Well it looks like my workation is going to be rescheduled, on account of laziness. I can’t begin to describe how disappointed I am with the way this was handled… So, I won’t… Luckily I had a post drafted and completed that I’ll be able to place here instead of trying to come up with something last minute. So, without further ado, let me give you a little unsolicited writing tip.
As a fellow writer I know how hard it is. You want to leave a lasting impression. You want someone to read your words and instantly be able to identify them as yours. You want your voice and message to resonate with all who hear it. Err, read* it. You want to stand out.
You want Impact. I get it, I do too. But in order to do this you don’t have to be a sesquipedalianist… And now, with just one word, I have divided the readers of this blog into two groups: those who know the meaning of that word, and those who do not. The best part about it is that both of those groups would agree that there is probably an easier way to get my point across than to use that word. Especially since the meaning of it (a person who tends to use sesquipedalian words) is just as hard to digest as the word itself.
Put down the dictionary, donate your thesaurus to a hungry newbie writer, and use common words. Use common words in an uncommon way, this is how you stand out. Not to toot my own horn here, but my use of “digest” and “hunger” are good examples of this. Common words. We don’t actually digest words. And writing on an empty stomach can present its own challenges. But that’s not how those words were used, and that’s not how you read them either. You recognized and understood them right away. No Google search necessary.
Your goal, your main goal, should be for readers to read your writing. If they are stopping to pick up a thesaurus or dictionary the word that they are searching for had better be good enough to bring them back to finish reading what you wrote. If you’re using a word that you just recently learned you’re doing it wrong. It doesn’t make you sound smart, it makes you seem pretentious. And if just one reader picks up a dictionary, flips through a thesaurus, or does a word search online after reading this, then I have successfully failed at my job here.
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Until next time, write.
Alphonso Francis White 