One of the things I always find amazing about musicians is that they take individual notes and make unique melodies. There are only so many notes and yet, new music is being made every day.
I guess we can say the same thing about writing right? There are only so many words — but unlike music, there are a lot of words that mean the same exact thing.
I remember in high school keeping a journal of “exotic” words. Words that when announced sounded like you were someone special. I remember thinking to myself that one day I would put all of these words in a story and readers would be so impressed by my intellect.
Ha. Right.
Fast forward a few years to my first novel critique at the SCBWI National Conference in LA. The agent who had reviewed my work said my manuscript pages were “stiff” with unnecessary and big words. I was confused. Duh. Wasn’t that the point? To fill up your novel with “impressive” words and turns of phrases?
I appreciated the comment though. The agent wrote at the top of my first page:
“Don’t let the words ruin the story. Go for the strongest and simplest word. You want your words to become invisible so that the reader can see the story unfold in his mind. Big unnecessary words cause readers to stumble and wake up from the dream.”
I still remember this advice and try to use it when I’m writing.
What about you writer friends? Do you think simple is better? Or does it depend upon the type of story you’re telling?
I think it depends on the story. I love rich writing and details, to me that is when I become immersed in the story. I like beautiful writing. Some of my favorites are The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell and Mistwood by Leah Cypess. To me they created the perfect balance between beautiful writing and an excellent story.
Hi Karen,
I can honestly say that I am one who loves the simple things in life. However, I do love it when I am reading a book and I have to pull out a dictionary to find out what a word means and reference its use in a sentence. When I put the book down at the end of the night I feel like I learned something.
I think it depends on the book. Certainly for picture books and MG novels simple is better. I think you can begin pushing more boundaries with YA. Then there’s the rich, literary language in many adult novels that you can’t imagine could be written any other way.
I’m a big fan of making the writing practically invisible, but I do love novels that find a balance between clear meaning and interesting wording. I’m reading CHIME right now, and I feel like Billingsley does that very well. There are certain sentences that I’ve had to stop and reread because they’re just so well-crafted.
I agree that it depends on the story–except when it’s just the right word, even if a bit exotic, and expresses the thought the best possible way. Done with balance, that’s one way kids are introduced to new words :-)
And you went to a national SCBWI conference in LA?? That’s one of my bucket list dreams… :-)
I guess it would depend on the story. I am a simple person so I stick with simple words. But I love the advice! :D thanks for sharing it.
Keep it strong, keep is simple!
I think it depends on the story.
I used to use flowery words, with the help of a thesaurus, and my prose was stilted. The words should come naturally and fit the story.
I think the simplest way to tell the story your writing is the best way. But that could be different for every story.
Heather: Good point. I especially think with world-building or fantasy, you may have more time to develop and use words that are lush.
Sherry: Ha, I used to do that all the time. I still have my “exotic” list of words and sometimes they are the first ones to come to mind. :)
Gail: Yes, I think this is what the agent meant for me. I was writing a MG novel and the words were too stiff for what I was trying to do. I think YA and adult novels can delve deeper into language choices.
Anna: I’ve heard good things about CHIME. I’ll have to put it on my TBR List. I love it when I find a beautiful sentence. It looks easy, but it’s very hard to find that delicate balance.
Kenda: I LOVED attending the national conference. It was a blast. I hope that one day you’ll be able to go. It’s definitely an experience. :)
Saba: This is one of the things that I find amazing. How simple words can evoke such emotion. It’s almost like a trick to have a string of simple words convey so much.
Medeia: I think if you just use flowery words just for the sake of it, that’s when the writing can feel stiff. But if that word truly fits naturally in the story, that’s when it works. It’s just knowing the difference that’s hard.
Laura: I find that even know with my YA that I’m using more language than I did with the MG. It’s comes down to the voice. My MG character is totally different (duh, of course) than my YA character and so the language/word choices is more deeper than the MG.
One of my mom’s favorite sayings is: Less is more! (She’s an interior designer.) I think the saying can apply to writing, too. Simple is often best, but I think I’ll take the middle ground and say it probably depends on the story.
I just love the SCBWI LA Conference. And what great advice from that agent. Thanks for sharing it.
I do think the words depend upon the story being told, as long as they keep the reader in that story. That’s the ultimate goal, right?
what great advice! I think keeping your words simple is important if you want a story that your readers can easily follow–especially if your readers are children. :D
The part of that advice that resonates most with me is to pick the STRONGEST word. Most of the time, it will probably mean the simplest word but if the best word is “exotic” every once in a while, I think that’s okay too. :)
Karen, I’ve never heard that advice before but wow, that’s profound. Strong and simple words. I love it. I don’t like it when I’m reading and feel like I need to stop and look things up in the dictionary. I mean, I want to learn new words, but I also want to keep reading the story!
Laura: Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Hey, sometimes the right word may not be the most simple choice. Works for me. :)
Cynthia The LA conference is one of the best conference memories I’ve had. And yes, as long as the word doesn’t jar the reader, it’s a good choice.
Nutschell: I think that was the agent’s main point. The novel was middle-grade geared to 9-12 year olds. The word choices weren’t right.
Ghenet: The strongest may not be the simplest choice. Also depends on your reader age and genre too.
Julie: I always forgot to look it up and keep reading and still wouldn’t know what the word meant. :) One of the great perks of e-readers is you can just highlight a word and know instantly!