When I lived in Provo I went to a Storytellers' Conference at the beautiful Provo Library. (Man, how I miss that place. But I get to see it next month when I go to LDStorymakers-Woo-hoo. Do you think my library card still works after 4 years?)
Nancy E. Turner was the keynote speaker and she was so cute and fun.
She just had so many stories and just her smile made just about everyone in the entire room just light up. She just had to tell us how her editor just had to make her cut out every single just in THESE IS MY WORDS and how it cut the WC in half. (If you haven't read THESE IS MY WORDS, I highly recommend it. I'm a rereader, so I recommend it even to anyone who's already read it:)
Just is one of those pesky adverbs we writers just can't help trying and failing to avoid. (Me especially. Apologies to all writers who even in the first draft are trained to just avoid just). Until I get that cool, I will continue to use the find function in Word and delete just about every single one.So, how about you? Do you just find yourself dropping just all the time like it's the new like, or the awesome from the early '90's when I was in Middle School?
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| Forgive me if you're appalled, but this Nike parody reminded me of my travels in Egypt and I got the giggles. So, I just had to share it with you. |
Tomorrow we have our second guess post from Janeal Falor. She's a writing, homeschooling mama like myself. I'm so excited. You're just going to love her.
I always do a search for my justs. It was the first word I realized I was overusing. I'm better at not using it, catch it sometimes when I write, but I still have to go through and delete a bunch.
ReplyDeleteThe word Just and That are my to search words. I try to avoid them if possible.
ReplyDeleteDani @ Entertaining Interests
#warriorminion
I'm guilty of using just all the time, and like you I have to use the find feature and delete most of them later. Just is just too easy to slip into a sentence.
ReplyDeleteI'm bouncing around A-Z, even though I'm not participating. I'm enjoying everyone's posts.
I'm terrible at overusing the word just. But I'm aware of it and try my hardest to stop it.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, did you see my FB post last night? This came right at the perfect time ;)
ReplyDeleteEditing and I just can't stop using the word "just". It just pops up every time I start writing and just can't help it. I wonder if anyone will notice, or if I should just do a search and find and just delete them all.
It's totally like the last manuscript when I totally used the word "totally" all the time! I just don't understand why I totally can't seem to control all my overused words. I wonder if anyone will notice, or if it'll be totally obvious and I should just have it as a theme in my manuscripts. Find the overused word and you win a free chocolate bar!
I missed that post. Now I need to find it.
DeleteI do a search for all my overused words (if only JUST were my only one). I would go for a free chocolate bar for each overused word-excellent idea.
Ha! This made me think of Cassie's post on FB too. Yes, I am so guilty of over using this one.
ReplyDeleteGah-I'm so guilty of overusing the word JUST!
ReplyDeleteYes! I use just too much as well. Also, thanks for reminding me of THESE IS MY WORDS. I LOVE that book, and am definitely not above rereading it.
ReplyDeleteI let "just" run loose in my blog posts when it wants to, but I don't tend to use it much when I'm working on my "real writing."
ReplyDeletelol.... it's so hard not to use "just." It's just so much fun! I think cuz we use it in dialog so much, it naturally comes out in our writing. Guess we just have to be careful. ;)
ReplyDeletelol- great pic! Just is one of those sneaky ones. And every time I think I've got it, it turns around and bites me again.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from the Challenge. I'm just terrible about using just. I just can't help it.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely guilty of using just....just a little too often! :)
ReplyDelete