Count that word in your WIP

Woollybear

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Sometimes I flip open whatever book I am reading which is, at the moment, Shanghai Girls (1st person present tense, 300 pages). First page I flip to has a 'feel' and a 'think' and a 'looked' and a 'trail' and an -ly adverb in the narrative--and an exclamation point to boot! All on one page.:)
 

Kat M

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I got 8 "felts" of 43K (still drafting) but only 1 was the action word. Everything else was a filter.

Certainly no expert here, but when it comes to how many times a filtering word is acceptable, I tend to go by feel. As a reader, if I'm drawn into the story and the voice I don't notice if they're using a lot of filter words or -ly adverbs or what-have-you. But if I'm struggling with the voice then I start to notice every. little. word. Trouble is, how do you know if your own voice is working? I guess that's partially what betas are for.

Something that's worked for me is to highlight common filter words/words I know I like and determine, one by one, if I actually need them.

But I'm curious what the more mathematically minded will come up with.

Also, I'm going to try not to kill the thread this time. If we need a new word, let's try "thought" since it too has its filtering qualities.
 

Maryn

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I have seven uses of metal in 133K. Two refer to the music genre.

Oh, let's see, what would be a good word? Let's try country.

Kat, I have a long list of words I overuse, including some that filter, and I literally go through my manuscript seeking each one and deciding on a case by case basis whether it needs to be there, is acceptable though unnecessary, or ought to go. After doing this a lot of times, I find that as I'm writing I use some always-replaced favorites fewer times than I used to.

Maryn, who has murmur issues
 

Kat M

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Country: 8 times in 44K. Over half of the time it is used to refer to central Washington state (apple country). Despite it being about angsty old-time fiddlers, never once does it refer to the music genre.

Thought: 64 in 44K. Hmmmmm . . .

Maryn, I hope in time that technique will work for me! Right now I'm just at the stage where I notice them every single time I use them but can't bring myself to delete them as I write. Fix it in post, you know.

If we need a new word: rock.

- - - Updated - - -

Country: 8 times in 44K. Over half of the time it is used to refer to central Washington state (apple country). Despite it being about angsty old-time fiddlers, never once does it refer to the music genre.

Thought: 64 in 44K. Hmmmmm . . .

Maryn, I hope in time that technique will work for me! Right now I'm just at the stage where I notice them every single time I use them but can't bring myself to delete them as I write. Fix it in post, you know.

If we need a new word: rock.
 

Maryn

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Rock, let me see...

Wow, this is a surprise. 28 times in 133K. It seems to appear in every kind of meaning, from music to motion to stone(s).

Keeping in the same music-inspired vein, let's count classic.
 

TeresaRose

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The word, CLASSIC, appears 4X in my current WIP - Women's fiction/contemp romance

New word: KISS (I have it 99X)
 

Woollybear

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Classic: 0
Kiss: 10
Adult sci fi

What about hug? (11)
 

TeresaRose

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Hug/hugged/hugging - 16X (Contemporary Women's Fiction)

NEW WORD: Horns (I have it 2X)
 

Autumn Leaves

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hugged - 2, horns - 3 (historical mystery)

NEW WORD: shell (26)
 

Silenia

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Shell (/shells; seashell/seashells) - 5x, all referring to seashells or material derived from those. (Fantasy set in a secondary world on the cusp between pre-history and history)

New word: fish
 

TulipMama

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fish/fished/fishy - 48
Shell (shell company) - 1
horns - 5
hug - 26
Adult - Urban fantasy Murder Mystery

New word:
though
 

kinokonoronin

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WIP - 106k words
Though - 79 instances

New word:
smile
 

TeresaRose

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Blink - only 1X (100K Women's Fiction)

New word: Scream ( I have it 11X)
 

TeresaRose

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Teeth - 8X. Yay! I managed to escape the wolf’s sharp teeth before dinner time!

New Word:
make-up (I have it 19X - Women's Fiction)
 

llyralen

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0 Make-up in 15 K romantic historical fiction. (0 with or without hyphen)

New word: Silence