I’m working on editing my manuscript, and part of that is eliminating excess words. These fluff words can usually be deleted or replaced with fewer but more descriptive words. By eliminating them, you cut down your word count and make the text clearer.
Below is a list of words I search for within my document and then either delete the words or rewrite the sentence to exclude them. The result makes the sentences more powerful. I’m going to divide the list into categories to make them easier to understand.
Please note that the verbs in this list are past tense. If you are writing in a different tense, you will need to change you search to the correct tense.
Direct Verbs
- Had
- Was
- Were
- Knew
- Realized
- Wondered
- Decided
- Noticed
- Remembered
- Thought
- Understood
- Started
- Began
The words above are ones that indicate you can make your verbs more direct. Instead of “I had eaten the apple” you can just say “I ate the apple.” Or, replace “I realized she ate my apple” to “She ate my apple.”
The verbs “was” and “were” mean the sentence is probably passive. “The book was opened” should be “he opened the book.” Also, these verbs could mean you need to select more descriptive words. For instance, “I was going to the store” can be “I moseyed to the store” to describe the feeling behind the trip. Try to keep the message direct so the reader gets the meaning in fewer words.
Sensory Details
- Felt
- Heard
- Smelled
- Saw
- Tasted
- Touched
Part of writing is including sensory details, but you need to portray them in a fluid way. Change “She heard the door shut” to “The door slammed shut.” Or, “He smelled onions” to “He breathed in and the scent of onion stung his nose and eyes.” This makes your writing clear, immediate, and descriptive.
Unnecessary Words
- Up
- Down
- That
- Of
- Very
- Really
- Just
- Then
These are words you can delete in certain contexts. For instance, you don’t need to say “he sat down” or “he stood up.” Just say he sat or stood.
Similarly, not every that is needed. “I wished that he wouldn’t sit in that chair” doesn’t need the first that but it does need the second. Try reading the sentence without that, and, if it makes sense, delete the word. The same is true for the other words on the list above.
In some instances, like really and very, you can usually replace the word and what it’s modifying for a stronger word. “Really happy” can be “ecstatic,” and “very sad” can be “depressed.”
Sentence Structure Issues
- Like
- As
- -ing
- -ly
This last list of words takes a little more work to correct. Like can be used in similes, which can be overused. Search the word to see if you need to thin out how many you use.
As has two potential pitfalls. First, it can be used similar to like and draw parallels between things. “He stomped as if a child throwing a tantrum.” It’s a nice image, but you don’t want to overuse that sentence structure. Second, as can also be used for dependent clauses. “I read to him as he cooked dinner.” It describes two things happening at once. However, sometimes this is misused. “As I arrived at the door, I opened it.” This isn’t really possible. A better sentence would be “When I arrived at the door, I opened it.” Make sure you use as correctly in your book.
Words ending in –ing also have two potential problems. On the one hand, it can be like as and indicate a simultaneous action (“Arriving at the door, I opened it.”), and you’ll need to be careful of misusing it too. On the other hand, words ending in –ing can be accompanied by was or were and are passive. You’ll need as active verb. “They were fighting in the parking lot” should be “they fought in the parking lot.”
Last are words ending in –ly, usually adverbs. You can use some adverbs, but the general rule it to avoid them. If you have an adverb, you can select a more descriptive verb in place of it. “He ran quickly” should be “he sprinted.” Remember, the goal is to convey the same meaning in less words.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to note that not all uses of the words listed above will need to be deleted. Some will stay, but the majority should be eliminated. I’ve been slowly adding words to my list that cause me issues, and I’d suggest you do the same. Look for any words you overuse too (however, only, etc.) You may not have problems with all the words I listed above, and that’s fine. It’s a learning process to see what your bad habits are and how to practice them out of you. This is just a starting baseline for you to build from for your personal editing list.
Thanks for reading!
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