The overuse of a single word

[CharlieBabbitt]

Chris Roerden's has a great chapter in his book "Don't Murder Your Mystery" on overused gestures (Clue #21, Gestured to Death -- p. 240, for those following along at home).

She did a search on a ms she was reading and found 80 instances of nodding, 94 sighs, 81 grins and 88 glares -- that's a lot of glaring.

So I checked my ms. (no grimacing, snickers or chuckles), but I DID find two words I overused: Just and Few -- as in a few minutes, a few marbles, a few tables, a few pages, -- and just before, just after, just as I did this, I just need that -- and the double-whammy: just a few...

Do you have a word that's used too many times that I should be on the lookout for?

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

'That'! Do a search and delete that li'l bugger in every sentence where reading it without it still makes sense. ;)

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

Do you have a word that's used too many times that I should be on the lookout for?

As in:

Do you have a word used too many times I should be on the lookout for?

Twice!

[Linda Adams]

Here are some:

Look, glance, glare (any form of looking)

Slammed (or any violent action word that gets repeated multiple times in a fight scene)

And I tend to see people refer to character's eyes a lot.

[Bubastes]

I overuse the word just. It drives me bananas. My characters also smile or try to smile or try not to smile a lot.

[CharlieBabbitt]

Ol' Fashioned Girl -- ouch! Now I'm ascared to do a search for it. *gulp*

[Tachyon]

I find I have lots of nodding going on in my books.

When I was younger, I overused "however" to the point that I had abused it and it ended up in the ICU. Reading some of my material from those days makes me cringe. However, I have improved since then. :P

[Ken]

along with "that," its cousin "which" creeps into my prose a lot, making my stories sound like essays.

[stormie]

The word "shrug." I swear I'm addicted to shrugging. :Shrug:

[Rae22]

My characters always find an opportunity to sigh, no matter what is going on in the scene.

[katiemac]

I also overuse just. The good news is once you identify your problem areas, you're more likely to recognize them when you write a first draft.

[gypsyscarlett]

I've noticed my characters "look" and "glance" a lot.

And yeah, I also have to watch out for too much smiling, sighing and nodding.

[Gary Clarke]

My bloody characters are always nodding, sighing, glancing, glaring, staring. Clenching their fists. Snarling. Curling their lips. Looking. Gazing. Shaking their heads.

I think they have palsy, I do. Or fleas. Or ADD. Or maybe tourettes.

I think they might also have asthma, because they seem to do a lot of hissing, breathing, and snorting.

But they try not to gasp. I say they try not to, but I suspect that sometimes, behind my back like, they occasionally do.

[IdiotsRUs]

I also overuse just. The good news is once you identify your problem areas, you're more likely to recognize them when you write a first draft.

Oh yes!

They 'just' stand there, or they 'just' look helplessly or ....

Stoopid word,

I have however overcome my bizarre addiction to the word 'gouts'

[BenPanced]

The first time a friend edited a story for me, he underlined each instance of the word "gently". Six times on one page. I had no clue I'd overused it! Now when I edit, I keep an eye out for overused words and phrases. It's amazing how many times my characters roll their eyes and/or sigh. I'm surprised they haven't pulled any muscles or hyperventilated...

[Gary Clarke]

I have however overcome my bizarre addiction to the word 'gouts'

I seriously, seriously want to read a book that over uses the word 'gouts' Please try not to curtail it too much!

I already look back at my first book and wince. I must just take a deep breath and walk on, coz it's too late now, sistah!

[Carmy]

LOL @ IdiotsRUs. I too want to see a novel with 'gouts' repeated throughout. (Still laughing.)

My weakness are "that" and "as". All my characters are doing something AS they do something else. Clever blighters.

[Shamisen]

'Beard' is being over-used in one of Tom's chapters at the moment. Peg seems to use the word 'blood' a lot.

An interesting insight into my work. The thesaurus isn't really coming through for me with those two...

[Carmy]

Okay, all joking aside, I'm going to point you in the direction of a program that will help you pinpoint those repeats.

Somewhere on the Tech forum, a member asked for Betas to try out a program she'd created. I downloaded and I'm still using it. It's wonderful. You can copy in a chapter of text and have it highlight adjectives, adverbs, over-used, etc. I tried to get to the root post where I found it (must be more than a year ago) but didn't have any luck.

It's up to you to hunt for it. If I knew exactly when, or what the thread was called, I'd tell you. I think Beta or test was in the thread title. Of course, the program's creator may have deleted the link by now. She could charge big bucks for it.

[Shamisen]

Thanks Carmy, that sounds really useful. Now if only the programme could suggest contextual alternatives too :)

[vixey]

The word "shrug." I swear I'm addicted to shrugging. :Shrug:

Me, too! Makes me wonder if my characters know anything at all. :tongue

[Carlene]

I judge contest for my RWA chapter every spring and I believe JUST is everyone's over used word. That and SUDDENLY! I had a writing teach once who said, "You may use the word suddenly ONCE in your novel!"

BY the by, Chris Roerden is a woman and her book is fabulous.

Carlene

[txgrl]

My characters grunt at eachother alot. and chuckle.

[Carmy]

Thanks Carmy, that sounds really useful. Now if only the programme could suggest contextual alternatives too :)

But you have to do some work!

An update on that program I mentioned. I downloaded it prior to January 2008, so start the hunt before that date.

[Donkey]

Grinning, smiling, and eye rolling. There are only so many ways to say these things, unforunately. It's a pain.

[katiemac]

But you have to do some work!

An update on that program I mentioned. I downloaded it prior to January 2008, so start the hunt before that date.

