Vocabulary Isn't Just for 5th Graders

VOCABULARY ISN’T JUST FOR 5TH GRADERS

I was reading a promotion from a master marketer by the name of Michael Masterson -- his emails are tomes of information and it takes time to digest them. Lately I haven't had much time to do that.

Today, his missive was about vocabulary and the benefits of having a good base vocabulary of your own. Of course, I jumped on it with both feet since words - the love of words - is one of my hobbies. When you are a writer, finding the exact right word is paramount to getting your thought across precisely and perfectly. But, what else does a good vocabulary do for you? In a recent study here is part of what Masterson found out:
"...In fact, it doesn't matter how sophisticated you look, how stylish you dress, how elegant you appear. Without a polished vocabulary, the doors to success are shut tighter than Scrooge's cash box.

Think I'm exaggerating? Not in the slightest. Here's why...

The esteemed Stevens Institute of Technology ran studies on what made someone successful. What they found surprised even them. It wasn't physical appearance, it wasn't family connections or even financial backing.
It was how a person spoke - and the words they used. Simply put, it was their vocabulary"

So you see it isn't just writer's that need a strong vocabulary. He did go on to say you don't need to use 25 thousand dollar words where a nickel one will work - you just need to be able to understand what someone is saying to you so that you respond appropriately. Doing that ensures your success, relieves you from the fear of embarrassment. Using a word for which you don't understand the meaning is failure waiting to happen.

I guess that's why I love MyDictionary.com daily new word - they aren't always words I want to memorize, but some seem to stick in my head when I'm writing and pop into my writing. I always check their meaning with my MSWord thesaurus as I edit--but generally they are right on or a better word is supplied because I put the first one into the thesaurus.

I have made a habit of writing down the words in a notebook kept on a shelf by my computer that I may use sometime in my writing -- every once in a while I go through the notebook just to see what I have. It sparks my muse if nothing else.

Studying words, doing crosswords--even if you look up the answers--is a great way to increase your vocabulary. As writers, WORDS are our stock in trade, after all.

Prepare to Take Off (with your writing that is)

Hang On To Your Pen and Get Ready To Take Off
by Billie A Williams

Statistics, you got to love them – even if you hate them. You can make them say whatever you want —if you are clever at turning a phrase. However, some statistics can’t be manipulated no matter how hard you try.

For instance,
290,000 books were published in 2006 – makes you feel like a needle in a haystack if you are an author. Where do you fit, how can you possibly hope to compete? Take heart!

31 Billion dollars a year is, according to a recent survey, spent on book purchases. That’s a lot of change. I imagine some are purchased for schools, but many of their textbooks are used year after year with minimal replacement. So, you have to think that most books are purchased for personal reasons. All you have to do is write the book you are passionate about, market it like there is no tomorrow, and you may carve out your slice of that Billion dollar pie.

Speaking of writing — did you know that if you have an idea that you think sounds like a great first line, gets you unstuck on your current WIP (Works in Progress) or just takes your breath away—you only have 37 seconds to capture that fleeting pellet of wisdom before it floats away on the ether? And even if you can recall bits and pieces of it — within 7 minutes it will be gone forever.

Now do you know why you are cautioned to always keep pen and paper within easy reach? Amazing! Our brains are veritable libraries housing tomes and tomes of information, but a fleeting nugget of information doesn’t necessarily take up residence in that gray matter. As Mark Victor Hansen says, “As soon as you think it ink it,” good advice I’m thinking.

“It’s not what you think of; it’s what you write down AND take action on that counts.” Jack Canfield. [Emphasis mine]

Action is the key to success. You can sit in the middle of the road and think all you want – you’ll either get run over or dehydrate while your muscles atrophy, but you won’t get anywhere. If you want to be one of those who are getting a piece of the Billion Dollar Book pie, you need to TAKE ACTION.

So what are you waiting for? GET WRITING !

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Comments welcome. Feel free to share this article just leave the resource box in place.
Billie A Williams, Award winning author of over two dozen fiction works, plus non-fiction and poetry books, articles, columns and recently a 3-Act Play to be released July 2007. http://www.billiewilliams.com/ http://www.word-mage.com/ (where you can visit other authors of her Word Mage writing group)

I Have Some Spare Time - I'm Going to Write a Book

Every so often someone comes up to me and says something to the effect of: “I have the summer off so I’m going to write a book, too.” For a brief second I’m pleased. Glad I made it look that easy. Then, I ask the serious question, “oh how nice—what genre are you considering?” I ask, trying to get a feel for what they’ve done. What kind of books they read etc.
A shrug follows or some vague notion about a thriller or perhaps, since mystery is selling so well now…maybe a mystery.”

Next question—“what do you like to read? A blank stare or an incredulous look follows with an exuberant –“Read? I have school or a child or a job” — [or you fill in the blank—] ending with “who has time to read?”

Well, dear friend-~~ “If you don’t have time to read, you can’t write,” Stephen King says and he carries a whole lot more weight than I do. Jack Bickham says, “A doctor spends five to ten years learning how to be a doctor. Why then do people think they can learn to be a professional writer of fiction in a week or a month or even a year?”

I reiterate, if you DON’T READ how can you expect to WRITE a book someone else might want to read?

Writing fiction, good readable, pick-it-up-and-can’t-put-it-down fiction is difficult to write. Writing a book requires some very specific techniques and each genre has its own rules, requirements and guidelines.

Take heart, you can learn the techniques, the rules, the style several ways. Each way will build on the other. Read what you’d like to write—what you enjoy reading. Take classes, read books about the craft, especially in your chosen genre. There are writing books out there that will tell you how to write in every single genre and books on general writing in varying degrees of specificity. But, don’t read one genre, one style to the exclusion of the others, which would certainly be a mistake. The broader your education, the better you’ll write.

There are many free—or low cost—writing courses on line. Begin with Barnes and Nobel University. (www.barnesandnoble.com )Many of their courses are free. Usually, each course comes with a recommended book that serves as a text book and is offered for sale on site. One way to build your library while learning from experts is to invest in courses and books.

Don’t expect to write a best seller the first time you set pen to paper or fingers to the key board (though it could happen~~nothing is impossible.) Understand it usually takes hard, dedicated work, but if it was so easy everyone would be doing it.

Perseverance, write every day. Learn your craft, study the techniques you need to know. What is View Point (POV), which should you use, when and why? How do you set up a scene? What about dialogue, and pace? How about creating compelling, believable characters? What about using correct grammar and a plethora of other considerations.

As you work, you’ll find a new appreciation for the rhythm and beauty of the written word. You’ll become amazed at the subtle ways you can take ordinary words and make them resonate with your reader.

To start, commit to yourself. Write down your goals. Where do you want to be with regards to your writing career, say in four or five years? Then work backwards, three years, two, and one. Take that one year and break it into 12 months. Keep breaking those big blocks (months) down until you have a plan for today, tomorrow, next week. How many pages will you write a day? How many fiction books, periodicals, non-fiction books, seminars or classes will you take and when?

Once you make a plan, plan your work and work your plan. “No one plans to fail, they just fail to plan,” the saying goes. Writing is a career, it takes as much dedication, hard work and perseverance as any other. In a way, perhaps more, because once the rejections begin, and they will no matter how good you are…You’ll need to tough it out, hang in there, believe in yourself and keep writing. The writing life isn’t for sissies, but one fan letter is worth every last minute spent writing and getting rejected. So WRITE ON! And good luck.