Seek and destroy!

wandergirl · Apr 21, 2009

What are those words and phrases you find yourself constantly overusing in your book(s)? I'm at that final-pass-before-betas stage in my 65k YA novel, and luckily I've learned to jot down my verbal crutches in a revision file as I go. Now, I'm using find/replace to seek and destroy. I just discovered, for example, that I used the word "something" 76 times. Talk about a weak word!

Other problem terms for me are "too late", "already", "hardly", "always", "somehow" and "thing" (i.e., " [FONT=&quot]The subtext in every little thing she did").

[/FONT]What are yours?

Niki_G · Apr 21, 2009

"was", "as", "even", "tightly" and "just" so far.

scarletpeaches · Apr 21, 2009

Qualifiers such as 'rather', 'very' and 'quite'.

'That'.

And personal pronouns.

Bryan M Stephenson · Apr 21, 2009

Other than physically circling each word how do you use Microsoft word to count how many times a word was used. I think that would be very helpful.

wandergirl · Apr 21, 2009

Bryan M Stephenson said:
Other than physically circling each word how do you use Microsoft word to count how many times a word was used. I think that would be very helpful.

Press Control + F to get to Find/Replace.
Type in whatever is is you're looking for in the Find field. Then click the "Reading Highlight" button, and select "Highlight All".
It'll highlight every instance of that term, and tell you how many times you used it. You can bounce from term to term by selecting next, or clear the highlights by selecting "Clear Highlighting."

Invaluable!

Mr Flibble · Apr 21, 2009

A little
merely
just
almost
suddenly
nearly
Too many sentences that start with pronouns. <--- personal failing.

Cyia · Apr 21, 2009

Just, more than a little, apparently

Niki_G · Apr 21, 2009

wandergirl said:
Press Control + F to get to Find/Replace.
Type in whatever is is you're looking for in the Find field. Then click the "Reading Highlight" button, and select "Highlight All".
It'll highlight every instance of that term, and tell you how many times you used it. You can bounce from term to term by selecting next, or clear the highlights by selecting "Clear Highlighting."

Invaluable!

This is the most useful thing I've learned all day. And I had 3 classes today. Thanks!

wandergirl · Apr 21, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
'That'.

I'm usually good about "that" -- I never write "she thought that", or "he believed that", etc. But I just searched for it and found 472! Seems I use it a bunch in terms like "that afternoon." Somebody do me a favor and let me know how many THATs they have in their book.... (again, mine's YA, at 65k)

This is the most useful thing I've learned all day. And I had 3 classes today. Thanks!

Welcome!

Delhomeboy · Apr 21, 2009

Niki_G said:
"was",

I don't think verb forms can be overused. Just my opinion. Of course, you shouldn't put thirty was's in a sentence, but there's really no other way to say "He was walking."

scarletpeaches · Apr 21, 2009

Delhomeboy said:
I don't think verb forms can be overused. Just my opinion. Of course, you shouldn't put thirty was's in a sentence, but there's really no other way to say "He was walking."

Yes there is.

Delhomeboy · Apr 21, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Yes there is.

How's that?

scarletpeaches · Apr 21, 2009

He walked.

Sure, you might say you want the walking to seem more current, but 'he was this' and 'he was that' all the time isn't showing; it's telling.

Cyia · Apr 21, 2009

"He was walking" is okay, but doesn't convey much in the sense of tone, unless you're saying "He was walking as opposed to driving."

He walked.
He clomped.
He tiptoed.
He sauntered.
He prissed.
He sashayed.
He stumbled.
He tripped.
He marched.
He meandered.
He sneaked.
He glided.
He tromped.
He plodded.
He padded.

+ a lot of others. They all mean "walk" in one form or another, but are much more case specific.

scarletpeaches · Apr 21, 2009

Why not say, "He walked as opposed to drove?"

Delhomeboy · Apr 21, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
He walked.

Sure, you might say you want the walking to seem more current, but 'he was this' and 'he was that' all the time isn't showing; it's telling.

