Dear Writer Friends,
We all have words we use all the time. They are part of who we are. This, of course, will naturally seep into our writing.
Here’s a quick tip: Avoid using the same words over and over again.
Here’s an example. You might use the word ‘happy’ naturally! It’s part of your life, and part of your usual vocabulary. Wonderful, awesome, great… all these words can slip off the tongue! And we all have our favourites.
But in our writing, we need to avoid overusing the same word. It can get a bit dull!
Using a thesaurus is a great idea! Why not look up a word you know you use a lot, and find some alternatives?
This is especially good for dialogue. Different characters can then use different words – which is what happens in real life. Not everyone says great, awesome, brilliant!
Here are a few alternatives to happy: cheerful, joyful, content, merry, jovial… and there are lots more to choose from.
Here’s an exercise for you: ask your nearest and dearest to tell you what words you use a lot. Then make sure you’re not overusing these words in your stories!
Have fun with this, and I’ll be back again next week.
Every blessing,
Janet