Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Power of Common Words


Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this, Edie. I am a common person. My vocabulary is "good" at best. Now, I find myself writing and I get scared that it won't be "intelligent enough" for readers. God has a message to get out and this common person can only use common words because that is all I know. Thank you for the permission to be me as a writer. BTW, I have put this blog as one of my favorites at my blog post. Pelicanpromise on blogspot

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    1. Cherrilynn, I know how you feel about not measuring up. I think every writer struggles with that, about one thing or another. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Blessings, E

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  2. I recently read a book that had a few uncommon words that I didn't know. I "bumped" on them each time. Fortunately, I read the book on my Kindle and was easily able to look up the meaning. However, the author could have used more commonly known words and not changed the meaning. Thanks for sharing this. Like Cherrilynn, I'm a common person.

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    1. Joan, I stumble over words sometime and get frustrated if they're too many that I can't figure out through context. Thanks for stopping by, Blessings, E

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  3. Before I started my Master's thesis, I was instructed to write it as though an elementary school child would be reading it. My professor told me that everybody knows I'm intelligent if I'm working on my Master's so there is no reason to prove it. But the reason for writing the thesis is for people to read it. If a reader has to look up words, he/she loses focus on the work. So I write that way.

    I hate it when writers use big, uncommon words in their novels. To me, reading is enjoyment, and I don't want to have to read with a dictionary beside me. Anybody else agree?

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    1. Carole, that's really good advice. Thanks so much for sharing it with us! Blessings, E

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  4. My writing instructor, a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, advised authors of popular fiction to "write conversationally." Authors should not try to impress readers by using big words. It's important to have a good vocabulary, but it's more important to reach our intended audience. A writer's main job is to communicate effectively.

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    1. Linda, you're so right. We don't have anything to prove and no one to impress. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E

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