Filtering in fiction writing occurs when a writer places a character’s perception between the reader and the scene. This article explains what filtering is, how to identify common filter words, why filtering can weaken prose, and how to avoid unnecessary filtering in your own writing.
When providing constructive critique on stories submitted to the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction, we find ourselves frequently issuing the feedback, ‘Avoid filtering’. But what is filtering, exactly, and why are we, like, so obsessed with it?
What is filtering in fiction writing?
Filtering is an additional layer (or filter) placed between the reader and the scene. Typically, it manifests as a description of a character sensing, perceiving, or thinking about something.
Characters should, of course, engage in these very human behaviours. The trick for us as authors is to learn how to describe these behaviours in a way that maximises the reading experience.
What are some common filter words?
We can identify filtering by searching our writing for common filtering words, sometimes called filter words or filter phrases, including the following:
| Senses | Perceptions | Thoughts |
|---|---|---|
| see/saw/looked/watched | noticed | think/thought |
| smell/smelled | observed | know/knew |
| taste/tasted | detected | remembered |
| hear/heard/listened | realised | wondered/pondered |
| feel/felt | understood | considered |
| sensed | became aware of | imagined/pictured |
Note: The above list is not exhaustive as there are many more ways to introduce filtering. It also includes other variants depending on the chosen point of view and tense.
Why does filtering weaken prose?
Typically, we want our prose to immerse the reader as much as possible in the scene – to the point where they almost feel like they are there, watching the action unfold. Essentially, filtering creates an additional layer of distance between the reader and the scene, which can break this immersion. It places the character’s perception in the foreground and the thing of interest in the background.
Consider the following example:
Jacob could smell burnt toast.
This is a story about Jacob, so readers already know they are getting Jacob’s perspective on things. For this reason, it’s unnecessary to remind us that Jacob is the one doing the smelling. It is enough – indeed, preferred – to describe the smell in sensory terms, for example:
Bitter smoke curled from the toaster.
Now, instead of watching Jacob smell burnt toast, the reader gets to smell the toast for themselves.
In flash fiction, every word has to earn its place. A filtering phrase such as I saw, I heard or I realised might only add a couple of words, but across a 500-word story, those words can quickly add up. Better to use your word count to maximum, sensory impact. This is particularly important when you’re writing flash fiction, where a few unnecessary words can take up valuable space.
How do you avoid filtering in fiction?
One simple method to avoid filtering is to go on a search and destroy mission for the filter words listed above. When you find a character sensing, perceiving or thinking about something in one of these ways, challenge yourself to remove the filter and skip to describing the thing itself.
For example:
I saw the headlights sweep across the bedroom wall.
becomes
Headlights swept across the bedroom wall.
When your search and destroy mission leaves you without enough detail, consider it an invitation to introduce additional, sensory description.
For example:
I heard someone moving around downstairs.
We could simply remove the filter:
Someone was moving around downstairs.
However this might feel a little too ‘telling’. (Please refer to our article Writing Rules: Show, Don’t Tell for more information about the concept of ‘telling’.)
A better option may be to introduce new sensory detail that enhances the reader’s immersion in the scene. For example:
The creak of floorboards was punctuated by the gentle thud of the fridge door.
In the above edited examples, the reader can experience the sensory details directly, without the additional step of witnessing the character perceive them. This creates a more immersive, compelling, and enjoyable reading experience.
Level Up: Beyond removing filter words
Once you understand the concept of filtering, editing will usually be a simple process of identifying a filtering phrase, removing it, and skipping to a sensory description of the thing itself or the experience it creates.
However, the editing process can become more nuanced as we introduce additional ‘showing’ techniques. (Again, please refer to our article Writing Rules: Show, Don’t Tell for more information about the concept of ‘showing’.)
Consider the following example:
I realised the house was empty.
A simple filter-free edit might result in the more immediate sentence:
The house was empty.
However, an author seeking to introduce more ‘showing’ techniques might instead choose to dramatise the realisation, describing the details that lead the character (and the reader) to the same conclusion:
No footsteps. No voices. Even the refrigerator had gone silent.
The filter has disappeared, but so has the need to simply tell us that the house is empty. Instead, the reader experiences the absence for themselves, and arrives at the realisation alongside the character.
When should you keep a filter word?
Filtering isn’t always a writing mistake. It can be a stylistic choice. The problem arises when the filter creates distance without adding meaning or value to the reader’s experience.
Once you understand the concept of filtering and the impact it can have on your prose, it becomes your job as the artist to wield it with care. When you notice filtering, decide for yourself whether it’s breaking reader immersion in an unpleasant and avoidable way, or whether it is contributing to a desired effect.
What next?
Enter our creative writing competition, the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction.