Hey kids, wanna write like a writer? I found this last night and am passing it along for your use. Here are some adjectives you can use to eliminate the use of ‘very’ in your writing:
Why does it matter? The English language is a beautiful smorgasbord, a mine of gems to be mined to describe the gestalt of the your story. Why waste your time (and ours) with lazy writing? Sometimes your work needs to be grandiloquent, other times it may be spartan. In any case, make use of language to take us to another place. That, after all, is why we’re reading you.
Need another reason? Take it from Robin William’s character in ‘Dead Poet’s Society:’
“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.”
Need more reasons? Here’s a blog post, which includes a helpful infographic on more ways to avoid the word ‘very’:
Yes, if you’re going to write, write like a writer. Twenty-six letters, 171,000 words – the English language is a beautiful place to explore and experience. Make your writing a grand adventure!