Here's a 3 year old post I'd forgotten.

"Was" is the ugliest sound in the English language. To me it sounds like endless, drizzly rain.

A limp little word, past imperfect. No beginning, no end. Unspecific. A sign of slack writing, if used too much. A symbol of lack of things happening, of stuckness.

There are over 3.3 was's listed on google, excluding references to the World Aquatic Society.

Anyway, I've got to the "de-wasing" stage of revising my novel. If I unpick the reasons I've used used the word too much, I find extra little scenes I can write, to make the story more vivid.

For example,
He was determined not to put up with it any more
Well, how does his detemination show? Does he grit his teeth? Make a list of things he'll do in order not to put up with it? Did his determination come to him at a particular moment? Or creep up? Or did he just feel he ought to be determined?

And so on.

He was leaning against the lamp post.
When did he start leaning? What made him lean? Or perhaps it's a Becket play and leaning is part of his existential condition? Hasn't he got anything better to do?

etc.

So, budding writers, my 101 advice is - avoid the Was Word as much as possible.

Follow my words and not my writing. I have just checked. There are 704 wases left in my manuscript. Almost five a page.

To hell with it! I was going to sit in front of this screen all day, but now I've decided to go on a long walk. Even posting about was has given me a headache.