 For Authors: August 18, 2021 Issue [#10935] |
This week: What's In A Word? Edited by: Fyn  
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Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.~~Edward Thorndike
Words are the most powerful thing in the universe... Words are containers.
They contain faith, or fear, and they produce after their kind. ~~Charles Capps
But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. ~~George Gordon, Lord Byron
"I like good strong words that mean something. ~~Louisa May Alcott (from "Little Women")
If words are to enter men's minds and bear fruit, they must be the right words shaped cunningly to pass men's defenses and explode silently and effectually within their minds. ~~J. B. Phillips
It seems to me that those songs that have been any good, I have nothing much to do with the writing of them. The words have just crawled down my sleeve and come out on the page. ~~Joan Baez
My task which I am trying to achieve is by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel—it is, before all, to make you see. That—and no more, and it is everything. ~~Joseph Conrad
Often when I write I am trying to make words do the work of line and color. I have the painter's sensitivity to light. Much ... of my writing is verbal painting. ~~Elizabeth Bowen
To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make. ~~Truman Capote
Words—so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them! ~~Nathaniel Hawthorne
No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. ~~Robin Williams
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'The geese were shaftless arrows, shot from an instinctual bow piercing the morning sky with their raucous goodbyes.'* Vees of geese flew overhead. Which says it better? Clearer? The words we choose to use are important. There is much power in words and we, as writers, need to learn to use them to their greatest effect.
One comment I make over and over again when writing reviews is something to the effect of, 'You need a stronger word here.' Perhaps the word might be fine for an initial effort, for a draft, but in the revision stage, one needs to work to be sure the best possible word is being used. When it is someone that I know can and has done better, I'll say, 'Don't be a lazy writer.' By this, I mean that grabbing any old word is easy; playing with the sentence or phrase to raise it to the next level is work. Do the work.
A thesaurus can be your best friend next to a dictionary. By this, I do not mean to write like you've squeezed a thesaurus and let all the word juice spill out. Words should be used judiciously. to their best effect.
Too often a writer will simply accept a series of words without trying to make them, the thought, clearer or to express them in such a way as to make an important thought memorable. We are wordsmiths (or aspire to be) and it is in the playing with words that metaphors arise, or we then come up with that brilliant combination that simply sings!
'That particular morning dawned about the same as it had for the past week or so, the grey clouds pressing down like an unsettled argument.'** You know exactly what the sky looks like, what the humid air feels like, and that sense of tension that exists in time like that. Originally, the line ended something like 'the grey clouds blocking the sun.' One paints a vivid and clear picture, the other is, frankly, boring! Part of being a good writer is being remembered for those exceptional lines, of gaining a following of folks who appreciate that extra effort.
Writing is work. No two ways about it. As students of the craft, we need to expand our vocabularies, play with words as if our life depended upon them every bit as much as our next breath, learn etymologies so that we can pick and choose exactly the right (write!) combination to express ourselves in the best ways possible. This means revision. So many times we read a piece that is simply straining to be what it wants to be and just needs the author to give it the time it deserves to be all that it has the potential of being. Too often one writes, finishes, and thinks that it is finished. But it truly is not because it has yet to be played with, refined, torn apart, and put back together. Like a fine antique (and yet, dusty) table, it needs to be polished. Then it can not only shine but let its inner light glow.
Often, we are too close to our work to see it dispassionately. Something else we need to be is open because sometimes, that fresh pair of eyes will see an opportunity we missed. It doesn't matter if the piece won a contest or some such. That in no way converts to a piece being perfect. Being responded to that, 'well, it won, so it is fine as it is!' simply shows a writer who is still very much in the learning stages of the craft. Sixty years ago, Robert Frost told me that one of the things he despised about being a poet was that his publisher wouldn't let him revise his better-known poems because everyone had memorized them as they were. Yet, he wanted to revisit them and play with them more, he thought they could be better. He was frustrated because, in his case, as a celebrated poet, he had to leave them be even though he believed, knew they could be better. We can all learn from him!
* On Geese and Growing Older
**The Covered Bridge--April, 1927
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Beholden   says: No, there is no town named Moderation. Unfortunately, that also means that there is nowhere where we can safely consume those things that are fine in Moderation.
Ok, I had fun doing some research on this! And I found:
located in, of all places, READING, UK!!
Bikerider  writes: Another interesting and informative newsletter, Fyn. When I write a long story or when working on my novel, I begin each chapter with a detailed description of where the scene is taking place. Percy Goodfellow taught that a writer should write using the same format found in the books they enjoyed reading. "Write the way you like to read." I use Google earth frequently to research locations. When using Google, or in my case, DuckDuckgo, I limit my research to no more than the first 3 pages.
Quick-Quill  says: I love research. I go down the rabbit hole and have to drag myself back to why I was looking down the hole in the first place. I’ve found interesting articles I put aside for the Next Book
Grin 'n Bear It!  comments: Extremely interesting NL. You included some fascinating information that ignited the urge to do research just for the sake of research. Your NL brought back many memories of my time spent over more years than I want to admit to at the UGA science and main libraries. I remember my surprise during my last semester to find out the main library actually had a "leisure" section on the second floor. Yes, the current generation has it easy in terms of accessing information, but the downside is the need to question the validity of the results of their searches. And I didn't have the distraction of so many rabbit holes to lead me astray from my topic. Thanks again for an informative and enjoyable NL.
brom21  wonders: Honestly, I have never researched anything for my stories. I now know I really should. lol. My question is how much should we research-an hour?-two hours? Studying mythology is a good subject to glean from. There are many monsters and creatures not well noted. Thanks for the NL!
It differs, I suppose. Until you find then unique added 'extra," perhaps or until you find the answer you seek. Sometimes, the new knowledge allows for you to cloak your writing in realness or all you, the writer, to add a new dimension to what you are writing about. How long? As long as it takes! One of my books had several years of research into it before I felt comfortably knowledgable about the subject framing my story. There is no set time frame - when you know, you know!
Write_Mikey_Write!  adds: I believe in doing at least the minimum amount of research needed to not look like a fool in written form. You need to be able to limit yourself, though. More than one of my proposed entries into the Writer's Cramp or Daily Flash Fiction fell by the wayside, because I researched myself right out of available time. 
hbk16 adds: Research is an important part of writing art indeed.
It is a featured issue indeed!
QueenNormaJean maybesnow?!  says: My husband says I can find things on the internet that aren't there. I remember reading the dictionary, the encyclopedias, the atlases just for fun when growing up. Now all that information is at your fingertips. I love doing research. Learn a little every day. Knowledge is free.
Absolutely. My grandmother always said that a day you learn something new is a day not wasted.
Beacon's Anchor  responds: Responding to this Newsletter, I do research on things I need to know. I like looking up information. There are good information but it depends what you are looking for at that moment. to give an example, I'm doing research on a lighthouse right now and I like to have more information about it so I can write an article about the Lighthouse. I like lighthouses because they are so mysterious.
Alex Morgan comments: Sometimes, doing the research is as much fun as writing. I still go to the library on occasion to check out books on a certain topic. I learned much about Hurricane Katrina and the international diamond trade. All fascinating and I was able to put my research into my novels. Currently, I am writing a mystery set in Hawai'i, so now I get to research the attack on Pearl Harbor!
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