tarysande:

Quickie writing/editing tip

In your SECOND DRAFT, do a search in your document for the words there was/there were/there is/there are.

Consider if rewriting the sentence to delete those words will make it stronger or more concise (often it will).

For example:

There was a dog sleeping in front of the fire.

A dog slept in front of the fire.

This tip goes double for the “there was… that” construction.

For example:

There was no reason that she couldn’t go.

She saw no reason she couldn’t go.

I think of it like this: in a first draft, “there was” is shorthand for “polish this later.” DO NOT overthink it in a first draft or you’ll get stuck. SECOND DRAFT PROBLEMS.