"Flabbergasted" is a pretty awesome word to me. It conveys a very clear "what the FUCK" vibe in a more formal way. Maybe leave it out for dialogue, but for conveying emotion, it's perfect.
Or if you've got a formal or dramatic character they can use it to describe something (ei. "I was flabbergasted at the fact Ellie was meeting up with sam" or something like that)
As someone who doesn't write sexual content, I avoid the word "moan" like the plague. (I write whump and need something to describe a sound a character makes when in pain. Usually go with "groan" instead)
Just flabbergasted, I was indescribably bemused at this video. But then merely i smirked at the wanton orbs that were relished during it. Uh. Ministration
Ah, yes... y'know, I find it pretty amusing how I was watching almost the entire vid thinking people were being picky. Then I see something like this and. I get it. I have my beloathed words too lmao
Personally, I’m against using the word pregnant in any other context than a person or an animal being pregnant in general, I don't know why, it just rubs me the wrong way, then people do that.
It _could_ be a great phrase, given care. The allusion to _child birth_ is a weighty thing, probably more so than most users of that combo realize. You've got to have the right set-up to make that work, and that's not going to be most places it's been injected.
i am a fully sfw fanfic writer who writes sickfics bc i'm chronically ill and sick more often than not. no matter how sick my character is, they will never moan in pain. they will groan
God, same. doesn't matter who the characters are, or what genre they're in, the word always makes me think of toddlers. it always breaks my immersion when reading, so i never use it in my own works.
I think "indescribable" is okay insofar as you can kinda re-work it to fit how a Character feels. an "indescribable feeling" or the like where trying to pin down the melting pot of emotions someone's going through in a given moment over something, where in the particular case the fact that it's impossible to pin down is the POINT
My thought as well. It at least conveys that the PoV is having a hard time understanding what they’re seeing/how they’re feeling. It can be quite impactful to have a character who is typically sad be happy for once, and not really know the sensation.
it's a word that to me would be used to describe something.. eldritch, or constantly in flux appearance wise. The character can recognize pieces of it, even describe those, but the whole just trips something in their brain that is like "Nope, I have no frame of reference for comparison or description that succinctly conveys what I am looking at."
personally i avoid the phrase "among us." nothing wrong with the phrase itself, but every time i write it i go "haha amogus" and it distracts me from my writing process, especially if the scene is supposed to have a serious tone. i go for alternate phrases with similar meanings like "in our midst" and such.
@@jamiebrooks457 I think using the name of the type of tree would be a good idea so long as it's not overused as I can see it getting quite jarring after a while
@@pandemicphilly60 Phil stood under the shade of the nearest tree Jack looked down from the tree branches where he had hidden himself. The trees were looking over them in the dark, almost like tall strangers in a crowd.
If people avoid using certain words in their writing based on the assumption that the reader might not know what it means, our language is going to devolve quickly. That’s how you learn words. And before anyone comes at me, I’m not referring to 20 character long words that are over specific or something like that. I’m referring to words like flabbergasted, sans, bemused. I know you don’t want to be misunderstood, but there’s a limit…
I was legitimately flabbergasted to learn that someone found this word *fancy* of all things, to me it's just a completely common, silly word with exactly the right nonserious connotation for someone's utter surprise at something completely bizarre and unbelievable And I also agree with your general point, including words like bemused, sans, etc. Use the words! Keep them alive! Despite the fanfic I write being very crackficky due to its fandom, I still use whatever occasionally uncommon or misunderstood words that I feel fit and I want to use even though I know most of my readers are probably young. If they misunderstand the meaning of my fic, that's on them, I'm writing my fic for me first and I'll exactly the words I want to use, thanks. Besides, exposure to these words is how you learn words! Do people no longer know the joy of looking up a new word in google?
Yeah I learned a lot of my vocabulary, both in my native language and english, through reading a word several times and figuring our what it meant through context instead of asking/looking it up. Sometimes it led to misunderstandings but it's mostly fine
also, a well written scene will likely make it clear what the word means, like through the context and what not. isn't it kind of like admitting you aren't that good of a writer if you avoid those words.
I am going to defend the word indescribable, because it has a use, there is moments that the characters are feeling things that are so strong that they can't explain, I am sure everyone has felt it before.
