Add Words for Emphasis

 

Monet's House in France

In the Garden section of our Sunday paper, there was a quote from Claude Monet, the artist. He said, "I must have flowers, always and always." What struck me was not what was said, but in the way he said it. 

Had he only said, "I must have flowers." I would know that he liked flowers--the 'must' tells me he liked them a lot. It is the 'always and always' at the end of the quote that lets me know that flowers are of great importance in Monet's life. 

When I read the quote, the 'always and always' made me stop and go back to read the full quote a couple more times. Simple words which conveyed the famed artist's deep love of flowers. Anyone visiting his home in Giverny, France would readily see his love of flowers in the extensive gardens around the home. And his quote gives proof of that fact. As do many of his paintings.

As much as I admire Monet, my point today is that the way you write a sentence conveys either a little or a great deal. When we write, we should choose our words with care. We often talk about those 'unnecessary' words that creep into what we write--the ones like very, really, that and more. Those we should eliminate. 

When you write a sentence, consider what might be added to let your reader know the importance of what you wrote. If you said, "I hate liver!" your reader knows that you dislike it a lot. But, if your teen-age character said, "I hate liver, bigtime!" you're putting emphasis on the dislike. 

Take a simple statement like "I love you."  You've conveyed the feeling to the reader, but if you write "I love you, today, tomorrow, and forever." your reader knows you are passionate about the person to whom it was said.

"The sky is gray." What if you added to that simple sentence, "The sky is gray, thunderclouds rolling and lightning striking." That gives the reader a fuller image, doesn't it? 

Changing a simple sentence by adding a few words is something you can do when you edit your work. Read with the idea of enlarging on what you have in your draft. Put some emphasis on the thought you were trying to convey. Those two or three additional words show the reader a lot and can make you a better writer.