Filter Words

Filter Words!

Filter words are those unnecessary words that filter the readers experience from a character’s point of view.

Words to Look For:

• To see 
• to hear
• to think
• to touch
• to wonder
• to realize 
• to watch
• to look
• to seem
• to feel (or feel like)
• can 
• to decide 
• to sound (or sound like)
• to know

What you might write: 

Sarah felt a sinking feeling as she realized she’d forgotten her purse back at the cafe across the street. She heard the impatient honk of horns and wondered how she could quickly cross the busy road before someone took off with her bag. But the traffic seemed impenetrable, and she decided to run to the intersection at the end of the block. 

By eliminating the bolded words, it removes the filter that distances the readers from the character’s experiences. 

What to write instead: 

Sarah’s stomach sank. Her purse- she’d forgotten it back at the cafe across the street. Cars filed past, bumper end to end. Horns honked impatiently. Could she make it across the road before someone took off with her bag? She ran past the impenetrable stream of traffic, toward the intersection at the end of the road. 

Are they ever okay?

Of course! You can use filer words when they are critical to the meaning of the sentence. A general rule is that if there is no other way to phrase a sentence without using a filter word, then it’s most likely okay to use. 

~Alice