It goes without
saying, the words you choose, their power, subtlety, variety and nuance will
elevate your writing or drop-kick it into ho-hum, or worse. At our recent
critique meeting, the members of the RCW were reminded that sometimes we don’t
consider seriously enough each and every
word we write. And that can make a big difference to the success of our
writing.Case in point: the author of one submission asked if the time period suggested was clear (it was not set in the here and now). Each of us suggested a time frame for the story based on clues in the narrative. We all got it exactly right.
What was that
magic? Carefully placed clues and descriptive words pointed directly to the
time frame the author meant to convey.
Similarly, making
precise word choices plays an important role in making a story’s setting,
environment and social milieu clear. For example, can the reader tell if a
story is set in the deep south, the northeast or in a village bordering Mexico just
from the vocabulary used? That should be a ‘yes.’
The group also
revisited the importance of hooking the reader right away, especially the young
adult reader. We discussed the ingredients of a successful hook. What grabs a
reader from the first word?
Those of us who
write picture books talked about how to make abstract concepts concrete. This
is especially important when writing for the very young. If a character is
loyal, how does the author show this quality without saying so?
What are your
thoughts? What comments would you have made?
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