The Word You Should Bend Over Backwards to Avoid

And the word is...

                                IT

I hate this word. I loathe this word. I want to drag this word behind the building and shoot it (grrr) in the back of the head.

Why the vehemence? Because too many writers misuse and abuse "it," because "it" becomes a crutch for lazy writers, and because "it" can lose readers faster than run-on sentences and three page paragraphs.

I hate this word because this word is so general. "It" is as general as you can get. The word "it" doesn't bring a single image to your reader's mind. Our job as writers is to paint a picture with words, a living, breathing picture in the minds of our readers that helps them experience a story, not just read a story.

Now, obviously, the word "it" is useful in many cases, such as helping a writer to avoid repetition:

"Sara gazed into the crystal ball, touching it lightly with her fingertips." This sentence would be clunky and ridiculous without the use of "it." But notice that there is no doubt what "it" means. Your job as a writer is to make sure that your reader has no doubt what this fill-in-the-blank word means.

A few things to watch out for when you are writing and editing:

• Any sentence that begins with "It" should be checked carefully. Sentences that start this way are often written in passive voice, which can get a writer in a lot of trouble. Passive voice is just that, passive. As in removed from action. Active voice keeps readers reading, while passive voice robs your narrative of opportunity for action (real and metaphorical). For instance, "It was a dark and stormy night." SNOOZE. Try, "Darkness filled the night, and though Claire could not see anything, she heard the trees as they whipped back and forth in the wind, and the rain as it battered the roof of the old inn." The second sentence gives each element of the scene (darkness, Claire, trees, rain) a clear action for the reader to imagine. By avoiding a sentence beginning with "It," you give yourself a chance to write with more clarity and oomph.
• Make sure that each time you use "it," your meaning is clear. Don't send your reader back to re-read passages simply because they're trying to figure out what the hell you're talking about. If your reader spends time trying to puzzle out the meaning, let them contemplate the meaning of the story itself, the action it contains, the motives of your characters and the consequences of their actions. Not the actual words on the page.

A simple caveat: One of the most famous pieces of English literature, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, begins with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." I won't say anything condescending to you, lovely and faithful reader, like "remember, you ain't no Dickens." Maybe you will be some day (and I hope you will remember me fondly), but in the meantime, take note that this opening passage uses the refrain of "It was the..." ten times. This was a stylistic choice for Dickens. You will always be able to find instances where an author has broken a 'rule' like this, and with great success. I urge you to simply make sure that your own brilliant piece of writing reaches your reader with few mechanical flaws and a lot of heart.