I'm using "that' too much.

You have deep breath syndrome.

Explanation: When you're verbally telling a story, if your breath holds you can fit in a lot of 'thats'. But in writing you can and should pause. (i.e, new sentence.)

There are more complex arguments about 'that' usage, but to me it usually boils down to the 'breath' analogy for new writers.

It just means you use "that" too often, and need to rewrite the sentences, if you want to eliminate a couple.

It means nothing, really, unless you're leaving them in on edit. The search function of your word processor should help you seek and destroy any extraneous "that"s, or any other repetitious words from your MS.

IOW, don't sweat it too much.

Well, stop that.

I'm terrible for that and was. When I've finished writing I use word to highlight them all and take out any of them that aren't necessary (which is most of them).

In the sentence you demonstrated, you had only one "that" doing any work. Remember, too, you don't precede "that" with a comma. The comma normally indicates a natural break, so you might want to put in a full stop "period," drop the "that" and start a new sentence. As wornoutmumoftwo stated above, most "thats" are unnecessary.

**spanks hand**

Stop it! or - better - don't stop it, just write it and then edit it out later! That's what I do.

It isn't that you use "that" too much. You just think that you do.

Word Jedi said:

Father Sullivan has told him countless times that the HFD responsible will never be found. that They aren’t really human and that the essence of the beast that killed his father has moved on to another city, another country or even another plane of existence.

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...Yepp. I do this, too. It was one of the biggest things I had to fix in my initial editing and have to really watch for in my writing now.

Some good advice above. Thanks folks.

--Williebee, "that" assassin.

I agree, don't worry about it until the edit. "That" is one of the most commonly overused words in writing.

Have you ever read Stephen King's "Insomnia?" I swear he was trying to make a statement about his popularity with that book because I can't imagine anyone else getting away with such a vulgar overuse of "that."

Stop doing that.

caw

Aw, that sucks. I'm sure you're really concerned about that. But I'm sure that it's nothing to worry about. You need to stop thinking about that and that is how you will stop doing that. Do that as soon as you can and that will lead you to putting it behind you.

Got that? That's cool.

Okay, that's all.

It's been three long years since we've had a good thread on the slaying of that.

(And the extension still hasn't run out on my iCrush.)

PGK said:

I agree, don't worry about it until the edit. "That" is one of the most commonly overused words in writing.

Have you ever read Stephen King's "Insomnia?" I swear he was trying to make a statement about his popularity with that book because I can't imagine anyone else getting away with such a vulgar overuse of "that."

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King didn't get away with it, either. You should read the story of how he came to write Insomnia. The writing nearly did him in, he hates the book, and pretty much everyone else does, as well. Even King says the book is aptly named.

Got a link to Stephen King dumping on his own book? Insomnia is a horrible bore of a book. I'd like to know what King thought of "shoveling shit from a sitting position" as he once called writing.

THAT would be cool (just trying to honor the OP).

Okay, as it applies to that, well, I do that too. I think it just shows you're ruminating and writing at the same time. Nothin' that won't come out in the wash.

In regards to Insomnia: I loved it. Haven't read it in a long while but now that you mention it, me thinks I'll go back and visit. The MC spoke to me and I loved him.

Ah well,



Jen

nighttimer said:

Got a link to Stephen King dumping on his own book? Insomnia is a horrible bore of a book. I'd like to know what King thought of "shoveling shit from a sitting position" as he once called writing.

THAT would be cool (just trying to honor the OP).

Click to expand...

I don't know of a link, but in "On Writing" King talks extensively about his alcoholic period and how much his writing sucked.

I'd love a link also. I briefly scanned his forums and found someone who complained about Insomnia and was quickly jumped on by members who told the OP that if he doesn't know why King wrote it (or what he was trying to do with it) he shouldn't be so accusatory.

I'm glad to know he didn't get away with it either. It was starting to look like a Paris Hilton type scenario where she gets away with anything (most of the time) by virtue of her fame and money.

Still though, a simple edit of the book could remove all those needless instances of "that" and at the very least improve the writing.