(Cross-posted by request)
It's sharing time again! And I've come to share one of my most useful tricks.
It's as simple as a single keyboard shortcut... and then a bunch of other stuff.

Basically, in writing, there are certain words that should always throw up a red flag when you see them, certain words that most people overuse, that you should probably try to get rid of if possible. Thankfully, in the age of computers, those can be easy to find.

Every time I'm self-editing, I'll go through a stage where I use my word processor's find/replace function to look for those troublesome words (especially the ones I tend to use too often!) Then I go on a mission to kill them.

First, a disclaimer: Every word in this list can be used, and used well. Just because you find it doesn't mean you have to get rid of it, just that you should probably consider getting rid of it.

My list of naughty words (as of now):

1) To be: was, wasn't, were, weren't, is, isn't, am, are, aren't, being (especially when it takes the form of 'was verbing')
2) began, begun, started
3) very, really, a lot, extremely, much, certainly
4) slowly, quickly, suddenly
5) rather, a bit, somewhat, almost, nearly, kind of, sort of, a little
6) *ly
7) of of, the the, a a, to to, he he, she she
8) just
9) then, before
10) upon
11) *wards (or *ward, see note)
12) ans, form
13) you, you've, you're, your, reader
14) got, went
15) not, *'nt, no, un*
16) like

By now, I'm sure you're asking, "Why is that word on the list!?" Well, let's run down the reasons for each number:
1) 'To be' verbs are weak; they're not vivid and they have no sensory connotations. It's often possible to reword sentences and replace them with stronger, more action-y verbs. Even replacing 'was' with 'felt' often makes things better. When it takes the form of 'was verbing', it may be an indicator that you're using passive voice, which should also generally be avoided.
2) Often, a sentence that uses 'began to' or 'started to' can be made stronger and more concise by removing that. Any time you can remove those without losing the meaning of the sentence, you probably should.
3) These are examples of generic intensifiers. They're supposed to make other words more intense, but it's usually better to make words more intense by using more intense synonyms rather than adding these. For example, instead of 'very big', you could use 'massive' or 'gargantuan', which are both far stronger, more concise, and give much more vivid imagery.
4) Usually, the word 'quickly' and its ilk actually make the sentence they're in read more slowly. They're often counterproductive, and the action will seem more sudden if you remove the 'suddenly'.
5) These weasel words weaken whatever you're trying to say. It's often preferable to take them out -- it will make your prose much stronger.
6) A special treat for those who really like to use adverbs. Using too many adverbs is bad for your writing... thankfully, they almost always end in 'ly', so they're easy to find. Get rid of as many of them as you can without hurting anything (this can be painful sometimes). You should especially focus on times when you can instead use a stronger, more vivid verb. Instead of 'said quietly', you could use 'whispered'.
7) These are some common typos that come up for me. 'of of' is usually a typo version of 'off of'.
8) The word 'just' is often unnecessary. It's also sometimes used as a weasel word like in #5. In many cases, you can take it out without losing anything, making your prose more concise and clear.
9) These words are usually used to indicate that things happened in the order you wrote them... Problem is, your reader can already assume that things happened in the order you wrote them, which makes these words a waste of space, mere filler. They are occasionally necessary, but if you can figure out a way to get rid of them, you probably should.
10) Unless you're deliberately writing in an archaic style, it's probably better to just use 'on'.
11) 'Towards' and 'forwards' is more common in British spelling; 'toward' and 'forward' is more common in American. Using either one is fine, but this is a good way to make sure you're being consistent with it -- they shouldn't be mixed. The wards/ward ending shows up on a lot of words, and for most of those, there are two spellings. Make sure you're using the same for all of them by searching for the one you're not using.
12) A couple more typos I know I'm prone to (of 'and' and 'from'), and they're especially vicious because they don't trigger the spellcheck.
13) Referencing your reader can draw the reader out of the story, making him aware of himself and aware that he's reading a fictional story. If it's possible to get across what you're trying to say without these words, it's better to do so.
14) These are weak verbs that can often be replaced with stronger, more vivid ones.
15) Negations are usually weaker than positive statements. Often, it's better to change things like 'she didn't look' to 'she covered her eyes'. Or using 'confused' rather than 'uncertain'. The one exception is the word 'never', which can actually be used very strongly.
16) It's often better to convert your similies into metaphors by removing the word 'like'.

After all that finding and replacing, a story-in-the-works can be much improved, and it lessens the burden on your proofreaders/editors. ^.^

And, of course, I'm always looking for more additions to the list! Anybody else want to chip in with words that stories can do without?

interesting, thanks!

Just to be clear... this list doesn't apply to dialog, right?

4247958 Said and Replied. Both are overused, and I find myself spending a ludicrous amount of time hunting them down and changing them when I am editing for someone else, or writing my own works.

4247958 - This is good advice, I recognise a few of my bad habits on that list. One that I'd add is "seemed", "seemed to", which I try to avoid for similar reasons to "began" and "started"; it's a wishy-washy way of evoking an image.

4248058
"Said" can never be overused, really. It's an invisible word.

Edit: I suppose that under extreme circumstance, it can.

4248037
Yes, most of them don't necessarily apply to dialog, though it can still be worth a check, especially for things like negations and weak verbs.

4248058
Heh, true. The reason those aren't on my list is that I've struggled so long and hard to remove them that readers have actually complained that I don't use 'said' enough.

4248064
Oh, yep, good catch. I should add that. It's usually better for your narrator to be sure about things, because he's the only window the reader has into your world. If your narrator can only say what things seemed like, you're giving your readers a blurry picture of your world.

