Words can kill
Words make a difference. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Once a writer finishes their 80,000-word masterpiece, they often find that the work has only begun. I recently did a rewrite that took my manuscript from 315 pages to 265 pages. You spent two years getting 315 pages, how do you magically reduce it to 50 pages? If you are on a diet, watch what you eat. If you write, you look at what you write. It’s called editing.
Everyone has their weaknesses, whether it’s chocolate chip cookies or writing words that don’t help your story. When it comes to editing, there are certain words or phrases that you need to cut down, like … chocolate, ice cream, or cookies. It’s a prank. But seriously, the word “like” is one of my demons. It’s like I use it here and there, then I look down and see that I’ve used it like five times in the same paragraph.
It’s not like he’s saying he’s always bad, but it’s like he’s just saying that you don’t always want to sound like a valley girl, right, buddy? Now for the word list, you need to be careful to avoid making your story feel bloated.
1. What – If this is “like” something, then it is NOT that thing. Giving accurate descriptions and using correct verbs makes reading more enjoyable.
two. Actually – This is a flaccid modifier. Try to do without it, or better yet, try to find a more robust word than the one you are modifying. Example: instead of “I’m very hungry”. Try “I’m starving.”
3. Then – The word “Then” is an unnecessary intensifier. Like the word “like”, it can become addictive. “So what you really mean is …” would be better interpreted as “What you mean is …”
Four. Up and down – these words are usually not necessary. They are usually redundant. For example: “I sat on the bed.” it could be, “I sat on the bed.” Now if you need to “look up” that’s fine. But don’t say, “look at the clouds in the sky.” Just say, “Look at the clouds.”
5. What – If a sentence makes sense after removing “it”, remove it. For example, “This is the most amazing book I have ever read.” It may be, “This is the most amazing book I have ever read.”
6. Big – This is a weak adjective. Replace it with something more precise. Example, instead of “He was a big man.” Try, “He was six feet tall and weighed 250 pounds.”
7. Suddenly – “Suddenly” means fast and without warning, but the use of the word “suddenly” slows down the action and warns the reader. Do you know what would be better? Just spit it out. Instead of saying, “Then all of a sudden, I heard a blood-curdling scream.” Say: “I heard an eerie scream.”
8. Not – This is known as a negative construction. Readers don’t like it when you tell them what something it is not. They like it when you tell them that something it is. For example, you might say, “The actor did not remember his lines.” or, “The actor forgot his lines.”
9. Saying – Many writers have a divided opinion on this word, but here is my perspective. A hamburger won’t kill you, but if you eat at McDonald’s three times a day for 20 years … what happens isn’t their fault. In other words, if you have a full page of dialogue, after the original “he said, she said”, let it go. Readers are smart enough to keep saying “said” every time.
10. Very – In this case, no one can explain why better than Robin Williams.
“Therefore, avoid using the word ‘very’ because you are lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Do not use very sad, use moody. Language was invented for a reason, children, to woo women , and, in that endeavor, laziness will not serve. It will not serve either in your essays “- Dead poets society
Are there other filler words or phrases I can do without? No doubt. These are just the most common that I should remember. While writing this article, I deleted the word “Solo” half a dozen times, so I guess you could add that to the list. The thing to remember is that if you find yourself overusing a certain word or phrase, so will your reader. In order for your readers to turn each page as fast as they can, you need to keep up. Don’t use ten words when six are enough. Writing a book requires stamina, motivation, and inspiration. Writing a good book requires editing.