40 WORDS TO CUT FROM YOUR NOVEL ✂️ writing tips to improve your story
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- čas přidán 2. 03. 2020
- You can instantly improve your writing by cutting these 40 words from your novel. But remember, not all of these words can but cut all the time - sometimes they're necessary and deleting them will distort the meaning of your sentences. You can join my newsletter for the free printable, and I recommend you keep it by your desk while you're editing your book.
Or, if you're looking to hire an editor who can clean up these words for you, check out my editing services at enchantedinkpublishing.com
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If you enjoyed this video, then you might find the other videos in my Writing Tips playlist helpful as well 💙
czcams.com/play/PLUQYq7Qzlq22FhUs3opM6msxEWydW4DcD.html
I had finished my debut novel as a draft
"THE SUMMERY OF MY LOVER"
NOW I started polishing to make it as a so called book
But when I watched this video
Everything got messed and I am in a great danger to overcome it
BTW I forgot to say something
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Your eyes were fascinating
I love those
Show me your tiiiits!
Nay, I'm just kidding. Can you imagine if I was THAT guy? 🤔
You know.... funny!!! 😂
But seriously though, people literally talk using these words. I like my characters to sound authentic and relatable. So I always write them like human beings talk. Because otherwise, I feel it takes the reader out of the moment.
Remember, you're telling a story. Not writing a term paper for English class. Thoughts?
"I wanna cry, there goes half of my book!" She whimpered.
I love this. I physically laughed. I don't do that often. Sorry for the word "that." Lol. Hang in there.
🤣 she’s awesome
I read a book on how to write children’s books. The advice was, “Cut it in half, leaving nothing out.”
But here, you haven’t used “whimpered” as a dialog tag! You’ve used it as a character action or beat, and this is great. You merely showed us that she whimpered after speaking. Totally okay!
No tag needed.
"40 words to cut from your novel"
"yeah totes," I say, as I open the word document containing my reader insert fanfiction
lmao same but I'm an editor for like 6 reader insert fanfics :sob:
I unironically love reader inserts. Such a happy escape from this world, and even the poorly written ones have this sense of... nostalgia and wholesomeness haha
@@abbiepancakeeater52 I'm so glad to find someone else who likes them!! if you're into persona or bnha or none you don't really need to know much about either except maybe bnha and it's characters? but google can help with that- you should read this fanfic on wattpad and quotev called "Your Heart" . I'm the editor so I don't start editing til chapter 31 but it's super good! the fightscen on chapter 37 is my favorite edited pievce so far
Northflowo what a surprise seeing you here
@JalapenoCat1933 no frr, but it warms my heart to see theyre also here to edit their reader insert fanfiction 😳😭
Be careful when taking out these words. Context matters. Make sure to watch the video to understand.
1. That 2. Just 3. Almost 4. Hardly 5. Nearly
6. At first 7. Simply 8. Only 9. Actually 10. Basically
11. Clearly 12. Certainly 13. Literally 14. Absolutely 15. Really
16. So 17. Very 18. Quietly 19. Slowly 20. Quickly
21. Carefully 22. Extremely 23. Suddenly 24. All of a Sudden 25. See
26. Feel 27. Hear 28. Look 29. Think 30. Touch
31. Wonder 32. Realize 33. Watch 34. Seem 35. Notice
36. Whispered 37. Growled 38. Yelled 39. Snapped 40. Said
There is a lot of fluff and woo on authortube. This is smart, accurate and actionable. Thanks!
If you have to use ‘very’ or ‘really’ before a verb than that verb probably isn’t strong enough to use. That’s strangely good advice lol thx 🙏🏻. Edit* 40 likes on this video lmao
You could've applied this by saying "great" or "amazing" instead of "strangely good".
