WHAT ARE GARBAGE WORDS?
Garbage words are words that clog up your writing, slow it down, and make it confusing or just downright boring. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few: “like”, “that”, and “also”. Some phrases just take up too much space. Why say “in order to” when you can say “to”? (Unless you’re paid by the word, ha ha.)
When I edit my work I take out my list of garbage words and do a search for them, one by one. When I find them I see if I can eliminate or replace them. It always makes my work cleaner!
Garbage words can also be specific to you. I know my work well enough to spot words I use over and over and over and over . . . you know what I mean. I try to cut them, too.
I’m sharing a few of my garbage words here. I hope this helps.
Garbage
words
About
Actually
All
All but
Also
Anyway
But
Even
Exactly
Find oneself
Hit like a train
Huge
In order to
Just
Manage
Next
Now
Probably
Really
Right now
Smooth
Somehow
Stone cold
That
Then
Thick
Thing
Very
Waiting
Wonder
Wonderment
Sort of
Little
Quick
