Having to look up words in a story

[MillieDynamite]

If you use a word that's archaic or seldom used, best to clarify the meaning by the wording that follows.

 

[Rob_Royale]

It depends. If the writer clearly has used the word when a simpler one would do fine, it's irritating. Calling someone obdurate when stubborn would do, for instance. That's clearly someone stretching the thesaurus muscles. But like @Pureotica mentioned in another thread, adding a reference like a Maginot line (which I have never heard of until today) is interesting and it would entice me to look it up. But, if it's a word like turgid, which is often used because it's easy to overuse 'engorged' or 'swollen' in erotica, it's easily forgiven.

 

[EmilyMiller]

There was a story in the Halloween competition that the author had written by Thesaurus. I think it did rather badly?

Which story?

Em

 

[MillieDynamite]

Yes, I'd like to know. I don't think any of my stories did badly, was it me?

There was a story in the Halloween competition that the author had written by Thesaurus. I think it did rather badly?

 

[mirafrida]

I think it's basically an artistic choice, related to the feel and character of the work as a whole. I try to rein back my own stuff when it starts to sound too precious, and find myself cringing when a writer I otherwise enjoy just sounds like they are trying too hard. I was reading something the other day about the lights of the city coruscating, and I didn't need to look it up, but I did give my head a rueful shake, because the unexpected flordiness of it dragged me out of my reading flow - for me, at least, the word choice subtracted from the reading experience, rather than adding as it was presumably meant to. Of course, where one draws those lines, as a reader or writer, will end up being highly personalized.

 

[32aa]

I don’t use a thesaurus - it’s all natural

Good for you. I'm not quite so gifted. I've always enjoyed your writing style.

I'll use the Thesaurus when I've discovered that I've used one descriptive adjective or adverb a few too many times and my little brain can't come up with something as a suitable replacement. But I try not to go off the cliff with something that may distract the reader and cause them to leave the story to take the time to look it up.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Good for you. I'm not quite so gifted. I've always enjoyed your writing style.

I'll use the Thesaurus when I've discovered that I've used one descriptive adjective or adverb a few too many times and my little brain can't come up with something as a suitable replacement. But I try not to go off the cliff with something that may distract the reader and cause them to leave the story to take the time to look it up.

OK - white lie.

When I go back over a story. If I see I’ve used the same word twice in a paragraph, I’ll consider changing one. If I’m sure there is another word which would work, but I can’t recall it, I might look on thesaurus dot com. But that’s not very often. Maybe once every two or three stories.

Em

 

[alohadave]

I have had the feedback “stop trying to convince the reader you’re intelligent.” I guess that might be me having IRL hangups leak into fiction.

Em

Fuck them. If you are smart and you know how to use big words, use them. Big words exist because they are useful.

If I know a word that fits what I mean, I use it.

 

[EroticCupcake]

I worked with a fool who would try to sub in obscure words when common words would do (this is not what made him foolish). It was an interesting experiment to watch, because stupid people mistook him for smart.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Fuck them. If you are smart and you know how to use big words, use them. Big words exist because they are useful.

If I know a word that fits what I mean, I use it.

I’d say 9 out of 10 times I use an uncommon or technical word, it’s just what I first wrote. I don’t include them on purpose. 1 out of 10 times it’s for comedic effect.

I have an excellent retention for words and using them just flows.

Em

 

[Gamblnluck]

I use a thesaurus all the time. I tend to use similar words in normal speech so I like to change it up a bit. Using big pretentious descriptive verbage is not necessarily good writing. But to use the same phrasing over and over gets boring.

 

[AlexBailey]

If you use a word that's archaic or seldom used, best to clarify the meaning by the wording that follows.

This.

There was a thread a while back where an author was asking if using the term “cheval mirror” would be problematic, is it too obscure for the average reader?

It’s often easy to make obscure terms accessible by including a little more context.

‘She tilted the brass and mahogany framed cheval mirror to better study her head to toe reflection.’

 

[EmilyMiller]

What if your word is in the 11 - Googolplex range?

Em

 

[Bazzle]

Yes, I'd like to know. I don't think any of my stories did badly, was it me?

It was Unsung Muse- they went gothic
https://www.literotica.com/s/gone-to-seed

 

[Bazzle]

Which story?

Em

Unsung Muse- they went gothic
https://www.literotica.com/s/gone-to-seed

 

[EmilyMiller]

If you want the scale to go from 1 to 11, then that's your scale.

But what about to a Googolplex?

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

Unsung Muse- they went gothic
https://www.literotica.com/s/gone-to-seed

Haven’t read it all. It was a bit tiring.

I used “olfactory” in my most recent story

 

[EmilyMiller]

My sister teachers children that ask these kinds of questions. She thinks it funny.

My brain lags my strictly temporal age…

Em

 

[Paul_Chance]

I think that is part of the craft of writing. If the vocabulary fits the story, or the character, then it's fine. If it's the semi-random attack of the great herds of Thesauri, then it leaps out at the reader. It holds true in non-fiction as well.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I think that is part of the craft of writing. If the vocabulary fits the story, or the character, then it's fine. If it's the semi-random attack of the great herds of Thesauri, then it leaps out at the reader. It holds true in non-fiction as well.

As I child, I used to read Jules Verne with my screen ready to Google words and locations. It was fun.

Em

 

[AlexBailey]

But what about to a Googolplex?

Em

Most parts of you are marinaded in sci-fi.

 

[Paul_Chance]

As I child, I used to read Jules Verne with my screen ready to Google words and locations. It was fun.

Em

That is an excellent way to build vocabulary. I did something similar as a child, read science fiction with a dictionary next to me. We also would just read the dictionary. I was fortunate to have nerd brothers.

So, back to the OP, fast forward several decades. I rarely have to look up words. When it happens, whether it's a moment of coolness when I encounter a new word or whether it's a moment of exasperation depends entirely on the context. Vocabulary has to fit the context of the story and character. If you've got a character whose vocabulary seemingly exceeds their age and experience, it can be grating. (Ahab's Wife pops to mind as an example of a main character whose vocabulary and thought process vastly exceeded the characters age and experience.)

 

[EmilyMiller]

Most parts of you are marinaded in sci-fi.

True. But not a lot of fiction to a Googolplex - just 10^(10^100). Just a number, no different to, say, three. And kinda small really.

Em

 

[NotWise]

I try to avoid using unusual words. My experience is that they rarely contribute anything but confusion. There are exceptions, but for every odd-ball word, there's a (usually shorter) common word that gets the idea across to more people, and does a better job of it.

Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert" (non-fiction) was a big influence on my opinion. The author exercised a large vocabulary. Looking up unusual words was interesting at first, but I eventually skimmed the rest of the book and put it away. I don't want to make my readers do the same thing. They should be able to relax and enjoy the ride.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I think it tends to be more acceptable when it's part of a character's dialogue rather than part of the narration. It can maybe seem a little condescending when the author uses it, but when it's actually that asshole the author is writing about, well, it seems maybe more authentic and reader and writer can both share a sneer about that pretentious foil.

There are often very appropriate times for the narration to include words which some would find uncommon to their vocabulary.

Alternative words could be employed for "susurration", as others have mentioned, but not quite as easily with many other words.

One example is the use of the word, "murmuration" to describe the behavior of a flock of birds. There aren't a lot of other ways to state the action of murmuring.