Winter Schnee Stan

Hello! This is a great question, and not just because I had a horse phase as a kid that I never really got over. This is the sort of thing that can really trip people up. I might compile a reference masterpost about writing horses at some point, as I've gotten a few asks about the subject.

Your biggest asset: horse girls. More specifically, horse girls with social media. If you don't follow any, I highly recommend it, because they're very informative and often brilliant with the animals themselves.

Equine Helper is a channel which has videos on all sorts of very specific horse training tips, as well as broader subjects, like grooming and body language.

JET EquiTheory is great too, another popular horse youtuber who vlogs about her experiences with horses.

I also recommend youtubers Barrett Houser, JSH Horsemanship, and SimplyHAL. There are plenty of others, but these should get you started.

As for written articles, there are plenty of articles, posts, and forums that describe a typical day on a horse ranch, the daily routines of horse owners, and perhaps the most helpful as a "cheat sheet" for horse care, the daily, monthly, and yearly necessities of horse care.

I also can't emphasize enough how helpful it can be to read guidebooks on the subject, like The Complete Horse Care Manual, The Ultimate Guide To Horse Health and Care, and From The Horse's Point of View.

If you’re planning on publishing traditionally, chances are you keep a sharp eye on your word count. Literary agents and publishing houses are on the hunt for the best quality stories that they can print for the cheapest price (using the least paper and ink), so you have a higher chance of gaining representation if you can crank your novel out in the least words possible.

However, filler words and phrases aren’t only the enemies of aspiring traditional authors; every writer—fanfic, novelist, journalist, you name it!—should try to eliminate filler from their stories to assure more concise and high-quality writing. Oftentimes, filler contributes nothing but clutter, and without it, your narrative can flow smoother and in a more sophisticated manner.

But how do you know what’s filler and what’s not? Here are some tips on how to Ctrl+F and kick this narrative botox to the curb!

I compiled these lists with the help of Infusionmedia, BDR Publishing, and ResetEra !

Filler Words

1. Just

A writer’s worst enemy, and the bane of my manuscripts’ existences. Eliminating all the ‘just’s can cut down your word count by hundreds.

2. “That” as a conjunction

It’s an unnecessary addition to a sentence, which will be more streamlined without it.

Example: “He said that he wouldn’t do it again.”

Revised: “He said he wouldn’t do it again.”

3. “Now” as an adverb

“Now” is essential if you’re talking about the past and present, but when you’re using it to draw attention to a particular statement or point.

Example: “Now, I didn’t think it’d get so out of hand.”

Revised: “I didn’t think it’d get so out of hand.”

4. Redundant adverbs

These adverbs serve no purpose because the verbs they’re describing already imply the way the action is performed.

Whispering softly

Yelling loudly

Crying sadly

Laughing happily

5. “Telling” words

These words are redundant, especially when using first person, because in describing an event, we can already assume that the characters are experiencing it.

Seeing/saw

Feeling/felt

Hearing/heard

Smelling/smelled

6. “Clarifying” words used to portray definiteness or indefiniteness

Although these are meant to help out the readers get their bearings on a situation, all they do is come across as wishy-washy! Be concise and sure of yourself!

About

Absolutely

Accordingly

Actually

Almost

Basically

Certainly

Clearly

Completely

Entirely

Even

Exactly

Fairly

Highly

Hopefully

Literally

Maybe

Only

Often

Oftentimes

Perhaps

Possibly

Probably

Quite

Rather

Really

Reasonably

Relatively

Seem

Seriously

Simply

Slightly

Some

Somehow

Sometimes

Totally

Very

Filler Phrases

1.“Let out (vocal noise)”

Use the verb instead!

Example: “He let out a sigh.”

Revised: “He sighed.”

2. Using passive voice

Passive voice inflates your word count by including various “to be” verbs into the prose. Passive voice involves actions happening to a subject rather than the subject performing an action, and as a result isn’t as riveting to the reader as active voice; even if it wasn’t a matter of word count, you’d still want to get rid of it anyway!

Still don’t know what I’m talking about? Check out this article from Grammarly.

Example: “The boy was bitten by the dog on his arm.”

Revised: “The dog bit the boy on his arm.”

3. Describing the wrong noun

Many writers will be as specific as possible about what “thing” is affected by the event they’re describing, when it’s much simpler to take a step back and write about something more general.