@@platinumpatience5307 no amazing or great don't convey strangeness. Maybe say unique or strangely amazing. At the same time saying great or amazing may be too intense for some advice and perhaps good is the best version here
Around the 5-minute mark is a super important part. I think people write this way because we tend to speak this way. It's common in a colloquial sense and sounds natural to the ear, so when you go to write or you're trying to collect your thoughts to type them out, these things slip in. Because of this process, editing is important but I think it's crucial to leave a lot of this stuff into dialog to make it sound more natural and distinctive from the tone of the narration. Even with a first-person POV, the contrast will be subtle but I think it helps the reader differentiate the shifts without having to consciously consider them.
Bummer, I use all those words and my favorite is "THAT" Back to editing
Karan Girard Yup, I enjoy “that” as well 😉 It has a tendency to sneak right by me.
Excellent tips. I’m guilty of most and find it in my first manuscript cleanup. Rather than get slowed down by my inner editor, I pump out content in my first run and worry about it in my first edit. After that, it’s in my editor’s hands. 🖐 🤚
Hey, it's Dale! (Love your channel!) I agree--I like to push through the first draft and then spend my edits cleaning everything up. Otherwise it's easy to get slowed down while I'm trying to get words on the page. :)
Natalia Leigh Thanks so much for the kind words. I stumbled on your channel during your live write along session. So, I checked out your videos. Instant subscriber!
Now, we gotta get with Michael La Ronn (Author Level Up) and convince him to stop editing while writing. Haha jk he’s hardcore about editing while he goes through his first draft. But, he does produce great content. 🤷♂️
@@DaleLRoberts Hahaha, I love Michael's videos! I guess everyone has their own way of doing things, I just know I would NEVER finish a book if I constantly edited while writing 😅
Natalia Leigh me too! It took me a couple years to break myself of the habit.
“Suddenly” used to be SUCH a struggle for me 🙈 Also filler words, those I still have to watch out for! I’m looking forward to getting to revisions soon with my current WIP, to see if I’ve improved these habits as much as I think (and hope 😂)
Andrea Heckler - Writer Oh yes, I agree! I really struggled with “Suddenly!” I kept thinking it would surprise my readers, but sadly I don’t think it worked 😂
If I see "Suddenly, Rex's foot caught on a rock and he tripped, sending his books flying through the air and scraping his palms on the rough gravel," I feel like the "suddenly" actually spoils the surprise of watching Rex trip and fall lol. So it's interesting, because we THINK it'll be surprising, but it has the opposite effect.
@@BellaOfTheBrawl Yes exactly! I thought the same thing until I finally broke the habit.
I hate "suddenly" and "as"
i only started deleting these words on the first edit of my novel Kenzie Adrift. I grudgingly admit it made it better. I resisted it for far longer than I should have. Natalia, I've seen videos made about this topic from many others, but I've never seen it explained so well. If you read any of the two Finding the Sky novels I sent you then you know I'm guilty of every sin mentioned in the video. I'm especially embarrassed by the dialogue tags. I'm debating if I should go back and re-edit the entire trilogy, or leave them as they are so readers can see my progress as an author. Thanks for the great tips. Happy writing.
Hey Charles! I completely understand feeling hesitant to cut these words. I used to be guilty of these as well, and it took me years to finally get brave enough to start cutting. But once I did, my work became much cleaner! And no need to be embarrassed! It's nice, I think, to look back at your work and see how far you've come 💙
Thanks for another great video. Let me just say right here and now, I am the (THAT) queen. lol, I was doing the first edit of my 120,000-word book and I found 2,103 times where I used the word = that. Thanks for the list of words. I will be checking my manuscript for them. I will share this video with my fellow writers. Thanks again.
Hahaha, I love it! It's SO easy for "that" to slip past when you least expect it. Gotta stay vigilant 😉
One that I keyed in on during my first round of edits was "felt". I got rid of almost every single one in my manuscript and it made the sentences much more engaging, relying on different senses instead of just telling exactly how the character felt: scared, happy, nervous, etc. It made things so much better just with that one change, so I look forward to using this list to tighten things up even more!
I'm "madly" scribbling notes! Definitely signing up for the newsletter. What a great video!
Great video! I "basically" use "each and every one" of these 40 words in my writing lol.
