Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Over Used Words

Here it is, a list of words to thin out/eliminate/change when editing/revising a manuscript. If you can think of any other words to add to this list, please don't hesitate let me know. I'd be delighted to add them and eventually list the alternatives!


Click on the blue word for a list of alternative words and phrases to use in its place.

a couple
a few
a lot
absolutely
active/actively
actually
all
alleged
almost
although
always
amazing
and
anxious/anxiously
appear/appeared/appears
any
as (particularly starting a sentence)
awesome
awful/awfully
bad
basically
beautiful
because
be/being -- be and being have so many possible ways of being used that I'm leaving it up to you, gentle    readers, to find the appropriate synonym.
begin/began
believe
better
big
boring
both
brainstorm
bring
but
by
careful/carefully
cause
certain/certainly
change
chiefly
choose
comparatively
considerably
could/could have
cross/crossed
decent
decidedly
deeply
definte/definitely
eager/eagerly
easy/easily
effective
emphasize
end
energy
enjoy
entire
especially
even
every
excellent
exciting
extremely
eye/eyes
far
fast
fat
feel/feeling/felt
fill
finally
fine
finish
for him/her
fortunately
frequently
friend/friendship
fun
funny
gasp(ed)
generally
get/got/getting
give
glad
go
gone
good
great
grin
guy
had/had been
happy
hard
has been
have/have been
have got/have to
hear/heard
help
her/himself
hope/hopefully
honestly
hurt
if
important
incredible/incredibly
inevitably
in fact
in general
inherently
interesting
it
job
journey
just
keep
kid
kind/kind of
knew/know
lay
leave/left
like (adj)
like (verb)
little
look/looked
lots
mad
main
make
many
maybe
mean
merely
mindfully
more
namely
near/nearly
need
necessarily
never
new
next
nice
not
notice/noticed
observe/observed
often
okay
old
only
open
overall
part
particularly
perfect
per se
personally
plan
pleasant
positively
presently
pretty
probably
prove
quick/quickly
quiet/quietly
quite
ran/run
rather
really
relatively
reportedly
roaring
rolled her/his eyes (I picture marbles!)
said
same
scared
see/saw
seem/seemed/seems
seriously
shimmering
short
should
simply
since
sit
skinny
slowly
small
smell/smelled
smile/smiled
smirk
so
so-called
some
sometimes
somewhat
spoke
stand/stood
stride/strode
suddenly
take
tall
taste
terrific
that
then
there/there was
thereafter
therefore
thing
think
totally
truly
try
turn/turned away (in anger, disgust, etc.)
unfortunately
use/used
usually
various
very
viciously
walked/hurried away/toward
was
watch
want
weird
well
went
were (especially followed by an “ing” word)
whatever
when
which
wonderful
you

To be verbs
is/are/was/were: passive as in: “The boy was laughing.” Active: “The boy laughed.”