Credit: Reference for Writers on Tumblr  ((filled with useful stuff)). Originally by Chuck Palahniuk.

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As always, Orwell’s final rule applies: “Break any of these rules before saying anything barbarous.” There are instances where each of these words fills a valuable role. However, especially among inexperienced writers, these words are frequently molested and almost always gum up the works.

1. “Suddenly”

“Sudden” means quickly and without warning, but using the word “suddenly” both slows down the action and warns your reader. Do you know what’s more effective for creating the sense of the sudden? Just saying what happens.

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I pay attention to every motion, every movement, my eyes locked on them.
Suddenly, The gun goes off.

When using “suddenly,” you communicate through the narrator that the action seemed sudden. By jumping directly into the action, you allow the reader to experience that suddenness first hand. “Suddenly” also suffers from being nondescript, failing to communicate the nature of the action itself; providing no sensory experience or concrete fact to hold on to. Just … suddenly.

Feel free to employ “suddenly” in situations where the suddenness is not apparent in the action itself. For example, in “Suddenly, I don’t hate you anymore,” the “suddenly” substantially changes the way we think about the shift in emotional calibration.

2. “Then”


“Then” points vaguely to the existing timeline and says, “It was after that last thing I talked about.” But the new action taking place in a subsequent sentence or sentence part implies that much already. You can almost always eliminate your thens without disrupting meaning or flow.

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I woke up. Then I, brushed my teeth. Then I, combed my hair. Then I , and went to work.

“Then” should be used as a clarifying agent, to communicate that two seemingly concurrent actions are happening in sequence. For example, “I drove to the supermarket. Then I realized I didn’t need to buy anything.” Without the “then,” it would be easy to mistake this as pre-existing knowledge or as a realization that happened during the drive itself. “Then” can occasionally be useful for sentence flow, but keep the use of the word to a minimum.

3. “In order to”

You almost never need the phrase “in order to” to express a point. The only situation where it’s appropriate to use this phrase is when using “to” alone would create ambiguity or confusion.

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I’m giving you the antidote in order to save you

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And after ten minutes of brainstorming for an example of a proper time to use “in order to,” I haven’t been able to come up with anything. Legitimate uses of “in order to” are just that few and far between.

4. “Very” and “Really”

Words are self-contained descriptors, and saying, “Think of tasty. Now think of more tasty” doesn’t help readers develop a better sense of the meal or person you’re describing.

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Her breath was very cold chill as ice against my neck .

Mark Twain suggested that writers could “substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” Another strategy is to find a more powerful version of the same idea or give concrete details. To say “It was very/really/damn hot” does little, but saying “It was scorching” helps. Even better?: “The air rippled like desert sky as my body crisped into a reddened, dried-out husk.”

5. “Is”

Is, am, are, was, or were—whatever form your “is” takes, it’s likely useless. When’s the last time you and your friends just “was’d” for a while? Have you ever said, “Hey, guys, I can’t—I’m busy am-ing”?

The “is” verbs are connecting terms that stand between your readers and the actual description. This is especially true when it comes to the “is” + “ing” verb pair. Any time you use “is,” you’re telling the reader that the subject is in a state of being. Using an “ing” verb tells the audience the verb is in process. By using “is verbing,” you’re telling your audience that the subject is in the state of being of being in the process of doing something.

Take this example:

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I was sprinting sprinted toward the doorway.

If the description is actually about a state of being—”they are  angry,” “are evil,” or “are dead”—then isit up. But don’t gunk up your verbs with unnecessary is, am, or was-ing.

6. “Started”

Any action a person takes is started, continued, and finished. All three of these can be expressed by the root form of the verb. For example, “I jumped.” The reader who stops in frustration, saying, “But when did the jump start? When did it finish?” has problems well beyond the scope of the content they’re reading.

If you’ve been doing yoga for six years, you could reasonably say, “I started doing yoga six years ago.” For you, yoga is an ongoing action with a concrete starting point. But when describing action in a story, there are few circumstances where “start” is effective.

Let’s take this case and look at the potential fixes:

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He started screaming.

