Pet Words

I see it all the time... Writers have pet words. Those little phrases or words we like to use all the time. A common one is, "suddenly." But then you might have a pet word all your own. Some will say things like, "she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach," and use that phrase over and over again. After a time, it starts sounding odd, though it is a very descriptive comment. Avoid Cliches too. Those are no bueno!

"Was" and "had" are horrible ones. When many first begin writing, they are very easy words to slide into almost every sentence, but same as before... they SOUND ODD when used AGAIN and AGAIN.

My new favorite trick is this little thing called, "right-click." If you right-click a word and select synonyms, your Word program will give you a whole list of words that mean the same thing. "Was" and "had" are just as simple to get rid of. They often appear just before words with an "ed" or an "ing" on the end. 

for example:

"She [was working] for that company" becomes "worked"

"She [had worked] for that company" becomes "worked" 

It all means the same thing. Get rid of the excesses!

"Ly" adverbs can be your downfall too. Use them sparingly... get it? And please don't put more than two adjectives in a row.

Well, there's your editing tip for the day. Get rid of pet words!

Love and Hugs