Four letter word

What you see above is the Mistress after having removed the 100th that in a manuscript... in the first chapter. Obviously, I'm exaggerating, a bit, but some days it feels as though writers have forgotten all the rules of English.

That is, indeed, a four letter word. It's the lazy way of taking a pause while pretending to write. Even the Mistress uses the word when speaking, but my keyboard gives me an electric shock if I write it in a story.

Go through your manuscript. Search and find  EVERY that. Read the sentence with it, then read the sentence eliminating the word. Nine times out of ten, you'll realize the word is unnecessary to the thought you want to convey. Consider it a four letter word and stop using it.

Your editor will love you.

Mistress of the Red Ink Pens