When writing a story, choosing your adjectives carefully is important to create vivid and engaging descriptions. However, some adjectives can be overused or are too vague, and should be avoided because they can bog down the narrative or make the writing seem sloppy.
Here are 3 adjectives to avoid when writing a story and why:
- Beautiful
While it’s a positive word, “beautiful” can be overused and may not create a solid or unique image in the reader’s mind, especially in the narration. If a character sees another character as “beautiful”, define “beautiful”. What does beautiful look like to that character? What it means to one person isn’t the same to another, but explaining the character’s definition of that gives the reader a deeper understanding of the character and their perspective. The same applies to words such as gorgeous or stunning… etc - Nice
“Nice” is a bland and overused adjective that doesn’t create a strong image in the reader’s mind. There are better descriptive words to convey what “nice” is such as “pleasant”, “delightful”, or “charming”. Be creative and choose a word specific to the context of the passage to give it more meaning. - Perfect
“Perfect”… does such a thing exist? No. What “perfect” means to one person can mean something different to another. It’s too vague and can come across as lazy writing. So, for example, instead of using the word “perfect” to describe a character 3 times on one page (I saw this in a self-published book on Amazon), explain why they’re so “perfect”. Is it their personality? Looks? Or both?
There are many more adjectives such as the ones listed above that are overused OR vague. (As an editor, these 3 are the ones I dislike the most.)
What adjectives do you dislike in a story and why? Feel free to share in the comments below.
Kate Halena 