Are you a Sticky Writer?

HappyLady Level 1

November 3, 2018, 4:21 am

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Does anyone else have this problem? In school are taught all the joining up sentence words. As writers, we should us as few as possible. They slow sentences down. I use a Google Doc add on (Hazel's Glue Word Finder) that highlights sentences with too many sticky words. Good writers use a minimum of these. Anyone have tips or statistics to use?

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MICHELLEK007

MICHELLEK007

I guess I never heard of sticky words. I was taught to be very detailed. I did, however, tend to use words to fill the sentence. Meaning, to make it longer and full of detail so that the reader can actually see what I was writing. Making my point visual. I did not use those same filler words in the next sentence and tried to limit them within the paragraph.

8 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Am also in the same boat. I do not know of sticky words. I should learn about them words. It is advisable for me.

8 years ago

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katarinamurtin

katarinamurtin

Never heard of them as well. I googled it and how it turns out I use them. A LOT! Well when you have a 5000 word essay you try not using them. In those situations those words are my salvation.

8 years ago

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iambeth

iambeth

I have not come across that term as well. I also use filler words especially if the article I'm writing is informal and will benefit from it. But if I'm writing a scientific paper for example, I refrain from using such words because it would be inappropriate to do so.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

Filler words are probably similar to it. We just have so many terms for extraneous writing. It's basically stuff that can be left out. It doesn't make the article any less meaningful since it's not supposed to be there in the first place.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

sticky/filler/glue words are the same thing. I think sticky is good though as they are what can slow a sentence down and make it less clear.

8 years ago

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burgosmichael24

burgosmichael24

Actually, it is my first time to hear that word. I am not that great in constructing sentences since English is not my native language. However, one of things that you need to remember when writing something is to make it brief and concise. It can add to the clarity of your message. Sometimes I use synonymous terms to avoid repetition and too much use of the same word.

8 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Yeah, making your articles to be simple and straight to the point is one that you can always do when you are trying to reach out to a larger audience. The reason is that most of them will like to come back next time when it comes to reading your articles as well.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

True. It's also helpful to avoid prolonged reading time. No ones likes to read something that's unnecessarily long. Making articles shorter also makes it more likely to be read more than once. People enjoy revisiting short articles for their ease of reading.

8 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

I agree. Especially now that a lot on the net tend to just scan the article. When they don't find the words they are looking for, they won't bother the whole article. And if you write too long, then that is one article with efforts lost.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

Obviously it is important to consider your audience, but a good guide is that the average reading age of the reader of a popular newspaper is 8 years old. There are times when I wonder if the journalists also stopped writing at that age with some of the silly headlines, but that is a topic for a different post.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

Your English is very good. I like what you said. I believe the term for it is succinct. It's when something's clear and concise. It's usually used for describing words and artworks. Because simplicity is favored among artistic creations.

8 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

I really if I am one since I have not heard of the term before. But I think keeping it simple and trimming down your sentences to be concise is a good practice. But long sentences have their merits too. It allows writers to explicitly describe a scene, an idea or a part of a story. This helps readers to imagine more vividly what writers are trying to impart.

8 years ago

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iambeth

iambeth

I agree that being brief with words would not be applicable if you're elaborating a description of a scene. It would greatly help being animated with words to ensure readers can feel the emotion the author is trying to convey.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

Yes, that's why long sentences are famous in novels. The best ones are well-written and expand on the world of the story. I like reading expressive paragraphs. I feel like I'm in the world of the book I'm reading.

8 years ago

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Jeane

Jeane

Some writers often go overboard with descriptions. It can be one quick way to slow down the tempo of the story. Not a bad strategy but overuse could make the reader lose interest and when someone starts flipping the pages you've lost them. Maybe forever.

It's a good idea for someone who wants to be an excellent story teller to read a few scripts, see how scriptwriters do their thing. They have to "show" everything but be very economic with words. I believe non-fiction writers can also learn something from screenwriters.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

You're right. I often see writers using it too much. They have to learn to space it properly. Brief sentences give the story a much needed punch. It's where the tension and mystery resides.

Because using few words gives you power. It makes readers think about what it could mean on a deeper level.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

Both are necessary for writing. Long sentences provide rich details. Short ones emphasize clarity and suddenness. When used together, they enhance one's writing. This is especially true for novels.

8 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Most of the things that I have written have always come with the word "as well as" and this is because my mentor taught me using those words as well. I believe that using sticky words that can link up your sentences is something that is helpful in order not to bore your readers that much.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I see what you mean. Connecting words are necessary to making sense of things. They add clarity and cohesion to your thoughts. Though, they can easily be removed if unnecessary. This is done a lot when editing novel manuscripts.

8 years ago

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Jstreeter26

Jstreeter26

I haven’t really ever heard of this phrase. Sticky words seem like they could be detrimental in writing, but usually being detailed seems like it would be a better method of writing.

