Writers and Word Choice

 

Our poster today highlights 'words to use more often.' That boils down to the topic of word choice. 

You've probably seen book reviews that say 'the prose was almost poetic.' Or 'beautiful prose.' Authors who earn those compliments are not ones who use plain, everyday, ordinary words throughout. Instead, those authors choose words that are descriptive, lilting, and present an image.

Let's look at a few of the words the poster lists. Plump is a better word than fat. I like the word embrace rather than hug. Sorrowful says more than sad. Gruesome says more than awful, doesn't it? I like the image of cleave rather than hold. Isn't squabble more unique than argue? Mimic says more than the word copy. 

For a quick exercise, go through the list and find another word for each one listed that means the same but perhaps is a bit more mundane. 

As you write, work on using more interesting words. Think of the way they sound, even the way each one looks in print. When you edit, consider replacing some of your plainer words with ones that are more interesting. 

Many writers get into the bad habit of using a word like there to begin a sentence. It's the easy way out. Consider these two sentences: 

A. There were six rabbits nibbling in the farmer's garden.

 B. Six rabbits nibbled in the farmer's garden.

In Sentence A. beginning with 'there' means you also use a passive verb--were. In B. 'there' is completely eliminated and we have an active verb. Avoid beginning sentences with 'there' as it becomes a habit and you might end up with a paragraph filled with 'there' beginnings. You can almost always rework the sentence to eliminate that word.

Word choices can also help a writer use sensory details. For example:

A.  The herb blend left a tingling on my tongue. 

B.  The aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafted across the room.

C.  Bells pealed across the village square drowning all other sounds.

Do you have certain words that you especially like? Do you find yourself using them frequently as you write? It's fine as long as you don't overdo it. 

Word choice can leave your writing at a standstill or enhance it and make what you've written more appealing to the reader. 

I know a young man who spent a few minutes adding one new word each day to his vocabulary. He didn't become a writer, but if he had, I think his word choices would be excellent. No matter what our age, we can acquire new words in our vocabulary.