I met Landra Graf about a year ago on Twitter (Follow her: @riseoftheslush), and she went on to become a member of #DessertIsland, the online collective that brings you literary heroes such as Jennifer Luitwieler (@jenluit), Nancy Berk (@nancyberk), Ian Makay (@ianmakay), Jennifer Harris-Dault (@jennintheattic), Liza Hawkins (@AmusingFoodie), Jackie Wilson (@WritRams), Amanda Lynch (@thebookprincess), and myself (@Saint_Upid). I always talk to Landra about Icees and slushies as if I do not realize that her name is, in fact, a reference to the literary agent’s ever-growing “slush pile.” The manuscripts keep coming in – some bad, some worse – and filling up the agent’s office like the gray bank of sludge that builds and builds each time a snowplow adds freshly plowed slush to the already burgeoning load that lines the street. Landra is an encourager, a fun-maker, and the hostess of the Paranormal TV Network’s show “Beyond the Natural” (www.paranormaltvnetwork.com). Read her article below, and follow her on Twitter like a good reader. 

Blog: http://riseoftheslush.blogspot.com

Word choice is like colors and prints. There are times that you choose to match a few together and it just doesn’t work — like wearing stripes on the top half, and polka dots on the other. My daughter attempts this mish-mash of designs at least once a week, to my horror and groans of exasperation.

Authors, bloggers, and reviewers are defined by the words they use and the ones they don’t. I’m often lambasted in critiques for using specific words or terms of phrase in an odd way — more appropriately, an incorrect way. But I like big/odd/short words, and yearn to use them or even find new uses for them. Unfortunately, critique folk and readers don’t always get behind my unique usage of words or phrases. Although I get extra marks for my unique name-calling phrases including “rat monkey” and “macadamian butt nut.” I know it’s not nice to call people names, but when you’re tormenting younger siblings — it’s a special blessing and art to do so in a manner that keeps you out of the corner.

Back to word choice, and the proper word choice. I once described a finger as a tendril, and was informed that fingers are too thick to be tendrils. Now, first let’s define “tendril” — tedious I know, but humor me. A tendril is something long, slender, and curling. Many folks may not have tendril-like fingers. I have extremely thin, long fingers instead of short, pudgy ones. So, humans may not have tendril-like fingers, but an alien could right? At least that’s what my demented brain thought when I was hammering away at the keys. Yet, I was told my thought process appeared incomplete; my word choice poor.

To that I say “Balderdash!” Word choice, especially descriptive words, should fit to your story. My dementia operates outside the realm of society-induced norms. I still believe that “ain’t” ain’t a word. Hence, the spell checker on my word program underlining “ain’t” in red every time I type it. Yet, I do believe that description words should flow from the writer, regardless of the traditional definition or usage. Many will scoff and proclaim you to be inaccurate, while others will enjoy your personal level of insanity; if it makes sense for the reality you create.

This blog, for instance, hosted by the wonderful, exuberant, baby-inflicted Chad Thomas Johnston, is a perfect example of word choice, and terms of phrase that go beyond what some would consider writerly correct. I know writerly is not a word. Thank you spell checker! Chad says things like, “I’m pitching the holy living thunder…” Now is that correct word choice? I think not. Thunder is not “holy living,” but the inflection/ infliction of the word combination says this guy is a hoot! A riot! He’s an absolute humor induction-burner with the ability to ignite my body with spasms of giggle fire, and possibly send my husband running for a fire extinguisher. This particular fire-burning scenario hasn’t happened yet, but the hubby’s at the ready.

Bottom line: If you’re hung up on word choice when writing, you’ll miss the most important part of the experience, your voice or the voice of your characters. You can change things up in editing, polish and strip away the truly insane things that you typed during the witching-hour caffeine binges. At the same time, don’t let one, two or even a dozen people influence you to change every one of those funny descriptive scenarios you create. Cut where you need to and leave what you need. At the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is yours — if you don’t mind never selling a single cotton-pickin’ thing! This poor word choice thing is probably the reason I’m still not on Barnes and Noble’s shelves, and living the sweet life of social marketing all day to pitch the holy living thunder out of my latest release. Pick your word choice carefully, but if the choice makes sense for the story you’re telling, stick to it.