We All Do It

We overuse simple words.  In conversations with others, it doesn't matter.  Spoken words are fleeting and unless a word is repeated often, no one remembers you used the same one five minutes ago.  Not so with writing (unless you're writing dialogue where you can be more repetitive if it suits the character).

Words I  cut from the first draft of this opening paragraph:

just
about
really
that
very
get away with

The first draft read:

Just about everyone overuses simple words.  In conversations with others, it really doesn't matter.  Spoken words are fleeting and unless a word is repeated often, no one remembers that you used the very same one five minutes ago.  Not so with writing (unless you are writing dialogue where you can get away with more repetition if it suits the character).

Other overused words are:

well
but
then
so
nice

If you're writing fiction, the following often creep into your writing.

suddenly
beautiful
big
pretty
looks like
little

We all have favourite words which we overuse.  I once used the word 'roil' three times in one chapter.  My husband decided it had to go.  A good editor will help your writing flow but you should be aware of these words as you work on your second draft (and yes, every piece of writing should be read and corrected).

A good way to check the necessity of a word is to read the sentence and omit it.  Does that change the meaning?  If not, the offending word can go.