Big words make you sound stupid

Hey friends - it’s Derek here.

I’m excited to share another writing tip that has worked for me.

This week we are thinking about how to make our words more powerful.

Changing one word in a sentence can dramatically increase its impact.

But most writers keep using the same words. This produces boring content. Doesn’t engage the reader. And causes low read rates.

I remember when I first discovered this. I was writing a Medium article called ‘5 ways to improve your writing’. I looked at the screen and was shocked. I was using ‘improve’ in every paragraph.

How tedious and boring!

So using a thesaurus I found these interesting alternatives:

• upgrade

• strengthen

• refine

• develop

• explode

• boost

• expand

• enrich

Individual words matter

Since then I’ve learned how to strengthen my words. And so can you. By mastering a few simple tricks you easily make your writing more captivating.

Feel free to steal my 3 tactics:

1. Vary your words

Notice when you are overusing a word.

We get stuck in a rut of using the same words. You can stand out as a writer by avoiding this.

Look at the last 3 things you wrote. Which words appear the most? Use power thesaurus to come up with alternatives.

Each piece of writing also has the danger of repeating the topic words. Gather a few options so you can vary your language.

Recently I was writing about new ideas. Instead of always writing ‘new ideas’ I scattered these alternatives throughout the article:

• approach

• concept

• thought

• hack

• tip

• way

Use variety to retain your readers’ interest

2. Make your words stronger

Most writers need to make their words more powerful.

When I swapped ‘improve’ for my Medium article I noticed something:

• Do I want to improve my writing or upgrade it?

• Do I want to improve my views or explode them?

• Do I want to improve my reader’s experience or enrich it?

Some of the replacements were stronger. You can increase the power of your writing by upgrading your words.

This is important because when we talk we use weak language.

How’s your week been? Quite good

I’ve had an idea on how to make this room look a bit better

The phrases ‘quite good’ and a ‘bit better’ lack impact.

Writing needs strong direct language, without all the qualifications and softeners.

Learn to spot weak words in your writing.

Let me show you another example.

• John Smith takes a different approach.

Different is an overused word and is unlikely to capture much attention. Consider the impact of these:

• John Smith takes a distinct approach

This is stronger than different and has positive undertones

• John Smith takes a unique approach

Unique is even stronger

• John Smith takes a contrary approach

Now we are creating curiosity.

• John Smith takes an odd approach

This suggests a criticism and will grab the attention of the reader. But it feels like a stark choice of words.

As part of my editing process, I look for weak or ordinary words. Then swap them for stronger alternatives

Time invested in upgrading your words will pay dividends.

3. Use simple words to sound smart

Simple words make your writing more compelling.

This is hard to believe. We think complicated words are a sign of intelligence. We make this assumption because we feel stupid when we don’t understand something.

But the evidence proves simple is more persuasive.

Princeton University asked people to look at reports with different levels of complexity. Readers rated the:

• intelligence of the author

• persuasiveness of the writing

Reports with simpler language were seen as more persuasive with more intelligent authors.

Big words make you sound stupid. So be careful when using your thesaurus, Only choose simple words.

Simplify your words to magnify your power.

Include these 3 tips in your editing process and watch your views grow.

(You could use this as your 1% rule improvement - last week’s tip).

What I’m reading: On Solitude by Michel De Montaigne (16th-century French Philosopher)

It’s helping my self-awareness and encouraging me to reflect on my attachments.

If you are finding The Compelling Writer helpful please share it with others.

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See you next week,

Derek