4248080
Heh, yeah. When you get writer's who put a 'said' on absolutely every scrap of dialog, it can easily be overused.

4248037 it should not unless the character speaks that way. Well in my rulebook it is.

4248037
It actually does apply to dialogue.

Some of his list is to catch typos. That most obviously applies.

The entire point of his lecture is to use the feature to look at what you've written, by examining certain things that pop up often. If the highlighted thing is in a dialogue sentence, then you should consider if it fits for the character to speak that way. Using his suggestion is not strictly a search for errors that must be ruthlessly edited. It's a tool for finding and diagnosing things that you might otherwise glaze over if reading through whole scenes/paragraphs at a time. The point is to look at a word out of context of the whole story, to get a small chunk that fits within your conceptual counting limit.

4248037

As a general rule, nothing applies to dialogue. You can make your characters say whatever you like. No holds barred.

Cryosite pointed out my mistake. Ignore this comment.

4248137
This is entirely false and wrong-thinking.

4248092 I've gotten the same thing a couple of times as well. I have such an extensive vocabulary that I sometimes forget the words I use aren't common place for others and can be confusing.

4248080 Well considering it is so common place then it can be used so much people only ever find 'said' and it makes it seem like a list of events, instead of a work of art and literature.

4248165

In dialogue, especially in america, people tend to completely butcher grammar. Despite our best efforts, we don't typically convey the information with perfect grammar. Written language is much more structured because it's written. When we speak, we don't adhere as strongly to the conventions of grammar because we are speaking our stream of consciousness.

That being said, I did take an extreme. You are definitely in the right in correcting me. One could easily take my comment the wrong way. ("Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do look more like?" cannot be parsed.)

I wouldn't say I was entirely false, but you did point out my lack of qualification.

I should say: "Grammar in dialogue is definitely useful, but sometimes the way that we speak doesn't end up being grammatically correct. Since dialogue is a direct quotation from a character, there is a gray area when it comes to structure, syntax, and even spelling."

4248358
That would be more correct, and likely would not have prompted me to respond had you qualified it thusly to begin with.

I would, however, word it more this way:

Dialogue, like all written material, has grammar rules. It is up to the author to work out the best way to convey what was said to give the character their voice, while leaving it legible and easy to read for the audience. This may from time to time involve bending conventional rules, and is one area where such practices are more likely to happen.

I consider the concept to still be wrong-thinking though. Spreading that advice tends to give people the impression that they can and should throw out grammar rules when writing dialogue. Even if a person speaks poorly, it matters more if what they say is understood in context. If whomever they speak to understands, then the readers should understand as well. Instead of literally quoting them, you should make what they say plain, and indicate via narration that it was said colloquially. You should at most choose words to fit their voice.

"I sure do love some apples!" said Applejack, in a pronounced drawl. (correct)
"Ah sure'do luv sum apples!!!!" said Applejack. (kill yourself)

Conversely, if the character being spoken to doesn't understand what the speaker is saying, it might be better to omit the dialogue completely, and just narrate that the speaker is saying gibberish.

The point of grammar is to convey information to the audience as elegantly and efficiently as possible. We're writing prose, not acting as court stenographers or journalists.

4248358 I notice the grammar-gets-forgotten thing every time i speak. I usually notice whenever I or someone i'm talking to screws up with grammar. it happens very frequently. Using adjectives as adverbs is one i hear a lot. I have made it my personal mission (kind of) to not use "good" when i really mean "well".

This is... excellent! I'm seeing alot of my own bad habits there as well. Thank for the list, I'll start applying it right away.

4249413
4249889
4250019
Nice to see I'm helping people! ^.^

I love this! Give's one a lot to think about when it comes to the impact of certain words and phrases.

I must disagree with number 10, though, simply because it is a word that is in frequent use in modern writing. It sounds in no way archaic (unless, of course, you don't read enough of the right kind of books).

Everything else, I agree with wholeheartedly. Wonderful job!

I wonder how much of this could be automated with a script. Well, another thing onto the list I guess.

4248092

The reason those aren't on my list is that I've struggled so long and hard to remove them that readers have actually complained that I don't use 'said' enough.

Give me this list

EDIT: Please

4268661
Um... it's right there in the first post:

1) To be: was, wasn't, were, weren't, is, isn't, am, are, aren't, being (especially when it takes the form of 'was verbing')

2) began, begun, started

3) very, really, a lot, extremely, much, certainly

4) slowly, quickly, suddenly

5) rather, a bit, somewhat, almost, nearly, kind of, sort of, a little

6) *ly

7) of of, the the, a a, to to, he he, she she

8) just

9) then, before

10) upon

11) *wards (or *ward, see note)

12) ans, form

13) you, you've, you're, your, reader

14) got, went

15) not, *'nt, no, un*

16) like

4268671

I meant the words you use instead of 'said'

My current count is... 266.

4268691

I meant the words you use instead of 'said'

That's not the way it works.

If you just replace 'said' with different words, that makes it worse. All those 'exclaimed's and 'grunted's and 'interjected's just draw more attention to the dialog tags, which is usually not where you want the reader's attention.

Getting rid of 'said' is a more delicate matter, and there are several techniques that can help you. (Using these techniques in combination can make you able to write a story without a single 'said', even if there's a lot of dialog.)
But, sure... I'll go through them.
(You know... This could probably be another post entirely. Here: http://www.fimfiction.net/group/916/school-for-new-writers/thread/168768/lecture-how-to-avoid-said)