I knew all of this and still watched the whole video because it is always nice to be reminded :)
I even catch myself slipping extra words into my writing every now and then. We'll (or at least I'll) never be perfect, but getting a refresher every now and then really helps 😀
@@NataliaLeigh it's super relaxing to know that a professional editor and a real author does this too. I need to learn to be a little bit more gentle to myself. I beat myself up sometimes because I miss so many things when I'm fast drafting. XD
I love the way you broke this down 🙂
Hi Leah, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I wanted to be able to explain each of these words within a larger category, and I'm glad that method worked! 💙
Love love love!!!!!!
Happy to hear it Renee! I hope you find these tips helpful!
I was waiting for “really” and “so”... those are my worst! I’m always trying to cut back on filler words in my writing and emails. As for my speaking style... eek! 😅
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It’s really helpful ☺️ (I can’t not say really. It really is.)
Your collegiate English background came through during that "strong verb vs. weaker verb" rant (cant wait for that video btw). Also, can we all appreciate Natalia's new editing style in her video? The sound effects and graphics (salt shaker for "salty", I see you!). I'm also thankful for this list. I'm learning so much!
Sio Savi I second this!
Thanks for sharing! This video was informative.
Great video with practical reminders for all writers!
Great video! Thank you!
I love this advice. I'm going to through after my initial edit when I do line edits. Thank you.
This was so helpful. I have been catching a lot of this in my own work and recently in a few beta chapters I am reading. Problem was, I didn’t know why I was deleting these words. So thanks. My writing has strengthened.
Your editing videos are fantastic. There are so many out on CZcams with bad advice, or you can just tell they're reading from a quick Google search and don't really understand what they're saying, but yours are just spot on. I'm finishing up my first draft, and have been saving all these videos to re watch when I go to edit this thing later.
Hi Chelsea! Thank you so much for the positive comment. I love sharing my knowledge and feel inspired to share more when I hear it's been helpful. Please let me know if you have any requests, especially once you're finished with that draft and ready to edit! 💙
I have a problem using a lot of these words too much in my writing, haha. I took notes this time so I can remember this when I get to editing!
Hi Gray! I used to use most (if not all) of these words as well. It's just about learning how to spot them during edits 😉
I bought every book you talked about! I can’t thank you enough! 👊🏻😎
Hey Cameryne! You are so welcome! I'd love to know what you think about the books!
Natalia Leigh absolutely!! Still waiting on the cat book! But what a huge help!! Thank you again, btw I’ve submitted my submission form on your website. 👍🏻
Ohhhh maaaan, that's my whole first paragraph
Damn I am going to publish my first novel in two weeks and this one helped. Thank You
Thank you for such a helpful video! Filtering is especially the hardest habit to break, at least for me 😅
Libra Frills Hey Libra! I feel you. It took my three novels before I even knew what filtering was 😅
awesome
This was helpful, thanks
Incase you want to save your time:
That
Just
Almost
Hardly
Nearly
At first
Simply
Only
Really
So
Very
Adverbs
Suddenly
All of a sudden
See
Feel
Hear
Look
Think
Touch
Wonder
realize
Watch
Seem
Notice
Whispered
Growled
Yelled
Snapped
Said
Hope it helps! 😇
Might as well just write it in Japanese
What a great video!! 👍
Hey Holly, glad you enjoyed it! I also loved your Lower Body Workout for Writers video as well! I've been sitting so much lately, I feel like I'm becoming a noodle, lol!
Fantastic video, Natalia. I’m in the final revision/ editing phase of a 75,000 word crime thriller and while it was not fun reviewing every use of these 40 words (it took me three days) writing or editing shouldn’t be if it’s transforming the condition of the manuscript. I cut around 750 words. Thank you. I’ll continue through your terrific content before querying agents.
Suddenly, I quickly realized, "This is advice for high school creative writing class!"
This is such a great help. I'm always blown away by how great your videos are. Thanks. :)
(Signed up for the newsletter. :))
Yes!!! "That!" Preach!! I think I love you!
Shewt!!! There's nothing left to my book ....