Is it a single scream? Use “He screamed.” Are you telling us his screams will be background noise for a while? Rather than clueing us in unnecessarily, show us the series of screams first-hand. Do you want to introduce a changed state, such as escalating from loud speaking into screaming? Show us the decibels, the gruffness of voice, the way the air feels to the person he’s screaming at, and the hot dryness in the screamer’s throat as his volume crescendos.

7. “That”

“That” is a useful word for adding clarity, but like Bibles on the bedstands of seedy motel rooms, the word’s presence is often out of place.

When “that” is employed to add a description, you can almost always move the description to before the term and make a more powerful image.

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Ireland was nothing but flowing green hills that flowed green

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In many other cases, “that” can simply be dropped or replaced with a more descriptive term.

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I was drunk the night that your father and I met.

Many other uses of “that,” such as “I wish I wasn’t that ugly”, can be enhanced with more descriptive language.

8. “Like”

I’m not just saying that, like, you shouldn’t, like, talk like a valley girl (though that too). Here’s the problem: “Like” is used to show uncertainty. And you. Should. Not. Be. Uncertain.

Be bold. When making a comparison, use force. Use metaphor over simile. Don’t let yourself cop out by coming up with a halfway description.

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My eyes rested on the gun for a sliver of a moment. I snapped forward, grabbed it, and it was like the chill metal flowed from the gun into my veins.

I was trying to find a place to put this without starting a new thread. Well, I guess it sort of fits here. This is an example of how actions speak louder then words. Look at how a whole conversation took place without the characters verbally speaking English. The reader knows what happened, roughly, even if the reader doesn't speak 'Ape.' The conversation is between two apes from a Ranma 1/2 fanfiction called Nabiki 1/2 by Jim Bader.

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The new arrival took a swig from his glass then casually glanced at Mousse and said, "Ook."

"Ook," Mousse replied, just to be social.

The two silently took stock of one another, then the older stranger looked forward, leaning his weight against the bar on both elbows and said very somberly, "Ook oook."

That caused Mousse to raise an eyebrow and respond with a challenging, "Ook?"

The old-timer raised a finger as if to reprimand Mousse for his attitude and replied, "Ook oook, ook oook ook."

"Ook ook?" Mousse replied, then he reflexively lowered his eyes and said an apologetic, "Ook."

"Ook," the older fellow responded, then with a sage tone to his voice he said a very solemn, "Oook."

"Ook," Mousse stared forward across the bar, feigning disinterest.

"Oook, ook," the old timer said with a wry sparkle in his aged eyes and a tone of subtle amusement.

Mousse visibly winced at that and could only say, "Ook," in response to that observation.

"Ook," the old timer said sagely, staring off into space as he sighed with a somber, "Oook...ook oook ook, ook-ook. Oook ook oook?"

That brought a thoughtful look to Mousse as he responded curiously, "Ook?"

"Ook," the older fellow said firmly, "Oook ook ook. Oook ook?"

"Oook," Mousse said reluctantly, "Ook ook oook..."

"Ook," the other fellow shook his head in a negative manner, "Oook ook ooook, ook ook."

That took Mousse totally by surprise, "Oook? Ook oook?"

"Ook," the sage fellow replied, putting a curious sense of great wisdom and depth in his tone and expression that conveyed all sorts of curious meanings. To strengthen the point he raised and wiggled his eyebrows in a particularly suggestive manner, then unfolded his lower lip to convey a clear indication of what direction Mousse should take in his life. The look he then gave the younger...um...man...held the rest of his implied meaning, and it started Mousse to think in an entirely new level. Like an exploding epiphany bursting forth in the clarity of new thought, it all suddenly became clear to him, as if the truth had been standing before him all along waiting to be noticed.

"Oook," Mousse exhaled, amazed at the very simplicity of the suggestion, and to that he turned to the old-timer and said a very reverent and grateful, "Ook."

"Ook," the other fellow said dismissively, and waved a hand as if to ask, "What the heck are you still doing here, Boy? Get moving!"

"Ook," Mousse replied, and after plopping some money on the counter took off with a loping stride and the rapid beat of his knuckles.

If you want a good example of something written entirely in a Passive Voice, go read a few pages of Twilight. Stephanie Meyer is extremely consistent in using Passive Voice in her writing.

Here's a good quote that I pulled from google:

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My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop.