List of taboo writing words

Meep wrote:

Snoink wrote:The word "ejaculated" should never be used to indicate dialogue. Ever.

<immature> *ROFL* </immature>

*ahem*

I'd have to second that, actually. If only because I would snicker like a thirteen year old boy every time I saw it.

I thought of a word that I can't stand, though: "orbs," when used as a, er, poetic alternative to saying "eyes."

Ughh, I no what you mean, I HATE when people use orbs instead of eyes, It's meant to be poetic, but it ends up sounding childish

Galatea:

"Any descriptive ending in -ly should be removed from your writing immediateLY."

"(...I highLY recommend it to everyone.)"

Sorry, I find that quite funny :p But I agree that too many adverbs are dreadful.



I think... Words that I find irritating would be words like 'about', 'around', 'almost', it gives me the impression that the writer can't make up their mind.

Really

That is one of the most annoying word I've ever seen.

I can't think of any others at the moment...

'then'

You know a persons got writers block when they said the word 'then' repeatedly

Don't use phrases like:
-It was blacker than night
-Her eyes were as blue as the sky
-When in Rome...
-When life gives you lemons, make lemons

*barfs*

Snoink wrote:The word "ejaculated" should never be used to indicate dialogue. Ever.

I think I'm going to second Snoink. Reading David Copperfield was a scarring experience.

. . .

Another totally evil word: totally. It attempts to address everything and in the end addresses nothing because, you, dear reader, are expecting 'like' to preceded it in the voice of a self-absorbed teenage girl...

. . .

And I don't want to read about how the 'tears made her eyes sparkle'. Tears don't make eyes sparkle. They make eyes read and puffy and depressed because they feel that they should be sparkling.

[/ramble].

The mere fact that we have "taboo" phrases and words in writing defeats the purpose of writing. I disagree with all of the above. As long as any of these are used tastefully (look, effective use of an adverb) they can be effective in the context of whatever you are writing. To be ironic, for instance, or to make a point.

Having taboos, especially in something as free-thinking as writing a story or poem, is a sure way to limit yourself, rather than expanding your horizons. Find creative ways to use these words, don't banish them from your thoughts.

--King

You make a fine point, King. Sometimes it's just fun to wreak havoc on the English language - and condemn all of the adverbs while we're at it. That having been said, you have the perspective of a sincere and honest writer. ^_^

SuicideKing wrote:The mere fact that we have "taboo" phrases and words in writing defeats the purpose of writing. I disagree with all of the above. As long as any of these are used tastefully (look, effective use of an adverb) they can be effective in the context of whatever you are writing. To be ironic, for instance, or to make a point.

Having taboos, especially in something as free-thinking as writing a story or poem, is a sure way to limit yourself, rather than expanding your horizons. Find creative ways to use these words, don't banish them from your thoughts.

--King

I definitely agree, although there are some overused descriptions that get on my nerves, the best writers use these sometimes.

I agree with 'totally'.

Oooh, and 'sort of' and 'kind of'...and I know I write them both a lot, which means a lot of deleting is involved when I'm editing...

Pretty as in 'pretty big'.

I don't think you can have taboos about everything, but there are a lot of things you should generally avoid when writing a serious piece of writing. All the words I can think of though, I know I use, and that's why I hate them, because I'm aware it's part of my own faults...

After reading 'A Woman Of No Importance', I hate the word 'very'.
Although, 'logorrhoea' is the best word to ever exist in language

zestfully

I cannot stand that word. Read a book once in which it was used a lot. And by a lot I mean, A LOT. Now I get the shudders whenever I see it.

FlyingDream wrote:"Gleamed, glittered, sparkled."

*Shudders* I really don't like those words. They seem like they belong in Barbie: Sparkle Fairy Princess Kingdom instead of in a novel.

*coughTwilightcough*

:D

I agree with King, though most of the words here should still be used in moderation.

I just can't stand 'suddenly,' though.

(Oh, and eyes can sparkle when you cry. Before you cry hard, when your eyes are just welling up, they're sparkly.)

~JFW1415

Grin.

No way, man. No way.

Prokaryote