Writing is words and I like to play with new ones. Some are a challenge but that makes life interesting.
I’ll introduce and define FIVE new words. Try and use them in your writing. Let me know how it goes.
Starting at the very beginning of course…Here are your A words.
Acerbic: adjective: Meaning: sharp, direct, corrosive in tone. Sarcastic and critical. Sentence example: The acerbic tone of the article was a shock to many who didn’t see it coming.
Ameliorate: Verb: Meaning: to make better or more tolerable. Sentence example: Finding a cure for covid would ameliorate the current global situation of sickness and death.
Anthropomorphic: Adjective. Meaning: Something described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes or giving nonhuman entities human attributes/characteristics. For example a deity may have anthropomorphic characteristics as it resembles a man.
Asunder: Adverb: Meaning: to literally tear or rip apart into pieces or away from each other. Sentence example: Lies and secrets can wreak havoc on a family and tear it asunder.
Avarice: Noun: Meaning: an excessive or insatiable greed for wealth. Sentence example: The company shareholders meeting was ripe with avarice as they followed the projections.
I will try and slip some of these words into my work but I think it’ll lean more toward the poetic side. I write a lot of Young Adult (aka YA) and these words would swallow up a paragraph and not be fair to the reader.
BUT….there are times when I read poetry where I swear they use big words just to throw me off. I suppose that’s what makes poetry so unique–the playing with words.
Let me know how you did with these.
Thanks to Merriam-Webster online dictionary for all the help.
Stephen King in his book “On Writing” says we should use the vocabulary we have rather than look for words we don’t normally use. What do you think of that idea ?
Hi Bryan. “On Writing” is one of my favorite books. What I say to ‘using the words you know’..is that I’m not Stephen King and my vocabulary needs assistance with a thesaurus. King also said that the road to hell is paved with adverbs and while I agree with his premise of show don’t tell (adverbs tell) there are times when they’re needed and appropriate.
For the most part I allow myself to pound out the narrative but having a dictionary and thesaurus close at hand is a must for me.
As you progress in you journey as a writer you’ll soon come to see that everyone has their own rules/suggestions/ etc and you need to do what works for YOU. Hope that answers your initial question.