It surprises me how much…

It surprises me how much I want to put modifiers on things. My first drafts are just LITTERED with them.

First draft: "The laughter sounded just a little bit forced."
Second pass: "The laughter sounded a bit forced."
Third pass: "The laughter sounded forced."

The third version is the strongest -- why does it take me three times through the paragraph before I get to it? Sigh.