Recently I heard a great anecdote about one little letter. Seems our pastor did a Google search as he researched the parable of the weeds. He typed in “weed” and, well, let’s just say the topic of dandelions didn’t sprout. He had to add an “s” to find the right type of weed. Don’t try this at home and definitely not on a corporate computer. I assure you I didn’t!
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were dining with industry insiders at a noisy restaurant when an author asked, “Are you taking pictures?” She wasn’t waving a phone, so I knew she wasn’t asking me to take her picture.
Umm, pictures? Did someone (wrongly) say I’m good at photography? Or (wrongly) say I’m an official conference photographer?
We finally realized she meant “pitches” instead. That made more sense. I didn’t feel so bad since my husband also thought she had asked about photography. Again, only a few little letters made all the difference.
When you write, how much effort do you put into finding just the right word or phrase? I don’t mean you need to obsess over every word, only to take care to express yourself as clearly, eloquently, and accurately as possible. A few little letters can make all the difference.
Your turn:
What tools do you use to find the best words for your work?
Are there any words you feel are misused and abused? Which ones?
What is one of the most eloquent sentences you’ve seen?
I use the “tools” of the Word menu bar, under that is “thesaurus”. That gives me a whole list of alternate words. Sometimes I’ll put one of them in that’s not exactly right, then use it to search for another.
Excellent advice, thanks!
I recently read: “There is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought.” –Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God. This is my first read for Hurston. The library in Terre Haute, IN, gave tribute to her and offered this book free.
Lovely, Ann!
I thought your blog was going to be about written letters, emailing short emails to agents to thank them, etc. Some of us are pretty dumb. Good blog.