So, we’ve dwelt a
little on how writing in the “active voice” can infuse our writing with
specific, active vocabulary-verbs. See
what I did there?J
Here’s another
place where we can tap into our pre-existing vocabulary banks: using terms
figuratively. You don’t need any really flashy vocab words to do this, either
(although if you can use flashy words figuratively, so much the
better!). All you really need to do is
consider a whole set of words, such as “sports terms” or “war imagery” as fair
game for us to use out of context (figuratively, not literally).
Like this:
WAR: battlefield
reconnaissance sortie shock troops blitz
commando raid soldier commander percussive land
mines battle lines
parley secret weapon surrender ambush fortress castle bunker trenches
Then use
one or more of these words in place of a less energetic simple term:
Before: Despite
his desire to kill the monster at once, Victor goes with the monster to
its hut on the glacier.
After: Despite
his desire to kill the monster at once, Victor agrees to parley with the
monster at its hut on the glacier.
That’s it! It’s not literally a parley (where the
generals pause for discussion before a battle), but it is a temporary truce, so
I think I can use it figuratively. Remember: the goal here is not simply to use big words to try to sound sophisticated; rather, the goal is to be precise. Sometimes figurative language conveys exactly what you mean to say. Good luck! --Mr. G.
Assignment: Come up
with three “categories” (like “WAR” above) that you can use to brainstorm
terms. Get a bunch of them down, even
simple ones. ANY category can work! (Hyperbole?
Let’s see.) Then, after you do
your brainstorming, use a few of the terms in phrases or sentences (you may write
about Frankenstein, or not … up to you … any practice is good practice at this
point, I think).
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