When I write, I don’t think. As a result, I have twenty words that make their way to the page when they don’t belong.
What are filler words? They’re words that slip into our sentences but are unnecessary, don’t enhance the sentence, and pad the numbers with junk.
Here is a list of my filler words as identified by my literary agent Stacey Kondla of The Rights Factory. You’ll see my #1 is “that”. In one manuscript I used it over 900 times! Oh my. More than a bit annoying I’m sure.
- that
- just
- only
- really
- slightly
- almost
- seemed
- perhaps
- maybe
- simply
- somehow
- absolutely
- basically
- actually
- now
- sort of
- kind of
- a little
- very
- so
The key is to be aware of your filler words so you can delete them. Go to EDIT scroll down to FIND enter the filler word and push enter. The word will highlighted so you can review the manuscript and make changes.
Get rid of your filler words and this will make your writing more succinct and professional.