n this quick video, I unpack the sneaky UG/Vs that can creep into your writing—those vague words and empty modifiers that make prose feel fuzzy instead of sharp. I’ll share a simple checklist you can use right off the bat to spot and replace them, plus some practical tips on how a little precision can turn ordinary sentences into vivid snapshots. If you’ve ever felt like your prose was just “okay” and wanted to lift it into something more memorable, this is the spot you’ll want to check out.
The question is, you talk about UGVs in your book, Beat the Bots. How do I approach even noticing UGVs? An UGV is an uncited generalization or vague terminology. They fall into two broad categories, numbers, quantities, and modifiers, descriptors, adjectives, and adverts. First of all, create a list that becomes a checklist for you about your placeholder words. That’s what I call them.
Many people, for example, use the word many. And when you think about it, many is a meaningless word. I mean, contrast that with most. Most, at least, has the advantage of meaning more than 50%, right? The majority. Most people X, Y, Z. But even better is to find some way of being more specific. Dozens. Scores.
Now think about a few, several. What did these mean? Well, you know, a couple is two, a few is more than two, but less than several. I think a several is seven. Probably. ’cause of the S-E-V. The more specificity you add in numbers, the better.
Now, likewise, with modifiers, the only time you should use an adjective or an adverb is if it changes the meaning of the noun or the verb. Green door. Well, that’s helpful. I know it’s not the red door. If you’re saying it’s a heavy door, that’s good because now I can picture the character struggling to open it. But what we don’t wanna do is add words just for emphasis. It was really exciting. Do you mean it was extraordinary or magnificent? It was awesome. What is it you’re trying to express? There’s that key question. Again, don’t just show emphasis. I never use very, for example, sometimes I’ll let a character in dialogue.
But very what? Instead of very interesting, say, fascinating. Instead of very tired, say, exhausted.
I go over this and Beat the Bots in the revising your own work chapter. And I think you find it helpful. How about this? Was this tip helpful? I know you can do these things. It’s just having a plan and, um, if it was helpful, would you like it? Would you share it?
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