It's funny, because in Russian it's literally the most common slang word for you-know-what, but in English it just doesn't work. Every time I see it used in that context, it just feels like it was written by a poorly English-speaking Russian person.😂
I find 'manhood' even worse, and I've read that in a published book from the pov of an urchin girl who would DEFINITELY call it something else. (I loved the book in question btw. It was an early work of a current fantasy author who is a little squeamish, and he has since improved in this area, venturing out of his comfort zone to use language more accurate to the characters. I have read 'dick' and 'knob' in his later books and am proud of him lol.)
As a writer who also writes a lot of innapropriate stuff that maybe crosses line at times the only words I really refuse to write, are words like slurs, and that's a case where I cannot be made to type them out as a pro LGBTQ+ and racial equality man whiter than a bowl of vanilla ice cream left in the snow.
I honestly don’t disagree. I just can’t bring myself to write anything that’s hateful to some group, even if it makes sense in a setting, or for a character who’s meant to be a hateable villain. I have trouble making villains to begin with, I think the shallowness sucks because I just… can’t bring myself to make a good character meant to be antagonistic.
This is why fantasy writing is so great. A slur against a dwarf or an elf or any outsider/minority/othered/disadvantaged people in-world doesn't have hurt real people at the end of it. I could call an Orc a pig face and convey the same level of nasty through the reaction to it without pulling out something that has the capacity to bring those feelings up from real-life experiences. The real life people can look in and understand and feel affronted _for_ that fantasy group instead of _being_ the target. It's a slightly safer way to process those emotions than it can be in the waking world sometimes.
I'm literally gay and I still could not even force myself to write the f slur in one of my fics. Like it was literally a scene of a character getting bullied for being gay and I still couldn't write it.
I have not written the word “grimace” a single time because of that purple milkshake loving McDonalds mascot. I enjoyed that word. I used it before. But then his little birthday celebration came along and I cannot even write that word in sticky notes. My crops have died and i am in drought. His name is carved into the walls of my mind and I cannot let it be carved into anothers
i force myself to avoid writing “growled” ir “snarled” because it makes me think of alpha bad boys and i don’t wanna make the male lead seem like that 😭
"Indescribable" is a word I like to use from the character's own perspective. The scene can even be revisited to show just what made their mind draw a blank. It's like when horror films just show the reaction on the victim's face. "Slick" is one I really don't like to use.
The word “moan” just mostly because it’s been so sexualized, I’ll never say “they moaned in pain” or “they moaned” as in a form of them crying. It’ll either be “they groaned in pain” or “they sobbed”
i get what you mean, but i personally still use it because im stubborn. its the same with writing "daddy." i firmly believe words are only weird if you make it weird, and if anyone reading my shit choses to make normal phrases weird when ive made clear my intent...that aint my problem.
I have the reverse, I really want to have a character say "floccinaucinihilipilification" at least once in my writing. It just means "the act of thinking that something is useless", so it can't be that hard.
8:47 I actually write mostly in a fandom in which a whole group of characters are actually suffering from this disease!!! Specifically due to living on a volcanic death island!! I'm planning to write a fic that involves this aspect specifically! And I'll get to lighten the mood with this intentionally ridiculous word! Also,, to me it's a massive flex to be able to put pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconisis as a tag on your work.
Not much for a particular word, but I do cringe everytime a character gets their relatively short and very easy to say name shortened EVEN _MORE_ for the sake of a loving nickname for their romantic partner to use with them. For clarify, I don't had an issue with it when it's a name like, idk, ancient god type almost impossible to spell one, but if the character is named with just two syllabes on it... I will search a proper pet name for them like 'honey' or 'love', thank you very much. It doesn't matter if the other writers of the fandom say otherwise and everyone is calling the Sophie character Sue.
I feel like if you shorten your loved one's already short name, you're just lazy and don't love them enough to say their name over and over again. However, I feel like it would be completely appropriate for friendly nicknames.
For me, I try to avoid using overly descriptive words like "heartbreakingly". They're stupid long, often self descriptive, and just give an excuse to lazily tell emotions instead of showing them. I can't even take them seriously when I read them, they just sound goofy.
