What was it about that mountain?

After putting my writing on hold for several weeks, I decided to jump back in. I expected to find all sorts of problems with my story–inconsistencies in the plot, lack of transitions, poor characterization–the works. But what began to stick out to me was something to which I’d given little thought in writing.

Filter words.

What are Filter Words?

Actually, I didn’t even know these insidious creatures had a name until I started combing the internet for info.

Filter words are those that unnecessarily filter the reader’s experience through a character’s point of view. Dark Angel’s Blog says:

“Filtering” is when you place a character between the detail you want to present and the reader. The term was started by Janet Burroway in her book On Writing.

In terms of example, you should watch out for:

To see

To hear

To think

To touch

To wonder

To realize

To watch

To look

To seem

To feel (or feel like)

Can

To decide

To sound (or sound like)

To know

I’m being honest when I say my manuscript is filled with these words, and the majority of them need to be edited out.

What do Filter Words Look Like?

Let’s imagine a character in your novel is walking down a street during peak hour.

You might, for example, write:

Sarah felt a sinking feeling as she realized she’d forgotten her purse back at the cafe across the street. She saw cars filing past, their bumpers end-to-end. She heard the impatient honk of horns and wondered how she could quickly cross the busy road before someone took off with her bag. But the traffic seemed impenetrable, and she decided to run to the intersection at the end of the block.

Eliminating the bolded words removes the filters that distances us, the readers, from this character’s experience:

Sarah’s stomach sank. Her purse—she’d forgotten it back at the cafe across the street. Cars filed past, their bumpers end-to-end. Horns honked impatiently. Could she make it across the road before someone took off with her bag? She ran past the impenetrable stream of traffic, toward the intersection at the end of the block.

Are Filter Words Ever Acceptable?

Of course, there are usually exceptions to every rule.

Just because filter words tend to be weak doesn’t mean they never have a place in our writing. Sometimes they are helpful and even necessary.

Susan Dennard of Let The Words Flow writes that we should use filter words when they are critical to the meaning of the sentence.

If there’s no better way to phrase something than to use a filter word, then it’s probably okay to do so.

Want to know more?

Read these other helpful articles on filter words and more great writing tips:

Filter Words and Distancing Point of View

The Reasons Editors reject Manuscripts

It’s more accurate to say that, in today’s world, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a working man to save $71,268.72… because essentially, it is.

The amount George actually mentions?

In today’s world, it’s still takes years, often multiple decades, for an average worker to save just $5,000.

For the first five years that I had a savings account, I’d had to drain it every three months to pay bills- and the only reason I even had one at all was because my bank said they’d waive the fee for using their services (the bank was charging me for the privilege of having my money accessible) if I opened a savings account. And I couldn’t afford the fee, because I needed to save the $15/month for things like electricity.

A large percentage of the working population under 45 doesn’t have much of a savings account, if they have one at all. And that’s not even touching issues that compound the problem, like systemic racism, xenophobia, sexism (because it also often takes women, people of color, and immigrants even longer to save money) and ableism- because disabled people literally CANNOT save more than $2,000 or they lose their disability income.

So yeah, it’s not just inflation that makes this line relatable.

It’s still the damn number.

[pictured: Disney’s recent Pride pin reveal justttt in time for Pride month]

This article below lists where you can buy Pride pins from small business LGBT+ creators! Otherwise I’ll link them all after I’ve written a bit about my thoughts on it.

Full article! As some may know, Disney has released a range of overpriced Pride pins.

And okay, Disney always are overpriced, but the point is, they don’t ever include queer people tbh on their creations lmao, and it’s nothing to do with their work, it’s literally just randomly profiting off of us ready for pride, like a lot of businesses do.

Now, some have said it’ll be good for awareness and showing that they’re an ally to promote support for us, but if they wanted to do that truly, they would make sure we were a part of their stories instead. Not just for making a bit of merch to cash in a quick buck for Pride time, and maybe that’s pessimistic but I have not much of a reason to trust any company who has never truly served who I am aside from when it’s the popular Pride month of the year when profits will be guaranteed. I will believe it when they include us and celebrate us in their work, like all of the other people they depict in it, and maybe when they utter a sentence on LGBTQIA+ days of awareness.

Dreamies cat food, have done the same.

I guess at least they’re giving a reason that it’s to support LGBTQ+ mental health apparently, (I’m happy that they mentioned this to raise awareness, but that is just basic consideration) and it’s partnered with a charity which is clear. This doesn’t discount though that they are going to be profiting just because of adding the flag. Profiting from marginalised communities does not make you an advocate of that community's rights, though at least a charity will benefit. What all of these companies NEED to be doing, is pointing people in the direction of small businesses, which there are many of, who offer things that are for us, that celebrate us, and that are made by us, whilst donating themselves, to charities and not just using public (mostly money gathered from the targeted LGBTQ+ community due to the rainbow) money to do it but make them look like good people for getting the money for these donations, from us. They’re getting LGBTQ+ to BUY this stuff, to give this money as donations to charities FOR US. We are just being made to pay for ourselves, once again.

An awesome selection of pride flag pins! I’ll post a couple of links to them below. 😸

For fans of Animal Crossing, they do gay, lesbian, bi, trans, non-binary, pansexual, asexual and aromantic pins

Of dinosaurs (they’re currently away but will be back, it’s worth saving the shop though!)

For science loving/scientists in the community and more dinosaurs

Diamonds, hearts, spades, shields, parallelograms, triangles, and variety in shapes. These have polyamory, gender fluid and demisexual pride flags on top of the ones I listed for the Animal Crossing pins!

Music lovers rainbow pride flag

Progressive pride flag pins

No! To rainbow capitalism pin

(Couldn’t add picture)

This pronoun pin includes a slider which you can place next she/her, he/him, they/them or ask me

Lesbian pride sheep pin

Now go and enjoy Pride and let’s support each other when we celebrate it if we can! Love to everyone enjoys whatever you do during this time now it’s looking like we may be able to tentatively start doing bigger celebrations again within the months they get put on in the towns and cities!

“Oh, yes, that was terrible, we lost millions of dollars of prod...”