Why “Boring” Words Are the Beige Wallpaper of Your Story—and How Swapping Them Feels So Good
And How to Avoid Small Talk, Too
You know those dull little filler words that sneak into your writing like uninvited party guests? Words like “nice,” “stuff,” “went,” “got,” or “really”?
Those words are like small talk at a party on a piazza: They don’t do much. They just loiter in the sentence, sipping punch, talking about the weather, and not helping anyone have a good time.
Let’s say you write:
“She went to the store to get some stuff.”
Cool, but it’s not thrill a minute, right?
Now let’s zhuzh that up:
“She zigzagged through town to hunt down cinnamon sticks, powdered sugar, and the good brand of coffee her roommate hoards like treasure.”
Suddenly we’re somewhere. We’ve got action. We’ve got intention. We’ve got coffee-based drama. The reader sees the scene—and maybe even smells it. You’ve turned beige wallpaper into a mural of cozy chaos.
Here’s the cool brain part: revising dull words out of your draft doesn’t just make your writing better—it feels good. Swapping out a weak verb for one that crackles with energy gives your brain a hit of dopamine, that delightful little “ping!” of satisfaction. It’s like leveling up in a game. Your sentence just went from background NPC to main character.
Try This Exercise If You’re Into It:
Pick a paragraph you’ve written recently. Highlight or circle any word that feels vague, dull, or overused (think: got, went, stuff, nice, really, very, big, small). Now, for each one, ask:
What kind of stuff?
How exactly did they go?
What’s a better word than “nice”—kind? charming? oddly suspicious?
Then rewrite the paragraph using more specific, evocative language. Your goal: make the scene vivid enough that someone could sketch it.
Bonus: Keep a little “dull word graveyard” in the margin for fun. (RIP “got.”)
SMALL TALK IS THE SAME WAY
There’s some pretty decent advice throughout the web on how to avoid small talk and have real conversations and it reminds me a lot about the advice on how to avoid dull words.
Over on the Social Self, Natalie Watkins has a ton of advice, but her first two hints on avoiding small talk are these: try to be totally honest and don’t just reply to questions as if you’re on autopilot.
“Something that keeps us stuck in small talk is when we try too hard to be polite. We’re so worried about coming across badly that we end up seeming bland and having shallow chit-chat rather than an interesting discussion,” she writes. “Try skipping this stage by being honest about who you are and your thoughts and feelings. This can take confidence, but as long as you’re respectful, others will usually respond better than you might expect.”
And that’s true about novels, too. When we worry too much that no one will understand or we’ll be bad writers, we tend to not get to the truth of the characters and the emotionally resonating parts of a scene.
When it comes to replying on autopilot, you don’t really want to write that way either.
Watkins writes, “When someone asks, ‘How are you?’, we’ll almost always reply with some variation on ‘fine’ or ‘busy’ before returning the question. Instead, try being honest in your response and offering a little information.
“You don’t want to unload or trauma dump, but try giving just a little more information. You could say, ‘I’m good. I’m on vacation next week, so that’s keeping me in a good mood,’ or ‘I’m a bit stressed this week. Work’s been intense, but at least it’s nearly the weekend.’”
When you do that in conversation, you move away from the small talk and when you do that on the page you do that, too.
Look at the difference:
Small talk version:
Hi.
Hi.
Good to see you.
You too.
How’s it going?
Good. Busy. You?
Same here.
Really dull, right?
Getting to it version:
Hey, Aimee. How are you doing?
Just got an angry text from that creeper on Tinder. Good times. Good times. But … okay? I’m doing okay.
Wait. Was it Jonah Philbrick?
No small talk on the page, okay?
ADVICE ALL CONDENSED:
No small talk on the page. Stay away from boring words.
PLACES TO SUBMIT IF YOU’RE INTO IT
WOW! Women on Writing Spring Flash Fiction Contest is open to anyone writing in English, not just women.
The fee is $10 or $20 for feedback.
First-, second-, and third-place winners receive a cash prize, publication, and other perks; seven runners-up receive gift certificates and publication; and 10 honorable mentions receive a shout-out on the website and a gift.
The spring contest doesn’t have a theme and will be judged by Literary Agent Isabel Lineberry.
Submit your stories of between 250 and 750 words. Submissions are capped at 300 stories, so enter early to ensure your spot in the contest. WOW! holds contests quarterly, so if you miss this one, don’t worry—there will be another chance to participate soon! Deadline: 31 May 2025
CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY CONTEST
WOW! is proud to introduce our newest essay contest! The mission of the essay contest is to inspire creative nonfiction and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. Your story must be true, but the way you tell it is your chance to get creative. We are open to all styles of essay—from personal essay to lyric essay to hybrid essay, and beyond!
Word Count: 200 – 1,000 words. Only 300 essays are accepted, so enter early to ensure your spot in the contest. 1st Place: $500. Deadline: April 30, 2025. MORE >>
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I got a lot out of this ;) also, I love reminders.