The Writing Life
During a conversation with my accountability partner, she paused, horrified. “I said ‘very,’” she explained, “and I’m trying to rid myself of lazy words.” The phrase so captured my attention that I told her I was going to “borrow” it. She affirmed the quasi-loan, though, so there’s that.
[Read more…] about How to Be a Better Writer: Get Rid of the Lazy Words
Everyone has filler words. One of mine is “just.” I’m conscious of it because it was brought to my attention during a poetry workshop several years ago. Before that, I didn’t even notice it. It was a “filler” in much the same way that everyone has their own version of a verbal pause. No one notices either the written or verbal pauses unless they’re noticed or corrected by another.
Day 27. The yard is gone. The yard is gone. I can’t see the grass for the weeds…Where did the grass go?
I sometimes think about writing in terms of grass and weeds. The grass is the good, essential content. The weeds are filler words: just, so, though, like, that, anyway. My own weeds usually are “just,” “though,” and “that.” I’m self-conscious about the words. I look for them, and, if I see them, I consider what actions I should take.