Weak words to hunt down and destroy when editing fiction

[mollyringle]

(This is my personal list, reflecting my own bad writing habits. Use or add to as you like. Obviously you don’t have to delete every instance of the verb “be” or other similarly common and useful words, but in at least some cases you can replace them with more vivid phrasing. E.g., “It was raining” can become “Rain lashed against her face.”)
 

seem

could

that

this

just

look

glance

stare

know (knew)

hear

feel (felt)

reach

move

watch

was (were, is, be)

-ing

-ly (adverbs)

keep (kept)

have (had)

anyway

actually

paused/hesitated (have them do some action instead)

peek (for an inanimate object)

now

em-dashes –

spin/turn on one’s heel

thought to herself/himself

picked at invisible/imaginary speck of dust/thread/etc

quite

very

pretty (to mean “fairly” or “kind of”)

 

And let's not forget "let out a breath she didn't know she was holding."

Comments

re: weak words

[acciochocolate]

What an interesting list!

Then there's the list for each writer of overworked, trite words and phrases. In one novel-length fic, I started to cringe whenever the word "ornament" appeared. This was the author's weasel word for when they didn't want to describe a room's decor. How difficult is it to say "an ugly statue of a cowboy stood upon the mantle" or "the green glass paperweight rolled off his desk"?

Re: weak words

[mollyringle]

Ha, yes! We all have our habitual overused words. And I know I'm often blind to mine, which is why beta readers are so valuable. It's so much easier to spot them in other people's work, but I can't even see them in my own most of the time. :D

[travels_in_time]

I've started looking out for "voice" and similar words, as it seems that I describe how someone sounds way too often. Maybe a overreaction against the oft-expressed hatred of adverbs? But if you're not supposed to use (or at least over-use) "she said shakily" OR "her voice shook", then I start getting lost.

[mollyringle]

I think you can use either of those! Just not too often. :) But yeah, I similarly have a limited repertoire of "voice shook," "voice broke," "voice turned rusty," and a couple of others. Sigh.

[archaeologist_d]

I've used "let out a breath she didn't know she was holding." because it's actually happened to me so it's not as nutty as it might seem.

I think everyone has their own issues. I find head-jumping much more of a problem than using the infinite variations of 'to be'. But good to have a list of things to watch out for. Good luck with your writing. :D

[mollyringle]

Oh, I've done (and written) the breath thing too--it is real! It's just that for whatever reason it's become a cliche, particularly in YA romance, so I had to list it. :)

But yes, each writer has their own particular issues. POV is no problem for me, but I know when I beta for others I often have to point out wandering POV moments. They, in turn, have to point out my overused words I'm blind to. :D