BodhipaksaJan 31

Every time I'm writing a book I'm grateful to Benjamin Dreyer, who suggested that every writer should try going a week without using:

* very
* rather
* really
* quite
* so
* of course
* in fact

It's astonishing to search through a draft to find these words. In almost every case a sentence is better off if you just delete them. On rare occasions they serve a purpose, but it's possible to reword in order to get rid of them. But I'd like to train myself not to use them in the first place!

Show threadStoneface Vimes
@bodhipaksa interesting. I'd certainly like to see (hear?) people manage to go a week without using the word so. It's become almost obligatory. Particularly on TV.
Jan 31 at 6:04pmWeb
Show threadBodhipaksaJan 31
@capnthommo I found "so" the hardest one to eliminate. Yes, the "so" that we put at the start of sentences as a habit, to not sound abrupt, as in "So, yesterday I was at the mall," have to go. But if the so at the start of a sentence is, so to speak, gathering the energy of previous sentences and channeling it into the next — if it acts as a "therefore" — then I'm likely to let it stand. I probably got rid of around half of my "so's." Maybe two thirds.
Show threadStoneface VimesJan 31
@bodhipaksa yes. There are situations when it would be appropriate. But just eliminating the automatic usage makes one's writing more powerful and positive.