Being a Wordsmith

Wordsmith - Dictionary.com

–noun

1.

an expert in the use of words.

2.

a person, as a journalist or novelist, whose vocation is writing.

In the creative writing class, Lesson 7 on choosing the right words was a great reminder about how to craft words and sentences for impact. What the instructor says in this lesson is so true.

When I was still teaching college level writing, I had a lot of freshman who wrote these highfalutin' sentences that were hard to understand. After some discussions with them, I figured out they were writing how they THOUGHT they should be writing at the college level. I finally got it across to them to write to be understood, not to impress. And the nice thing about business writing was that this rule applies even more.

So here are some of my thoughts on Being a Wordsmith:

1. Sometimes simple is better, especially if it is a complex idea.
2. For complex ideas, use more than one sentence. Cramming too many ideas into one sentence loses what you are trying to say.
3. Vary sentence lengths not just to make your writing more interesting but to add impact. In an intense, action-packed or emotionally charged scene, use short sentences to reflect tension.
4. Avoid cliches, trite, overused phrases. If you can't find an original way to say it, does it need to be there?
5. Avoid the AND complex. If two words are connected by AND, are they expressing different ideas or similar ones? For example: It was cold and freezing outside. The ideas of cold and freezing are too similar to be joined with an AND. Pick one and move on.
6. Use nouns well. Choose nouns that mean something. I would get on my students about using 'stuff' and 'things.' Look at the context of the word and define what that 'stuff' is or what those 'things' are.
7. Use action verbs. Choose action verbs if you can to help show characterization or situation. If John gave Mary a box, did he toss it at her? hand it to her? drop it in her palm?
8. Don't make your readers pull out a dictionary. Once you use that big $10 word you have been storing up, you may lose your audience. If they have to pause long enough to try to figure out the meaning of the word, you have just pulled them out of your setting.

I know I have more ideas in my teacher brain. As I think of more tips I will add on. You are free to disagree with me or add your own ideas to the list.