Carmy, do you think this is one of Roger's programs?

If so, there is a list of his stickied in the Tech Help forum.

[CharlieBabbitt]

Carlene -- ooops. thank you!

and everyone else -- you guys are funny!

But seriously, I need to find a copy of that software...Thank you, Carmy, I am on the hunt...

[CharlieBabbitt]

This is the thread I found -- I'm going to try it and see what happens!

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11521

[Clair Dickson]

I have to watch how often people 'look' (or variations.) Sometimes that's the only thing they do in a conversation, look at each other, look away, look at the table, look at the floor, poke their eyes out... oh, wait, no. That hasn't happened yet.

[Matera the Mad]

Chapter Analyzer (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1994797) is the one referred to, I believe. Very handy for quickly spotting some possible probs.

Being a geek, I have a custom highlighter for my favorite text editor too :tongue

[CharlieBabbitt]

lol -- I had a looking problem too

I just ran the macro (love my "just" can't seem to give it up) --

#1 use:
said = 705 times (hey, at least they aren't shouting, yelling, shrieking -- they use their indoor voices)

that = 301 (ouch)
as = 286
was = 477 (considering my passive voice is at 1%, is that a lot of "was?")
just = 121 (WHAT! I thought I got rid of most of those suckers -- shows you how many times I used it in the first place)
grabbed = 58 (I think my MC might be ill-mannered)

Biggest surprises:
out = 315
back = 216
(what's that about?)

[Ol' Fashioned Girl]

Ol' Fashioned Girl -- ouch! Now I'm ascared to do a search for it. *gulp*

I haven't searched for it in my WIP yet... I'm afraid to. But I know it's my greatest weakness so I'm destined to do that search sooner or later.

along with "that," its cousin "which" creeps into my prose a lot, making my stories sound like essays.

Ut-oh. I'm guessin' I better be lookin' fer that'un, too. Sigh.

[roncouch]

'That'! Do a search and delete that li'l bugger in every sentence where reading it without it still makes sense. ;)

There goes a substantial part of my manuscript - Not really, but "that" is overused - for sure. Thanks!

[Grrarrgh]

My characters definitely do more smiling, glaring and eye rolling than is really necessary. Or believable. I keep telling them that if they don't cut it out their faces are going to freeze that way, but they just don't listen.

[Ken]

unlike (yawn, yawn) "that,"
"that'un" sounds neat, OFG :-)

[GatodeCafe]

I use "I reckon" waaaaay to much in my dialogue. Moreover, I reckon I really overuse "moreover"

[Carmy]

Carmy, do you think this is one of Roger's programs?

If so, there is a list of his stickied in the Tech Help forum.

It isn't one of Roger's programs. I'm going to go on a hunt to see if I can find the thread. Downloaded, all it tells me is the program name: analyser.exe.

There is a similar program to the one Betaed on AW. See it here: http://www.autocrit.com/ Written by a Vancouver writer, it was free at one time but now there's a charge to use it. I believe it's relatively inexpensive. It used to be something like $15 or $20 per year but I haven't checked it out lately. I used it when it was free, but then I came across the one here and I've used that ever since.

Autocrit will allow you a free trial, so you have nothing to lose but a lot of repeated words.

[Carmy]

p.s. I seem to remember that Mr. MacDonald panned Autocrit the last time it was mentioned here. Personally, I found the program a big help.

[Carmy]

Good golly, Miss Molly. I found it!

Check it out here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69257

[Phaeal]

Many thats can be excised, but not all. If you're unsure, read the sentence aloud and see if the extra syllable isn't part of the music of the line.

Almost all justs can go, for sure.

I cut a lot of pesky little fillers, like up and down -- He climbed up the stairs/He climbed the stairs, I sat down/I sat.

Another streamliner I use a lot is contraction. In dialogue especially, contraction not only drops the word count, it sounds more natural: I do not/I don't, I am coming/I'm coming. In first drafts, I seem to have the Data Syndrome and don't contract as much as I should.

The "look" words are useful in dialogue beats, but I try to use only one or two in any one stretch of conversation. Ditto "expression" beats: smiled, frowned, raised his brows.

[Annie19]

Definitely "just."

[roncouch]

Great pointers! Thanks everyone!

[maestrowork]

I have many pet words: just, rather, smiled, there...

I don't worry about them when I write. Let it flow, man. But when I edit, I search and destroy. Granted, there are places where these words are necessary, but I'd say 99.9% I could either delete them or rewrite the sentence to make it better.

[thecraftteens]

My characters (especially the girls) tend to put their hands on their hips a lot. They also seem to always turn to do something, "turn to leave," "turn to her/him," "turn around to find."

As for specific words:

seemed
and
well
every
then
though
very


And if I had a dime for every time my characters ran their fingers through their hair....

[BradyBones]

Seems like a neat little program... Though, I can't help but wonder how it came about that DracoMerest was banned. Sometimes I'm too inquisitive for my own good.

[Phoebe H]

I would expect that most naturalistic dialogue will have a lot of 'smiling' and 'nodding' ; that's just pointing out the non-verbal cues that most of us pay close attention to during conversations. I also tend to point out changes in personal space, and what the speakers are doing with their eyes, if either of those things are unusual.

That's not overuse -- that's providing context.

[Bufty]

Using Find and Replace to highlight 'ing' and 'ly' in red or blocks or whatever can throw up interesting results. Many uses will be acceptable, but on the other hand...

[Perks]

I just read a novel where every character never went anywhere on foot or by car that they didn't 'thread' their way through the desks, the corridors, the traffic, the crowd, the trees, the debris.

I will never use that word in that way ever EVER again.

It was awful.