Go one week without writing:
- Very
- Rather
- Really
- Quite
- In fact
- Actually
- Just (in the merely sense)
- Of course
- So (in the very sense)
- Pretty
I got the above from Benjamin Dreyer’s delightful book, ‘Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style’. Dreyer has been a copyeditor for 30 years, and is currently copy chief at Random House; so he knows a thing or two about writing.
The above advice is powerful, and if put into practise, will see results.
Dreyer also provides two clarifications:
- When you speak, you can still use these words. It’s hard to function as a human without them. Otherwise, people may think you’re a robot, or something.
- Don’t let the rule stop your flow. If you write with the rule at the forefront of your mind, you may find it hard to get anything down. So write your first draft with any words that feel natural, and then go back and remove the above words from your prose.
Finally, the rule applies to all types of writing. Yes, even emails and text messages. Every sentence is an opportunity to get better.