Particularly fancy words are among the words I wouldn't use in my writing (unless there is a character who is either genually or comically fancy) but in regular dialogue or descriptions, I could just use way simpler words that are both easy to get down and easy for the readers to understand without having to look in a dictionary every 5 seconds
I love using words that are somewhat fancy, but not too fancy. Like a word that seems like you should know it, but also you shouldn't at the same time, so it can actually be used in a sentence without sticking out too much "Overmorrow" is one of my favorites.
I tend to write accessible words, but I'll sprinkle in some razzle-fancy words (with context to follow) here and there. If the bulk of the text isn't intimidating, digesting a new word on occasion won't be daunting. That's one big way people learn more words; piecing together what they mean through use. I give them everything they need to understand the meaning around it. If they knew the word, it's a solid sentence. If they didn't know the word, they have the opportunity to pick it up. The opportunity to learn while you're having fun isn't a bad thing, is it?
I relate to the babe/baby one. I’ve only used it once or twice in my several years of writing - and it was only in moments where it was MEANT to make the recipient character’s skin crawl in an unpleasant way.
it feels so weird i still don't know how people can use it so freely.. I've always felt an ick to people who use 'baby/babe' to refer to their partners. It has been getting a little better lately, I can barely stand 'babe', but 'baby' is just too much.. like, ew. uncomfortable.
I’m someone who hates curse words. However, I had (figuratively) fallen in love of with this interpretation of one of my favorite characters in a fanfic I had read. In that fanfic, the use of curse words was one of his very notable features. In a fanfic I tried to write with that same character in it, I tried to write at least one curse word, but ultimately, I was unable to. I decided that swearing should be a territory that I must never cross, ever.
I’m having the same issue with a character that canonically swears a lot. I can cheat a little in certain situations by making small notes of him cursing (example: “He cursed under his breath.”) but actually writing curse words out makes me feel very uncomfortable and I dislike censoring words. Nevertheless, I do my best to power through to stay true to his character lol
I have the same problem! I was incredibly discouraged from using curses as I grew up, so now it seems cringe to include them in any writing. Every time I try I just end up deleting it, it’s too cringe 😭
I refuse to write the word "Kitten", unless it's referring to baby cats. I understand "Babe/Baby", but "Kitten" just makes me picture an Neckbearded Internet mod.
@@oobilikestuff4029 see now, that makes more sense to me. There are words that just feel kinda weird coming out of your mouth. Totally understandable. The "moist" conundrum. My thinking was that if you're a writer, suddenly those icky words become special ammunition. That's your Witcher grease. A way to add a hint of those icky feelings to a scene or character without being all overt and performative.
For me, it’s every curse word ever. Not because I’m a ‘snowflake’ (even though I am sensitive, lol), but because I only write things about kids’ games. Why would I use curse words? :’) I never even use ‘damn’.
Same, I also barely ever use swear words or curses when I speak, unless I am really upset or irritated about something. I just don't see the reason for it and think it makes characters sound unlikable and uneducated if it's used regularly. But that probably also has something to do with the fact that in school we were always taught to keep any kind of slang and dialect out of our writing, unless it's used in dialogue and is important to the character, even if the slang is already decades old and used in everyday speech.
I think a concise 'blast!' or a really gurgled out 'curses!' has a lot more impact anyways. 'fuck' just sounds too soft, it starts with the softest sound if all and then ends just stopping in your mouth, I guess the 'you' that follows it releases into a fine enough sneer, but , 'curses', starts with the 'k-', you can really phlegm it out, then the 'ses', you can hiss it, or can give it a 'sh' sound, 'kor-shes', a nice raspy gargly quality, a lot more anger in it I think personally. Good for a lot grosser kind of anger, something Gollum-y, or a fisherman who's got their leg shorn in half by a crab cage.
for me it’s like, quick descriptions of the character instead of their name. “said the blue man” “laughed the green-haired boy” when being used specifically not to overuse their name are things i refuse. the word ‘eye(s)’ and names are two words i consider unable to be overused, and better off simply being repeated.
Same, it makes me cringe so hard even irl. Outside of things like the term bellybutton or giving a dog belly rubs those words are just major icks for me.
It especially irks me when people use it in serious settings. I read something once and it was ''stabbed in the *tummy* '' just. just say stomach. it sounds like your poking them more than stabbing them.
