You get to choose the words you desire to use. Some may disbelieve, but you can have a lot of fun with words.
I cannot imagine being unable to read. There are so many wonders in this world that are revealed in words that the idea of not being able to interpret them staggers me.
Language in-and-of-itself is pretty fascinating. Beyond the oddities and complexities of English, there are single words that convey vast ideas in other languages that are really impressive.
Sometimes, I will use words that are obscure because it amuses me to do so. I have a deep and rich vocabulary, and I will make use of it by employing rarer and longer words where I could simplify.
What I sometimes forget is that there are plenty of other people in the world who haven’t the depth of words in their heads that I do. So I’ll put a word on the page – or even in conversation – that unintentionally may come across as arrogant on my part.
I am not the only word and language nerd in my family. So I totally come by this honestly. For example, years ago, while my dad and I were driving to an appointment, we were listening to a broadcast on NPR. They were talking about a bunch of new stadiums being built.
At that, my dad clicked his tongue in a tsk of disapproval.
“What?” I asked.
“That’s not right,” he said. “Stadium is a Greek word. The proper plural is not stadiums. It’s stadia.”
Years later, when I was writing for Patch.com, my dad complimented me on using antennae rather than antennas in an article I’d written.
In modern vernacular, FYI, both plural forms are correct. I prefer the proper myself. Thanks, dad.
You have many options you can choose from
Whatever you are writing, you get to make choices about your words. The English language alone is pretty loaded. So many different words, not to mention phrases and regionalisms that can be fun to work with, while at the same time confusing.
What’s more, we can also make-up words along the way.
Some writers, like Tolkien, made up their own languages. Elvish and Klingon are only spoken in fantasy and sci-fi books and movies/TV shows, respectively. But they exist.
I have dabbled with this a little. In my forthcoming sci-fi series, one of the alien races has no gender at all. As such, they have gender-neutral pronouns, which the rest of the galaxy has adopted to employ.
Sure, I could have stuck with just using they/them, but where’s the fun in that? So I created my own gender-neutral pronouns.
As I explain when I introduce the main character from that alien race I created:
Like all Yalifira, Avra had no gender. Avra was neither male nor female. Because the Yalifira had no gender, they had unique pronouns they used to address themselves.
In place of her, him, he or she, they used xez, which was pronounced zeez. In place of his, her, hers, they used xerz, both for singular and plural, which was pronounced zurz.
Inventing your own words has some downsides. For example, my editor made it clear he disliked my employment of these throughout the novel. He felt it might confuse the reader, and that I should just stick to they/them. I think hard sci-fi isn’t his preferred genre. So we’re going to agree to disagree on this topic.
Recognize and acknowledge your audience
It’s important that when you are writing you recognize and acknowledge your audience. This isn’t about dumbing down things so much as writing for the everyman.
For example, when I worked for a small audiophile-focused record label in the mid-1990s, my boss was hell-bent on starting a subscription service for our recordings. He wanted to reach beyond audiophiles and get to doctors, lawyers, and similar likely wealthy patrons of the arts.
His cover letter that was going to be included in the mailing was super-technical, and referenced people only audiophiles know. One of my first big debates with the boss was over how this letter needed to be altered for the audience since non-audiophiles would be clueless and probably put-off by it.
In the end, I convinced him to rewrite the letter for a broader audience. Along that line I rewrote one of our explanations of our overall recording/mastering/CD cutting process in layman’s terms, to expand the audience.
That’s what you need to recognize and acknowledge when you are writing for an audience. Are you speaking to them, or AT them? Is this going to be something they will relate to, or be confused about?
While this is particularly applicable to writing for business, it still applies to writing in other genres. If I am writing a children’s book the words I choose will mean the difference between my potential readers being entertained – or needing to find a dictionary and potentially becoming flustered in the process.
Words matter
Spoken or written, words matter. They can build or they can destroy. You can twist them around to utterly change their context and meaning. Words can be both armor and weapons.
Written or spoken, I am a big fan of increasing my vocabulary and learning new words, phrases, and ideas therein. I admit, sometimes I choose my words incorrectly, and confuse my audience. I forget sometimes that while I love words and may choose complex and obscure ones, others don’t share my passion and joy in this.
That’s ok. No two people are alike. What I like you may not and vice versa. As an artist sharing my work, however, it’s important that I not only be mindful of myself but of my audience, too. This is where empathy helps me to feel out my audience whether I am writing to them or speaking to them, and helps me to communicate effectively and, I hope, succinctly (or rather – briefly and clearly).
Some may disbelieve, but you can have a lot of fun with words. Your choices are many and varied, and you can impress, confuse, and/or entertain an audience (or yourself) with them.
Thank you for letting me share my words with you. Why do you choose the words you use?
Thank you for taking part in my ongoing journey. Thank you for joining me, and for inspiring me and my words.
This is the forty-seventh article exploring the creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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