Over used words...

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I like,Totally Hate when people overuse "like" and "totally". It's like, totally unnecessary, and makes you sound totally illiterate. I'm like , TOTALLY glad I don't do it!!!

I like totally agree.

 

[Lia Monde]

Crisis. Everything is deemed a crisis from actual calamities to an eggnog shortage.

 

[sr71plt]

I use the word "now" entirely too much and have to strike a lot of instances in review. A previous commenter mentioned "cock," but I use that one a lot and intend on going on using it a lot. I don't use cute euphemisms for that word. Sometimes I use "dick," especially to differentiate what one character will use in dialogue as opposed to another character, and sometimes "shaft" and "staff," but nothing more cutsie than that. "Penis" is too medical for me. (And to me a cunt is a cunt. "Pussy" just derails me as too juvenile to respect the writing--unless, of course, it's in the dialogue of the type of character who is that young of mind.)

 

[CarlusMagnus]

I like totally agree.

Well,I totally like it.

 

[Over_Red]

Laughed, chuckled, grinned.

What can I say, I have happy stories.

I'll add smiled to that.

When I write I just go with the flow, I don't stop and really lokk back until I;m done.

That's when I see how often I use the same wording then go through the process of replacing the over used words.

he or she nodded is one I'm bad with. Apparently my characters are very agreeable.

You know, I do use those same descriptors a lot, but I don't think it's bad. People smile and laugh and chuckle all the time; conversations between friends are made of flickering smiles and quick laughs that turn off and on like Christmas lights. As long as it's an honest description that captures the moment, I think it's fine.

I definitely overuse "that" though. I seem to plunge into the pitfall of the dreaded double-that all the time. I'm careful to reword whenever I realize it, but breaking a habit is tough.

 

[Kitty]

I like totally agree.

But you would like...totally sound stupid...even like...either way, dude.

 

[green117]

as to the use of "ample"

I'd take issue with that. Context is all, here.




You'd use "sufficient" in its place ?

Well, depends...

Why does the author describe the poor ladies chest in the first place? Is it an erotically required description to give your readers something to hold on to? In that case, use something a bit more descriptive and appreciative - "nice", "sexy", "full", "wonderful", "fascinating"....

Ample means enough, or sufficient, or more than sufficient. So the poor ladies' tits are up to your standards? How good for her...

Ample is rude, hardly erotic, and uninspiring in any case. I suppose you might use the term to indicate that you and the reader are adequately weaned, but I rarely find that claim in erotic fiction, or fiction of any kind.

Pity - now I think I need to do a global search and replace on "ample" to "adequately weaned".

Not sure how that would work.

Green-something

 

[Hypoxia]

Why does the author describe the poor ladies chest in the first place?

Among literary pros it's called "reader service."

And you've raised a zombie thread. Do that too much and you'll get banned.

Meanwhile, anatomies may NEED to be described, if only to distinguish between players. Boobs, butts, dongs, thighs, noses, tongues, body and head hair, feet sometimes -- and some in the audience get off on precise measurements and specifications. "His fingers, signaling his cock size, spanned ten inches from tip to tip, just enough to grasp her grapefruit breast," yada yada.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Do any of you have a word or words that just makes you cringe because it seems to be used over and over and over?

Let me see...

Now that you mention it, I am getting tired of seeing Past Due,

We wish to draw your attention to is another phrase I could well do without.

And then there' Final Notice, which is waaaay overused of late.

And I wouldn't mind not seeing Without Prejudice again for a long while.

 

[mr. robinson]

Sigh.

Guilty. I use it to describe a woman's chest size rather than a cup size.

You could substitute "ampule" with humorous effect.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I realize this is an old old thread but I know I'm guilty over overusing
Really
and
Very

 

[CarlusMagnus]

You could substitute "ampule" with humorous effect.

Too many folks around here already write about "ampule breasts complimented by tiny wastes."

 

[kittybeaver]

I feel like this whole thread is a challenge. I’m going to write a story about the awakening of her very nearly perfect, really ample breasts.

 

[Maeven_quinn]

Sounds are a major turn on for me. But there are only so many verbs for the vocalizations someone makes during sex, so I don't know what to do.

Also the way a cock pops up out of the pants as the man gets undressed: How many verbs are there for that? I feel like I run out.

 

[Kantarii]

"That."

Used far too often, turns good sentences into bad ones so quickly.

I agree..... I go out of my way not to use the word when I write. 90% of the time it’s use in my stories seems like a filler. When I read/edit my stories, I find myself deleting “that” more often than anything else followed by “very” and “really”. What’s funny is I don’t use the word often enough in speech to justify using it in my writing. Kant

 

[Hypoxia]

'The' is a culprit. So is 'is'.

 

[Jada59]

I am sick of hearing "awesome" or worse still, "awesome sauce".

 

[yukonnights]

The one that lights up like a Christmas tree in a word search is always the word 'But'. This is especially true in dialogue: "But you know, it really gets annoying. But the problem is, how to stop being a butt about the word but?"

But, worse than doing this...I often argue my case with the person who beta reads for me. I know, I'm a butt

 

[KeithD]

Most everything that shows up in written dialogue as overused that actually is overused in general speech is being faithful to actual dialogue. This needs to be tempered, of course, but it's legitimate to some extent because it's being authentic.

I cringe every time this thread reappears, though, because "overused" is one word, not two.

 

[yukonnights]

Most everything that shows up in written dialogue as overused that actually is overused in general speech is being faithful to actual dialogue. This needs to be tempered, of course, but it's legitimate to some extent because it's being authentic.

I cringe every time this thread reappears, though, because "overused" is one word, not two.

The bold part is my very argument (and a grand argument if I do say so myself)...the rest is what Miss Beta Reader says...you know, the one who usually wins the argument after more consideration on my part

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

I forgot So
Literally(and that's another overused one for me, more so when I talk) but literally every post I wrote when I was on FB started with So. Now a lot of my Instagram posts do.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

We've tried to clean up our language a little since my grandbaby was born so my 15 year old has come up with
Oh my golly
Oh my donkey
Which if you're really mad or surprised these can be
Oh my golly holes(which we've decided sounds really bad)
Oh my donkey holes(again this probably sounds bad)
I'm sweating a whole donkey over here

And yes we get everyone asking us why we use donkey a lot, and we just don't know.

So now these phrases get way over used in our house.

 

[Emirus]

Not something that I’ve ever come across in a Lit story, it’s usually tv reality shows, the phrase “it’s been a fantastic journey.” You haven’t been on a journey! You’ve been in a tv studio!

Also, and this features in both writing and speech. “Literally.”

 

[Hypoxia]

Besides 'the' (lacking in Slavic languages) I've seen condemnation of Anglish's dependence on the various forms of 'is' -- are, am, were, was, anything that reduces to an '=' equals sign in varied tenses. "Toni is a redhead" clobbers better language like "Toni's cinnamon tresses swung like liquid fire." Rid yourself of the incarnations of 'is'.

'That' can also usually be tossed on the rubbish heap.

 

[Charmolypi]

“Birdbox” is now a verb and holy hell its everywhere now.