Editing III

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(What do Mormons Believe:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Articles of Faith
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

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I found a few more over-used words that I'm adding to my list.

all
suddenly
felt
realized
managed
was
were
is
have
-ly words
now
somehow
something
thing
start
quite
always
appeared
now
almost

I went through the previous list and did a global search for the words. Where I could, I either changed the word to something more descriptive, or in many cases simply eliminated it, or the phrase in which it was contained. I didn't eliminate all those words. Some were properly used.

I've found this to be a very rewarding experience. I had been relying on my critique group, The Writers Pen at the Authors by Design website, but by going through this, I think my books now read much smoother. It's tightened up my prose immensely.

Give it a try. It takes some time, but not as much as waiting for your critique group to catch them, and it's much more efficient, considering your critters are likely to miss most of them.
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About Paul West

Paul West is a freelance writer and novelist. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Paul claims to be a "Prune Picker," though he now makes his home in Taylorsville, Utah.

You can follower him on Twitter: @PaulWWest

Published: Thursday, January 03, 2008

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