We all use filler words in writing. We scramble around saying, “The point is, there are things which are definitely most important, which we need to make sure we do…” as opposed to “Do these things.”
It’s similar to filler statements when speaking. “Um…” “uhhh…” “I’m not sure…” “It’s sort of like the thing where…”
We’re trying to get to the point, but we haven’t always figured it out ourselves, first.
Before sending a book manuscript to my editors, I go through a long list of words and phrases I tend to overuse. In my first book, I cut out hundreds of these. With my second book, there weren’t as many to cut out, because I’d been more aware of them whilst writing: but I still found multiple instances requiring the chopping block.
Words like “just”, or “kind of”, or “simply”.
A word being on the list doesn’t mean it’s automatically removed. There’s nothing wrong with using the word “definitely”, or “in my experience”. What I’m looking for is an overuse of a word or phrase, which distracts from the point I’m making.
Your list of words and phrases will be different: but we all have them.
Up till now, you may have missed seeing them because you haven’t been looking for them: but once you start looking, you’ll see them.
Reading any long-form content you’ve written is the easiest way to discover your repetitive words and phrases. They’ll be sprinkled throughout, and after a few paragraphs or pages you’ll notice them. If you’ve written a book it’s the easiest way to find them; but multiple blog posts or PDF guide content work just as well.
You’re looking for words or phrases which:
- You repeat often (enough to notice) – remember, simply, absolutely
- Add nothing more to the sentence (if you removed them, it would say the same thing) – After all, hiring your first employee is definitely a challenge vs Hiring your first employee is a challenge.
- Minimise the impact (without them, the statement has more power) – One of the best ways to protect your cash flow is to send deposit invoices could be replaced with “Send deposit invoices”
I started my list when I reviewed the full manuscript of my first book, and now I use it for most of my long-form writing – whether books or blog posts or guides. Each time I discover a new repetitive word or phrase, I put it on the list.
(And in case your eagle eyes are looking out for them in this post, I do give myself the freedom of letting my writing flow a bit more here. These are meant to be more of a stream of consciousness, like we’re sitting around chatting.)
Here’s my list. Yours will be different, but I encourage you to start one – even if it only has a few words on it so far!
- Absolutely
- Actually
- After all
- At least
- Be able to
- Because
- Could
- Definitely
- Even
- In my / our experience
- In order to
- Include
- Just
- Kind of
- Make sure
- Make sure to
- Most important
- One of the ways / best ways
- Remember
- Simply
- So
- Some , here are, a few
- Some of
- Sort of
- Still
- That
- The point / is
- The truth is
- Then, and then
- Those which / are things which
- What was
- Which is
- Who are
- You can
- You need to
- You’ll want to
Any of these sound familiar? Got any you use which aren’t on my list?
