Common vs. Fancy Words

People are generally taught that common words are boring, simple, and ineffective because of that. I disagree. Common words can have the most power because everybody knows what they mean and they know it deeply. That is not to say that calling a women "really pretty" is more powerful than calling her "spectacularly gorgeous". However, if you called her "unequivocally pulchritudinous", nobody but a nerd of the highest caliber would have any idea what the heck you were talking about.

So where do we draw the line? When is a word too fancy to be useful? This is completely subjective. Some people think "inexplicable" is too fancy to be used, but I find it perfectly normal. The general rule I use is, if I've heard the word before and I know how to use it in a sentence, it is acceptable.

Of course, just because a word is acceptable to be used doesn't mean it is always appropriate to be used. As I have mentioned numerous times in the past, words have certain qualities which make them blend or clash with other words. What is appropriate is choosing words and phrases that fit with the overall tone of your sentences. For example, it is perfectly acceptable for a character to say, "Damn girl, you fine as hell." We also know that "spectacularly gorgeous" is an acceptable phrase. However, it would be an example of horrible writing for a character to say, "Damn girl, you spectacularly gorgeous."

If you just aren't sure what's right, then go out and take notes. Listen to people talk. Listen to high class talk and low class and write down the differences. Listen to formal and informal speech and see how different the language becomes. Listen to educated and uneducated people and pay attention to what they talk about and how they describe them.

Everybody has a certain tone, a voice all their own. They rarely betray that voice. If you can learn their voice, however you choose to go about it, then you will always know which words are too fancy for which people.