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| Copyright (C) 2010 by Gus Flores. All rights reserved. "Language in Writing" originally posted July 2008. |
Language in Writing
by Gus Flores
Usually when we write, we try not to think too much about the
choice of words we use. Well, maybe not in the beginning---the
first draft. That goes mostly into everything that we write, be it
letters, e-mails, memos, or cards. But as novelists (or short-story
writers, free-lance writers, authors), we have to be careful in that
we choose the right words for our story, especially when it comes
to dialogue. What is the "right" word? Therewith lies the dilemma
(notice I didn't use the word "problem").
The right word is how a character in your story would say
something in a real-life situation, taking into consideration what
their characteristics are like. For example, in my story, The Ravine
Forevermore, I have several characters that are from different
areas of the country; therefore, their dialects are different and I
wanted to show that in the way they talked. Plus, some characters
are uncouth, uneducated, vulgar. . . so I chose words that are
perceived as uncouth, uneducated, and yes, vulgar (arguably,
these three words are interchangeble).
Keep in mind that I have the opposite characters: the professors
Esperanza and Eduardo Tijerina, and their boss, Dean Lawrence,
whom (who? I have to choose the right word) are educated and
proper. As an example, Eduardo at one point is surprised when
Esperanza utters a cuss word--fortunately, not at him.
In conclusion, the right word is the word you as the writer choose
to write for any given situation or piece of dialogue. Readers
respect the author's creativity in providing as much of an authentic
feel for the story through the character's diverse dialogue. After all,
the reader demands that a story is true to life and all writers try to
fulfill that demand by striving for those "just right" words.
by Gus Flores
Usually when we write, we try not to think too much about the
choice of words we use. Well, maybe not in the beginning---the
first draft. That goes mostly into everything that we write, be it
letters, e-mails, memos, or cards. But as novelists (or short-story
writers, free-lance writers, authors), we have to be careful in that
we choose the right words for our story, especially when it comes
to dialogue. What is the "right" word? Therewith lies the dilemma
(notice I didn't use the word "problem").
The right word is how a character in your story would say
something in a real-life situation, taking into consideration what
their characteristics are like. For example, in my story, The Ravine
Forevermore, I have several characters that are from different
areas of the country; therefore, their dialects are different and I
wanted to show that in the way they talked. Plus, some characters
are uncouth, uneducated, vulgar. . . so I chose words that are
perceived as uncouth, uneducated, and yes, vulgar (arguably,
these three words are interchangeble).
Keep in mind that I have the opposite characters: the professors
Esperanza and Eduardo Tijerina, and their boss, Dean Lawrence,
whom (who? I have to choose the right word) are educated and
proper. As an example, Eduardo at one point is surprised when
Esperanza utters a cuss word--fortunately, not at him.
In conclusion, the right word is the word you as the writer choose
to write for any given situation or piece of dialogue. Readers
respect the author's creativity in providing as much of an authentic
feel for the story through the character's diverse dialogue. After all,
the reader demands that a story is true to life and all writers try to
fulfill that demand by striving for those "just right" words.
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