@@OliverrOil Noooo, thats awful. That sounds like a little kid describing their playground pretend fight, I could never take a genuine emotional scene of a character being stabbed seriously if they’re “stabbed in the tummy.” That should only be used for silly comedic moments and even then it’s kinda icky, like if the stabbed character is just completely fine somehow but is still just sad and offended and points down like “you stabbed me in the tummy, why did you do that?” then I’d still kinda hate it but at least I’d be laughing.
I'm in a fandom where a certain character has trauma around the word "gentle". I avoid writing that word because I got tired of people making jokes about that character's trauma whenever I used it. I'll use gently sometimes, but I usually go for softly or gingerly instead.
@@lavender_dr0p You can step away from the volcano because you're right! Seriously, I couldn't mention anything being gentle in a story without half a dozen people in the comments making Kotoko jokes...
@@Butterflyhorrorgeek. I'm so sorry you had to look that up! You probably figured this out, but I'm referring to the character Kotoko from the Danganronpa series.
On the lines of ministration… I’ve written a handful of fics on the topic of periods (I know, gross, get over it. It’s not inappropriate. You’re reading dirtier works than I’m writing :P) and I CANNOT write nor tag my fic with the word menstruation. I used to the word once, and I HEAVILY regret it. Idk why. I can handle grotesque description of blood and pain, but I just can’t… Luckily AO3 knows what I mean when I tag a fic with the word “periods” so I don’t have to think about the word very often.
I think a period comfort fic sounds great! It's a little embarrassing, but I sometimes imagine my favorite characters comforting me during that time of the month 😅
@@starry.princesss1115 EXACTLY. It's so comforting. I don't do oc/self-inserts/y/n stuff but I totally vent onto my favorite characters and have other characters comfort them. I think it's more embarrassing that I have 25 of these stories (and counting) up on AO3.
I think it’s because menstruation is such a… medical word. It almost feels analytical to me. It’s just very disconnected. I definitely agree, words which are overly science-y like menstruation also make me uncomfortable.
On the "hum" thing, i use it also for the background noise and all, but i use it sometimes as "(name) hummed/hum in acknowledge of (something)" like when people are listening to you and you do a "hm/hmhm" to let them know you're listening to them, you know?
okay you may bully me for this but i have a genuine question about the people refusing to use the word "hum" for anything other than a melody/machines ... how else do you describe someone making a "hmm" noise? because i make that noise a lot when talking so i know it's a thing people do, and what would i call if my characters did it? it feels lazy to just go "hmm, [insert sentence]" in my opinion please help me i swear i'm not dumb english just isn't my first language
i have tons of words i actively avoid Moan: feels too sexual. Grin/smirk: it just feels weird to me, I like to describe it as a confident or annoying smile since its more descriptive. Stroke (like petting something): Again, feels too sexual for some reason. Any fandom content: even though most of my stories are set in modern times, I don't like mentioning fandom content (eg: video games, shows, etc) because it feels weird. Hell, just any specific thing like Disney movies feels weird to mention. edit: also drool. im in the spooky month fandom and this character Bob Velseb drools alot bc hes a cannibal, but something about writing the word 'drool' just feels wrong to me
For many years now I've refused to use the word for "cooked bread" because one time i was blocked on a story for months and i changed the word in question to cereal and the scene just started flowing. I have written half a million words and not one of them is t*ast
Mine is "that." When i first started sharing my writing, the teacher of the writing club i was apart of said i used it too much, so now i avoid it like the plauge, even when it probably *should* be there.
As a non-native speaker I try to avoid using too much "that" "so" "said" "then" and "because" and many other words I can't remember atm. ETA: oh and also "look" and "went"
i use "darted' sparingly, and when i do, everything grinds to a halt. music? paused. drink? capped. snack? set down. breaths? deep. its like a movie scene where the general is waiting for the go ahead to Nuke That Shit and is just hoverhanding the button. because this is a serious scene. and the F key is too close to the D key for my liking. never again.
3:59 I AGREE WITH THIS USER ON A VISCERAL LEVEL. TUMMY JUST SOUNDS SO FRIGGIN WRONG!! I always use one of these words: stomach, abdomen, middle, or midsection. Waist if it calls for it like when a corset is present or if Character A is helping Character B with a wound or injury. Edit: This only applies when talking about adults. If a baby is involved, I make an exception because the way a baby learns to crawl, roll over, and hold their head up on their own is to engage in “tummy time”. I will also make an exception for toddlers since they usually resort to “tummy” what talking about a stomach ache.
