Many Words Impart Negativity to Writing

You’ll be familiar with the most common: no, never, none, not, nothing, nobody, no one, nowhere, and their relatives. But they aren’t the only culprits.

Most people use negatives liberally, like I just did when I typed aren’t in the previous paragraph:

“I don’t like it.”

“Never do that again.”

“Aren’t you coming?”

Consider the Tenor of the Following Passages

“Writers should be warned to avoid adverbs.”

“Using anything but said to attribute dialogue is discouraged.”

Most books about writing, mine included, stress what writers should not do. Knowing what to avoid is an excellent start. However, positive recommendations provide focus and alternatives that help improve our work.

“Writers should be urged to use strong verbs and nouns.”

“Action beats to attribute dialogue are encouraged.”

Let’s Study Some Examples

Negative: Wren plodded into the kitchen. She had never liked cooking, especially when it involved feeding strangers she barely knew. It wasn’t fair.

Wren’s dark mood is obvious. Is that the way we want to portray her? Consider a rewrite.

Positive: Wren strolled into the kitchen. Four for dinner. Best way to impress them would be to prepare a memorable meal, right? Internet recipes. Mom on speed dial. She could do this.

The edits transform a pessimist into an optimist. We see someone who’s determined to make an effort.

Negative: Professor Watkins scratched his beard. “The latest statistics don’t support many of the initial conclusions. However, there isn’t much research available.”

The professor might be conflicted or concerned, as demonstrated by his beard scratching. Don’t and isn’t add to the negativity.

Less negative: Professor Watkins stroked his beard. “The latest statistics support few of the initial conclusions. However, much more research is necessary.”

The edited version contains negative words, but they’re less noticeable.

Negative: Zach glowered at me. “The problem is that nobody listens to me, least of all you.”

Is it possible to remove most of the negatives but retain the tension?

Less negative: Zach swallowed, hard, and gazed at me. “I need to be acknowledged, especially by you.”

The first passage gives us an angry Zach. The second Zach seems wounded or disappointed.

Negatives Affect the Tenor

Capitalize on that.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s novel Paul Clifford wouldn’t provide the same impact without its opening, “It was a dark and stormy night.” People often malign Bulwer-Lytton’s work, but he created writing so memorable that it’s discussed worldwide.

A dystopian novel about a dismal future might dwell on negatives. But do those words belong in a happy story?

Perhaps inserted for occasional contrast, yes.

However, many writers unintentionally infuse their work with negative words, never realizing the tone they set for readers.

When Appropriate, Avoid the Negative and Stress the Positive

Unless your writing begs for a somber tone, try to replace negatives with positives.

A crucial part of curtailing negatives is to recognize them when they occur. The following sections will help.

Most Un-Words Are Easy to Fix

Remove the un- prefix to create antonyms. For example:

unable
unashamed
uneven
unfair
unfavorable
unfortunately
unhappy
unhealthy
unjust
unlikely
unlit
unlucky
unpleasant
unsatisfactory
unscrupulous
unsightly
unwanted
unwelcome
unwholesome
unwieldy
unwilling
unwise

When Negatives Are Necessary, Replace Not Phrases With Single Words

Not bloats writing. Most phrases that begin with it have briefer equivalents.

not able: incapable, helpless, incompetent

not acceptable: substandard, objectionable, distasteful

not allowed: prohibited, banned, forbidden

not certain: doubtful, hesitant, debatable

not clear: indistinct, faint, vague

not consider: ignore, flout, disregard

not continue: end, suspend, withdraw

not fail: pass, succeed, thrive

not forget: remember, recall, reminisce

not good: bad, evil, immoral

not have: lack, need, require

not illegal: legal, lawful, authorized

not in a million years: never

not likely: improbable, doubtful, implausible

not many: few, some

not old enough: underage, juvenile, immature

not on time: late, tardy, overdue

not possible: impossible, hopeless, inconceivable

not remember: forget, overlook, neglect

not take lightly: heed, mind, consider

not the same: different, diverse, dissimilar

not unnecessary: necessary, essential, required

not want to: balk, resist, eschew

Phrases That Begin With No Come Across as Negative, Even if Their Meaning Is Positive

Replace them, unless the negativity is intentional.

no borders: boundless, free, limitless, open

no different: alike, identical, indistinguishable

no misunderstanding: understanding, agreement, accord

no problem: certainly, indeed, absolutely

no worries: sure, okay, definitely

When You Desire a Positive Mood, Incorporate Antonyms of Negative Words

Altering the tenor is more than a plug-and-play process. Changes often require considerable rewrites.

adverse: favorable, positive, complimentary

avoid: emphasize, stress, accentuate

cannot: can, will, must

discourage: encourage, support, inspire

dishonest: honest, forthright, trustworthy

dislike: like, enjoy, appreciate

disobey: obey, comply, mind

do not: do, accomplish, perform

fail: succeed, achieve, win

failure: success, victory, accomplishment

hate: enjoy, love, appreciate

ignore: notice, observe, pay attention

impossible: possible, feasible, achievable

little value: significant, important, invaluable

lose: win, succeed, triumph

mistake: positive step, success, victory

never: always, forever, usually

no-no: plus, advantage, benefit

problem: solution, resolution, answer

quit: persevere, persist, continue

refuse: agree, consent, assent

sorry: glad, pleased, thankful

stop: launch, initiate, originate

suspicious: trusting, hopeful, credulous

taboo: recommendation, endorsement, suggestion

warn: encourage, urge, advise

wicked: good, moral, respectable

Sometimes Negatives Hide in Plain Sight

Choose them if you desire an unenthusiastic tone. Replace them if you prefer an upbeat atmosphere. This list contains adverbs, adjectives, nouns, and verbs that have the potential to tinge writing with negativity.

A to C
acerbic, ambiguous, ambivalent, angry, antagonistic, anxious, barely, belligerent, bitter, blunt, broken, cautious, clumsy, cold, conceited, condescending, contemptuous, contrary, corrosive, corrupt, cowardly, cruel, curt, cynical

D
damaged, dark, dead, decaying, deformed, deny, depressed, derisive, derogatory, desolate, despairing, detached, diabolical, dirty, discourage, disheveled, dishonorable, dismal, dreary

E to G
error, evasive, evil, fatalistic, faulty, feeble, filthy, foreboding, foul, frantic, frighten, frightful, ghastly, gloomy, glower, grave, greed, grim, grotesque, guilty, gutless

H to L
haggard, hard, hardly, harmful, hideous, hostile, hurt, imperfect, incredulous, indignant, inflammatory, injurious, insidious, insipid, insolent, irreverent, jealous, least, lethargic, loss

M to P
malicious, mean, melancholy, messy, misshapen, missing, misunderstood, moldy, nondescript, noxious, old, ominous, oppressive, overwhelmed, paranoid, patronizing, pedantic, plain, poor, pretentious

Q and R
questionable, rarely, reject, reticent, revenge, rotten, rude, ruthless

S
sardonic, scarcely, scare, scornful, self-deprecating, severe, shoddy, sick, sinister, sly, solemn, somber, spineless, spiteful, stern, stormy, strident, stupid, substandard

T to Z
tempestuous, tense, threatening, undermine, upset, vice, vindictive, warn, wary, weak, weary, worthless, wound, wry, yell, yellow (cowardly), zero, zilch