8 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

I believe that the word being looked for is ambiguous words which are very difficult to understand by average readers.

Avoid using Sticky words and make use of simple words to make your points well understood.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

No, sticky words are the ones that slow your writing down. They are filler words.

Here is a useful article with a list of sticky words. They are sometimes called glue words as they stick your sentences together.

https://www.publicationcoach.com/sticky-words/

8 years ago

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iambeth

iambeth

So sticky words are similar to filler words. Well in that case I am a sticky writer sometimes because I do use filler words whenever I want my article to be like a conversation with the readers.

8 years ago

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mark8625

mark8625

Never heard it too. Sounds new to me. I will definitely search what is it mean.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I hadn’t heard of the phrase sticky words either - but I do feel like I use them. Personally I don’t mind them, in fact I think they can be useful in describing something. I’m sure there’s a limit and if you overdid it in a piece of writing it would show, but some are fine.

8 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Keeping your writing as simple as possible as well as concise is the best way to having it to be easily read and understand by all your readers.

Using Google Docs is great, you can also make use of grammarly which would help you to remove all chances of error in your work.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I hear a lot about Grammarly, and have seen a bunch of ads for it online as well. Do you think it's worthwhile?

8 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

It is. I use the premium version, and I could've not been happier. I use it all the time, and it does help with writing. Keep in mind though that it does not create the sentences for you, all it does is correct your errors and typographical mistakes.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

That's useful info. Even though I'm a native English speaker I feel like my grammar is often wrong (usually out of laziness or bad habits) - and I think it would be a good tool to really identify where I'm messing up. I'll have to go and check it out.

8 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

That sounds great. It does help especially with the comma and punctuation mark mistakes. What I don't appreciate is flagging me for 'passive voice misuse,' and I get OC with that.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

You can add Grammarly into your browser for free. If you have a reasonable knowledge of English then you can also make good use of the free version. The good news is that a Beta version has now been added to Google Docs. This is free.

8 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

Yes, I forgot to mention that it is a chrome extension for your desktop browser and they also have an app on the PlayStore for Android devices.

8 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

I am not really so familiar on sticky words since mostly in my writings I just used simple words if possible so that it can easily be understand by my readers. I am refraining as much as possible on slang words because it might not help me to gain more readers. I am also making my article to be precise and direct to the point if possible so that readers can save time in reading and do not get easily feel bored about it.

8 years ago

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jpk0007

jpk0007

Well if sticky words mean the habit of repeating some words again and again in your writing then maybe I have done that mistake in the past. Its always better to keep your content simple and easy to understand. If we use difficult words while writing then the readers will very quickly get bored and would prefer to read something else.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

No this is not what sticky words are although it is also good to use the simplest word in a sentence. If you read the rest of the thread you will get the gist.

8 years ago

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cmoneyspinner

cmoneyspinner

I have never heard the expression "sticky writer" or "sticky words". My daughter uses Google docs. I rely on Grammarly and Spellcheck to help me with my writing.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

Hazel's glue word finder is a docs add on and will soon show you where sentences need attention when it comes to sticky (glue, filler words.) It highlights the sentences and then you can work on them till there is no highlighting left when you run the app. Of course it is a challenge to lose every sticky sentence, and most of us will leave a few.

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

Maybe what you're referring to are extraneous words. They're words used in a sentence that adds nothing to what you're saying. Most of the time it's hard to spot. Especially, in your own writing. We've gotten used to reading long sentences.

You can try editing the stuff you read. If there are any words that can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence, then those are considered extraneous.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

It's a part of the reason why I always get someone I know to do a read-over of my work, or even read it out aloud. I think when you're reading something out loud you get a better idea for all those extra unnecessary words that have been put into a piece of writing! Are you a Sticky Writer?

Are you a Sticky Writer?

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

No not the same. It is worth doing some research on sticky/glue/filler words.

8 years ago

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mitan143

mitan143

Honestly, upon reading your topic that made me curious about sticky words or glue words, I've searched for its definition right away in the google. After knowing what it is all about, it somehow reminded me how I usually write. I'm guilty of using too many glue words in my previous works, and I thought that it is just common to use those glue words in constructing your sentences. According to the article that I have read, there are two kinds of words in every English sentence: the working works which carry the meaning of the sentence and the glue words which hold the working words together to form a proper, grammatical sentence. What I've learned in the article is to minimize the use of glue words to improve clarity of the sentence, or its whole context.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

You have it in one. A friend and I have just gone through an entire book we wrote taking out our sticky sentences where appropriate and rewriting them and it was worth the extra effort. I made another post so the people here who misunderstood and are not willing to do the research you did could understand, but I do not think it is approved as yet.

