JAMIE

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)

Please realize that these are not set rules and that these are suggestions.

I personally disagree with many of these suggestions. You’re writing a story, not an academic paper. While OP and similar writing guides have good intentions, it can also be frustrating and demeaning to others, especially those whose first language isn’t English.It also has an aspect of elitism.

 Yes, some of these tips may improve your writing, but not totally—the writer’s diction matters. I see similar tip sheets, and again, it comes across as mechanical in some instances and awkward in others. Your writing is not necessarily better because it’s more concise just as lengthy overly descriptive writing is not necessarily better. Go with what YOU feel is best. If you feel comfortable sharing your work with others, check to see if the reader can understand your writing. If multiple people can’t, then perhaps your work can be revised. For every piece of advice I see here, I personally know of professionals who would disagree. 

I understand the issues regarding publishing because this is something academics deal with constantly. While there are some similarities to academic publishing, publishing fictional work is still a different ball game with its own rules.

I’m also very tired of hearing the passive voice vs. active voice argument. Let me tell you - most people don’t care. Outside of some teachers teaching grammar or professors in colleges, most don’t care. Your writing isn’t a failure because you used passive voice. I was always treated this way, and I don’t want anyone else to feel the same. I have had to read hours of academic books and journals, and they ALL have passive voice. Every fictional book has passive voice—lots of it. 

Similarly, some of these tips, especially the inflated phrases, actually come across as more “juvenile writing,” which may also lead to criticism. There is no pleasing everyone, and there is no “winning.” Additionally, every publisher has different policies, so some may be more strict than others regarding stylistic choices. 

TLDR: If something in these guides helps you, wonderful! However, don’t feel ashamed if you chose not to write this way or if you struggle. You still matter as a writer, and your work is still just as valid.

None of these tips are bad or incorrect; some of them I follow strictly in my own writing! They help you accomplish a very clean, straightforward style, which is great if that is what you want to achieve. Writing is an art, not a science. No writing “rules” or advice should ever be taken as gospel. These posts are great for academic writing, as well as helping you notice things you may do repeatedly and helping you make informed, deliberate choices in your writing.

For example: You may want to use the passive voice depending on what you want to emphasize in the sentence. “Meryl Strep stole my casserole” is active voice, and the focus is on the stolen casserole. But, if you want to emphasize that it was Meryl friggin’ Strep who did it, the passive voice (”My casserole was stolen by Meryl Strep”) might be totally appropriate.

Before you go through your writing making all of these changes listed above, there are so many things to consider: audience, genre, style, tone, dialogue vs. narration, character voice, etc. Do you want your writing to sound like a medieval fantasy epic or a gritty noir detective story? When you make these choices, you can then make deliberate decisions about your writing that supports the kind of writing you want to do.

TL;DR: Love the lists, but hate when they’re interpreted as “must do” instead of “can do”.

The lady was a zoo keeper for this(pallas) cat when she was a baby. That’s why she recognized her face.