How to rewrite with more impact

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell

Switch out those inactive words with power words.

Hit your reader straight on and leave them in awe.

K.M. Allan tells us to check this list against our writing and replace with active words. And you all know, I do love lists.

The Active Word Checklist by K.M. Allan

I am guilty of peppering my writing with many of these words. Especially “could, had, thought and maybe.” Maybe is my big crutch word. 

Thank goodness for the find and replace feature. Using find & replace with this list as a starting point will tighten my writing a lot.

Tell me what you think.

Which words do you overuse?

Will removing words on this list help you?

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9 thoughts on “How to rewrite with more impact”

  1. I didn’t agree with the last example: “Active: When her gaze crossed the entrance, someone was standing in the middle of the two trees.” It’s two separate clauses that don’t have anything to connect to one another. However, if the words “she saw” [or something similar] was put in there, it would work.

    Other than that, I agreed completely with the post.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Hi Jean,
    I write without worrying about word usage, etc. I have a list of words and phrases I overuse or should not use. I then go through the chapter and do a search and replace with my editing. Thanks for the post and the reminder.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Thanks, Jean 😊. I hope the list helps you out. The words I repeat the most are “Though” and “That”. Hard habits to break but I’m getting there one find and replace search at a time 😅.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I have a notorious habit of using the two of them instead of they. Although sometimes if you are referring to a scene where there are more than two people it can come in handy because it can make who you are referring to more specific.

    Liked by 2 people

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