In previous
installments of examining King’s writing tips, I discussed King’s concepts of
what it takes to be a writer and creating a toolbox. In this article, we are going to discuss the
vocabulary used by writers and hear a few things that King has to say about the
tool that he identifies as the “bread of writing” (On Writing, 114).
Vocabulary is
simply the words that a writer chooses to use in his/her story. Some writers will use a complex vocabulary
that will send you thumbing through a dictionary every other sentence. To each their own, but this can make the
story difficult to read and, sometimes, cause the reader to throw the book to
the side before even finishing it.
However, some readers like those writers with an extensive
vocabulary. Again, to each their own, this
applies to writers and readers alike.
King
encourages writers to use the vocabulary that they have. He suggests that a writer just pack that
vocabulary into the toolbox without giving it a second thought. King suggests, “You can happily pack what you have without the slightest bit of guilt
and inferiority” (114). Most
writers, including myself, have struggled with this concept in their own
work. Some worry that if it is too
complicated, people will be turned off by it.
Others may worry if it is too simple that people won’t take it serious. King helps put those fears to rest in On Writing.
I believe that Blood Meridan is
another (fine novel), although there are great whacks of it that I don’t fully
understand. What of that? I can’t decipher the words to many of the popular
songs I love, either (116).
“Street
vocabulary” is another category discussed by King. King defines street vocabulary as “phonetically
rendered” words, such as “yeggghhh” as used by Tom Wolfe. Tom Wolfe and Elmore Leonard are two writers
who use this tool in their work.
King
discourages writers from trying to make any “conscious effort to improve” their
vocabulary (117). The improvement of vocabulary
should be primarily done through reading, which King has identified as a key
element for successful writers. It is as
important for writers as the actually writing itself.
Writing
should be a natural thing to some degree, although it takes work to become
so. In order to maintain this
naturalness, a writer should use the words that are natural to them. King gives a warning about writers altering
their vocabulary for the wrong reasons.
One
of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the
vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of
your short ones. This is like dressing
up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person
who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed
(117).
You have to
love his examples. There are people who do dress up their pets. Doesn’t it make
you feel just a little bit sorry for those poor creatures being forced to wear
a cutesy outfit? Remember that poor pet the next time you think about changing
your words just for the sake of “dressing it up.”
Finally, King
suggest that you stick with your original thought when writing. He identifies the basic rule of vocabulary as
“using the first word that comes to your
mind, if it is appropriate and colorful” (118). Of course, a thesaurus can help find a word
that might make you, as a writer, sound more intelligent or sophisticated.
However, it might also change the meaning of what you really want to say and
how you want to say it.
Some of the
greatest stories ever told are written by authors who use a combination of
their regional tone with a vocabulary that connects with the reader. As a writer, a person should tell their story
in the way that they would normally do it without changing the words to fit
somebody else’s idea of right. Imagine Mark Twain writing in Stephen King’s
vocabulary or vice versa. It wouldn’t work for either one of them. In the
South, we would say, “It all comes down to using the words that your momma gave
you.”
Write on!