Fluff vs. Substance

Filler words drag down your writing

Non-writers think writing is easy. A fluff job with no substance and no effort required. One prevailing opinion is that anyone can do it… which, to a degree, is correct. Anyone who can hold a pencil or type on a keyboard can write. The qualifier is their ability to write coherent stories and articles. And to write them well. That’s where editors come in.

As an editor, I have a few pet peeves. One of my biggest is filler words. Words that writers put into their writing that make it grammatically correct, but also slow the reader down.

Think about it… have you ever read a passage that you had to read two or more times and it still didn’t make sense? Yeah. Me, too. Next time, though, look closer at those passages. Take some of those filler words out. Remove the adverbs. Rewrite it so it shows, not tells, the story. Then reread it. How does it sound now?

More words do not equal better writing. Fewer words do not equal better writing. Clear and concise writing that delivers the imagery you need to impart equals better writing. That’s not about the number of words, it’s about the right words.

Quality (Concise) over Quantity

There is more than one way to say just about anything you want to say. Something I learned in the interpersonal skills course I took in college a lifetime ago has stuck with me. I say it every chance I get and have always reinforced it with my kids…

It’s not what you say, but how you say it.

My instructor back in the day referred to this statement regarding how you speak to someone, but it can also impact the written word. It can take a sentence from meh to wow, in just a few words. Sometimes with added words and other times with deleted ones.

Example one:

He told her that he had just needed to really look at that calendar to see what the truth of what she had told him was.

There is nothing inherently wrong about this statement, but my editor’s heart cringes as I read it. It is chunky, clunky, and wrong. With a little tweaking, you can take it from cringe-worthy to a satisfying sentence.

Rewritten:

He explained that one good look at the calendar showed him the truth of her words.

I whittled that sentence down from 26 clunky words to 16 concise ones. Look at how clean the rewrite is. There is nothing grammatically incorrect in the original sentence. The issue is that it doesn’t work.

As an author, you want your readers to enjoy your work. You want them to want to read your writing. If it is too much effort to read, they will walk away from it. They might put it down and never pick up another article, book, short story, or even social media post of yours again.

Look at the list of words below. They are a preview of the words you should be careful overusing in your work. They have a time and a place. Sometimes, though, writers will take the easy route and scatter them throughout their prose, like sprinkles on a cupcake, which are also easy to overuse. No one wants to be picking sprinkles out of their teeth hours later. Same goes for difficult to read passage.

Some words feel like they should be in a sentence and, when speaking, they may be an extension to your personality. In the written form, however, they detract from the intended message.

Words such as the ones in the image below. Ones I encounter most often are:

had that    like    really    just

Close inspection of the list reveals it contains lots of adverbs. Adverbs are best used sparingly. There are many ways to enhance your writing.

Screenshot of an internet search

If you use too many adverbs - or get repetitive in your writing - using different words should help fix it. Rearrange the sentence. Use substitutions. The ways your writing will change, for the better, will amaze you.

I see it in my work, too. It has been an eye-opening experience to go back and read my work from 2021. My writing has improved, in a variety of ways, partly because of my penchant to minimize the adverbs I use.

The first thing I do with a new editing project, mine or for a client, is check it for filler words. For overused words. For adverbs and readability. It all works together, and all makes a difference. I have watched my clients learn and grow as a writer, through using fewer filler words and adverbs.

Sometimes, filler words and adverbs find a home in a sentence. Sometimes deleting them is the only way to make a sentence work. True growth begins with figuring out where they belong and where they don't.

When you read your work, remember to look for repetition and words, like adverbs. Words you can replace or rearrange to make your writing more concise.

You’ll thank your diligence later. Promise.