Here are some weak words than you can often remove to strengthen your writing. I have made these changes as I edit my own novel, so I included examples from my writing to show you the difference.
When editing and cutting words, we are not talking about dialogue because everyone has a unique way of speaking, and it’s important to keep true to their voice.
Note: these are all general guidelines, and you don’t have to use all or any of them. Creative writing gives you a creative licence to choose how you write. Do what works best for you. Always.
Suddenly: technically speaking, everything happens suddenly, so use the word sparingly or it will lose its effect.
I don’t remember ever seeing a man in such little clothes before, and I suddenly despised the one piece left.
I don’t remember ever seeing a man in such little clothes before, and I found myself despising the remaining piece.
Keep: When it disrupts your character’s life, and you want your reader to really take notice.
Cut: if removed and there is no change, then it’s not necessary
Then/Next: this is typically a filler word. All events happen in a sequential state, so it’s not always needed.
Then She was gone, her steps echoing through the halls.
Keep: You want to keep the word typically when something is changing in action, description, etc.
Cut: If removing the word does not change the meaning, then cut it. Typically if this word starts the sentence, it’s unnecessary.
Just: this is a filler word, and can almost always be removed.
I was just a game to him, nothing more.
Keep: if removing it makes your sentence confusing or changes the meaning, then keep it. Usually using the word words well as a limiter word. (Eg. it’s just me and my dogs tonight)
Cut: when it’s unnecessary and changes nothing.
Really/Very: these are weak qualifying/descriptive words, and you can absolutely find a better synonym
Your mother is really nice lovely.
Keep: typically these words are fine to keep when not used to enhance an adjective. (Eg. very next day, really think, very back of…)
Cut: if it’s being used to enhance a weak adjective, cut it and find a better word.
Is/Was: this is usually a passive voice, which isn’t usually the best for fiction novels, active voice is always preferred. Naturally this is a verb that you can’t cut from all places, so here are some tips.
Everyone was too busy focusing on their shopping to notice a human sliding between sales booths.
Buyers and sellers occupied themselves with their shopping, too focused to notice a human sliding between sales booths.
Keep: when delivering information quickly its always best to just state the facts, so don’t worry about trying to find flowery words to describe everything.
Cut: If you can show what the person or object is doing instead of simply saying it, then change the sentence.
Started: every action has a start, so don’t write it unless you can tell me why it’s important now to know that’s it’s started.
The boy started to rant in his native tongue.
The boy ranted in his native tongue.
Keep: if your scene is being interrupted or is still unfinished, then go ahead. This one is a little harder to see sometimes, so just see how you feel with it in vs removed.
Cut: it’s it’s unnecessary information, and nothing changes to the story or sentence when removed, axe it.
Seemed: again, this is more of a show don’t tell kind of thing
Time seemed to slow slowed as I held Vera tight against me.
Keep: if a character knows something intuitively
Cut: if you can show why the character is perceiving what’s happening
Definitely: this is typically just confirming facts that are already known to be true. Repetition is unnecessary without a purpose.
He definitely saw me, but I wasn’t mad about it.
(This instance can for sure be removed, it’s unnecessary. However, I want this emphasis here, so I chose to keep it)
Keep: if it’s your character who is confirming facts as 100% accurate and ridding previous doubt
Cut: remove and nothing changes
Somewhat/Slightly: usually this is used when only trying to use a partial effect of a word, so the easiest fix is to change the word that it’s describing.
I looked away, slightly embarrassed.
Keep: if the words is truly the best way to describe what was happening in the sentence.
Cut: when you can use a better word to describe your action/emotion/whatever to be more accurate or it’s unnecessary.
Possibly/Likely/Probably/May/Might: much like some of the other weak words, these are just filler. Something either is or isn’t, and it’s best to describe here you can.
Probably Not with the way he was speaking to her.
Keep: if your character isn’t sure of something
Cut: if you can describe what’s happening, or it can be removed without changing the meaning
Somehow: this is usually an indicator of missing information
I thought I was an average girl in every way, and now I was somehow the first human to ever survive.
(I don’t use somehow often. I am keeping it in this instance because none of the characters know how it happened yet.)
Keep: if your character is missing the information and doesn’t know how something became true or transpired
Cut: if you can explain how something came to be.
Adverbs: this is a great category of words to use in writing, but if used too often, it can distract from the story. A good rule is finding an even balance between adverbs and active verbs.
I squeezed her cold hand tightly in mine and made a promise to save her.
Clenching her cold hand between mine, I promised to save her.
Keep: if it improves your writing by making it more clear and efficient.
Cut: if it makes more sense to use active verbs to describe what’s going on.
Totally/Completely/Absolutely: all filler words
He grinned at me, his plate almost completely full while mine was near empty.
He grinned at me, his plate still full while mine sat devoid of even a crumb.
Keep: if it’s important to the story to know with 100% certainty, and this word gives the most accurate description
Cut: whenever it’s not needed
Thing/It: missing information/ lack of description
I was just accepting all the things they said as truth.
I was just accepting all their fantastic explanations as truth.
Keep: if your character doesn’t know what it is
Cut: whenever you can find an actually description or name the object
Have any more words you think should be added to the list? If something does not make sense or you have questions, let me know down below.
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