Creative Writing - Choose Your Words Wisely (A)

Part 4 of The Creative Writing Crash Course.

If you are just joining us, you can read the introduction to our little Creative Writing Crash Course and then start with Part 1 of the series.

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I've written for newsletters and magazines, on blogs and for radio. I've presented research papers in conference rooms and read poetry in coffee shops. Each venue is just a little bit different, and you have to be aware of those differences.

For instance, radio needs to be quick and concise, using meaning-rich words that get your point across to a reader who has only the amount of time it takes to say the words over the airwaves in order to process what is being said and create an image in their minds. There is very little room for error.

Poetry is at its best when the words have multiple meanings and are so descriptive you cannot help but feel you are there. I firmly believe poetry is never meant to be read once. It must be read again and again for years and years before you should ever be able to fully grasp its meaning.

Research papers can be quite interesting if the author has a large and well-defined vocabulary with a solid sense of how to make words flow. I know, "interesting" and "research paper" are oxymorons to the general public, but I participated in a reading of research papers done on classic literature several years back and it was fascinating! Really!

The point I am trying to make here is that what is going to make or break your writing are your words. I'm not being flippant. The difference between a good read and a boring read is all in what words the author uses to piece together the message.

We've talked about what your message is, we've talked about ways to grab a reader's attention, and now we must talk about the real meat of the subject...

Choosing Your Words Wisely
lesson A

1. Build your vocabulary.

Ask This:
Do I have command of the english language? Is it difficult for me to precisely and concisely describe things to other people? Do I need a thesaurus? Do I need a dictionary?

Know This:
At the mention of vocabulary words, my children groan. I'll admit, I was never a fan of those quizzes in 4th grade where we tried to recall all the "Power Words" the teacher had crammed into our brains that week. (However, I do remember quite clearly the words "regurgitate" and "puce"...does that speak volumes about me or what?)

So, never fear, I am NOT going to ask you to start an index box of cards with a running list of vocabulary words on them. Not that those don't have merit (and you can start one if you like), but most of us simply don't have time for that sort of thing. But, here's a little story about me to help you see the importance of having command of a large vocabulary...

Words have always been my thing. But, one day when I used the word

be·nev·o·lent (b-nv-lnt)

adj.

1. Characterized by or suggestive of doing good.

2. Of, concerned with, or organized for the benefit of charity.

to refer to someone who was very mean and rude, I could tell by the looks on the faces around me that I had either lost my mind or I had used the wrong word. Thankfully, the next time I mixed up words, I had the good sense to keep my mouth shut. That was when my professor (you'll meet him in a bit) began talking about the

et·y·mol·o·gy (t-ml-j)

n. pl. et·y·mol·o·gies

1. The origin and historical development of a linguistic form as shown by determining its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning, tracing its transmission from one language to another, identifying its cognates in other languages, and reconstructing its ancestral form where possible.

2. The branch of linguistics that deals with etymologies.

of words and I wondered what in the world BUGS had to do with it! (as in, I thought he meant "entomology"...the study of insects!)

So, anyway...using a word incorrectly is embarrassing to say the least.

Do This:
Every time (and I mean EVERY time) you run across a word you have either never heard before, or you only *think* you know the meaning of, LOOK IT UP! Get yourself a good dictionary (not a children's and not a teeny tiny one) and USE it, or use an online dictionary like The Free Dictionary. Google has an awesome tool in its toolbar where you can actually double-click a word on a web page and then click their little Definition Icon to get a quick dictionary definition of the highlighted word. Very handy!

Now, here's the tricky part...
If you look up a word, use it in a sentence as soon as possible! Even if you have to come up with something off the wall and say it to the children who will look at you funny and then go back to playing Legos...or perhaps you could write a quick email to your husband at work and use the word (you might even impress him!)

