Cut out filter words (to make your copy sing)

Cut out filter words to make your copy sing.

Tighten up your writing. Hot tips from a Melbourne copywriter.

Once upon a time, when I was in year 12, the words ‘too florally’ appeared at the top of an English essay that was returned to me.

‘Florally,’ I frowned, was a term describing gardenias or my grandmother’s perfume. But my essay…?

When queried, my teacher pointed to one of my clever sentences and said, ‘this could be simpler. ‘And here…’ she tapped another, ‘could be tighter.’

‘But how?’ I should have asked instead of nodding like I understood.

In the end, it took me years to learn how to make my writing, clearer, tighter and less… ‘florally’.  

One tried and true method I discovered in the process, (surprise, surprise) is to remove superfluous words, (AKA filter words).

Filter words are words that create distance between the narrator or character and the reader. Often, they’re explanatory — in that they explain rather than demonstrate a thought or an action.

Getting rid of filter words helps you show rather than tell your reader what’s happening in a scene — immersing them in the story and the experience, rather than making them an observer of it.

For instance, you might write, ‘I see the bike rattling down the road,’ rather than the filter word free, ‘the bike rattles down the road’.

Makes sense, I hear you say, but how do I identify filter words so that I can blast them off the page?

Good question…

First, remove words from your copy that don’t alter the character/narrator’s POV or the meaning of your story. Culling the word, ‘that’ is a great first step. Often my first drafts are littered with way too many ‘thats’.

Second, look for verbs that follow a pronoun, like ‘I’. For example, ‘I feel… there’s space for another person at the table’ or ‘I see… a big pink elephant.’ Instead, place the reader directly into the character/narrator’s shoes with, ‘There’s space for another person at the table’.

Third, write in an active rather than passive voice. A passive voice automatically uses filter words. For instance, an active voice states, ‘The dog’s chasing the cat’ while a passive voice states, ‘The cat is being chased by the dog’.

It does take practice and discipline, but removing filter words will make your writing more engaging and less likely to read like garden variety copy.

As a Melbourne copywriter and writing mentor I’ll create compelling copy for your business or help you do it yourself.

Put your feet up while I write your marketing material, SEO website copy, LinkedIn profile, creative copy, and much more.  

Check out my services at Copywriter Melbourne, or Contact me via my website for more information.

My novels, Hello, Goodbye and Small Blessings can be found at Allen and Unwin.