So, you very clearly showed me that my manuscript could be greatly reduced by really going through and taking out these words! I was overjoyed with your information!! LOL
Thank you so much for this. I'm self editing, and this is awesome. Today will be line by line day.
I did this and wow, it makes a difference. A big difference. I suggest folks search and consider these words.
We are thankful for best information
Thank you for sharing your editor knowledge. Very very helpful. Great video!👌🏼
Hey, I'm happy to share! Glad you found the video helpful 😀
I am loving all of your editing/proofing videos. Extremely helpful!!
Hey Amanda, thanks for letting me know! I'll be sure to make more 💙 Please let me know if you have any specific requests!
Love these videos because it's these simple tips that help in writing. Thank you for helping us become better writers. ❤
anaerobinson I agree! Learning one small thing at a time can really help your stories shine ✨
Useful
Bonnie Phillips Glad to hear it Bonnie 😊
making this note for myself when editing later haha:
-that
-just
-almost
-hardly
-nearly
-at first
-simply
-only
-actually
-basically
-clearly
-certainly
-literally
-absolutely
-really
-so
-very
(many adverbs)
-quietly
-quickly
-slowly
-carefully
-extremely
-suddenly
-all of a sudden
-see
-feel
-hear
-look
-think
-touch
-wonder
-realize
-watch
-seem
-notice
-whispered
-growled
-yelled
-snapped
-said
Basically I literally enjoyed your video, all of the sudden it made sense, absolutely :-)
About 10 seconds before she got to the first word, I thought, "#1 is going to be 'that'." I've been working on trimming 'that' from my writing as much as possible in my most recent drafts.
A lot more to consider while I collect myself for writing again after years of hiatus.
Awesome tips, I definitely didn't realize how most of these pollute the narrative. Thank you!
Thanks for this video. I'm guilty of all. However, I'm new to 1st person and your filtering horse story cleared up a lot for me. The reason I've gone to 1st person is to put reader closer to my character, and then I use, "I saw horses run across the meadow." If I had to explain it, I'd say I don't want the reader to be close to the character. I want the reader to become the character. It's this correct.
Useful video, appreciate your service!
This was very helpful! Thanks for sharing...
What great videos you have on your channel. I've watched several already. I loved your "suddenly" section in this particular video. I want to add a perspective that my fellow writers and I tell one another: Things are happening. The mindset of "things are happening" gives a writer a chance to look over the pace of a scene or moment. Like you said, "suddenly" gives away what is going to happen and slows the scene down for both the reader and the narrative. Writers might take a look at their character's moments as something that is either happening or not happening. Nothing really starts to happen, begins to happen, or suddenly happens. Write as if the character is in action, not as if they were going to act. One does not begin to leave. If they begin to leave, it usually indicates the action is interrupted. Leaving is the same as suddenly leaving. I hope that adds an alternate perspective.
Oh, and for those reading this comment, Natalia has a great video on "first chapter mistakes new writers make" right here: czcams.com/video/xeADNnlJC80/video.html
Thank you for such great insights!
Great video. This helped so much. Thank you for taking the time to help us be better writers.
Hey Janet! You're very welcome! I love sharing tips and hope I can help someone out along the way 💙 I felt so alone when I was learning how to write, but thanks to this community, we can learn from one another and feel like there's someone there to help out when we get stuck :)
Thank you so much for this information.
My book has more filters than Starbuck's.
I mean, I love coffee, so no complaints ☕
Thank you so much Natalia Leigh, this video was extremely helpful.
Excellent advice! Thanks!
Wow. I am SO glad I discovered you. You have the most clear, concise, and consistent videos I've seen on CZcams. A lot of these other channels are gimmicky and honestly sort of pie-in-the-sky and cliche. Every statement you make about the crafts of writing and storytelling is backed up by a thoughtful, effective argument with excellent examples and convincing reasoning. I am binging your videos right now. In this one especially, the comment about needing the reader to be completely immersed in the story spoke to me. I have a first-person character who I think has a really unique and witty voice, but man, you just elevated my game by noticing lines like "I SAW the horses galloping." That looks so ridiculously harmless and originally I thought well yeah it's the first-person that is writing! But innocent looking lines like those remove your reader at least one layer out if not completely.
