Of course I....

[lovecraft68]

Of course he felt that...

Of course, she could always...

Of course if he had been ...

Of course, of course, of course(cue in the classic Marcia Marcia Marcia Brady bunch line) I keep using that expression, beat it like a dead horse.

When I'm in flow it just keeps coming out and I either just let it, or really don't realize I'm doing it.

Then I edit and there it is again and again and again.

Anyone else go through this with over used "comfort words"?

 

[EverLux]

I was just saying to someone else that I use "right now" about ten times per page.
I write in present tense; "right now" is kinda superfluous.

 

[NotWise]

Anyone else go through this with over used "comfort words"?

I think we all do. That's how those phrases become overused.

And there are other useless phrases. I just had an editorial tiff with my employer over his use of "A substantial number', which is just a way of saying "Many" or "Lots."

 

[TxRad]

I think we all do. That's how those phrases become overused.

And there are other useless phrases. I just had an editorial tiff with my employer over his use of "A substantial number', which is just a way of saying "Many" or "Lots."

Isn't 'A substantial number' cover your ass speak for I know it's more than one but I don't actually have the facts to back it up.

 

[sr71plt]

"though"

 

[EverLux]

And there are other useless phrases. I just had an editorial tiff with my employer over his use of "A substantial number', which is just a way of saying "Many" or "Lots."

An ex-coworker of mine, instead of saying, "How can I help you?" would say, "How can I service you?"

Oh, the sexy, sexy connotations.

 

[EverLux]

Isn't 'A substantial number' cover your ass speak for I know it's more than one but I don't actually have the facts to back it up.

Nothing wrong with that!
I did the very same thing with "several" in a work email today.

 

[sr71plt]

An ex-coworker of mine, instead of saying, "How can I help you?" would say, "How can I service you?"

Oh, the sexy, sexy connotations.

I try to use the "service" word every once in a while--and do a little shiver when I do.

 

[lovecraft68]

So here's a part two question, whatever your over used word/expression is do you use it in real life, or is it limited to your writing.

I rarely say "of course" in actual conversation, but my characters are obsessed with it.

I say I mean all the time "I mean who would do that etc...and at one point it was all over my writing, but I broke that habit and of course took its place

 

[EverLux]

"though"

Oh, yes. That one gets chopped off many a sentence during editing.

 

[EverLux]

So here's a part two question, whatever your over used word/expression is do you use it in real life, or is it limited to your writing.

I rarely say "of course" in actual conversation, but my characters are obsessed with it.

I say I mean all the time "I mean who would do that etc...and at one point it was all over my writing, but I broke that habit and of course took its place

Seriously.

I use it a lot at the beginnings of sentences when I'm speaking. When writing, it's usually tucked somewhere in the middle.

 

[lovecraft68]

Seriously.

I use it a lot at the beginnings of sentences when I'm speaking. When writing, it's usually tucked somewhere in the middle.

We could combine them.

I mean seriously, who would do that?

 

[EverLux]

We could combine them.

I mean seriously, who would do that?

It's a word-match made in heaven.

 

[lovecraft68]

It's a word-match made in heaven.

Of course it is.

 

[NotWise]

I try to avoid repeated words and patterns in my writing. In speech I'd need to listen to recordings of myself to tell; those words and patterns slip through without registering in my mind.

 

[lovecraft68]

I try to avoid repeated words and patterns in my writing. In speech I'd need to listen to recordings of myself to tell; those words and patterns slip through without registering in my mind.

My wife is in toastmasters, she's achieved their highest designation, competed nationally etc...

So she's a pro at telling people if they're over using words or have other bad habits when it comes to speaking.

She also, when home, cannot go two sentences without using the word 'actually"

 

[Kantarii]

I have read stories and heard people over use the words "you know?" to the point I am sick of hearing those two fucking words combined. If I knew, I wouldn't be asking.Kant

 

[EverLux]

Currently editing a 6k word story, I couldn't remember if I'd used "immediately" more than once or twice, so I did a search for it.

Seven...
Seven times.

I think I can officially add that one to my list.

 

[sr71plt]

I think I've been mostly cured of "suddenly."

 

[lovecraft68]

I think I've been mostly cured of "suddenly."

Suddenly was one that for some reason the person who edited one of my horror novels kept sticking in, but I kept rejecting the change, for whatever reason it just doesn't fit right in most instances.

I'm with Everlux in being too fond of immediately if I'm not careful.

 

[Jay321]

Of course it is.

I see what you did there.

 

[OliviaM]

Suddenly was one that for some reason the person who edited one of my horror novels kept sticking in, but I kept rejecting the change, for whatever reason it just doesn't fit right in most instances.

I'm with Everlux in being too fond of immediately if I'm not careful.

I tend to overuse both "suddenly" and "immediately". Things are happening right now and it's so exciting! Gosh! When I get ready to edit, I should just ctrl-f for "ly" and start chopping.

 

[SecondCircle]

I find that when I type "suddenly" I usually have a miniature debate with myself on whether to delete it or not. And it's not because it's used way too much, but ironically because when I have something in a story that happens "suddenly", the actual word itself seems to interupt the suddeness of whatever is happening. Very odd.

So I wind up going back and forth with things like:

"Suddenly, John turned around on his heels."

(Delete it. Doesn't seem fast and makes little sense.)

"Suddenly, John spun around."

(Like, in Circles? Chicken dance? The comma denotes a pause. Should your reader pause after suddenly?)

"Suddenly John spun to face the beast behind him."

(Hmph. Better. Now it looks wierd though. But why not just have him do it real 'sudden' like?)

"John whirled around. He saw a flash of fangs. The putrid breath hit him. It was too late."

(Sigh. Yeah, fuck it. Use whichever one you want. They're all wrong and right.)

And then those couple of seconds pass, and I realize "flash of fangs" is a cool song lyric. Spends night fretting the guitar and gets no writing done.

 

[sr71plt]

I have the same dilemma. I was told to always delete it. But I find that sometimes it's what fits the best, so that's just another "rule" I don't religiously follow.

 

[SecondCircle]

I'm not so sure I like very many of the "rules" of writing outside of the barebones technical stuff like grammar and punctuation.

And even those I break on a regular basis.