Rant: stop using the word 'suddenly' in every single action scene

I read through about 30 writing prompts here last month and almost every fantasy one had 'suddenly' popping up 3 or 4 times. It gets old fast, like the writer is trying to fake tension. I only really noticed it because I used to do the same thing in my own stories until a beta reader pointed it out. Has anyone else started cutting that word from their drafts on purpose?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_mason7d ago

Noticed I was doing the exact same thing last week and went back to cut em. Found "suddenly" 11 times in a single chapter about a siege. It was like my characters couldn't do anything without a sudden alert.

susan3507d ago

Oh man, I still cringe thinking about my first draft where every dragon attack happened "suddenly." My beta reader probably thought I only knew one word.