weasel words

[cimorene]

ever since a beta brought it to my attention about a year ago, i have been more conscious of my own tendency to use the particular phrase "a little" way too much in my own writing. i manage to edit it out again as i go along for the most part, now.

now i'm noticing that the roughest drafts i produce have this problem even more seriously: someone needs go to through everything i write with a pointy stick or a whip or a cane or something and chase out every instance of weasel phrases like "sort of", "kind of", "a little", "a bit", "rather" *cough* and "or something", and in many cases also "really" and "very". i mean, fortunately i can do it myself, but i'm appalled at how much of it gets into the rough draft. for that matter, i'm appalled at the thought of how much of this kind of sloppiness i missed before isilya inadvertently sensitised me to it.

i think it's sort of the equivalent of a verbal tic, probably a holdover from the way i talk. example: "the only response to his last question was a shamefully inarticulate sort of purring hum" - what is 'sort of' doing there? nothing. it's completely meaningless.  it might as well be "like" or "um", for all the good it does.

and while "really" and "very" are supposedly intensifying adverbs while the others are the opposite, in the text most of the time they serve the exact same purpose (ie, none) and probably come from the same place - some kind of hesitation in me when i'm composing the sentence. and usually they do the same thing - make the sentence weaker.

Comments

[kessie.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I probably have a similar problem actually, now that I think about. I'll have to take a look at my current two rough drafts and rummage around. I definitely use "rather" too often.

But, uh, on a similar thread, I have 2,000 words of Tezuryo in Word right now, and I think I finally know what I'm doing, and it's trundling along towards the end quite nicely. But... there's... sex and stuff in it, and it's not just vaguely-described, either, and most definitely not of a R rating and... can I send it to you when I'm done because it's so long since I've written anything like this, I'm sort of flapping my hands and squeaking.

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Ha! In my texts there are many "things". Actual, distinctive words seem to be amiss sometimes, there are only these things and those things...

[bibliotech.livejournal.com]

I keep telling myself that someday I will write a story without using the words "somewhat", "mostly", "kind of" or "almost". I have no idea how, but I will try!

[kishmet.livejournal.com]

I would agree that in most cases, those words and phrases tend to make a sentence weaker. I try to get rid of them in most of the fics I write, if I can.

Sometimes those words serve a purpose in my writing, though. I have no clue whether it works for my readers or not, but I do have a reason for it. For instance, if I'm writing from Momoshiro's point of view, I include some of those because that's the way I tend to think that he thinks. If I want a fic to be nice and smooth and have a literary feel to it, then I eliminate those words and phrases. If I want it to have more of a down-to-earth, stream of consciousness feeling, I tend to use them. Just a thought, and I'm sorry for rambling. :)

[melle.livejournal.com]

you know what? that is actually part of what i find so endearing and enjoyable about your writing. i've actually found myself emulating it, to a degree (not that i write much, but yeah). i think it has to do with being able to "hear" the fic, which makes it that much more "there" for me. (i am an auditory creature.)

i don't begrudge anyone improving themselves, but i just thought you should know that these weasel words make your fics so unique, and i love them. :)