Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Suddenly, I just...

There are two words you should eliminate from your vocabulary if you want to be a writer. They are "suddenly" and "just". These two words are no-no's in the writing world. They give poor description and are used as makeshift segways. Same goes for "abruptly". These words are often redundant, for it's clear that what happened was abrupt. If someone pops out of the bushes, you don't need to put "suddenly" before it.

There is no "just" in life. Nothing is "just". You're not "just" weird, I don't "just" want to go home, and he doesn't "just" like you. You're weird, I want to go home, and he likes you. Of course, in dialogue this is "just" fine. However, in actual prose, it's annoying to read. To me as a reader, it makes me feel like I'm reading the diary of teenager because "I just don't like him like that. I just don't know what to do."

So, don't "suddenly just" do anything. Do it.

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