Why A Good Vocabulary Is Important For Writers
We write about why a good vocabulary is important for writers. We give examples of vocabulary, and tips on how to expand your vocabulary.
A Bit About Vocabulary
One of the rules of writing is not to repeat words. If you’re Agatha Christie however, this is one rule you’d ignore. There’s a reason for that though. She wants that word burnt into your brain so that you are convinced the character in that chapter is the killer.
Repeating words makes your writing boring. It was a cold day. The cold wind blew across the cold moor, biting through my cardigan. I had never been so cold in my life. “You’re shivering,” said Jack. “Are you cold?” See what I mean? Repeated words are lazy writing; a bit like relying on -ly words. “You’re shivering,” said Jack coldly vs “You’re shivering.” Jack’s voice was like ice.
- Ernest Hemingway’s language was plain, easy to understand, blunt, direct, and robust. Manly, one might say. He opted for short sentences, common words, and imagery that was to the point. There were very few similes and metaphors. F. Scott Fitzgerald thought Hemingway’s writing was revolutionary, powerful, and authentic.
- F Scott Fitzgerald on the other hand, couldn’t have been more different. His sentences were awash with rich imagery, lyrical, poetic language, metaphors, and similes. Hemingway described Fitzgerald’s writing as ‘the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly’s wings’.
Why A Good Vocabulary Is Important For Writers
There is enough vocabulary to suit every writer. What books do you like reading? Think about how the writer’s use of words affects the way you imagine the locations, the characters, their actions, and feelings. A good vocabulary will help you create the atmosphere of place, emotion, character, environment, and plot of your book with more depth, imagery, and expression. But does that mean you need to sound like you swallowed a dictionary? No. It means having options.
Take the word ‘cold’ for example. How many synonyms for cold can you think of off the top of your head? The first question you should be asking is – do you mean weather, character, season, or illness? Can you come up with 45 different words without looking up ‘cold’ in a thesaurus.
Why Not Just Use A Thesaurus?
You could. You could also fall into the thesaurus tar pits – using ‘clever’ words you’ve discovered rather than the right word. It’s much quicker if your internal thesaurus is jam-packed with delicious words that you can call on as you’re writing, instead of having to stop the flow by searching a physical or on-line thesaurus.
3 Ways To Expand Your Vocabulary
- Read: Read a lot. Read a variety of authors in different genres. If you don’t know what a word means, look it up. Read the classics. Read Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgrald. Read Shakespeare – find one scrumptious phrase and mull it over. Look at the words he chose, how he used them, and how they made you feel. No, you don’t have to like Shakespeare, or write like him, but he can teach you a lot.
- Lear a new word every day: Open your dictionary at a random place. Pick a word you don’t know and discover it’s meaning. Practise using it in sentences during the day. Write a short poem that uses the word in such a way that even if a reader has never heard the word before they will know exactly what it means.
- Play Word Games: Scrabble, Boggle, and Wordle etc. are great for increasing your vocabulary. Another great game is Thesaurus Run. Pick a random word and then write a list of as many words that mean the same thing within 30 seconds or a minute. Check your list afterwards either against other players, or with a thesaurus.
The more words you know, the better options you have, the more interesting your book will be, and the more descriptive, emotive, and sticky your writing will be.
The sleet fell hard that day. The frigid Arctic wind blew across the frozen moor, biting through my cardigan, turning the blood in my veins to hoarfrost. “You’re shivering,” said Jack. His voice, like the lake beneath my feet, was ice hard.
The Last Word
If you would like to learn how to improve your vocabulary, use these tips to expand it. You can also sign up for one of the rich and in-depth workbooks and courses that Writers Write offers, to inspire your writing.
by Elaine Dodge. Author of The Harcourts of Canada series and The Device Hunter, Elaine trained as a graphic designer, then worked in design, advertising, and broadcast television. She now creates content, mostly in written form, including ghost writing business books, for clients across the globe, but would much rather be drafting her books and short stories.
More Posts From Elaine
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- What is Romantasy & Why Is It So Popular?
- How Much Personal Experience You Need To Write Fiction
- A Quick Start Guide To Writing Crime Fiction
- What Can Jane Austen Teach Writers Today?
- A Quick Start Guide To Writing Dialogue
- What Is Deus Ex Machina in Storytelling?
- What Is True Crime & How Do I Write It?
- How To Write A Paranormal Story
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