The Surprising Habit That’s Sabotaging Your Writing—And How to Break It Now

Ever caught yourself narrating a scene through your character’s eyes but felt like something was—how to put it—offbeat? That’s the sneaky work of filtering in writing: when you report what a character experiences instead of plunging the reader in headfirst. Imagine saying, “She felt the icy rain hit her face,” versus the more visceral, “Icy rain stung her cheeks.” One sounds as if you’re whispering secondhand, while the other slaps the senses awake. Filtering, a term coined decades ago by Janet Burroway, is like an accidental buffer that keeps readers a hair’s breadth away from the moment—they’re told what’s happening rather than shown. It might seem subtle, but trust me, trimming these filter words can punch up your prose with immediacy and power—no more distant spectators, just immersion. Ready to slice through those filters, sharpen your scenes, and bring your storytelling closer than ever? Let’s dive in and uncover when to cut loose, when to keep some space, and how this small tweak could transform your writing’s impact. LEARN MORE.