3T Writing Tidbit

Garbage words. We all use them. They fill the gap. They provide emphasis. They're little verbal crutches we use as part of our personality.

But for writing? Get rid of them. Make your prose sleek and sharp, like a dagger.

I have a whole list of words I search for and strike before handing my efforts over to the editor. (And even then, they come back with, "Do you know you've used the word 'actually' 247 times?")

One set of garbage words you can easily start with that will not only punch up your writing but hone your brain is adverbs.

Adverbs are words that add paint to verbs. They're always paired with a verb. You can get rid of the adverb/weak-verb pair by using a stronger verb.

They're easy to find, just search your manuscript for LY. Look at the word with its verb. Think of a single verb that means the same thing. Exercise your brain, try thinking of another one or two more. Pick the best.

Here's an example. "I immediately took the meat cleaver."

The verb is "took". The adverb is "immediately."

Some replacements: grabbed, swept up, seized, snatched.

Here's the new sentence. "I seized the meat cleaver."  

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.