Words are the writer's main tool, but they must be used with care and circumspection. Words should not be used to impress in a style that is stinted, obtuse, and academic. Pedantic writing is boring and unimaginative, lacking in imagination and fancy and usually means an unwise choice of words. Choose the simple, mundane word over the ambiguous, exotic to be understood and explicit. The writer must remember that words are used for communication, be it narrative, descriptive, argumentative, or whimsical. Thus the content"the meaning, the message"is primary and must always be kept in mind when writing. Information and meaning must take precedence over word choice. As E.B. White writes in The Elements of Style, use definite, specific, concrete language; this, of course, means using precise, simple words rather than obscure, vague words that require the reader to run to the dictionary to find out what the author had in mind. Clowning with words, and the overuse of jargon is not the way to improve one's style. Of course, this does not mean that flights of imagination should be avoided. Apt figures of speech"metaphors, similes particularly"can increase exactness as well as adding vividness to the writing. They are an effective way to make meaning concrete. This kind of whimsy or fancy can elevate an article, an essay, a short story, or a novel to masterpiece status. |
