One of the last things I do when I’m finishing a short story
is read for overused words. Most of these are easy to recognize—awesome,
literally, really, and the like. They have migrated into the written word from
casual conversation, trendy TV comedians, and the younger generation. I hear
these the minute they come out of my mouth, or fingers on the keyboard. But
these are not the words I’m most concerned about.
Each of us has our own distinctive verbal tics and habits,
and those are the easiest to miss. We think they sound right, so we don’t hear
the repetition, or echoes as I call them. To ferret out these habits of writing,
I search on Find/Replace, and consider each sentence or phrase that pops up.
Most of them I rewrite, tightening the passage and excising unnecessary words.
In a recent short story, I found I had used -thing
words almost 40 times in 6,000 words. These are so common as to be almost
invisible—nothing, something, anything,
as well as thing. Removing these
forced me to be specific, editing flabby phrasing into a more muscular passage.
(I almost used the word “robust,” but that’s one of the overused words I’m
trying to avoid.)
One immediate benefit of highlighting a poor verbal habit,
such as overusing looked, is that it
forces me to examine the character more closely and think hard about what she
or he is doing. Is she admiring the view, sneaking a peek at a stranger, or
staring at an old friend now so changed she almost didn’t recognize him? Why
does it matter that he is “looking” at a person or scene? Is he calculating the
next move, or is he trying to identify the person? Making these changes doesn’t
necessarily mean more detail, but it does mean greater precision.
I’m fortunate to have three beta readers who together spot
my verbal tics and bring them to my attention. As I go about revising those
passages, I usually identify other infelicitous expressions. By the time I’m
finished, the manuscript is tight and clean, and reads smoothly, without echoes
or awkwardness or repetitions.
“Overused” words is a popular topic on various sites for
writers, and I visited several. To
read a list of words considered overused in writing today, go to:
https://www.consultpivotal.com/commonly_overused.htm
To read my fiction, go here:
https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Oleksiw/e/B001JS3P7C
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SusanOleksiw
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/susan+oleksiw?_requestid=1017995
Good reminder, Susan. I find I have "favorite" words. I don't realize I'm using a word over and over until I do those final edits. They're not always the same words (from book to book), but the habit is there. Guess I'll never learn.
ReplyDeleteI've begun to wonder what it means to repeat certain words in each book. Am I trying to tell myself something? Don't know, but I do wonder. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI always cringe when I find those in my books or one I'm editing. Great topic!
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings
PamT
Yes, I look at the abundance of repeats and wonder how I could have slept through it all. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteGreat post, Susan. I have a list of words I've found I overuse. And like you, I search for them often when editing. I think I use "a bit" in everything at least once. The other trick is looking for the same word used twice in just a paragraph or two, sometimes even a whole page.
ReplyDeleteI find "echoes" (repeats on a page) often, and sometimes I think they're a sign of my struggle to say exactly what I mean when I'm feeling I haven't gotten it right. Still, I scribble on. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteI know there are programs that will help with finding overused terms. It's a good idea to do this as part of an edit.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with the particular software, Jacquie, but I'm not surprised. I rely on the Find/Replace function. Thanks for adding that information.
ReplyDeleteI went to that site and printed off those overused words. This is something a lot of us have to watch for - It's so easy to do. I found one page article online called What Do Filter Words Look Like? They are a form of extra words. The example was: "Sarah felt a sinking feeling as she realized she'd forgotten her purse at the café across the street." Without the filter words, it read: "Sarah's stomach sank. Her purse--she'd forgotten it back at the café across the street." Enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm glad the link proved useful. Thank you also for the page online, on filler words. That's another problem I try to solve in my final edits. Trim, trim, trim.
DeleteI guess we all have our favorite filler words. Mine include then, that, really, well and few more. Good article, Susan, as always.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Earl.
Delete