For instance:
Recently, I visited the blog of someone who had left a comment here. The name of her blog was Fraise Lachrymose. I had heard the last word before (the first word I knew from my days of studying Spanish...some of you might know it from your days of studying food. No, it's not a Spanish word, but if you know your etymology...not your entomology...you would see the similarity between the French and the Spanish words), but that last word I couldn't quite conjure up a definition for. Thankfully, the blogger was kind enough to have written a post explaining her blog name and my memory was jogged...memory because "lachrymate" is a word my husband has used before (I believe he was cutting an onion at the time). So, now as I sit here typing variations of the word "lachrymate", I am reinforcing the word in my mind. I won't soon forget this word.

2. Learn to love your thesaurus.

Ask This:
Do you even own a thesaurus?

Know This:
Words are very precise. The more ways you know to say something, the more you can clarify your meaning.

Do This:
Dust off your thesaurus or familiarize yourself with an online version.

Look at one of your blog posts that you just aren't that impressed with. Find a couple of verbs within that post that are boring, everyday words like "talk" or "said" and use your thesaurus to find a new and improved word. Begin to look for new ways of saying the same old thing as you write.

3. Avoid clichés and overused words.

Ask This:
Are your descriptions inventive or do they rely on other people's observations and words? Do you use too many "empty" words?

Know This:
You shall now meet my professor. I can't remember his name because I always called him Dr. Who (as in Tom Baker's version of Dr. Who)


He ALWAYS wore a long scarf and his hair was curly (although several shades lighter than Tom Baker's). In addition to this, he wore brightly colored socks and Birkenstocks. When he smiled, rocking back and forth a bit with his hands in his corduroys, I thought I'd been in a time warp and truly expected to see K-9 come scooting out from behind his desk. He was a delightful teacher and I learned much from him, including how to recognize clichés and how to learn to write without them.

So, what are clichés? Well, to take from the Cliche' Finder Website:

"A cliche is an analogy characterized by its overuse. It may be true ('Fat as a pig'), no longer true ('work like a dog') or inscrutible ('right as rain'), but it has been overused to the point that its sole function is to mark its user as a lazy thinker." Expressions you and your friends make-up one afternoon can't be cliches for this very reason.

The site suggests that if you start the phrase and know exactly how to end it, it is a cliche'. See the 'Fat as a pig' in the above quote? You can easily say,

Fat as a [what?]

and know the answer is pig. It is best to avoid clichés because they tend to be empty words. They've lost good solid meaning and true-to-life descriptive ability. However I will admit, even I, schooled by Dr. Who himself, still use a smattering of clichés.

Do This:
Familiarize yourself with common clichés. HERE is an excellent list I ran across. Take the time to read through it. Recognize yourself? As the title of the page says, learn to "avoid them like the plague." (which, by the way, is a cliché).

Next, take a look at your writings. Are you an avid user of clichés? (use that handy search feature on your blog to search for some of the ones listed in the link!) Rewrite one of your posts, replacing each cliché with a more inventive, more original grouping of words. Here's one of my sentences from "When the Roller Coaster Begins to Slow":

And after I had given out words of wisdom, I was going to breathe a huge sigh of relief and say, "So glad that is over!"

"Words of wisdom" and "sigh of relief" are both clichés. I could have shaped this sentence with a lot more accuracy and meaning, if I'd said:

And after I had pontificated, I was going to exhale loudly and say, "So glad that is over!"

(Remember, sometimes clichés serve a purpose in blogs. See the "paddling upstream" reference in my post "A Day To Celebrate" or the fact that my Dog Days of Summer post includes a picture of a sleeping dog. Clichés, if used rarely and done in good taste, can make for great irony and photo captions! )

Would you like to take the Creative Writing Crash Course?
Read the following posts:
Introduction: Let the Creative Juices Flow
Part 1 - The Message
Part 2 - Grab Their Attention & Keep It (A)
Part 3 - Grab Their Attention & Keep It (B)
This post is Part 4 - Choose Your Words Wisely (A)
Part 5 - Choose Your Words Wisely (B)
Part 6 - Wrapping It Up