Example: “The level of water rose.”

Revised: “The water rose.”

4. Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are the combination of two or three words from different grammatical categories—a verb and an adverb or a preposition—to form a single action. Usually, these phrasal verbs can be replaced by a single-word verb.

“Ask for” can be replaced with “request”

“Bring down” can be replaced with “reduce”

“Come across” can be replaced with “find”

Etc.

5. Clarifying phrases

Same reason as clarifying words. Get to the point!

A bit

A little

A lot

In a sense

Kind of

Sort of

6. Remember your contractions!

Even if your story takes place in olden times, I can guarantee that if you never use any contractions ever, your story’s gonna be a clunky mess. But sometimes you’re in the moment, consumed by the poetic power of the muses, and forget that this isn’t a soap opera; so make sure you check that you’ve been using your contractions!

It is, it was, it would, she is, would not, should not, is not, does not etc.

7. Inflated phrases

These phrases can be replaced with more concise words.

Along the lines of (shorten to: like)

As a matter of fact (in fact)

As to whether (whether)

At all times (always)

At the present (now or currently)

At this point in time (now or currently)

Be able to/would(n’t) be able to (could or couldn’t)

Because of the fact that (because)

By means of (by)

Due to the fact that (because)

Even though (though or although)

For the purpose of (for)

For the reason that (because)

Have the ability to (could)

In light of the fact that (because)

In order to (to)

In regards to (on or about)

In spite of the fact that (though or although)

In the event that (if)

In the nature of (like)

In the neighborhood of (about)

On the occasion of (when)

On one/two separate occasions (Once/twice)

The/A majority of (most)

There is no doubt that (No doubt)

Wasn(n’t) capable of (could or couldn’t)

Guide: Writing Kids

I've had a lot of experience with kids, including many years in childcare, and I remember a lot about my own childhood, long ago though it was. So, I've got you covered. :)

The first thing to remember when writing kids:

Kids are not carbon copies of each other. All kids of any particular age, personality type, etc. aren't identical. Just like people from any other group, there are averages and things that are more or less common, but there are no absolutes. You can have 10 five-year-olds in a room and none will be exactly the same. Not only can they vary in both physical, intellectual, and emotional development, but they can also have wildly different personalities.

Age Groups and Developmental Milestones

Babies and kids are often divided into subgroups based on the milestones, or types of milestones, they generally reach during each stage. These ranges can vary, but typically they are:

Infants, 0 - 1 year

0 - 3 months

4 - 6 months

7 - 9 months

10 - 12 months

Toddlers, 1 - 3 years

Preschool, 3 - 5 years

Middle Childhood, 6 - 11 years

Young Teens (aka "tweens") 12- 14 years

Teenagers, 15 - 17 years *

* yes, we still consider 18 and 19-year-olds to be "teenagers" but they're also considered adults in many places by the age of 18

Two easy ways to learn about kids of any age:

1) "What to Expect..." Parenting Advice Articles - Many parents like to know what they're in for when their kids approach a new age or age group. For that reason, the internet abounds with helpful articles that give a run down of the developmental milestones and "things to know" for each age/age group. You can do a Google search for a specific age, like, "What to expect from a nine-year-old" or "9-year-old developmental milestones," or you can search for the proper age group: "what to expect in middle childhood" or "middle childhood developmental milestones."

2) YouTube Videos Featuring Kids - Many parents and their kids love to upload videos to YouTube. Often these take the form of "my child at age --" interview-style videos. They can also just show kids doing kid stuff. These can be a great way to see a child in action, get a feel for different personalities, and to see how different kids of the same age can be.

rikareena added: As far as YouTube goes, Hiho is a FABULOUS channel that features children in games, interviews, and other fun situations (one of my faves)!

Good Old Fashioned Character Development

Once you've learned about the developmental milestones of kids the age you want to write, and have watched some videos showing different kids in that age group, you should start to have a mental picture of who this kid is. From here, you're going to do a lot of the same character development you'd do for adults. Just as with older characters, the amount you flesh out will depend on the kid's role in the story. Don't feel like you have to flesh things out that aren't important to the character, other characters, or plot.

Good luck with your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Visit my FAQ

See my Master List of Top Posts