Cyia said:
"He was walking" is okay, but doesn't convey much in the sense of tone, unless you're saying "He was walking as opposed to driving."

He walked.
He clomped.
He tiptoed.
He sauntered.
He prissed.
He sashayed.
He stumbled.
He tripped.
He marched.
He meandered.
He sneaked.
He glided.
He tromped.
He plodded.
He padded.

+ a lot of others. They all mean "walk" in one form or another, but are much more case specific.

I think I wasn't being clear. I'm talking imperfect form: He was walking when the cat attack him, etc.

Cyia · Apr 21, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Why not say, "He walked as opposed to drove?"

Sometimes it doesn't fit the rhythm of the rest of the piece. Especially in dialogue.

"It took him an hour to get to the store, of course he was walking instead of driving."

scarletpeaches · Apr 21, 2009

If we're talking dialogue, all bets are off because of course, people don't speak in 'proper' English. The author should, but the characters have no obligation to do so.

Delhomeboy · Apr 21, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
If we're talking dialogue, all bets are off because of course, people don't speak in 'proper' English. The author should, but the characters have no obligation to do so.

Lol I don't think "He was walking" is improper English. It's just the English version of the Spanish Imperfect form (though I don't think we call it that). I dunno if other countries have imperfect forms, but I think most of the romantic ones do...

Mr Flibble · Apr 21, 2009

wandergirl said:
I'm usually good about "that" -- I never write "she thought that", or "he believed that", etc. But I just searched for it and found 472! Seems I use it a bunch in terms like "that afternoon." Somebody do me a favor and let me know how many THATs they have in their book.... (again, mine's YA, at 65k)

Welcome!

If you can take 'that' out of a sentence and it still makes sense..take it out.

That afternoon would probably have to stay, but something like 'He hoped that here he could...' would still make sense as 'He hoped here he could'

I am also a bugger for having too many sentences starting with 'there was' in first draft. Too telly, not showy. There's almost always a better way of showing it.

As for 'he was walking' - are you in past tense? Then 'he walked' makes more sense.

Bryan M Stephenson · Apr 21, 2009

thanks Wandergirl, you have saved me hours. and to contribute to the actual thread

40,000 word WIP

been - 100
some - 124
had - 440 Don't know if this is a bad one or not
that - 398

i always try to get them in edit. But boy getting a total right there on the screen is disheartening.

MetalDog · Apr 21, 2009

yWriter will tell you how much you used each and every word, by the look of it.

Top ranking in my 63447 word thingy:
The with a cracking 3138
To a long second at 1911
And in third place with 1546

The only one in the big numbers that worries me is was at 882. That looks like trouble, yesiree.

Not found much use for yWriter beyond that, mind =D

wandergirl · Apr 21, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
That afternoon would probably have to stay, but something like 'He hoped that here he could...' would still make sense as 'He hoped here he could'

When writing in the past tense, I think I tend to say "That day, ___" instead of "Today,___". Maybe I'll scan for that and see if I can replace some of them.

ETA: I lied, I only have 2 "that day"s. hmm.

Bukarella · Apr 21, 2009

I have too many "shrugged", and I'm not sure what to do about all the tears I have coming... I worry it might be too much crying. :Shrug:

A word I will definitely have to take care of during editing stage is "shuttle". I bet no one else has that problem. heh!

Mr Flibble · Apr 21, 2009

Bukarella said:
A word I will definitely have to take care of during editing stage is "shuttle". I bet no one else has that problem. heh!

Shuttle? At least it's original! I used to have a problem with 'gouts' as in gouts of blood etc. Far, far too many.

Seek and destroy!

~kirsten hubbard

Here I Am!

no officer its not my gun.

~kirsten hubbard

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Rewriting My Destiny

Here I Am!

~kirsten hubbard

Stalking Jennifer Aniston!

Stalking Jennifer Aniston!

Rewriting My Destiny

Stalking Jennifer Aniston!

Rewriting My Destiny

Stalking Jennifer Aniston!

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

no officer its not my gun.

Woof!

~kirsten hubbard

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble