I've been criticized for using the word, "just" too much

[Guest]

I've been criticized in the past for using the word, "just" too much (even though it's the first four letters of my name).

But I realized how important "just" was recently.

I'll give you an example... "Just an extreme example..." or "An extreme example..." One is throwaway and the other feels important. No?

[AJ~]

"Just an extreme example" strikes me as an oxymoron, so I wouldn't be impressed with that.

As far as 'use too much' goes, how long is a piece of string? In my experience words like 'just' 'almost' 'nearly' are all wishy-washy and indefinite, when I like my reads to be precise and effective. I steer clear of them.

[Ann]

'Just' can be substituted for many words that mean the same. 'Absolutely' is one of them and will fit your first example. 'Only is another. Or 'precisely'. Just, was, and as are usually my overused words. I may start with 1,200 uses of 'was' in a manuscript of 85K words. By the final first edit, I have it down to under 600. Sometimes only a couple of hundred. But once you recognize you have an issue with a certain word, you become more aware of it and limit its usage. Good luck.

[Lauren]

I have a few of those words. Like, said, nods, and scans. I actually don't know what the character is scanning myself, but they like to scan for some strange reason. Normally, I cut that scene out, because I am trying to make a word count for a writing project.

[Janice]

We used words like that for word building when I was in junior school around 7 years old. It started with "and" we had to use a different word with the same meaning. I think that's where I got a love for words.