Why the Word “Far” Makes Me Want to Hit You

Rant Alert!

Okay, there is this trend on, well, everywhere that is ruining my immersion in stories because I get irrationally annoyed with the author. I would lose my zen if he or she were present and demand to know in what idiot universe “far” was acceptable word choice. It’s like you’re happily reading in your favorite chair, with your favorite blanket, and your favorite lap cat, when someone runs up and shoves an air horn in your ear.

 

She was far prettier than even she realized.

She was prettier than even she realized.

People forgot they were eating in mid-chew when she entered a room.

 

It’s far more important to fight the dragon than to take the treasure.

It’s more important to fight the dragon than to take the treasure.

Fighting the dragon meant eternal glory in the halls of Valhalla. You can’t take treasure with you when you die.

 

Far is the new very. It’s overused, it doesn’t provide emphasis, and it’s just lazy. I’m not a great writer, and I don’t have all the answers, but I am a great reader and know what doesn’t work for me.

There are a bazillion posts on Pinterest with infographics on what words to use instead of very. I think there is even a meme from that one movie with Robin Williams and school. Hang tight, let me find it.

So let’s skip over the part about wooing women, although sometimes a good wooing is appreciated. (Let’s not be prim, we’re writers. Even if you’ve been married 60 years, the feeling of being wooed by Mr. Darcy is still beautiful. Your husband/wife flirting with you after your 4th child is still exhilarating.)

You ARE wooing your audience. You must woo your publishers. Unless you write purely for the pleasure of your cats (which is also fine, but Kronos won’t sit still long enough to listen to me), then you must woo your audience with your command of language, imagery, and emotion.

Sure, use far in the first draft. Even the second. But drop it like an angry raccoon before you publish. You can do better. We can all do better.

So let’s take a stand against the villainy of “very” and “far.” (Unless far is being used to express distance.) We will not be lazy in wooing our audience. We will write well because it is a shame to labor over a thing and have it turn out poorly when there is a simple fix.