Writing Fiction: The Right Word

When writing fiction, it’s important to choose your words wisely. One word can make a huge impact on readers.

Part of your job as a writer is to communicate your thoughts effectively. Using the right word can make or break a sentence and can mean a big difference in how a reader interprets your thoughts.

Consider the following sentences:

Janice saw Tom and then walked out of the room.
Janice saw Tom and then stomped out of the room.
Janice saw Tom and then rushed out of the room.
Janice saw Tom and then trudged out of the room.

In each sentence one word communicates a completely different feeling. Walked doesn’t communicate much. Readers wouldn’t be able to discern much from that word or that sentence. Readers wouldn’t know, necessarily why Janice walked out of the room.

Stomped, on the other hand, shows the reader that Janice is angry. Stomped is an active word that communicates a strong feeling. Readers would know that Janice is angry. She seems to be angry with Tom. Using the word stomped allows the writer to show Janice’s emotion.

Rushed shows the reader that Janice is in a hurry to leave the room. She’s afraid of Tom and doesn’t want to be in the same room with him. The reader can feel her fear because of the word rushed.

Trudged communicates sadness. When Janice saw Tom, she was sad so she trudged out of the room. Readers wouldn’t think Janice was happy if you used the word trudged.

See how one word can change the context and feeling of the sentence?

Instead of using the word happy, think of a specific word that communicates exactly how the character feels. Maybe she’s giddy, content, glad, cheerful, ecstatic, delighted, or jovial. Use a thesaurus to help you find the right word and play with the sentence until it says exactly what you want it to say.

Using the right word in writing fiction is comparable to using the right colors in painting a canvas. Choosing the right word will take your writing from good to spectacular.