Two little words -- as, so

AS

I recently edited a story consisting of around ninety thousand words. In the one hundred fifty pages of text, the word as was used 2600 times. After the first thirty or forty instances, I decided to search and find just how many were in the manuscript. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. 

My Doubleday Dictionary cites the word to be an adverb. Adverbs are defined thusly: 'Any of a class of words used to modify the meaning of a verb, adjective, or other adverb, in regard to time, place, manner, means, cause, degree, etc.'

When writing your story, after the first draft, check your verbs. If they are strong active verbs, the need for additional adverbs will be unnecessary. Don't tack on additional bits and bobs with, "as he left the room" or "as if she didn't already know". Once or twice in your work is sufficient; 2600 times is over the top. Your reader will close the story and walk away. 

SO

Another adverb overly abused in writing. I'm finding too many authors depend on this little word to start a sentence or conversation. "So, what do you think?" While this is common everyday language, we as writers should strive for the best standard to present to the reader. "What do you think?" conveys the same message and doesn't sound -- sloppy. 

This little word, along with a couple others I'll rave on about later, has become a standard crutch for too many. After you have finished your novel, newspaper piece, or story, do a search/find to see how much you might have abused the two little adverbs here; as, so.

Mistress of the Red Ink Pens