(The word cloud used as the image for this post was generated from my sci-fi short story Dissolution, which you can read here.)
Every writer has a list of words or phrases they hate. This post contains my personal list of 63 phrases I avoid because I feel they weaken my writing. I am no expert, so don’t take this post as gospel. Nevertheless, this list has helped me, so I thought I would share it. I have compiled this list over the past few years based on personal preferences, plus feedback from editors, beta readers, and fellow writers. Note, I primarily use this list when writing and editing fiction.
To avoid repetition, I grouped similar phrases together in the table below. I then gave each phrase a rating:
- Black: Total ban. I will rework the sentence to remove these phrases 100% of the time.
- Red: Avoid whenever possible. I will do my best to remove these phrases, but if there is a good reason for them to stay, so be it.
- Amber: Beware. I will check to see if my use of these phrases indicates a weak sentence.
I have included a comment beside each item explaining its inclusion on the list.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments.
My Hit List
| Phrase | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| suddenly / all of a sudden / just then / immediately / began / began to / started / started to | black | These are lazy phrases to express urgency or a sudden change in circumstance. I prefer to use verb choice and sentence structure to convey the upbrupt shift. |
| get / got / gotten | black | Worst verb ever. Any verb is better than get. |
| very / really / truly | black | Lazy adjectives Either choose a stronger one or exclude it altogether. |
| of it / to it / on it / for it | black | I find that whenever I've written one of these, it means the sentence is clumsy. Rewording can always get rid of these phrases and make the sentence stronger. |
| amazing | black | Lazy word. |
| literally | black | Not even ironically. |
| stuff / things | black | Lazy word. |
| the fact that | black | As well as sounding ugly, it usually means the sentence is poorly-written. |
| that | red | You can almost always remove "that" and you'll improve the sentence's flow without losing meaning. |
| felt / thought / believed / realised / knew | red | I try to avoid telling the reader what the character is thinking or feeling. I'd rather show it in actions and internal monologue or external dialogue. |
| had | red | Past perfect tense is ugly. I try to avoid it as much as possible. |
| and / and then / just as / as / when | red | Often indicate a run-on sentence sentence. Delete them, add a period, carry on. |
| was / were / be / been / had been / being | red | Almost always inidicate of a weak sentence, either passive voice or other problems. Delete, rework and replace with stronger verbs. |
| went / had gone | red | Normally indicate you're narrating the basic movements of a charcter. That's boring. Rework into something more interesting. |
| rather | red | Lazy word. |
| simply | red | Lazy word. |
| some | red | Lazy word. |
| perhaps / maybe | red | Lazy word. |
| so | red | Lazy word. |
| not | red | Instead of writing what something isn't, consider writing what it is, unless you're deliberately highlighting the contrast. |
| thing | red | Lazy word. |
| just | amber | Lazy word. |
| as | amber | When used as an adverb (e.g. "As big as") or conjunction (e.g. "just as") I hate this word; I think it leads to ugly and/or run-on sentences. I think it's fine as a preposition (e.g. "hired as a cook"). |
| now / then | amber | Often included to convey a series of events: "Jenny went to the busstop, then she got on the bus, now she's at work." Rework to make the narration more interesting. |
| as if / like / seemed | amber | Consider finding ways to convey the comparison without telling the reader "pay attention to this comparison" |
| there was | amber | Lazy phrasing. |
| because | amber | Usually means you're telling the reader the reason for something instead of showing them. |
| to | amber | This one is kind of nebulous, since the word "to" shows up in some many circumstances. But I find that, when it does show up, it can often mean I've phrased the sentence clumsily. |
| nearly / almost | amber | Often a lazy way to tell the reader the situation is precarious: "The ledge was nearly in reach." |
Hi Robert. Agree overall, especially for omniscient narration. For first person and close third you are more limited to the vocabulary and thinking of that character so if they use ‘stuff’ a lot then that’s what you’ve got.
Good points, Kelly. Totally agree on first person. For close third, I probably still wouldn’t use “stuff” outside of dialogue or internal monologue, even if it’s a word the POV character enjoys. But maybe that’s wrong of me. You’ve given me food for thought, thanks!
Excellent list Robert. Nice to know you keep it as a work in progress.
Thanks Dennis. I have already received some good suggestions for potential additions to the list since I posted the blog today.
I’m really surprised “eyes wide” isn’t on here, haha. Though I guess this is more for specific words, rather than over-used phrases.
It’s a great list. But, I bet there are a ton of other lazy adjectives out there.
Yes, I didn’t include adjectives and adverbs. I sweep for those in a separate round of editing. As for eyes-wide, that’s Renee’s pet hate, although I try not to use it either!
I’m going to share some positive stories about the pit bull dog and show how truly heroic they can be.
Cuanto más explores, más cuarteles encontraras.