I despise “judgment” like the plague! The British spelling of “judgement” makes so much more sense! As a US-born English speaker, I STILL have no idea why the US decided removing the “e” would be at all logical, IT SHOULD CHANGE THE PRONUNCIATION, AND YET WE ACT LIKE IT SHOULDN’T! Please Grammarly for the sake of all that is Holy and Pronouncible, STOP CORRECTING THAT WORD IN PARTICULAR TO THE AMERICAN SPELLING! Judgement with an “e” for the nonbeliever! For shame! For sham”e”! (Sorry I’m just very passionate about this)
I have a few words that I tend to avoid just because of writing in the mcyt fandom - not because there's anything bad associated with them, but just because those perfectly normal words are people's names! It always feels weird using them in regular sentences in my fic, especially if the character associated is actually in the fic. The hardest one to avoid is probably "impulse" or maybe "false" but there's also ones like stress, pearl, gem...
if i hear write or see the word _"babe"_ im flipping gone, dead, into the underground, i absolutely refuse to interact anyone who says it. once mom mother called me _"babe"_ as in "baby" and that moment is the moment i loved her a little less
I catch myself using "suddenly" _so much_ and while I don't mind using it in general... if I start trying to use it multiple times in a paragraph, or multiple lines in a row, I back up and try again. Often it doesn't even need to be replaced with anything, just removed and maybe the wording/pacing of the sentence restructured a bit.
Belly makes me uncomfortable 😭, when someone says “belly laugh” or when in nsfw scenes they use the word belly to describe something it makes me cringe so viscerally ☠️☠️☠️
Wriggling. I only use it when I want to disturb myself and other people. "Maggots wriggled and writhed under the rabbit's soft white fur, One piercing out of it's neck and digging it's way back into it's collar bone."
I hate the word ebullient. 1. Most people don't know what that even means. 2. It doesn't sound AT ALL like the meaning. 3. Why not just use 'cheerful' or other synonyms? It's not like some other words that are so specific that you need to use that word. 4. I find it distracting that it has the word 'bully' in it. Makes me think of bullies. I don't need to avoid it in writing though, since I never think of using that word to begin with. Some words I do avoid or have trouble using are: - Undulate (Merphy Napier is my favorite BookTuber and she hates that word and notices it everywhere, so now I notice it too thanks to her. I don't hate it, but I can't take it seriously anymore.) - Most real-life slurs (I've read books where nasty characters used slurs and that didn't bother me, but I often feel uncomfortable writing them myself, so I usually don't.)
i love the word ebullient it makes me think of bubbles :3 in french the word for bubble is "bulle" and it's pronounced the same as the "bulle" in the english word ebullient. i love ebullient. E - bubbles- ient. Perfect word. You really get a sense of bubbles rising and falling even just saying the word out loud. Even just looking at the letters. Having said that it does sucks as a description for someone's personality I will admit. I prefer the old fashioned definition where it just meant something boiling because it perfectly captures that image of boiling bubbles. sorry for the incoherent rant I just really really like that word
@@deg8517 That's fair :) I've only seen it twice or so, and at least one was referring to a person. It just felt like the author was going out of his way to use difficult words in order to sound intelligent.
I personally try to avoid the word "member" as much as I can. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but I'd seriously rather call someone a councilman/councilwoman/councilperson before I call them a member of a council. I know in this context it doesn't mean anything, but the Wattpad comment section changed me.
For me, the babe/baby thing hits home. I will only accept it if it's my mom, or me greeting my pets. My cat is essentially just a big, fluffy child, and it fits.
Curse words. I don’t write things for kids I just can’t get myself to cuss in writing or when speaking. It feels unnatural. Maybe when I’m 18 I’ll get the gall but for now “crap” and “heck” are they best you gonna get
You never know. I used to refuse to cuss as a teen and in my early 20s. Now that I'm in my 30s, I curse like a sailor. Not in my writing though. Most curse words will be "damn" and such.😅
Here's my list of words that I don't like writing or reading -Female It grosses me out whenever I hear or read it (especially if it was said by a man) it just makes me feel so uncomfortable, like it's saying that women are species or something -Sis or Bro I just feel like no siblings ever say this to each other, and it feels like sloppy writing -Heck I completely understand not wanting to curse, but I personally get so cringed out when I hear it. I feel like there's always a way to work around it, to make the character sound less like they're on disney channel -Tummy, belly, stinky, yummy, etc I don't have an explanation for why those kinds of words bother me so much but they do.
