words you hate?

[luckyscars]

The apostrophe is NEVER used to pluralize.

Not technically true. Apostrophes are used to pluralize irregular nouns and numbers.

I’m tired of all his maybe’s.

This reminds me of something from the '90's.

[Aquilo]

GAAAWWWDDAMMIT, woman! Why'd you have to pick such a specific word to hate? Now, I'm combing through the dang thesaurus and picking my brain to find other words for this oddly specific noise. Dreading going through all 40-some sex scenes to prune out those *gasps* (and I know I don't use it terribly often, but just knowing how much you hate that word makes me really want to excise it completely). Glad Word's got a find 7 replace function... 'cause I'm gonna need it eventually.

I mean, if you'd hated some vague word like "nice," it'd be easy to find alternative routes to get where I needed to go, but *gasp*? Yikes.

Oh lol!!! Sorry. I just see it sooooooo many, many, many -- many times. It can become an escape from really pushing the scene, where 'gasp' pushes the reader out of the moment. E.g.,

Jessie traced the soft curve of her throat, and Sue gasped, having missed his touch.

v

Jessie traced the soft curve of her throat, and Sue jolted before naturally brushing her cheek against the back of his hand. Neither spoke, their 'yeah, missed you too there, baby' a shared silent conspiracy between his slow, drawn-out smile and her long, now-calmer exhale.

I just think 'gasp' can be given a lot more context and feeling, by... keeping with the action. It's a personal pet peeve, though!!! I'd only be right to recommend a rewrite in edits if it was used too often. Although I don't use it myself, lol.

I really hate 'gasp' too, for something that actually occurs so rarely in real life (how many times do people actually 'gasp'?) its used a crazy amount in writing. I always think it's lazy.

Ditto!

He felt his penis vomit.

[SueC]

I really hate 'gasp' too, for something that actually occurs so rarely in real life (how many times do people actually 'gasp'?) its used a crazy amount in writing. I always think it's lazy.

Driving the car, my children used to tell me they could hear me gasp every time they turned a corner, approached a red light, stopped for a pedestrian, or turned up the radio. Actually, I think they turned up the radio to drown out my gasping, which apparently I am still doing. If they were to write about their experiences driving with mom in the passenger seat, I'm pretty sure the word "gasp," or "gasping," would appear aplenty. I am in denial. LOL.

[Arrakis]

The s-word. Not "shit", the extremely clichéd 5-letter word that begins with "s" and ends with "r". It just makes me cringe. Seriously, be creative.

[luckyscars]

Jessie traced the soft curve of her throat

Mm yeah, I forgot about the Famous Soft Curves...

Bit weird, isn't it? What is a soft curve, exactly? Is it it reference to the skin of the curve being soft? The shape of it being soft - as in, not a sharp curve? Some kind of appeal to femininity? Or are we calling her a bit flabby?

Who knows. Buggered if I do. And yet every Jezebel in literature apparently has these soft curves.

[Olly Buckle]

Mm yeah, I forgot about the Famous Soft Curves...

Bit weird, isn't it? What is a soft curve, exactly? Is it it reference to the skin of the curve being soft? The shape of it being soft - as in, not a sharp curve? Some kind of appeal to femininity? Or are we calling her a bit flabby?

Who knows. Buggered if I do. And yet every Jezebel in literature apparently has these soft curves.

Look up 'Rubens' mate; no sharp curves, all soft, as in 'voluptuous'. Take your point though.

[Umree]

The s-word. Not "shit", the extremely clichéd 5-letter word that begins with "s" and ends with "r". It just makes me cringe. Seriously, be creative.

Right? Pfft... "sugar" --like is it fructose or sucrose? Be specific​, you guys.

[seigfried007]

Look up 'Rubens' mate; no sharp curves, all soft, as in 'voluptuous'. Take your point though.

"Rubenesque" will get him the images he's looking for. "Reubens" might just get him sandwiches. Spelling's everything

[Aquilo]

Mm yeah, I forgot about the Famous Soft Curves...

Bit weird, isn't it? What is a soft curve, exactly? Is it it reference to the skin of the curve being soft? The shape of it being soft - as in, not a sharp curve? Some kind of appeal to femininity? Or are we calling her a bit flabby?

Who knows. Buggered if I do. And yet every Jezebel in literature apparently has these soft curves.

In the end, it's all referential material, dear Sherlock. : what readers are most familiar with in their day-to-day lives. I see it as soft skin, because hard/rigid angles of a curve wouldn't really register as first choice (meh, maths... never was a strong point, okay I failed miserably), nor would it being flabby register before skin either. E.g., Say he kicked the chair, most will think he kicked what you sit on, then they'd probably opt for him kicking someone in charge of a meeting. But ambiguity... it's there with soft curves, most definitely....

[luckyscars]

"Rubenesque" will get him the images he's looking for. "Reubens" might just get him sandwiches. Spelling's everything