Just.
I just wanted a bit.
It just takes a moment.
If he would just hurry up.
It just means…
It would just be setting you up for failure.
My editor suggested that I delete the word ‘just’ as often as I could from my soon-to-be-published novel. A quick search showed me how often I used the word, and how needlessly. Apparently it is a common writing error. I’m tempted to revisit my older titles to see if I’ve overused it in those stories too, but I won’t. It would ‘just’ depress me. (See? I’m still doing it.)
As I work on my novel-in-progress, I’m hyper aware of that niggling adverb. I’m striking it from my writing vocabulary. Just wait and see if you can spot a single j word. (oops)
Photo credit:
http://nowastedink.com/2013/04/12/copy-editing-software-for-authors/
I hear you! I’m “just” glad there’s a “find” command to search out these little thorns in the side. I have this problem “too.” BTW, my overused words are “too” and “also.” 😉
Hmmm… I bet I over use ‘too’, also. 🙂
I do this too! I’ve been striking ‘justs’ from my novel in progress recently. Interestingly I recently read an article that suggested that this is an over-used word in business too – by women – and that it makes us come across as less assertive, so I’ve made a conscious effort not to use it at work either 🙂
That IS interesting. I wonder why it’s a woman ‘thing’. Some kind of warped apology? Excuse? “I just need to walk the dog.” Instead of “I need to walk the dog.” With the ‘just’ inserted it is a kind of excuse, as if walking the dog shouldn’t be important on its own.
I think that’s right Shelley, it’s us apologising in advance for something we shouldn’t be apologising for – albeit unconsciously!