Writing and Editing Advice from a Book Editor: 10 Weak Words to CUT from Your Novel

Here is a quick list of 10 words to CUT (or use very sparingly) in your novel!

Self-editing can feel incredibly overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. An easy place to start tidying up your prose is word choice! Scanning for word choice encompasses several different targets. You can seek out bland or simple words and replace them with a more vivid or specific one that better communicates or illustrates the point. You can look out for repetitive or crutch words and challenge yourself to expand your vocabulary to find unique ways to say some of your common phrases. Finally, you can look out for these 10 words that almost always can be cut from your novel to strengthen your prose and make you sound like a more experienced writer.

DISCLAIMER: If these words appear in dialogue you do not need to change it. We use these words all the time when we speak, that is natural and dialogue should reflect that!

1. Suddenly

So here’s the deal with ‘suddenly’— technically, everything happens ‘suddenly.’ I would advise that you only use the word ‘suddenly’ when something is actually sudden, and you want your reader to take notice or increase the urgency or tension in the scene. In the following example, you’ll see that removing the word suddenly does not change the sentence at all. Only keep it if the thing that happens is sudden enough to throw off your character and thus, the reader.

Example of where we can cut it:

“I turn away suddenly, heading for my car. My mom calls after me, but I ignore her.”

“I turn away, heading for my car. My mom calls after me, but I ignore her.”

2. Then

‘Then’ is almost always a filler word and in most cases, the sentence will still flow normally if you cut it. The exception to this is if ‘then’ is being used to highlight the difference between two actions. Check out the two examples below!

Example of when to cut it:

“She looks at me, irritation swirling in her eyes. Then, she puts her headphones in, returning to her book.”

“She looks at me, irritation swirling in her eyes. She puts her headphones in, returning to her book.”

In this example, removing the word ‘then’ doesn’t change the meaning, tone, or flow of the sentence. It makes the writing more concise by removing an unnecessary word.

Example of when to keep it:

“Screams and cried erupt around me, then the world goes silent.”

In this sentence, the word ‘then’ is signaling a change in the environment and if you removed it, the sentence would make less sense.

3. Very/Really

This one is pretty straight forward. ‘Very/really’ usually get tagged onto the front of a weak adjective, which doesn’t actually make the adjective stronger, it just makes the writing less concise and sound more amateur. So, if you catch one of these in your manuscript, it might be a signal to search for a more specific and accurate word. The exception to this is anywhere where it sounds better to leave it than to remove it (which does sometimes happen!)

Example:

“She is really mad".”

“She is furious.”

In the example above, furious is a much stronger adjective that communicates the intensity of the emotion the character is experiencing on its own.

4. Is/Was

‘Is/Was’ will be your best tool for catching passive voice in your manuscript because where you see these words, you’ll find telling instead of showing, aka passive voice. These words remove the need for an action in the sentence, which forces it to become a passive one. When you find these in your writing, challenge yourself to take it out and rework the sentence using an active verb. This practice may be difficult and unnatural at first, but you’ll find that your writing will sound so much better after applying it.

Example:

“As we walked in the forest, the sunlight was coming in through the trees, illuminating our path.”

“As we walked in the forest, the sunlight trickled/peeked/leaked through the trees. illuminating our path.”

In the example above, replacing ‘was’ with a stronger verb (or three) was an easy fix!

Let’s look at a more difficult example:

“She was short and curvy, wearing a sparkly black dress and holding a glass of champagne.”

“A sparkly black dress hugged her short, curvy figure and she held a glass of champagne.”

In this example, removing ‘was’ required some rearranging of the sentence structure itself. This is likely what you’ll run into when editing your novel for passive voice, so don’t be afraid to mix it up and play around with the sentence until it sounds right!

When should you keep is/was?

When you need to deliver information clearly and succinctly without slowing down the pacing of the scene. In this case, telling is better than showing!

5. Started/Began

We don’t “start” to do something, we just do it. There are very few times when the words “start to” or “began to” are actually necessary in the sentence. In short, cut it when it changes nothing if it’s gone and keep it if something actually starts.

Example of when to cut it:

“I began to unfasten the saddle, murmuring to my horse as I worked.”

“I unfastened the saddle, murmuring to my horse as I worked.”

Do you see how removing “began to” changed literally nothing about the sentence? This is an easy way to instantly upgrade your writing style and strengthen your voice!

6. Just

‘Just’ is really easy to overuse because we hardly notice how often we lean on it, despite the fact that it’s almost entirely unnecessary.

Example of when to cut it:

“I have no idea, maybe I’m just overthinking.”

“I have no idea, maybe I’m overthinking.”

When can you use just? When you are using it as a limiter and removing it slightly changes the meaning of the sentence.

Example:

“Mom is working late tonight, so it’s just me and dad for dinner.”

In this sentence, it makes more sense to have just than to remove it. Use your discretion when determining if you should keep it or not!

7. Somewhat/Slightly

Think of the very/really rule, but in reverse. When you tack on really or very, it’s usually because the adjective you are currently using is too weak to match the meaning you want to convey. If you feel the need to tack on somewhat or slightly, your adjective is likely too strong for the meaning you are trying to convey and you need to find a better fitting word.

Example:

“She looked slightly terrified.”

“She looked scared.”

In this example, the use of the word ‘slightly’ was to modify the word terrified, because terror was too strong of a description for the level of fear the character felt. In this case, there was a more accurate word available to describe mild apprehension, so ‘scared’ fits better.

8. Somehow

If you’re using ‘somehow,’ you are probably missing a link in your chain of information or it is completely unnecessary in the sentence.

Example:

“I had my back to her, putting my food in the microwave. But I somehow heard her approach, even over the background noise.”

“I had my back to her, putting my food in the microwave. But I heard her approach, even over the background noise.”

When is it okay to use ‘somehow?’ When the character themselves is missing information or is unsure about something.

Example:

“His back was turned to me, but I can somehow sense that he is angry.”

9. Seem

If you’re saying something “seems” a certain way, you are probably telling when you could be showing through action.

Example:

“She still seemed angry, but only replied, ‘That’s fine.’”

“Her eyes narrowed and she pressed her lips into a firm line, but only replied. ‘That’s fine.’”

In this example, using ‘seemed’ is taking the easy way out to avoid describing how our character determines that she is angry through, you guessed it, action!

When is it okay to use ‘seems?’ When the character is making a guess or assumption about something without knowing for sure.

Example:

“I don’t know what it is, but something seems wrong about her response.”

10. Definitely

This word is almost always useless and comes from a habit we have as informal speakers overusing it in our everyday language. You can almost always cut it. The exception to this would be if your character was previously unsure about something, but now they are convinced or certain.

Example of when to cut it:

“I definitely don’t want to scare him off by acting crazy.”

“I don’t want to scare him off by acting crazy.”

Removing it in this case changes nothing.

I hope you enjoyed these tips and can apply them in your next round of self-edits to strengthen your writing and grow as an author! If anyone has any requests for topics you’d like to see covered next, please let me know!

Do you have any questions about anything covered in this post? Leave a comment!

‘Til next time!