I like to think that you are helping fill the world with better, more effective books! Keep on!
Thank you!
Excellent video, with some fantastic tips. Thank you.
You are a very good teacher. I wish you'd bee n one of my English teachers in high school or college.
Just discovered you on CZcams! I've found your videos very helpful, and look forward to using your tips while editing my novels. THANKS
Im glad I found your videos. I've been working on my very first novel and everything you talked about I've done lol. I was literally laughing most of the time because it was like you were in my head.
Highly instructive. Thank you Natalia.
I am learning a lot from your video's! Thank you.
This is really really good!
Great advice Natalia! Will defiantly keep this in mind as I'm editing my novel!
Good video. Very informative. A filter word I was guilty of using when I first started writing was, "finally." I used it to death. Then, one day, I realized what I was doing, and how much damage I was doing to my narrative. It makes a huge difference in the strength of your narrative when you eliminate overuse of these words. Thank you for the info.
Very helpful information. Thank you Natalia.
awsome! very informative video.
Thank you so much. This helped me so much!
This was such a good video Natalia! A good refresher and a good reminder for me of who to come to when I finish this book because while I edit other people's work I actually struggle to edit my own stuff. I think I'm just not objective enough to chop apart my baby (because our books are our babies lol). I so admire that you can edit your own work ❤
*and I think I might have used too many fillers and unnecessary words in this comment lol
Great tutorial -- thank you. These would apply not just to creative writing, but any writing. I laughed at how many of these I rely on. I use "quietly, slowly, and quickly" WAY too frequently!
Excellent video ❤
That was very helpful. I am currently doing a read aloud edit of my novel. It amazes me how many unnecessary words I’ve been able to cut out by doing this.
You used the word “that” 🥺
Love this!
thanks i need this, i want my storys to be to the point, makes the reading smoother and easy to get immersed
Oh my gosh!!!! I think is the first time I’ve really comprehended what filter words really are thank you so much this made things sooo much clearer😆😆🥳🎉😊
I have over 800 "thats" in my first novel draft. I just eliminated 340 of them! haha. thank you. now on to verbs and all else you covered
Finally, a video that doesn't hate on adverbs! Great video, girl! I like how you speak with confidence but also with humility and reassurance! :) Keep it up!
So glad you enjoyed it!! 🥰
You’re videos have been so helpful. I’m writing my first novel and have been binging your content. Thank you!
I'm so glad you're enjoying my content! Happy writing! 😊
This video is so important and such a life saver. I’m still a student in college getting my English degree but you break things down so well. Thank you.
Thank you, Natalia, for a great video! I am finishing up my editing and these are great tips!
I'm so glad it was helpful!
This video taught me so much information I hadn't known before, thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy writing ✍🏻🥰
When I am about to write "really", it's very clear to me that I've run out of words. Clearly.
Great video Natalie. I think using a Thesaurus helps clean up sentences and avoid repetition. Good advice about “said”
It's crazy what a word can do to a sentence! A minute in and I trimmed a few 'that's from my sentences and my eyes breezed across otherwise clunky wording. Great video!
this helped a lot. thank u ❣
Thank you for this! I have a lot of editing to do now. This list will be very useful!
Glad it was helpful! ☺
"Just one look, that's all it took." Doris Troy, 1963. Found this video fantastic. Nicely done Natalia!
All of a sudden, I clearly see that I really am as great of writer as I thought!
Thank you so much. ❤👍
I want to say _thank you_ for mentioning "growling." I go through books on Kindle and mark things I like and things I don't like. In the most recent book I read, there are no less than 10 growling instances in the first half of the story. Maybe the author thinks it's sexy to have the aloof love interest constantly growling his responses, but it's such a distraction and eventually becomes comical.
Thank you for this video. I like your communication style.
Great information
Very true point being made. Extremely helpful Natalia.
However, it's also true that these words can be portrayed skillfully.
Like how simple is simple for a reason.
Or tell is just tell instead of show for a reason.