: Re: Filter Words in Dialog I realize there are lists of words that writers aren't supposed to use, but does the same apply to dialog? http://penningtonpublishing.com/blog/grammar_mechanics/how-to-eliminate-to-be-verbs-in-writing

@Sims2267584

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No. Filter words in dialogue don't matter. You can do what you want in dialogue. Would it be cliche to write in a narration that it was raining cats and dogs outside? Yes it would because this is creative writing. Surely you can come up with a better way to describe it raining hard. But if your character runs inside, dripping wet, and exclaims,"Damn. It's raining cats and dogs out there!" Maybe that's how the character talks.

"I watched her run into the burning building."
vs
"She ran into the burning building."

The two will say the same thing to the casual reader. The first is supposedly wrong because of the filter word, but what if the character feels guilty about watching and doing nothing. So there very well can be a time when filter words are just fine.

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