Pats

I am just finding that all of my writings of late are just thouroughly haunted by the word: "just." (bet you wouldn't have guessed )

I don't worry about prose too much on my first draft. I find that I don't always catch all the unnecessary, repetative "just's" even on my first read through. A lot of times, I have to give it at least a day before being able to re-read and catch them.

<---just plauged by just!

Have any of you had similar experiences?

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"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."
---Edmund Burke

Anidazen

I don't have any similar problems with the word 'just', I am, however, prone to breaking up sentences with 'however'.

That's in writing, but I guess it's ok to an extent. Depends on the type of writing. If I get a column (my aim) then it could be seen as a little trademark thing, and I'm a fan of linguistic trademarks that make something indentifyably your own. In a novel, however, or any form of book, these little idiomatic tendancies need to be removed.

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http://www.samsmith.co.uk - My attempts at light humour columns.

americanwriter

I've been "had" about up to here! "He had this. He had that." I've just about had it myself.

Whew. Glad I got that off my chest. However, there are over 650,000 words in the English language and isn't it a wonderful thing. Can you imagine if there were only a dozen or so and we have to make stories from them? How boring would that be?

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To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive -- Robert Louis Stevenson

http://oneamericanlife.blogspot.com

Pats

That would just be really boring...

__________________
"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."
---Edmund Burke

Capulet

"Puma"

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It's not opression when you are protecting the voice of the majority.

-Shawn

Muffin Man

In the last few days, all of my characters have sounded like scientists.

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"Me and Mike, ve vork in mine,
Holy shit, ve have good time.
Vunce a veek ve get our pay,
Holy shit, no vork next day."

- Kurt Vonnegut
- Slaughterhouse-Five

Pats

Apparently somewhat of my writings are also overly plauged by "somewhat." :s

__________________
"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."
---Edmund Burke

eMBeR Chan

"and" too many ands!

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Yesterday, there was so many things I was never shown
Suddenly this time I found I'm on the streets and I'm all alone
'Cause yesterday's got nothin' for me
Old pictures that I'll always see
Time just fades the pages In my book of memories

Ralizah

I use" thus" quite frequently.

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Thoughts: Philosophy is the basis of human morality and thus it is also the basis of human life; loving life is a result of applying a healthy philosophy.

americanwriter

Muffin Man,

Scientists are sexy, didn't you know that? You've probably got a best seller in your computer and didn't even know it.

__________________
To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive -- Robert Louis Stevenson

http://oneamericanlife.blogspot.com

lisajane

I'm stuck with the words 'apparently' and 'generally'.

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'Beauty stands and waits with gravity to start her death-defying leap. And he, a little charleychaplin man, who may or may not catch her fair eternal form spreadeagled in the empty air of existence.' - Laurence Felinghetti, 'The Acrobat'

LiberalDem

For me it's "something" and "maybe".

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"I am a work in progress dressed in the fabric of a world unfolding offering me intricate patterns of questions rhythms that never come clean and strengths that you still haven't seen." Ani DiFranco (The Slant)

NoWorries

Anyways, However, Although, Usually

They have no literary merit, yet they make up at least 10% of every story I write... lol

Pats

Definately, probably, could be, sort of..... these indecisives are plauging my current work. Thankfully, a writer with a sharp eye pointed that out to me

__________________
"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."
---Edmund Burke

Winterman

I always like to use "simply" for some odd reason.