Improve your writing by removing filter words

Removing filter words from your writing is an easy way to deepen your narrative and engage your readers.

What are filter words?

Filter words tell us what you see, hear, taste, or think, rather than show us what you see, hear, taste, or think. They create distance between you and the reader.

Common examples are:

• noticed
• seemed
• spotted
• saw
• realised
• felt
• thought
• wondered
• believed
• knew
• decided.

Here is a simple example:

I felt the freezing water fill my boots as I stepped into the river.

Here, we’re told what I am experiencing. The freezing water fills my boots, but we don’t feel that freezing water.

See what happens when we recast the “I felt” filter:

Freezing water filled my boots as I stepped into the river.

This sentence is direct and immersive. Of course, the reader can’t actually feel the freezing water, but the shock is easier to imagine compared to the first sentence.

Let’s look at more examples and see how recasting without the filters injects emotion, character, and detail into the sentence.

Sentence with filters	Sentence recast without filters	Effect on the scene
She looked at the map and knew it would be a long day.	She studied the map and sighed. This would be a long day.	“studied” shows us how she’s looking at the map. “and sighed” adds emotional detail.
He’d been walking for five hours and decided it was time for a break.	He’d been walking for five hours. All right, that was enough. Break time.	This rewrite gives a glimpse into his character and voice.
I stared up at the wall of rotten ice and wondered how I’d tackle that mess.	I stared up at the wall. Rotten ice – no good for climbing. How would I tackle this?	The question shows us the narrator’s thought process.

These recasts aren’t the only way to rewrite the sentences. Take the first example: perhaps the person looking at the map is looking forward to the long day. In that case, you would tap into her determination and excitement about the challenge ahead.

When you find a filter word in your writing, play around with the words and see what works. Ask:

• What mood do you want to convey?
• How can you show the character’s voice?
• What actions show their emotions?
• Can you tap into their thoughts?

Recasting sentences to remove filter words is a quick way to add depth to your writing and create a closer connection between you and the reader. The closer the connection, the more engaged your readers will be. But sometimes a filter word is exactly what a scene needs. So, when should you use them?

When are filter words effective?

Filter words work well when a scene needs that distance between you and the reader, or when you want to draw attention to what you are seeing or feeling.

Now, as I looked at the passenger in the seat next to me, I knew we’d made the right decision. Jem had quit his job, bought his first rucksack, and was accompanying me for the entire journey.

Around the World in 80 Trains, by Monisha Rajesh. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019. Kindle Edition. Page 3.

The filters “I looked” and “I knew” work well in this passage. They provide a moment of introspection and show us that Monisha has come to a definitive conclusion. She feels positive about her upcoming trip.

If we recast this passage without the filter words, we lose that introspection:

Jem sat next to me. We’d made the right decision. He had quit his job, bought his first rucksack, and was accompanying me for the entire journey.

The passage feels flat, and the first two short sentences create a stilted rhythm.

Your turn

If your scene calls for depth, tension, and reader immersion, then cut out the filter words. But if the scene requires narrative distance or involves reflection and introspection, then filter words could work well.

As always, think about what will work best for the scene.

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