This one is one I have only seen in fanfiction but slapping “-ette” at the back of any color to describe a hair color (pinkette, greenette, etc.) has always bothered me so much
I DIDN'T KNOW SANS WAS A REAL WORD. On a different note, i dont really avoid words. Obiously I avoid slurs or the whole "orbs" category, but I dont typically avoid regular words. At least not yet.
Mirth. I have personal beef with that word. No idea what the beef is other than the word sounding absolutely gross to me, but I have beef with it, and I refuse to use it. And on a similar wavelength, “You’re cute when you’re angry” makes my blood BOIL for reasons I do not know why. It’s enough to make me drop a fic I was really enjoying
I try to avoid the word "said" whenever I can, mostly because my fics are usually dialogue-heavy and it feels too repetitive if I use "said" for every line of dialogue. Usually I'll try to replace it with a more descriptive word based on the character's mannerisms or the context. A timid character might "squeak" for example, and a character might answer/reply/respond/explain when asked a question.
My writing is dialogue-heavy and I’ve found you don’t really need many dialogue tags if you set up the scene to make it clear who is talking. Then I just stick to ‘said’ and it’s ok because there’s not many of them. If your style is more embellished the ‘said’ alternatives probably go with the feel of the work.
I skip the tags when I feel it's clear who's talking. There are times when "said" still works fine but I still try to avoid it when I can @@riverAmazonNZ
Said-avoidance is a thing that many writers are way too worried about. It is one of those words that a normal reader doesn't even notice; far-fetched dialogue tags are much more distracting.
my thoughts on the words in this list: indescribable - while it could be used as a crutch, if you're good enough with everything, it being there does add A LOT to imagination in a Lovecraftian way flabbergasted - I love that word due to how hilarious it is when used right Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - intriguing
baby as a pet name is weird, but from a parent to child [especially like, mom to young son], it's very comforting/heartwarming. weird example incoming but, in Little Bill, his mom always calls him "baby" in like, the most comforting way possible. whenever Little Bill has a problem, his mom always says "what's wrong, baby?" and keeps calling him that to try and ease him out of stress. it helps too that they gave her the most motherly and warm voice actor out there, she's the perfect VA for the job. i like to see it as just a really wholesome kind of parental way to show love to their child
It started out so normal and slowly divorced into peoples very specific icks on random words because they personally do not like them or even know what they mean
I never made a conscious decision to never use the word "orbs", but I do refuse to use it when referring to eyes. I just end up never using it for anything else either because when I need a cooler sounding word for something ball-shaped I end up using the word "sphere" instead. The only words I _have_ made a conscious decision to never use are slurs. Doesn't matter if it would make sense for a character to use them, I find a way to work around it, usually by either having another character cut them off or by breaking the dialogue to just say they started using slurs and immediately moving on to the PoV character's reaction to it. I don't want to make readers uncomfortable by shoving a directly harmful word in their faces. Even in my horror stuff that's not the kind of discomfort the readers signed up for. Plus I just feel really gross writing them.
Chortle, because it makes me cringe so hard; it doesn't even sound like a real word. Orbs, because his green orbs still haunt me to this day. Ministrations, in the context of smut. No idea why but it gives me the absolute ick and I can't stand it. Sometimes I cringe just reading it in fanfic. Baby/babe, because ew parents
Imo I found most of the words to be pretty inoffensive, though that just goes to show how words that can really throw off one person are fine for another. My personal off words are appearance based descriptors (specifically for already named characters): the raven haired girl, the blue eyed man, etc. At least in limited perspective narratives, when you are telling the story from someone’s POV, you should just use whatever name that character would use for said person. If it gets repetitive, alternate with a title that person has; using someone’s hair color to describe them makes sense when you know nothing else about that character, and not when that character is the POV’s best friend when they should have a lot more to qualify them by than ‘has brown hair’.
AGREED and using “the girl” “the man” Like, if your character ain’t “the yellow man in the hat”, then just use A PRONOUN OR THEIR NAME. It’s really simple.
