BE SPECIFIC

                                  

Watch out for general words that weaken your writing.

What makes a stronger picture for you?

a flower or a peony?

a painting or a Renoir?

a lamp or a chandelier?
 

I read through an early draft of the novel I am working on and made these replacements:

cereal -  cornflakes

car - Volkswagon beetle

fence - chainlink fence

house - duplex

forest - evergreen forest

book -  The Hobbit

It made my writing stronger!

Specific words help build a character. Think of the difference between. . .

a man walking a pitbull or a shih tzu

a woman eating Cocoa Puffs or All Bran.
 a teenaged girl reading People or Outdoor Photography.

a senior driving a Volvo or a Porsche.

Specific words can set time and place:

a Model T Ford

a waistcoat

a pocket watch

a cell phone

 

Some advice from Theodore Rees Cheney in Getting the Words Right . . .

Concrete is real, SPECIFIC, actual. Use concrete words to put us in touch with life.

MY FAVOURITE KIDS BOOK OF THE WEEK:

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

A Newbery Medal winner! Thirteen year old Salamanca Hiddle is a powerful narrator as she tells the story of how she unravelled the mystery of her mother's disappearance.

 

FUN FOR KIDS:

What if . . . your great great uncle moved into your house? What stories would he have to tell?

Next week:  A Rose By Any Other Name