– Writing

Some sites suggest that you avoid Weasel Words, but how can you steer clear of them if you don’t know what they are? That’s why we are going to consider them in this post. By definition, weasel words “suck the life” out of the words they are near, rendering them weak and lifeless…similar to the eggs left after the weasel has had dinner. (Apparently weasels don’t actually suck the eggs out, but they do tend to leave empty shells behind.) In trying to keep your piece strong, you certainly don’t want any dull or boring, lifeless words, so it might be a good idea to at least be aware of weasel words.

Why Weasel?

A multitude of explanations exist for why the term ‘weasel’ is used, but none of them are accepted as the true and correct account. In addition to Shakespeare’s mentioning the habit of weasels sucking eggs (twice), both Theodore Roosevelt and Stewart Chaplin used similar phrasings in the early 1900s when they described ‘weasel words’ in relation to political posturing. Roosevelt said that he preferred a particular platform because it contained no weasel words, and Chaplin wrote a short story where a politician said that his platform, as most, was full of weasel words. In both cases they were referring to positions that had lost their potency because of these weasel words.

An earlier tale referencing weasels is when Hercules was born. As his mother was about to give birth, her servant Galanthis announced his birth early…foiling the conspiracy of the goddess Lucina to prevent his birth. In retribution, Lucina transformed Galanthis into a weasel, because “her lying mouth helped in childbirth”. From that we get the idea that weasels are tricky, dishonest, or deceitful. Weasel words are also misleading, giving meaning where none should be.

Whatever the source, and despite the fact that weasels don’t actually suck eggs, the term seems to have stuck, so we’ll deal with it when we see it.

Examples of Weasel Words

Weasel words can be grouped into a few main types: numerical, passive, or adverbs that weaken. All of these often appear in copy that is intended to influence decision making, such as adverts and political rhetoric. Frequently you’ll hear about “some people” who believe or support something…but who are they? Do you trust them? Just how many of them are there?? What about claims that “many experts recommend” this item? Does that have any power to influence you? Again, how many, who are they, and what exactly do they recommend? Consider something that is “up to 50% off”…well, if it is only ONE percent off, then it is “up to” 50%, so that phrase doesn’t really mean much, yet it may cause you to consider a purchase.

We’ve seen Passive Voice being used when we don’t know who the actor in a statement is, but it is also used to avoid responsibility. Instead of saying, “We made a mistake”, you’ll hear, “A mistake was made.” No one is admitting fault, so there can be no punishment. Would you buy something that “experience shows that” it is good? Whose experience? What did they experience? How does their experience connect to the product? And if “common sense insists” you should do it, should you? Are we to make decisions based on what “everyone else” thinks or does? “No product is better” would be true even if no product were worse.

Good Claims Don’t Have Weasel Words

Now that you know what weasel words are, you can strengthen your assertions as you write. Say what you mean, and say it with conviction. Don’t be wishy-washy or wimpy. State your case and stand behind it.

The only reason you’re writing anything is because you want to share it…with family, with friends, with the whole world. It doesn’t really matter who your audience is—you have one in mind (maybe even just yourself for now). But…if you want your ideas to be understood by your audience, you need to follow the Three C’s of Writing—be Clear, Concise, and Compelling.

Clear

Word choice is important. Many words have the same (or similar) dictionary definitions…but are entirely different in use. That is because what they denote (from the Latin de– meaning “complete” and notare “to mark out”) and what they connote (from com- “together” and the same notare) aren’t the same. If you have access to a really good dictionary, you can find more than just the definition…you’ll get references to information beyond the literal meanings. So how is that important? Choosing the right word will affect the attitude of what you’re saying. Consider these examples:

• Bob pointed across the café. “That girl over there is rather slender.”
• Carl nodded. “I’d say she’s a bit thin.”
• Dave shook his head. “Too skinny for me.”

All three underlined words have similar dictionary definitions but widely differing feelings. Consider that most of your message will be carried by the subtle implications behind the actual definitions, so think about which words you use.

Another problem with unclear writing is if you use a pronoun and it isn’t clear what the antecedent is. Before you say ‘he’ or ‘she’ make sure that you’ve identified that person earlier on…especially if there are multiple people in the scene. Also, if you’re going to refer to ‘this’ or ‘that’, you can usually identify the noun at the same time. Instead of just saying “I enjoy that”, try “I enjoy that book.” Instead of “I don’t prefer this”, try “I don’t prefer this ice cream.” It will keep your writing clearer.

Concise

Besides being clear, you also need to avoid using too many words. One way to do that is to keep in the Active Voice—passive typically takes more words. Another good way is to avoid expletive phrases, such as “There is”, “There are”, or “It is”. Most can be shortened to be more powerful:

• There is a treasure buried here.
  • The treasure is buried here.
• There are tall trees waving in the wind.
  • Tall trees waved in the wind.
• It is the boss who makes the decisions.
  • The boss makes the decisions.
• It was the bright sun that made such dark shadows.
  • The bright sun made dark shadows.

Watch out for empty filler words. Do a global search and consider the use of each. Most aren’t necessary, nor do they add much to the content:

• actually
• already
• definitely
• entirely
• extremely
• fairly
• just
• quite
• really
• totally
• very

Converting verbs (or other parts of speech) into nouns is known as nominalization. Similar to passive voice, it can weaken your text as well as make it longer without making it better. Converting the nominalization to a solid verb can tighten your writing:

• The detective conducted his investigation of the scene.
  • The detective investigated the scene.
• He is writing daily now.
  • He writes daily now.
• Good writers make choices regarding
  • Good writers choose words carefully.
• We performed a demonstration of the new product.
  • We demonstrated the new product.
• Regular reviews of online content should be scheduled.
  • Online content should be reviewed regularly.
• The inspector gave an assessment of the problem.
  • The inspector assessed the problem.

The idea is to use as few words as necessary to get your ideas across…unless you are intentionally being repetitive for emphasis.

Compelling

Once you have your ideas Clearly phrased and Concisely expressed, you still have to be certain that they Compel the reader. If you know your audience, then you know what they like…so give it to them. Make your writing exciting…avoid boring facts, give them action, emotion, something to enjoy. Use good solid verbs and avoid Weasel Words. Have each of your chapters end on a high note…enticing your readers to continue reading instead of putting the book down…even for a moment. You hooked them at the beginning of the story, so make certain you keep them hooked by starting each chapter with a solid intro, describing the room, the people, and the action.

Don’t try to show off with fancy words (that you had to go look up). Just stick to what you already know…what your audience knows. If you have something new that has to be explained, don’t talk down to your reader…assume they are as smart as you are. When you are introducing some new concept, it helps to have a character in the story who doesn’t understand it either. That way your MC can explain it to them, and the reader just listens in. Better yet, show them the new item in use and let them figure it out for themselves.

Create a believable world…don’t introduce too many changes to what we all know and love now…unless you give convincing reasons for the difference. If your world is far from what we know as ‘normal’, try to not break too many laws of physics. If you really need to have some new-fangled technology, research it to see how it might really work. Draw them in with how it fits into the society you’ve created.

Bottom line

Keeping your writing Clear, Concise, and Compelling will help get your message across to your readers and keep them occupied all the way to the end…and that’s when they’ll set your book down, ponder a moment, then run off to tell all their friends about it—word of mouth is your best advert!