Two posts in one day, but this one is directly inspired from a post about using little known words in your story.
Do you ever catch yourself wondering whether you should dumb down a word so that you don't lose an audience? I'm not going to tell you one way or the other whether your supposed audience should be considered or not, but I have a thing or two to saying about dumbing down.
#1, don't.
You probably have a special knowledge on a subject that means you sound like you're speaking a foreign language to most of us, but don't give up a big money word just because it isn't well-known. In this case, the poster wondered how knowledgeable her audience might be about a horse term. In this case, it was a perfect fit and omitting it would mean having to explain it. When you do this, you run the risk of infantilizing your audience. You may need to boost the context around it or just let your audience look it up and see why the word fits so well. I encourage you to throw in your special vocabulary and educate your audience... in small doses. Use the big word, then use a better known word to lead them. Don't omit them all out of fear. Let your audience grow into the knowledge that excites you and it can pay off.
On the flipside, I will agree that the reverse, using big words that you don't usually use, is usually a bad idea. The temptation to sound smarter or more diverse often drowns out your voice, the natural flow of your story, and looks very much like you've just discovered the wonders of a thesaurus. By all means, tap into your Word of the Day on occasion, but don't risk looking pretentious by filtering in words that don't fit your voice. When that day comes to address the fanbase you've worked so hard for, don't walk in making them expect a scholar and ending up with a grade school primer with a few pages torn out. Represent the talented storyteller that wrote the books. In fact, wow them a bit if you can. Don't build a house of cards and then show up with gum wrappers.
There's my two cents on that. I believe that novices always go in with shaky knees and a lot of questions. Take all tips with a grain of salt, knowing that your experience will be unique. Simply be aware of the consequences you could face. It takes gobs of confidence to win every small step forward, so make your steps with a solid base of consideration.
Thanks for reading and keep writing! I always try to help my fellow writers and authors build so don't be a stranger.
I saw this post on the facebook group. Yeah, I'm not a horse person, so I probably wouldn't get the meaning, but I could infer it given enough context!
ReplyDeleteI suppose I am either lucky or cursed that I don't have a huge vocabulary. I'll often ask my sis-in-law for suggestions if I'm looking for a particular word, since she's a pro at knowing all those uncommon words.
Every once in a while, I'll use a thesaurus or dictionary to see if it's really the word I want. I've been called too smart for my own good, but to assume that other people aren't 'on my level' is both isolating to me and insulting to other people that have an even better vocabulary than I do. ideally, I'd have about 50 beta readers of all appropriate ages and backgrounds to point out comprehension and taste factors, but at this point, I'm crossing my fingers and going for broke.
DeleteA personal rule I have-- if I can't pronounce it, I probably shouldn't use it. I do love using the pronunciation audio connected to digital dictionaries to quickly educate myself there, but I still have to say it with confidence. If I do use a word, but stumble on it on a reread because I forgot what it mean, that's usually a clue to replace it or build more context.
Oooh! Good rule. But what about those words that you (meaning I) just keep messing up the pronunciation of? For me, that's exacerbate. I stumble for several minutes trying not to say exasperate when I say it, despite knowing which word it is I want.
DeleteLol I don't blame you there. I have to slow down to enunciate those clashing s sounds or I'm likely to whistle through my teeth or lisp it horribly. I've learned over time that words also sound more confident when you try not to rush them. If I'm stuttered over a difficult word, taking a deep breath, a short laugh and taking more care helps. Exacerbate... That is definitely a cruel word for speech...
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