THIS ONE IS SO ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATING IN 1ST PERSON!!! I'm writing first person POV for like...one of my first times in years and this is one of my specific rules because unless your character is actively watching somebody they don't know they should have something, ANYTHING other than an incredibly basic descriptor for the other chr 😭
Agreed! If the pov character and the reader both know the other character's name, I will usually use their name or pronouns, or else an important title like 'the prince'. I will only use appearance-based descriptors if either the pov character doesn't know their name (and so it makes sense for them to think of this person that way) or on rare occasions if the reader doesn't know their name and they are such an unimportant character that it would be unnecessary info to name them.
If descriptors has to take the place of names (like, your friend just left you at a party where you know nobody else, or you're in an emergency situation where introductions aren't first priority) it's fine. If you know Dan, you've seen Dan, you've already described Dan, just call him Dan or by appropriate pronouns to the situation.
i refuse to use "bruh" or any other strictly meme language, even though i love using it myself and many of my characters probably would too. (this also includes uses like "cringe" as an adjective, especially because this is a slippery slope towards describing a character as a "cringe ass nae nae baby" because brainrot) additionally i avoid poop related expletives when possible
I think indescribable works in some instances. A character Pov for example. Just because you know how to describe something doesn’t mean your character will.
i will NEVER use any form of the word 'brat' or phrases like 'chuckled darkly'.. whenever i read either of those in fanfic it gives me the ick and i wish not to do that to others
I avoid writing 'growled' or 'snarled' unless its about an animal of some kind. I can't take it seriously when characters are described to do that. I also avoid 'moan' as well
7:12 Yesterday I practically binge-watched FNaF stuff, particularly ones with voice lines, jumpscares, etc. Instantly got reminded of Nightmare when this popped up lmao
Smirk, I used that word way too many times in my older fanfics and just writing it out now makes me have serious war flashbacks to when I thought kidnapping was hot
I simply cannot agree with avoiding "Gasp". Like It IS a way of showing and not telling?? Think about it. Saying "They gasped" instead of "They were shocked." Is so much better. Gasping can be used to show different emotions too. Shock, excitment, fear, disgust even. Gasping is also just a basic human action that everyone does??? You see in media all the time. I have no idea how someone would want avoid using it.
I don’t write fanfic, but the word ‘fondle’ makes me feel physically sick. I also agree with the first one that ‘chortle’ is not a word appropriate for this generation.
I dont write fanfiction, but i do weite stories about my own characters on toyhouse. I don't avoid specific words, but I DO have a tendency to avoid using the same word multiple times, even when they barely have any synonyms I can replace it with.
you are so close to 100k goodjob! for me the words i refuse to use are said because it seems so just simple but i force myself to use it every once and a while and pleasure i just-
Mewl/Mewled (in adult settings, you know the ones~) No shade to anyone who uses it whatsoever (go nuts, seriously! :) ), I just don't like the way it sounds (especially when used for hardcore, badass characters 😆) and unless they're doing the deed with Mew the Pokemon or an actual cat/extremely catlike character... it just takes me out of the immersion. All I hear is them making literal kitten 'mews' like they're wanting to nurse. Also, the 'tummy' one, have to agree as well for the most part. I get it in, say, the sickfic community; it's generally considered cute when a character whines about 'their sore tummy'. For me though... it just comes off as a really babyish sounding word (my mother also almost flat-out refuses to use any other word for it in general conversation and it kinda drives me crazy at times 😂). Doesn't help that the characters I tend to write for would probably expect to be *paid* for uttering the word it's seems so OOC for them. IDK, just gives me way too many Winnie the Pooh vibes and unless it's for a very young character, it immediately changes the entire setting. Sorry. 🤗
I do avoid said when I'm writing, I prefer to write dialogue when something is happening. Like characters doing something else and talking, I get to describe the thing they're doing, their reactions and I feel that makes me challenge myself so I can be more creative with interactions. Nothing wrong with the word, it's perfect for when nothing is particularly groundbreaking in the scene, it's just a fun mini challenge.
I have short term memory loss, so most of the words I avoid are subconscious decisions. Writing an Ed Edd n' Eddy Y2K+Frutiger Aero-inspired AU as I type, and damn, I could really use a Thesaurus right about now!
