Just a moment...

[Island Writer]

How many times do you use the word 'just' in your writing? Whether it's fiction or not, the word seems to have a gender bias. What do my fellow Litopians think?

http://www.businessinsider.com/former-google-exec-says-this-word-can-damage-your-credibility-2015-6

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Just a moment, let me check...

 

[Alistair Roberts]

It would seem about an average of once per 1.5 pages.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

How many times do you use the word 'just' in your writing? Whether it's fiction or not, the word seems to have a gender bias. What do my fellow Litopians think?

http://www.businessinsider.com/former-google-exec-says-this-word-can-damage-your-credibility-2015-6

I use it more than I should, but it's one of the key words I look out for when I'm editing, along with that, very, and had.

 

[Mark Odell]

It's just an unjustly just justification to use just.

 

[Karen Gray]

I use it more than I should, but it's one of the key words I look out for when I'm editing, along with that, very, and had.

Well 14 pages into book 4 I have used it 6 times and half of those are in speech... That's not too bad actually. I don't use very at all in my work, other than in dialogue. Never in the narration.

On the point of 'had' I would rather have one too many 'had's than one too many 'she'd's. Contractions are a bad habit hole to fall into.

 

[Amber Zade]

I use it too much. 'Just' has become a disclaimer of sorts. I use 'that' all the time. I have started to stop myself and ask if it's really needed.

 

[Bernard Stacey]

Mmm - it's a very useful filler word in poetry, though needs ruthless editing for that.

 

[James Marinero]

That's not a just question, just sayin' that justice never gets a just hearing.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Just like that James??

 

[James Marinero]

Just like that James??

Just so, but that's a whole lot of other stories. Just realised, Kipling beat me to it. That's just the way it is sometimes. Just sayin'
.

 

[David Steele]

Oh dear. Once per page, on average.
No wonder I'm languishing in obscurity.

 

[Jennifer Stone]

It's a just word, it has its place, it has its meaning. To say that one can be detrimental to your work, over any other word, is just absurd. What's next? You can't use 'the' or 'and'? Maybe this is just a ploy to see just how flexible a writers vocabulary is. Just.

 

[Karen Gray]

Ok, I was curious. I did a search of book 1 for 'just'

Book 1 = 99449 words in total inc extra stuff at the end

Number of times I used the word 'just' = 156

That's pretty damn good by the way... I just gave myself a pat on the back lol!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Oh, look what you've started, @Island Writer.

Blimey. I mean, just LOOK.

But, we're justly warned, just in time and just in case.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=15&v=QFUw2FIFazE

 

[Marc Joan]

C'est pas juste.

 

[Meerkat]

Hmm . . . I can see the writer's point.

I searched a story of my own that I am currently editing and found it six times. This is interesting, as it's about a formerly submissive wife who's breaking free of control. And looking at the context, none of them are used as the writer says women do.

 

[Jason Byrne]

Lemme check mine. It just constitutes 336 of 269,000 words. And even then it is just used in dialogue, and to say that something is just [preposition] to something. Or that an action is just. But I just say that a couple times.

 

[James Marinero]

Would a book without the word 'just' seem odd? Would a reader realise?
My usage 0.2 % - seems too high.

 

[Jason Byrne]

No way. I go out of my way in order not to use more noticeable words like vision and rose, and that went unnoticed.