What Editing Tips Reduce Synonym Teasing In Fiction Writing?

2025-08-26 00:52:18 172

4 Answers

Grayson
Grayson
2025-08-29 07:50:51
There's nothing more jarring to me than a paragraph where every other line swaps out the same verb for a thesaurus-hunted cousin. I used to do that when I was polishing my first draft—'said' became 'bellowed', 'uttered', 'snapped' until the dialogue sounded like a stage direction list instead of people talking.

Now I edit with a couple of simple rules: keep dialogue tags minimal (mostly 'said' or nothing at all), use beats to show action instead of inventing weird synonyms, and ask whether the verb actually adds information. If a character is smiling, do they need the tag 'smiled', or can I show them twisting a ring, glancing away, biting a lip? That usually makes the emotion and rhythm clearer.

I also run a quick find for my most-used words, then read those passages aloud. If the synonym feels fake when spoken, it goes. Beta readers are gold here—someone else will notice when you’re avoiding repetition for its own sake. Over time I learned that restraint often reads as confidence, and that saved my prose from sounding like a thesaurus spree.
Kayla
Kayla
2025-08-29 11:16:13
I used to have a habit of swapping words just to avoid repeating myself, and it made scenes clunky. Now my first pass is ruthless: search for the biggest offenders, then decide whether the repetition bothers me or serves the character.

Quick tips I use often—favor 'said' or no tag, lean on beats and physical gestures, replace weak verbs by sharpening nouns or adding a tiny detail, and read dialogue aloud to check authenticity. If a synonym sounds like it came from a thesaurus, I delete it. Also, keep a short list of each character’s typical words so repetition can be a trait not a tics.

Honestly, the lighter touch usually reads stronger, and I feel less tempted to show off vocabulary once I hear the scene in my head.
Wyatt
Wyatt
2025-08-30 23:46:33
When I edit, I use a more forensic method: identify, interrogate, fix. First, I identify overused words—verbs and tags that pop up too much. Next I interrogate each instance: does changing this word add meaning, clarity, or voice? If the answer is no, it gets simplified.

My go-to fixes are threefold. One: use dialogue beats instead of exotic dialogue verbs—actions like 'she reached for the mug' do emotional work that 'sobbed' or 'snapped' sometimes can’t. Two: choose stronger nouns and adjectives so verbs don’t have to carry everything; a slammed door or a thinning voice can replace a dozen synonyms. Three: embrace character-specific diction—let repetition be a deliberate quirk for a person rather than a mistake.

I also use a practical trick: save a copy of the scene and systematically replace a handful of synonyms with 'said' to see if the meaning suffers. If it doesn’t, cool—keep it simple. If it does, find a single, precise verb that truly fits. Reading aloud and asking two honest readers to point out awkward phrasing rounds everything off neatly.
Paisley
Paisley
2025-09-01 02:17:25
I like thinking of prose as music: too many different notes in the same measure can make the melody messy. When I edit, I listen for recurring verbs and ask whether variety helps the scene or just shows off vocabulary. Usually, simple tags like 'said' disappear into the background and let the characters' words carry the tune.

Technically, I keep a shortlist of crutch words and run a document-wide search. Then I decide case-by-case: replace with a beat, strengthen the surrounding sentence, or accept the repetition because it's part of voice. Sometimes repetition is intentional—one character might habitually 'snap' or 'whisper', and that becomes characterization rather than laziness.

Finally, I try a scene read-through where I only pay attention to how it sounds aloud. If the synonyms feel forced in spoken form, I cut them. It’s surprising how often the simplest fix is the best one.
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