WORD CHOICE IS EVERYTHING!

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary contains definitions for over 300,000 words. Searching for the perfect words for a story can be challenging, time-consuming, and difficult. Frustration sometimes leads us to make comfortable but mediocre choices. Why say ‘happy’ when you really mean ‘elated’ or ‘satisfied’ or ‘cheerful’?

When choosing words, nuance (a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound) can make all the difference. Instead of opting for the quickest, easiest find in your word-hunting quest, why not look further and find the ones that best suit your needs?

Your readers will thank you for it, and you’ll be happier with your finished product.

In our CABB – New Chambers workshop series, we’ll talk about various ways to make the best word choices. This presentation focuses on ways to avoid overusing the word ‘very’. We think you’ll find it very interesting – or rather – fascinating, enthralling, intriguing, captivating, and thought-provoking.

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Why say “very pretty” when you can say “stunning”?

Why say “very angry” when you can say “enraged”?

Why say “very calm” when you can say “serene”?

You feel the difference. The single, specific word conveys a depth of meaning the modified, more commonplace word does not.

Intensive adverbs such as very (and also truly, really, and extremely) should be avoided. While these helper words are meant to intensify the verbs they modify, instead they often weaken the effect.  Use a stronger, more evocative verb to engage your reader’s thoughts and senses.

If you’re stuck for a different word, or if, perhaps, you feel the word you’re looking for but can’t put your finger on it, get out your thesaurus. (Ours gave us 98 other words for “pretty”!) We recommend The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale. There’s no better reference book for finding the nuanced word. It reads like poetry, all 1361 pages of it!

Here are some examples of substitutions to consider for words particular to BatB fanfic.