Thirteen words I’ve used too many times in Steve’s Story:

This time it’s not my internal editor cracking her whip. It’s my real life one – Carrie. I can easily picture these words highlighted in her edits, with not so subtle warnings to find some new and different phrases. (Um, that’s assuming-and hoping-that one day she will be editing this book…)

So here’s the list:

1) Damn

2) Barely

3) Intense

4) Tantalize/tease/torment/torture (Counting these four as one because I tend to use them interchangeably.)

5) Breathe/breath/breathing

6) Devastated

7) Ache/ached

8) Hell (used as an expression, not as a place.)

9) Realize/realization (That’s one I’ve overused in all my manuscripts!)

10) Future (But there is valid reason for typing it so many times. I promise.)

11) Jean-clad (Bet you never expected that one. A member of my critique group picked up on it. Thanx, B!)

12) Groan/moan/gasp (Yep, use them interchangeably.)

13) Gawk/gape (Same story.)

Jess