Sunday Writing Tip: Get Rid of Your Crutch Words

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Each week, I’ll offer a tip you can take and apply to your WIP to help improve it. They’ll be easy to do and shouldn’t take long, so they’ll be tips you can do without taking up your Sunday. Though I do reserve the right to offer a good tip now and then that will take longer—but only because it would apply to the entire manuscript.

This week, cut or revise your crutch words—those pesky and weak words you tend to overuse.

Crutch words are words or phrases we tend to overuse—our go-to words we can slap down and not think too hard about. You might notice you use a certain dialogue tag, or mannerism a lot, or you always describe something a certain way.

Every writer has their own set of words they use over and over, and it can vary from book to book. For example, mine are just, only, and so, and I’ve had eyes widen and fell into step beside me appear way too much in various books.

Too many repetitious words, phrases, or images can make a novel feel stale or even poorly written if readers notice the same things popping up.

For more on avoiding repetition or overused words in your novel, try these articles:

• That Sounds Familiar: Eliminating Often-Used Words
• Alternative Ways to Describe Character Reactions
• 5 Ways Repetition Is Hurting Your Novel
• Don't Let Your Characters “Nod” Off
• Do or Do Not. There is No Try: Clarifying What Your Characters Do
• The Freedom of Placeholder Words in First Drafts
• Seems So: Are Your Characters Making Misleading Assumptions?
• The Eyes Have it: Are You "Over Looking" Things in Your Manuscript?