I think it was Anthony Doerr (don’t quote me here) that said something to the effect that once he completed a novel, he looked for ways to introduce a certain “quirkiness” to his book, be it through words or style. If you’ve written for any length of time, I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept. You want your work to stick out not only for the story, which is what it’s all about, but stylistically it should be “original” as well, or at least as original as we can get it to be without swerving off into speculative-ville (unless, of course, speculative fiction or fantasy or science fiction is what you’re writing). You always want to make sure you ask yourself the question: Are You Choosing the Right Words for Your Fiction?
I’ve written about eight novels, one of which was published in 2016 and seven others that are waiting to eventually find a home. Some need some revision, but these eight are the ones I think have a shot at publication. I’ve written other novels that were more practice than anything, or just never got legs for one reason or another. With each novel, I chose the words I used to set the tone and create a particular world I wanted my characters to live in. I did this via context. And that context was helped along with the choices I made with what words I used in the novels.
When you’re writing, it’s natural to want to search for words that resonate with not only your characters and potential readers, but with you, the author. When I first started writing seriously, I had a big book called The Synonym Finder, by J.I. Rodale. I used actual, physical, hard back dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary (the OED as we called it), the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Dorling Kindersley’s Ultimate Visual Dictionary to get the names of specific things correct (the rosette and capstan on a guitar, the firing chamber and gyroscopic stabilizer on some missiles, the barrel and stifle of a horse). Things like that. Accuracy is important; without it you lose your more informed readers. If you’re writing for children, you may not need these things, but I write adult fiction, so I do. These days, everything is online. It’s much easier to search for the words that make the most sense for your writing. And that’s something you should absolutely do. Always.
Over many blog posts, we’ve talked about plot, and structure, and theme, and dialogue, and every other element of fiction that’s important to telling a story. I think in some previous post we’ve also discussed words. But I truly believe it’s important to always revisit the things that we tend to sort of ignore or take for granted as we focus our attention on the “big” things. Words, even though we’re writers, tend to be one of those things, which make sense. We write to tell a story, not to show how large our vocabulary is. At least during the first and perhaps initial drafts (we all work differently, don’t we?). Personally, I know my vocabulary has grown over the years, as I’m sure yours has. Writing will do that to us. It’s a byproduct of our craft. So, we search out the words that will lend authenticity to our writing. Words that will create that magical aura surrounding our characters. Maybe we’re writing a novel set in the early nineteenth century. We dive into our old novels and search Google for words commonly used during those years to “get it right.” But we also sometimes go overboard, using ridiculous words when we don’t need to. As Hemingway said, “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” Indeed.
Speaking of nonfiction, William Zinsser, in his classic, On Writing Well, says “There’s a kind of writing that may be called journalese, and it’s the death of freshness in anybody’s style.” He goes on to further state that, “The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want.” I don’t know about you, but when Hemingway and Zinsser speak, I listen. Intently.
“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.”
-Ernest Hemingway
Think about it this way. Would you use acronyms like LOL, ROFL, WTF when you’re writing a Western? How about words like symbiosis, chillax, sheesh, or chop-chop when your novel is set in the small town of Deadwood, South Dakota? Probably not. The setting, the context, it’s not right for those acronyms and words. They’re out of place, but more importantly, some of them didn’t exist at the time, or, at least, were not in common usage the way they are today. So, then, how do we make sure we’re using the right words in the worlds we create in our fiction? It’s simpler than you’d think.
One of the tricks I learned (I can’t remember from who), is to write all the words that would fit and be appropriate for the fiction you’re working on down on a piece of paper. Or, if you use MS Word or Excel, you could drop them in there. I tend to do both, though my Excel spreadsheets are easier to keep track of. I have a novel that takes place in the 1930s and 1940s, in a small, fictional town in Colorado. While I did try to use words that were appropriate and commonly used during that time, I did go back and create a spreadsheet where I made sure that the nouns and verbs and expressions fit with the times and with the locations I used throughout the novel. It takes a little bit of research, but in the end it strengthened the novel and gave it an authentic feel and tone, which helped set the time period. As you know, the last thing you want to do is have your reader balk at something you’ve done, especially if it’s just a word or two.
To get back to the Doerr thing. Choosing the quirky words. Besides words appropriate for the times, I use adverbs (sparely) to add a little kick to my works. I find it helps give a little jolt to what I’m trying to do. Depending on your characters, you could have certain ones use words that stick out for one reason or another. There’s a book called Forgotten English, by Jeffrey Kacirk. It’s chock full of antiquated words that, if used in the right way, might add something interesting to your writing. Check it out. You’ll find words like “frippery,” which means “to cast off garments.” Or “Petty-Fogger,” which is a derogatory term for a “lip-wise lawyer.” Words like those, especially if used in a contemporary work, would immediately draw attention and curiosity. Why is this character using this word? What does it mean? (You’ll probably get it in the context it’s used). But it adds a little something extra to the character, which may be a good thing.
“The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want.”
-William Zinsser
Words, as a writer, are tools. They are the magic dust that we can add and subtract from our writing to ensure the most impactful writing we can do to keep our readers entertained. So, make sure you do your work. Put the time in to find the synonyms that make the narrative flow and that ground your readers in the worlds you create. There’s a musicality to words, and you need to make sure the symphony you’re writing hits the right notes at the right times in the right keys (I don’t even know if that’s correct, but you get what I’m saying). So, go forth. Get your spreadsheets out and find the right words for your novel or short fiction and jot them all down and use them as needed. Your readers deserve it.
Cully Perlman is an author, blogger, and Substantive Editor (SE). He can be reached at Cully@novelmasterclass.com
I use an excel doc as well!