Hi folks, So, I use various writing tools to assist my writing and whilst I adhere only loosely to their suggestions, the one thing that is consistently reported is my overuse of glue words. I consider this a big problem as it's not (currently) something I'm noticing when writing, but directly impacts the quality of my work. I'm still learning and hope to improve with time, but in the shorter term does anyone have any tips or tricks to help me avoid structuring my sentences with sticky/glue words? Cheers NC
I found this example via Google: ORIGINAL: Morgan walked over into the second-hand car lot in order to see if there was a car she could buy for getting herself to her new job. Original sentence length: 27 words Sticky [i.e. GLUE] words: over into, in order, getting herself to Improved version: Morgan checked the second-hand car lot for a car she could buy to drive to work. It looks to me like it's general tightening of the writing. The first sentence isn't very good--the rewritten sentence is a lot better. The guy who coined the term says the glue words just hold together the words that do the actual work.
"‘Glue’ words, or ‘sticky’ words, are little words that hold together ‘working’ words — the words that carry the meaning of a sentence. For example, in the following sentence, the words in bold are all glue words. The girls went to the forest to collect some pine cones." Glue words are essential, but it’s easy to use too many. For example, here’s a sentence with more glue words than working words: The girls are going to make a call to their mother in the event that the girls should get lost. (12 glue words to 8 working words) Sentences with minimal glue words are more concise and convey their meaning quickly. The girls will call their mother if they get lost. (4 glue words to 6 working words)" I'm trying to avoid instinctively writing this way.
It's like filter words, write the piece then cut them all out when you edit. There might be a few you need to keep but for the most part you'll see how unnecessary they are. We have developed habits, but they are changeable. I even cut half these words out of my forum posts now.
OK thanks, I guess it will just take practice and discipline on my part. No easy rules to follow to avoid them!
be aware that conciseness isn't always best, it depended on the voice you are aiming for, or if in dialogue the character of the speaker. also you can achieve more brevity by showing the mother telling them rather than telling us that the mother told them "call me if you get lost," mother's name said or "mum said to call if we got lost" Amy said "Don't be a baby" Kate replied "I know where we are"
I'm terrible with glue words. I'm always editing forum posts, because they are embarrassingly full of glue. Aaargh.
So you remove as many as you can when editing? And have found no easy ways to avoid using them during first drafts?
I tend to write fast when I'm communicating. I also try to be ...neutral/diplomatic?...when making forum remarks as well. So I end up over-explaining, which can lead to Glue Galore. I often start sentences with phrases like: "The thing I really don't like about..." instead of "I don't like...." I'm not all that bothered, to be honest. I'm a multiple-draft writer. I just try to spit out what I want to say, and refine it later. If I push the Post Reply button too quickly, I've got a problem, though. I'm less likely to use glue words when writing a story. Maybe because it's a story, and not direct communication? I write more slowly and thoughtfully with my stories.
It was the story writing aspect that interested me as I find I'm structuring sentences with these sticky words far too often, making my writing of poor quality. I guess it just comes with practice and editing. I posted simply because sometimes I'm reminded of tips or tricks to avoid passive voice, for example, and hoped similar tips existed for this.
As long as you're aware of the issue, you probably WILL end up not using these words all that often. It just takes practice, I reckon. Here's a trick I've been using for years. I've made a list of my personal bothersome words, and keep them posted on my corkboard above my computer. In a large font! Even though I still write them, I nearly always notice that I've written them and take them out, right away. I was never able to seriously write stories till I got my first Mac and my first wordprocessor. (ClarisWorks.) Ta DAAAA! I was finally able to write whatever came into my head, and keep changing it till I got it the way I wanted it. I've always been a glue-y and overly verbose writer. I used to find it too disheartening—scratching out most of my handwritten words, lines and paragraphs, and rewriting them. Over and over and over. I convinced myself I couldn't write, when, in fact, I just couldn't write a near-perfect first draft. Still can't! What has technology done for me? It's made me a writer, not just a story-thinker-upper. I'm a messy writer, but I get there.
For me it's best to get the story on the page without worrying about the writing, then start cleaning it up. It depends on one's writing style.
My favorites to remove are, just and some of. I am cautious about trimming dialog so much that it sounds like Alexa.
that's just what editing is for, isn't it? The only way to avoid glue words is by editing, and the more you edit, the more a better writing style will become second nature to you, which means in time you will use fewer glue words. You can't improve on your writing without editing.
I'm staring at this. Stop me. Somebody stop me. (@Maverick_nc , I'm staring because there's a whole lot of "avoid passive voice" snake-oil advice out there that's just plain wrong.)
Holds chicken back by her feathery wings - chicken is right about this... pretty much every writers 'rule' or 'trick' of this sort has so many exceptions that its worthless except as very loose guidance of things to consider sometimes
Everybody can acquire a bad writing habit that, in itself, isn't bad. It just doesn't work well when it's overused, or used in the wrong place. Using something like passive voice as a default voice, without realising what effect it has, can lead to awkward storytelling. However, working to eliminate ALL instances of passive voice is not only a mistake, but it's throwing away a perfectly good tool. When you need a hammer to pound a nail, you need a hammer. A screwdriver doesn't always do the trick. You keep both. You don't throw the hammer away, simply because you might smash your thumb with it. Instead, you learn to use the hammer properly.
Thanks for the advice guys, will take it all onboard. I'll be posting something new in the workshop soon, i'd really appreciate one of you taking the time to critique me...harshly! (Its the only way I'll learn!)
Honest insight shouldn't be harsh. A few constructive suggestions will also be helpful. You sound like the sort of person who will take criticism well. I look forward to seeing your work.
I've submitted a new excerpt in the Non-fiction section. I'd be delighted if you could cast a critical eye over it when you some time. I don't know what I don't know, which makes learning the craft incredibly frustrating. I need to improve, but where, and how?!
I use them less and less with each new first draft because I’m accustomed to cutting them. I think your first drafts will look more like polished work if you do a lot of rewriting and polishing in between.
First draft of this post: I'm not sure if it's even a good idea to try to avoid them during first drafts. You can hold only so many things in your head at once. I feel that during the first draft, there's a lot of idea and "content" stuff that should be more than enough to fill your head, and if you worry about glue words you're going to crowd out something more important. Second draft: I think it's a bad idea to even try to avoid them during first drafts. You can hold only so many things in your head. When writing the first draft, you should focus on ideas and content. Your head's already going to be full. If you worry about glue words you'll crowd out something more important. Third draft: It's a bad idea to worry about glue words in first drafts. When you write the first draft, your head's going to be full--full of the right thing, which is your original inspiration. Worry about glue words will crowd some of that out. I think it needs at least a fourth draft.
This makes sense since i'm struggling to complete a first draft through initial over editing. I need to get my ideas down first but I just can't bear to look at the crap I've just written feel compelled to edit edit edit. This is compounded by the fact my writing is currently flavourless. I'm listing events without adding colour or voice to them. I'm aware i'm doing it but don't know how to improve without seeing it first hand. I'll get there, its just a tough road.