As i was preparing to submit-seek and destroy

"That" is always good, as in "I knew that I was late." Who needs the "that"?

I always run a search for "it's" and make sure every one of them can be replaced with either "it is" or "it has." Otherwise, it should be "its."

Quite a while ago, I made a big list of words people sought to eliminate. Warm up your copy-and-paste machine...

*-ing beginnings
*-ly
*-ness
a bit
a little
a little bit
a lot
actually
all
almost
always
am
and so
anxiously
anyhow
anyway
appears
are
aren't
as
as * was *-ing
as *-ed
at least
be
been
began *ing
began to
completely
considered
continued
continued to
could be heard/seen/felt/etc.
did
didn't
do/does
doesn't
don't
down
eagerly
every
exactly
exist/exists/existed
extremely
fairly
felt
finally
frequently
get
glared
got
grin/grinned
groaned
had
has
have
heard
highly
hoped
I (in a first person narrative)
intended
is
isn't
just
kind of
knew
know
known
looked
make/makes
many
merely
most
mostly
nearly
need
never
not
noticed
occur/occurred/occurs
of
often
only
planned
prepared
pretty
probably
proceed(ed) to
put
quite
rather
reached
realized
really
recalled
regarded
remembered
saw
seem
seemed
seems
sensed
set out to
show/shows
slightly
smelled
smile, smiled
so (as a sequential word)
so then
some
somewhat
sort of
started to
suddenly
that
then
there was
though
thought
totally
tried to
up
utterly
very
waited to
wanted
was *-ed
was *-ing
wasn't
went
were
wholly
will
wished
wondered
won't
would

Maryn, who loves your avatar

Never mind what I was going to say. That's an impressive list up there!

And be careful. A wholesale search and destroy using the 'find' function on youw word program can get rid of things you need. Sometimes you need a that or an as. It's much safer and smarter to go line by line. read the sentences out loud--you'll find a lot more that way.

Maryn's list kicked my list's butt. Nice work, Maryn!

I certainly never intended to create a list like that. I had my own dinky little list, maybe 20 items, but as people posted their own short lists, some part of me feared I'd overlook something and I started a collection. I suppose it's better than collecting tea kettles or old cars, since it takes up less space.

As noted, deleting all of these could leave you with a mighty odd manuscript. Proceed with caution.

Maryn, also voting for a read-aloud, ideally by a bright ten-year-old

Only, just, and adverbs!

When I do a "seek & destroy," I use the find function (different than the replace func.).

Then, since it displays the entire sentence containing the word, I can choose if it's a 'keep' or a 'get rid of,' and edit it right there.

Just a tip.

I know for my own writing, I use passive verbs such as 'was' way too often. Old habits are hard to break.

I should try this out on some of my finished stories that have been rejected. I've never consciously looked for specific words or phrases--I just look at sentences as a whole and try to edit. I have the time now, I might as well do it.