Mumbling never got anybody
anywhere.
Remember that word post I shared last
week? Good! 'Cuz here's another one. :]
I've read a couple books recently
where I was greatly impressed by their use of exceptional vocabulary.
I found myself extremely grateful for my Kindle and its ability to
touch & hold a word and have the definition pop up right away.
You could say reading those books and realizing how good they
sounded (in my head, of course) in the usage of their more uncommon
words might have inspired these posts, but seriously—as
writers, you should work to strengthen your vocabulary and the
wording of your WIPs (works-in-progress). Why? Because it will give
your story a richer flavor. It will ban any dullness
from your pages in the tales you wish to tell.
Now, I'm not saying you should dig
deep into your thesaurus “rex” and add an otherwise unheard of
synonym in EVERY paragraph. IF you do that, you'll drive away your
reader AND make them feel dumber than a sheep skipping to slaughter.
All's you need is the just-right porridge. Capisci?
Ok, then, what is that? How do I do
it? Simply this, mix it up! But HOW? How do I do
[accomplish] this [such a feat]? Ahhh, well, come to me, my wee
little lambs, and I shall tell you: STRENGTHEN YOUR WORDS. Even so,
much too much and you'll lose your reader's attention and/or they'll
skim the pages and leave a bad review.
And we don't want that, do we? *pouty
lips*
Do we??
Here's
another tip (because you NEED my unending wisdom, right??): Never use a word, or one almost exactly similar, twice in one
paragraph. Your reader will get the feeling of repetition and poor
quality. I think we need an example, yes?
An hour and a half later, Nanami
sank to the floor beside her friend Britta. Water bottles near at
hand, they both commenced into stretches, gratefully relieving
weary muscles. While she loved ballet—because, come on! it was her
LIFE now—she was relieved
the day was nearly over and she could enjoy one of her only free
evenings off.
See? *scoffs*
Now, fix it:
An hour and a
half later, Nanami sank to the floor beside her friend Britta. Water
bottles near at hand, they both commenced into stretches, gratefully
relieving weary
muscles. While she loved ballet—because, come on! it was her LIFE
now—she was happy
the day was nearly over and she could enjoy one of her only free
evenings off.
I have seen this
so many times in a variety of stories. It just makes me wanna. Fix.
It! Hopefully, this will help you. Because that's my goal! I'd
love to publish a book or three someday, but if that doesn't happen,
so be it. I'm still a freelance writer of sorts, a poet, a blogger,
and a master of creating numerous WIPs (that don't really go
anywhere. But that's okay! 'Cuz it's fun!). ;D
If you have read
this to its end, I commend you! and thank you from the bottom of my
heart. And if there's anything you can glean from this wordy post,
it's this: USE your words! Find 'em, and use 'em!
{By the way, Mr Bigg from Zootopia never actually says that line, but I'd bet a hot peppermint mocha you read it in his voice!}
Photos & GIFs via Pinterest.
Fairfarren,
Sarah
Oh man, I haaaate when the same word is used more than once in a paragraph. It's a pet peeve of mine! I try to do everything in my power to avoid it. (And by "everything in my power" I mean I go to Thesaurus.com. *cough, cough*)
ReplyDeleteWonderful tips once again! I'm loving these wordy posts. ^_^
(And I TOTALLY read that in Mr. Big's voice, you trickster you! :P)
Yes, I read it in Mr. Biggs voice and then I stopped and sat her for a whole minute trying to think of when he said that.
ReplyDeleteAnd great post!
-Mary Kate
Christine: Thanks, girlie! I love how we UNDERSTAND one another. Keep your friends close and your Thesaurus closer! HAHA! xD
ReplyDeleteMary Katherine: Thanks! So glad you stopped by! Haha, well, I kinda took the liberty of using Mr Bigg's photo and putting that caption there. He never really says anything of the sort... heheh :]