5 weak words to whack from your writing

Write them on a sticky note and whack them when you see them

There are 5 words that weaken your writing. Whack them when you see them and increase the power of your prose. In random order…

1. Very / Really

Very and really are often used for emphasis. Funny thing is, they’re so weak they do a poor job of emphasizing much of anything. Here’s an example…

His hands were very cold.
His hands were ice cold.

Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. — Mark Twain.

2. That

“That” is usually padding. In most cases, you can drop it and the sentence will instantly become more powerful. When dropping it doesn’t work, rearranging usually does the trick to make the sentence more evocative. Two examples…

I was sick in bed the night that my sister ran away.
I was sick in bed the night my sister ran away.

Scotland seemed like nothing but hills that flowed green.
Scotland seemed like nothing but…