing, and will often spend far too long searching for the perfect word (or simply trying to remember one that I know I know, but can’t seem to get access to in my brain).
And a buttery croissant sounds pretty darn good right about now, though I’m partial to the plain ones–as well as pain au chocolat, i.e., a chocoate-filled croissant.
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Too often now I have words that I can’t quite remember… I just stick a synonym in as a placeholder and hope I figure it out during edits.
You deserve a croissant, Leslie–or two! (Croissant party for all the Chicks!)
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Far be it from me to tell a professional how to do their job, but here goes– I’m afraid you have this all wrong, Jen. During edits and revisions, you get a croissant per day. When you’re completely finished, you get TWO (with champagne!) I hope this helps. 😉
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Excellent, Tracy! I’ll go change my schedule now…
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There ya go, girl! You’ll be ok now. 🙂
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I slept poorly last night. Right about now, I’m struggling to get any words out of my mind.
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Oh, Mark. Sorry about the sleep. Hope you get better rest tonight!
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I’m on Jenny Craig!! That croissant is killing me!! What food do I crave? ALL OF THEM! Although to be honest, the Jenny Craig food is surprisingly good. I’m genuinely enjoying it.
As to words, I’m constantly mentally arguing with Word’s Editor. It doesn’t understand I’m often writing dialog, not a technical manual. It can be jaw-droppingly wrong. But sometimes it’s right – which I hate even more!
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You can have a virtual croissant, El. I’ve heard that the Jenny Craig meals are pretty good.
That’s right about Word’s Editor. I love/hate that it catches so many of my grammatical goofs!
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Jen, I try to power through the first draft and use the XXX for things I need to look up and come back to. But SOMETIMES I get hung up on a word that’s just not quite right and I’ll go down the rabbit hole of the thesaurus! Honestly, sometimes I think it’s just an excuse to stop writing!
And there are times those editorial letters from an editor or agent can cause me to start questioning everything I thought I knew!!
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Oh, that rabbit hole! Sometimes I also like an excuse to stop editing. Ha!
The copy editor also gets me questioning all the “rules” that I know.
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That croissant looks DELISH, Jen!!
I crave baked goods more than searching for le bon mot! My kryptonite: finding the right words to describe characters’ actions. Walking is the worst for me. If I get too fancy, it seems like the characters are performing some kind of complex choreography. Fortunately, I can console myself with a cupcake.
Excited for this new book!!
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Same for me with the walking! I try to put in different words for my characters to get to places. (And yes to cupcakes!)
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I am craving Carrot Cake for some reason. It has been years and I need to just buy one and pig out as I am the only one in the house that will eat it, but mmmm good.
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