You’ve probably heard all the terms. Author. Writer. Wordsmith. Wizard of words. Scribe. Litterateur. Well maybe not this one! But no matter which one you claim when you sit down with your pen — or keyboard — they all mean you’re going to use words to communicate an idea or story of some sort.
But are you using effective words? Do they have the strength of a brick wall or a tissue paper?
Adding Meaning With Words
One of the biggest things to consider with your words is how much meaning they actually add. For example, if I write that it’s a beautiful day — what do I really mean?
Sure, sometimes, you’ve got the context of your story or article to provide some kind of hint on what beautiful means. If the story is set in the summer in Saskatchewan, likely it’s warm and sunny. Right? Well…maybe.
For me, a beautiful day is in the ’80s (upper 20s in Celsius), while to my dear hubby a beautiful day is one just touching 70 (21 C). And I like sunshine — while he likes some fluffy clouds floating overhead.
Get the picture?
Right, you couldn’t get the picture because I just told you it was a beautiful day in July!
I could have used more effective words: Sunshine covered the dusty country road, while the wind created tiny whirlwinds as it passed. Or: The clouds overhead provided a welcome reprieve from the ninety-degree temperature.
Make sense?
Need help with turning your words into ones that have the strength of a brick wall instead of a tissue? Here’s an infographic with some great tips.
Infographic: 28 Boring Words and What to Use Instead
The infographic was created by Donna A. Norton, Writer & Blogger. Click here to see the original post.
w: custom-writing.org/blog e: donnanorton.dn@yahoo.com
t: @DonnaANorton f: Donna.Norton
How Do You Write a Great Book Description?
While choosing the right words is important for your articles and books, it’s even more important when writing your book descriptions! Luckily, there’s a great free tool I use to help me generate book descriptions. It helps me edit what I’ve written, so my books have a better chance of finding readers.
Publishing Tip: Try the free book description generator and other free tools from the Kindlepreneur.
Take a Writing Class
Remember, there are many writers on the Web sharing their expertise. And, if you’d like to take a class, my course, Write Effective Web Content, is offered completely online in partnership with your preferred school through ed2go. Or, if your library offers online Gale courses, they may make it free for you to take.
Read More Articles on Writing
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Learn how to plan an outline for a novel series, starting with setting. This article shows how to conduct setting research using ChatGPT artificial intelligence or AI. - Effective Words: Do Your Words Have the Strength of a Brick Wall or a Tissue?
Your writing will have the strength of a brick wall instead of a tissue when you use effective words. Check your language options on this infographic of 28 boring words. - 5 Reasons Every Author Should Experience an Ocean Cruise Ship
Over 20 million passengers around the world take a cruise every year! That may sound like a lot of people until you find out it’s only half the number of people who visit Las Vegas annually. And yes, Las Vegas is a must-do, but I also believe that everyone should take a cruise at least… Read more: 5 Reasons Every Author Should Experience an Ocean Cruise Ship - Examples of Metaphors and Similes
A week ago I taught a workshop–Show, Don’t Just Tell, at the Weyburn Public Library. It’s one of my favorites, as it lets me and my students wander off into dozens of different directions. One of the most interesting is the power of metaphors and similes to help writers show instead of tell.
Linda Aksomitis 
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