@ MANAV Being that you watch BONES you might then understand that if every person spoke the technical lingo, the amount of people who watch it may very well diminish. Also my intention was to make note that Agent Booth always ask for them to dumb it down to his level until he is familiar enough with the topic. I can note that even the other specialist in the show do not always understand what the Bug guy or the facial reconstruction tech is saying, not that they are any less educated but more specifically educated in other areas. Some terms will be universal but to others (like me, will need the dumping down) I even have a hard time when you all start speaking in literary lingo when you critique someone’s work. I get lost and you will notice the my comments are very plain English I actually watch "Bones" and BIG words are not at all out of place since the chars are all scientists.... actually it makes them more real[/QUOTE] V/R BS76
Let me add a side note, then. Like Mark Twain said, "The difference between an almost-right word and the right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." Whether that be big words or little words, go for it. Mine just happen to be smarty-pants words .
what idiot teacher would consider king required reading?... and where? i've seen this described wonderfully as the result of 'an explosion in a fancy word factory'...
He called himself the Big Mac of American literature. And he is STILL considered something of a hack. ... as it is now. No he is not read in many English Lit classes - almost every English Lit class I've ever been a part of hasn't even mentioned him in any more than passing. His published novels number in the 50s, not the 70s. 58 to be precise. And a critic's judgement is just an opinion.
I've heard it expressed more graphically, as explosive diarrhea of words. And he has often gone back and created new novels as rehashes of previous work. In fairness, he has written some decent stories and created some interesting characters. But what he really needs is an editor who will pressure him to chop about 2/3 worth of self-indulgent rambling out of his novels. But of course, he would fire such an editor in a New York minute.
^ I quite agree. Misery was a good novel, I enjoyed it. People talk about his short stories as being good - so far there have only been three I remember liking, and I've read half of his published short fiction. But I digress.
This is reminding me of a quote from Henry Mitchell. He was a garden writer writing about gardens, but it seems to fit anyway: "Do not permit anything in the garden to be more costly, in material, than is necessary. If wood poles will serve, don't use brick columns. If brick will do, don't use stone. If stone will do, don't use marble." I'm inclined to take this same advice for words. If a simple word will do, use it. If a bigger word gives you a needed depth of meaning that simple words won't, or will give you a complex meaning neatly where you'd need a tangled cluster of simple words to say the same thing, then use the bigger word.
Like so many other things, it depends on your target audience. Princess Syrene countered the riposte with a casual flick, vaulting gracefully from the parapet in a somersault as she neatly severed her pursuer's tendons with one swing. Or She dodged and stabbed the guys with a ninja attack. Whenever you read over it, read it from the perspective of your target audience. As a general rule though, most people don't like their sentences being overly verbose unless it's satirical, but that's a different story.
This is not just a matter of word choice. It is a question of how detailed to paint a scene, which touches on considerations like pacing, mood, and emphasis. Audience does matter to some degree. Some audiences, like children 5-7 years old, simply will not keep up with a full adult vocabulary. And your audience will determine your use of specialized terminology. If your book is targeted at equine enthusiasts, you can freely use terms that only horse lovers will pick up on without running to their dictionaries. With science fiction fans, you can freely speak of event horizons, Einstein-Rosen bridges, and red shifts and expect your readers will either already know it or eagerly gobble up the knowledge thay gain by looking it up. But the goal of a writer is to communicate, not to show off a superior vocabulary. If an obscure word or phrase doesn't speak to a reader as clearly or precisely as a simpler one, don't use it. You should strive to be inclusive. Vocabulary that excludes readers for no good reason should be avoided. The only debate should be over what qualifies as a good reason. That is the writer's decision to make, and the writer should be prepared to live with the consequences of that decision.
Can't really comment on Stephen King, because I don't know anything about him. But I have seen millions of discussions about him in here and in other such forums, which actually make me very curious about him.... Yes, I agree writing is about finding a voice.... I would like to further add, one has to have at least the basics of good writing for his/her voice to be heard..... Anyway, the conclusion I have drawn from this very interesting discussion is that I do need to learn big words but use them only when my story demands it. There is a big difference between choosing not to use big words and not knowing any big words (therefore not using them). Also, I am not entirely in agreement with 'big words for educated elite only and simple words for masses' theory that some of you have voiced. I believe simple words writings (writings without big words) can also be specifically meant for 'the elite class' and some writings written for the masses might require using big words. And don't underestimate the so called masses.... anyone who reads novels is more than capable of learning big words if the need arises.... the only condition being...the story should be interesting enough to him. I would rather read a good story (even if I have to use my dictionary) than reading a bad story written with simple words. P.S. I may be completely wrong because I am completely new to writing and everything related to writing
I think a writer's true talent shines best when a "big word" is used but the sentence is still pellucid.
Curious that the least clear word in that sentence is the one that means "clear." Unfortunately, that sentence was not clear enough. As I didn't know what pellucid means prior to looking it up, I could have assumed it meant anything that makes sense in the given context. Had I decided against looking it up (as I most frequently do while reading a book; I don't want to try keeping my place in two books at the same time), I might have decided that it meant "interesting" and moved on with completely the wrong idea. Though I agree with what you said. I just think that you could have chosen a better word than pellucid. A more obvious word.
I was actually just being funny. There's several ironic aspects to that sentence. Congrats for finding one. My posted crits show I'm actually a fan of storytelling, not of convoluted jumble. I like interesting, twisted storylines told in a simple yet artistic manner. Honestly, if a writer doen't know the word without a dictionary, they probably shouldn't use it because they probably won't be using it correctly. There's different levels of meanings for words with similar definitions.
I myself find the art of fictional writing to be more than using as many big words as possible. There is an artistic measure in each aspect, from the grammatical structure of a sentence, the voice and motif given to each POV char, and even the fundamental layout of chapters. Therefore, if you have to rely on "big words" only to feel like you've done a good job, I think you may have failed.
Technical Writing - Yes, We don't really mind reading those long and complicated words. It is because we are used to it. In addition, defining them or simplifying them would be extremely complicated and painful because we spent four years learning what they meant. As for people new to those fields... well let's just say there's a reason we don't communicate well. Law/business writing - Due to numerous amounts of loopholes that appear in law and business that would lead to extremely unfair situations, the terminology in law and business must be exceptionally well-defined and overly specific. If you generalize the terms, it may be easier to understand and learn this way but you can't use it in the legal world. That is all.
