comments:
There is an entire series of books--called "Writers Helping Writers"; first book is "The Emotion Thesaurus"--for avoiding this exact problem. It's currently available on every book storefront (Kobo, 'Zon, Apple) and I was able to borrow it from Libby back-when, so that could be an option for writers, too. It comes up about 6 times out of 10 for me whenever I'm looking at any books (but I write/publish, so ymmv). The books in the series aren't expensive, they're great resources, and they help with this problem (and many others, as you can see from the titles if you click the series links). A solid investment for any writer. There are also actual thesauri that writers can buy in print or e-book form, or get as an app or website (avoid AI), to help with this. It's absolutely worth buying something and not just using a free service, though free services are still better than not using a thesaurus (and dictionary) at all. In the year 2026 (or any year), this shouldn't be a problem, yet it's so frustrating to see it's still an issue. I always tell writer friends that they really need to leave time in their revision/editing process to use text-to-speech on their finished story/manuscript so they can hear how their story sounds before they publish it. Doing this one chapter at a time makes it easier and less overwhelming if an entire book is too much, but having your book read to you before you publish it (or send it to an editor/beta) really is a secret editing weapon for authors--especially those who self-pub and can't afford expensive editing services. Most software offers this now, or you can copy/paste it into programs to have them read it to you (again, avoid AI or any programs that train AI), and it's the best way to truly hear how your prose is flowing and if you're using certain words too frequently. Some read it out loud to themselves, but I don't trust my brain to not correct things for me, so I use my text-to-speech program (I have a screen reader anyway) because it puts me outside my own work (those "darlings" we're always warned about). Anyway... TL;DR, yes OP, overuse of words/phrases drives me crazy. I don't enjoy audiobooks at all, but it's just as annoying in audio as it is in written form. ETA: I tried to read this book and couldn't--editing is very important to me. If that makes me a snob, oh well. 🤷♀️ There are no original ideas and there will be an author who takes this idea (which isn't unique) and does something incredible--and well-edited--with it eventually.