This is nothing more than a style choice. What are your thoughts on filter words? How do you keep them out of your writing?
Example: “ Hear” will highlight all “ Hear” including the “ Hear” part of “ Heard”, so you don’t have to go back and do “Heard”. Keep in mind, that you SHOULD NOT highlight words within words. Setting this up is a little time consuming, but worth it in the long run. When you’re all done, select your entire document and remove the highlighting.Now when you do your final read through, the highlighted words will remind you they need attention. Click “More” then “Format” then “Highlight.”.In the “Replace with:” box, type in the same exact word.In the “Find what:” box, type your first filter word.Still on the “Home” tab, click “Replace”.Select what color you’d like your filter words changed to using the “Text Highlight Color” button on the “Home” tab.This trick only works in Microsoft Word, but I’m sure other programs have something similar. (Along with removal of my personal list of overused words including: really, very, that, just, then, totally, completely, back, finally, little, definitely, certainly, probably, start, begin, began, begun, rather, quite, somewhat, somehow, smile, said, breathe breath, inhale, exhale, shrug, nod, reach.) Here’s my super-special trick: I don’t worry abut them until the end-removal of filter words is on my final editing checklist. When you have a novel-length manuscript, removing them can be a daunting task. So, as I become a more “experienced” writer, I’m more aware of these and write less and less of them into my story, but many times, I get captivated by my characters and end up writing a pile of filter words. Sometimes, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate a filter word, and I end up leaving them in. See how the changes make the reader closer to the action almost a part of it. Before: He watched her dance in the rain.Before: She felt the tingle of electricity flow up her arm.Before: He wondered where Ava had gone.Here’s an example of some changes I recently made: Here’s my master list of filter words I try not to use when writing: They separate the reader from the action and emotion.Perhaps other (new-ish) writers don’t know about them either? Knowledge is half the battle, right? In this blog, I’m sharing a list of them, and my super-special trick to help remove them from my writing.ĭefinition of a filter word (per Pub(lishing) Crawl): “Filters are words or phrases you tack onto the start of a sentence that show the world as it is filtered through the main character’s eyes.” When I learned about these little attention detractors this past fall, it opened my eyes. This is an alternating POV novel (3rd person) and my filter words are OUT OF CONTROL! As I’m working through the last edits for BLOOD & HOLY WATER, I am feverishly cutting out filter words.