My editor in Seattle said my writing was full of 'weasel words' and it stung

She pointed out I used 'maybe', 'sort of', and 'probably' over 20 times in a 500 word piece. I always thought hedging made me sound careful, but she said it just made me look unsure. I cut them all out and the next draft was way stronger. How do you guys handle feedback that hits a core belief about your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel14020d ago

My last editor in Chicago had the exact opposite take. She told me to add more qualifiers to show the nuance in a complex story. Cutting every "maybe" can make writing sound arrogant, like you're stating opinions as hard facts. It really depends on the topic and the publication's voice. Sometimes sounding careful is the right call.

matthewdixon20d ago

Tell that to my first drafts full of "perhaps" and "possibly"!

emmahayes20d ago

Honestly, that feedback would sting me too. Tbh my first drafts are basically just "maybe" and "sort of" holding hands in a trench coat pretending to be a sentence. Ngl it's a tough balance, because daniel140 has a point about needing some softness sometimes. But cutting them all out as an exercise really shows you where you're just hiding.