8 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I don't understand exactly what you mean by sticky words but maybe it is the conjunction that creates a complex sentence. When you write simple sentences, they are short one with the subject and predicate. But you cannot write a full article using only simple sentences for it will not be easy to read albeit it can even be annoying. Now if you mean by sticky word is another thing then maybe you owe us an explanation.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

See the post above a it will give you a better understanding. As I just said above, I wrote a post to explain more. I do not think it is approved yet but it has a link to a useful article in it. Another name for sticky words is "glue words."

8 years ago

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mdayrit

mdayrit

First time to hear of sticky words as well. Searched the Internet to better understand what it means before writing a comment and from what I saw, I think I can be counted as a sticky writer. I often use the words that was given as an example in the article that I read. I am not aware how many times I used them but I think it has always been a part of my content. Never received a comment from my client about it so I guess they are not that strict with sticky words.

8 years ago

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sonnyisabeast

sonnyisabeast

I work for an online publication and get paid per word written. So, for that reason, I guess I am a sticky writer. Two sentences with at least three sticky words. I could go on, but I don't want to get too sticky.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

Surely the skill is in presenting an article that is not full of sticky words? I know what you mean though. At times, if you write well, you can end up wondering how to extend things to fill a word count.

8 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

I know that using few, very, many, and etc are really bad for yiur article, sometimes it can be a nauseous and it is good if you replace it with other words, however I don't know that it is called "sticky"

8 years ago

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astraherondale

astraherondale

I have a tendency to be one. I think I developed this habit because I always struggled to increase my high school essays' word counts. However, now I'm aware of it and how it impacts my writing. Now I'm trying to write more clearly and concisely instead of incorporating so many filler words.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

It is strange really. We spend our schooldays being taught to use the glue words that as writers we want to make as little use of as we can. They are needed, but at times, when struggling to lose them and make a sentence clear, become the enemy.

8 years ago

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jaymish3

jaymish3

I see what you're saying. They normally say that this is a problem but people that speak English as their second language have. This becomes a problem when you thinking in another language that probably uses too many descriptive words. I'll be sure to check out this add on from Google Docs. I don't think I have this problem as such, the problem I have is deciding how short to make a sentence. Depending on the site they are people who like short sentences and others like long sentences. Sometimes it's a bit confusing.

8 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

It is the first time that I've heard of such a term, and honestly, I don't get what it means, but I hope I'm not a "sticky writer" as it sounds contrary to me, haha!

8 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

What are these sticky words. Please do elaborate as I want to learn and use them. I just write.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

I wrote a whole post to help, but it does not seem to have been approved. Have a look at this article https://www.publicationcoach.com/sticky-words/

8 years ago

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NerdIndeed

NerdIndeed

'A sticky sentence contains any number of words that are unnecessary to the intended meaning of your writing. These words act as sticking points for readers, slowing them down and causing confusion.'

That's according to a site I read. I don't know what it truly means myself.

8 years ago

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MomoStarr16

MomoStarr16

I haven't heard about sticky words. Your explanation is hard to understand and I can't get the point. But for my own understanding, if you write things the way you like just do it. If it makes you feel comfortable then do it.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

I used to think like that, but my writing improved by studying what makes good writing great.
https://www.publicationcoach.com/sticky-words/ contains a useful article. It took me a while to understand too, and I am English.

8 years ago

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esteban123

esteban123

I think I should learn on what is do sticky words all about since it might give me some benefits in my writings in the future. I am honestly curious about it since I often heard it to some forums that I am working and I always see that sticky words being posted at the top of some threads. Maybe I should try to look on them so that I can better understand them.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

The easiest thing is to research them and find a list of words that might be in this category. Then run the google docs glue word finder add on on something you wrote in google docs and work on it. It is hard work but does improve what you write. Sticky words are also called glue or filler words.

8 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Errors mar the readability of a book. Grammarly and Google doc can assist with grammar and spellings. One need to be careful as the same Grammarly may be your downfall

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

All Grammar editors need to be used with a knowledge of the language. If you study the language you can then identify where suggestions do not work. One can, of course, become obsessed with them. However, I would have appreciated them when I did my English degree. They have their place, but cannot make you creative.

8 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Yep I call the filler words, or descriptive words which can make sentences longer. I used to do that alot but now, I try to keep my sentences simple and short.

8 years ago

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HappyLady

HappyLady

Short , simple sentences are great. However, I sometimes find my sentence variety needs beefing up because I use too many of them!

8 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I think so too. We're all guilty of that to some extent. Especially, when we were amateur writers. Filler words add nothing substantial to what's written. It also tends to make the writing unreadable. Best to avoid it altogether.

8 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

Oh, I have searched about "sticky words" as I was not familiar with them. Then, I found out that I am guilty using these also called glue words.

8 years ago

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jaymish3

jaymish3

I think that sticky words are a problem especially if you speak other languages apart from English.This is because sometimes you think in another language as you write. Some languages use more words to express the same thing. English in a way uses fewer words. I don’t think anyone should blame themselves, with time you learn how to be more precise and as suggested they are tools that can help.

8 years ago

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