Hello everyone! This is the seventh of 12 writing tips to improve your writing coming your way. These 12 tips are from my experience writing a book, writing poems and giving exams.
My seventh tip for you is to avoid a VOCABULARY OVERLOAD.
In my last post (tip #6) I explained the importance of maintaining a vocabulary folder or journal. I also explained the importance of developing a well-rounded vocabulary that can be used to approach writing topics easily.
However, when we develop a well-rounded vocabulary and have many new, fancy words in our minds, there is a tendency to overuse them. You may try to force a water element in your writing, (for example a lake) if you know many eutonic words that can be used to describe a water body effectively. You may force multiple adjectives before one noun. Loading your piece with complicated vocabulary makes the piece sound tedious and unnatural. It limits the ability of the essay to flow in a way that sounds convincing to the reader. Trying to comprehend too many words in a single sentence may cause the reader to lose sight of the main focus of the passage.
Overusing words can reduce its ability to convey a picture. Therefore, it is essential to use these words sparingly in places where best appropriate. Avoid forcing certain events or objects into your passage just to be able to could use these words. Instead, use these words to suitably describe elements that naturally occur and fit into your piece.
For example, the phrase ‘red as a rose’ is cliched and overused and therefore, reduces its ability to firmly convey an image to the reader. However, rarer words like ‘wine red, ‘ ‘’mahogany’ or currant’ may better express the colour you wish to describe.
Furthermore, avoid using very common words. While you shouldn’t force any rare/unique words, see if you can replace the ordinary language with an uncommon vocabulary that can help you build your style of writing and make your writing seem different, special and therefore more interesting to the reader.
Bonus digital art (using a tutorial by GenevieveDesignStudios)
Watercolour mouse
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