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Author D. G. Driver's
Write and Rewrite Blog

“There are no bad stories, just ones that haven’t found their right words yet.”

​A blog
mostly about the process of revision with occasional guest posts, book reviews, and posts related to my books.


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Actually, They're Just Really Useless Words

5/10/2014

 
So, I've finished going through my new novel and marking all the mistakes and things I want to change.  What I discovered above all is that I like to use the word "actually".  I use it mostly when people are talking in my book, which makes a little sense.  I say "actually" a lot when I talk, and I'm trying to make my teenagers sound realistic.  However, it's a little ridiculous after a while.  I went through the book and deleted almost all of them. 

When my editor helped me through Cry of the Sea, the words she kept circling for me were "just" and "really" and made me get rid of them.  I found that I still had those words a lot in this new ms as well  Once again I cut them.

I'm not sure why I like using qualifiers, but now that I'm aware of them, I see how often they are used in books with little editing (ie: self-published) verses ones that have been edited well.  They stand out as if they are in bold print to me now.

I recommend that upon finished a draft, use your Find button and put in words like "just", "really", "actually", "seriously" and "very".  See how many times they are showing up in your text.  Delete them and see if your sentences still work.  I can't say that I won't continue to put these useless words in my early drafts in the future.  Habits are hard to break.  I do hope to never submit a draft to an editor or agent with a manuscript filled with them, though.

What are your most commonly use pointless words?

Caroline link
5/10/2014 08:54:47 am

When I sent my work in progress to another author-friend to read through and give me impressions, she sent it back with every single "and" highlighted. Apparently I use "and" a lot!


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    D. G. Driver

    Award-winning author of books for teen and tween readers. Learn more about her and her writing at www.dgdriver.com

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