In a post on Author, an online publication dedicated to the creative writing process, writers are warned against “zombie” words. These are words most writers use at some point, perhaps not realizing just how often. We will refer to “zombie” words as “dead words” to make this post less terrifying, lol. No matter what you call them, if you’re excessively using words like “had, it, that or was” in your stories, you should stop.
If omitting dead words seems nearly impossible, chances are you’ve been using them quite a bit. Writers often develop habits of which they are unaware. Since the dead words mentioned at the start of this post seem so common and “usual,” many writers might not realize how saturated their work is with them.
Examples of dead words with revisions
Consider the following sentence and ask yourself whether you’d write something similar: “It was time to leave because most of the guests had already gone.” The sentence might seem innocuous at first glance. Let’s take another look at a revised version, omitting the three dead words, “it, was and had.”
“The time to depart drew near.” No dead words here; yet the sentence remains coherent. If the writer wants to highlight the fact that the other guests were already gone, the sentence could read: “With most of the guests already gone, the time to depart drew near.”
The list is longer than you think
The phrase “dead words” refers to words that writers “use to death,” meaning they repeat them ad nauseum. While we’ve mentioned several of the most common in this post, there are many more, which you can find listed on this page. You’ll notice that some of the words are not, in fact, single words but phrases, such as “a clean slate,” which typically means to start fresh.
A thesaurus can be your best friend when you’re at a loss for alternate wording and are trying to avoid dead words. If you visit the page linked in the previous section, you’ll notice that some words are not replaced with alternatives. Instead, you’re better off omitting them entirely, without replacements.
This is where editors come in handy
When you’re hoping to publish a novel, an experienced editor can help you spot dead words in your writing and recommend revisions. If your goal is to help your story achieve its full potential, constructive criticism and effective feedback are keys to success.
