It seems like we writers are always in search of something: a great idea, the right plot, the next scene, time to write . . . And it’s been this way for a long time. More than a hundred years ago, Mark Twain described one such writerly-pursuit:
The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
– Letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888
Of course, there are a few basics that make a word “wrong”: misuse, for example—homonyms, malapropisms, and trying to use words that we think we know what that means, right? (Dictionaries are our friends!)
Frequently, the “right” word is the one that describes vividly, powerfully and succinctly. Instead of “the brightly-colored, flashy, convertible Italian sports car,” we say “the red Lamborghini.” The Lamborghini comes with eleven cupholders connotations that convey more than a laundry list of adjectives. An “abyss” is a stronger emotional picture than a “hole.”
We also have to take into acccunt our characters. If it’s in a character’s voice, it should suit the character, his personality, education level, regional speech, cadence, vocabulary, time period, etc.
Of course, sometimes the “right” word is wrong. (But we’ll talk about that tomorrow.) Obviously, there’s way more to finding the right word than avoiding errors and lists that detract from our meaning instead of add to it. What do you think? What makes a word “right” or “wrong”?
Photo by James Jordan
Someone told me recently that I used the wrong word in one of my manuscripts. Here is the sentence.>> ‘Molly inhaled the fishy odour and smiled. This was her most favourite spot in the whole world.’
They suggested I take out the word ‘most’ and said it wasn’t needed. Well, it might not be correct, but this is how my eight-year-old character speaks. She has lots of favourite spots, but this was her most favourite one. Kids don’t always speak correctly do they?