Filter Words by Janice Seagraves

I've worked with editors for many years and these are the Filter Words editors warn me about overusing.

Filter words tell your reader what you want them to notice. That's not nice. Your readers are intelligent, so all you just need to describe what is going on. 

Part of this list my editor gave me. Filter Words to avoid, or at least not use very often.

Words like thought, realized, saw, watched, pondered, noticed. 

Think of your character as your camera and microphone. What they see, hear, and feel so what you describe with without using the words see, hear, or feel. Make sense?

Trust your readers to 'get it'.

They lean toward is telling not showing. Was and were should be used less often too so they pop when they are used. 

Also turned is often overused.

I would also recommend not overusing names: like Vlad, Drac,Thor (these are done to death in paranormals IMHO), and also no Heather's, Justin's, Lindsey's, Jessica's, or Ashley's, Kate, Cait, Katie, Cat, any variation of Katherine/Caitlyln, Jacob, Jake, Jack. 

Just no.

This is my opinion only. Please take it with a grain or two of salt.

And before I leave, here is a link to my latest release:

In Regency England, Lord Godfrey negotiates for a wife, when Meredith, the weather witch, storms in she provides Godfrey with interesting possibilities, but will she embrace a chance to let go of her past and find happiness for her future?

https://www.amazon.com/Weather-Witch-Janice-Seagraves-ebook/dp/B0B17MF7ZR/

 

Conflict: What's Your Problem?

 Life causes a great deal of conflict. Some are life and death situations and others are only important to ourselves. Conflict leads to growth or experience and no novel is complete without it. So, what is conflict? Debra Dixon states, “Conflict is the why not.”

Know Thy Conflict

Conflict is the reason why your character can’t have what they want. In your novel, you, the author, must know and define what your character’s conflict is.  By knowing the character’s conflict you know what is at stake for your character. Your character must face the obstacle preventing him from attaining his goal.

Bump In The Night, Day, and Everywhere in Between

Your character’s GMC must bump, bang, and crash into each other. As these three letters are explored in your work, your character must be tested and with each test, your character will grow, develop and reach the goal most desired. These conflicting forces of your character’s GMC will make the character see if they truly wish for what they desire. This makes the character look deep within themselves and that’s internal conflict.

All in the Inside

Internal conflict is what stops our characters from learning their life lesson. Your character may have one goal he admits to the others such as Lord Bridgerton announcing that he will marry. But his internal conflict—the belief that he will die young like his father—stops him from pursuing the woman he loves. 

Internal conflict is the emotional turmoil that causes us and our characters' problems. It also stops the character from learning the life lesson. And for a satisfying end, the character must learn their life lesson.

War Games

Now you have to put it all into practice. In Goal, Motivation and Conflict, Dixon writes, “lay a foundation for conflict, create believable goals, motivate the characters, and nurture the conflict to the inevitable crisis or climax.”