words can kill
Words make the difference. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Once a writer completes his 80,000-word masterpiece, he often discovers that the work has barely 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 diet, you watch what you eat. If you write, you take care of 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 on, like…chocolate, ice cream, or cookies. It’s a joke. 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 I’ve used it like five times in the same paragraph.
It’s not like I’m saying it’s always bad, but it’s like I’m just saying you don’t always want to sound like a valley girl, right, dude? Now for the word list, you have to be careful to keep your story from feeling bloated.
1. I like it- If this is “like” something, then it is NOT that thing. Giving accurate descriptions and using correct verbs makes reading more enjoyable.
two. In fact- This is a flaccid edition. Try to do without it, or better yet, try to find a more robust word than the one you’re modifying. Example: instead of “I’m very hungry”. Try “I’m hungry.”
3. So- The word “Then” is an unnecessary intensifier. Just like the word “Like”, it can become addictive. “So what you really mean is…” would be better read as, “What you mean is…”
Four. Up and down- these words are usually not necessary. They tend to be redundant. For example: “I sat on the bed.” 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. That- If a sentence makes sense after deleting “it”, delete it. For example, “This is the most amazing book I have ever read.” it can be, “This is the most amazing book I’ve ever read.”
6. Great- This is a weak adjective. Replace it with something more precise. Example, instead of “He was a big man”. Proof, “He was six feet tall and weighed 250 pounds.”
7. Suddenly- “Sudden” means quickly and without warning, but using the word “suddenly” slows down the action and warns your reader. Do you know what would be better? Just spit it out. Instead of saying, “Then all of a sudden I heard a bloodcurdling scream.” Say, “I heard a bloodcurdling scream.”
8. Nope – This is known as a negative construction. Readers don’t like it when you tell them something it is No. They like it when you tell them something it is. For example, he might say, “The actor didn’t remember his lines.” or, “The actor forgot his lines.”
9. Said- Many writers are divided on this word, but this is my perspective. A hamburger won’t kill you, but if you eat at McDonald’s three times a day for 20 years… it’s not their fault what’s happening. In other words, if you have a whole page of dialogue, after the original “he said, she said”, let it go. Readers are smart enough to go on without saying “she said” every time.
10 Very- In this case, no one can explain why better than Robin Williams.
“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man isn’t very tired, he’s exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use moody. The language was invented for a reason, guys: to woo women, and, in that endeavor, laziness won’t help. It won’t help in your rehearsals either” – dead poets society
Are there any other filler words or phrases you can do without? No doubt. These are just the most common ones I have to remember. I’ve dropped the word “Only” half a dozen times while writing this article, so I guess you could add it to the list. The thing to remember is that if you find yourself using a certain word or phrase too much, so will your reader. In order for your readers to flip through each page as quickly as possible, you need to keep up the pace. Don’t use ten words when six are enough. Writing a book requires stamina, motivation, and inspiration. Writing a good book requires editing.