The last couple of days, I have been going through the threads here, and made some personal goals. I normally write short pieces, and as mentioned, this is my first attempt at a novel suggested by a publisher concerning a recent short story submission. following his suggestion, I was three chapters in, when I joined this forum. Comparing the current three chapters to the writers here, I realize that I really need to expand my vocabulary for writing novels, and become more descriptive concerning scenes that can give the reader a solid visual. I began trying to think of ways to expand my normal working vocabulary into a style that is more novel worthy , and less towards the short story platform. I am wondering, asking, for advice about sites, or productive ways to increase vocabulary. I already decided to put the current manuscript away, and concentrate more towards expanding vocabulary, which increases the natural creative concept, found in novels, but void in short story pieces. What are some good exercises, sites, software or ways to improve the creativeness to describe scenes more clearly, without using repeated words, which can be boring to readers when it is too frequent.
Reading. But don't run away with the idea that you need a huge vocabulary to write good stories, in fact it can be a hindrance. “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” (Ernest Hemingway)
Not really looking for anything extravagant, just expanding enough to make scenes "POP" in new ways, not to make the process more complex, advanced, or harder to read. I know all sorts of the big words, easily making friends and family scratch their heads, but thinking more basic expansion, not making it so the reader needs a collage degree to understand, or get a visual. I suppose a place that I can get to know a wider array of synonyms would have been a better description of what I looking for, without having to use search engines, or go through a long list to find the right alternate word casting the same meaning.
I think speech is more important than reading. We can artificially see a nice word or phrase in a story and resolve to use it - but it's only when we start subjecting other people around us to it and they start using it back that it turns into vocabulary. But in the other direction, whatever we pick up in conversation end up on the page naturally whether we like it or not. The best vocabulary to pick up for novels is that of commuters. It's them who read all the books: it's the books on train station platforms that the charity shops are filled with six months later, because they've sold millions of trees worth. People don't speak much on trains though - you have to get in their faces and find out what words they use in conflict. "Have you finished with that newspaper?" ; "Can you give us a light?" ; "Have you got any change?" ; "Can you proofread this for me?" That'll get enough vocabulary for most of a novel, but for the climactic parts you also need to know what words they would use when the plot resolves and they find out about the Affair, or the stock market crashes, or that their son turns out to be a disappointment. So at least once a week, when there's no-one looking, push one on the tracks. That's how you get down to the phonic level that's the real building-blocks of language "Fu-" ; "Aa-" ; "Hey-" Chimpanzees can make about 400 different sounds, but you only need to rediscover three or four of them to become a novellist. If everyone tried to get the complete set it would end up with a shortage of customers.
This was the quote that jumped in my head, too. I'd like to think that if Faulkner and Hemingway wandered into the same bar they would throw down without a word of warning. And I agree with Hammer that you need to read more. There are many, many, many authors that don't use expansive vocabulary. The trick is to use the right words, and those tend to be very common.
Actually using a thesaurus, online or printed, is an excellent idea, but be careful you don't fall into the trap of using the most exotic or pretentious words. You can keep Thesaurus.com open in a tab as you write.
As has previously been stated, reading is an excellent way to bolster working vocabulary. Reading across a variety of topics, (both fiction and non), as well as sources is a huge help in expanding active context. I love encountering 'rare' words, especially when used correctly. Incorrect usage or overwriting can result in a painful read that makes it appear as if one is trying too hard. Interestingly enough, words that one person might think is commonplace can be completely alien to other readers. e.g. cuneiform I recently used it in a piece of poetry and it tossed 98% of readers for a loop. They didn't know what it was. Weird but eclectic vocabularies are marvelous things, something as a reader, I have come to appreciate.
For the kind of stories I write, I use pretty much a street vernacular. Gone are the days when being a writer meant omniscient POV and a massive and highly cultured vocabulary. Though of course some stories are still somewhat like that, probably mainly at the litfic end of things. Lengthy convoluted sentences and ornate wording went largely out with spats, tophats and canes for gentlemen, petticoats for the ladies, and those ridiculous bicycles with the giant front wheel. But of course you still need to know synonyms or you'll end up using the same words over and over, and that's not good.
Street vernacular is a useful term, and I will be the first to admit it is something I struggle with on a profound level. Names and terms I don't have a visual, referenced context for are next door to pure gibberish. I struggle with auditory processing and actually need to see a word in context in order to understand it. It is a habit to establish a frame of reference for a new phrase, place, or name. Social media handle, funk spellings, etc...are a major challenge because they are terms I don't usually encounter while reading.
It helps that the vernacular I'm writing is the same one my friends and I spoke when we were young (and still largely do, to this day). It cuts off a little before the Valley Girl thing happened in the early 80's (about when yours was coming in I suppose?). I wouldn't even try to write street vernacular for kids today or in the recent past, because I don't understand it.
