This 100-Year-Old Writing Advice Is Still Relevant Today

While the world of writing has been known to change here and there the concept of writing hasn't. A storyteller from 100 years ago has the same goals in mind that a writer in this day and age has - to tell the story inside of them. 

There is much to be learned from the past and there is no lack of teachers. 

Today let's explore a quote from American author Mark Twain or was it Josh Billings being quoted by Twain - I've heard it as being both sides and will leave the answer up for you to explore if you wish. 

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - tis the differnce bwteen the lightning-bug and the lighting."

Mark Twain/Josh Billings

The Power of Precision 

While writing, we have hundreds of thousands of word choices in front of us each time we sit down to write. Sometimes we get it right the first time and other times we can think of better - usually while in the shower or just about to fall asleep, but most of the time it's not when we are sitting down to write. 

So what does this quote mean? Isn't almost right good enough? Why does it have to be right? 

While the example of lighting and lightning-bug isn't the best way to explain this quote - I mean if you say the sky was filled with lighting and you meant the bug instead of what is usually followed by thunder… then that wasn't poor word choice. You have a typo. 

I understand the quote to mean that while there is a way for you to say something in fiction, there may be a better way to say the same thing you are already saying. Make sense?

Why have your character merely be sad when they can be devastated? 

Why have them be angry why they can be seething? 

Changing a word, even if it's just by a few degrees can make such a drastic difference as the difference between lightning, an electrical discharge that causes a bright flash of light, and a lighting bug, a glowing creepy beetle. 

(I had always thought this bug would be cute when I saw them in movies or read about them in books - until I went camping for the first time and was surrounded by them in a swarm. Not cute - quite terrifying.) 

The right word choice can set the mood of a story, Instead of "the forest was dark" you could instead say "the forest was enveloped in shadow." 

Instead of a character being "tall," they could instead be "a head above the rest of the class." 

Thinking of other ways to say things you have already said can be a way to bring depth to your writing and a more precise description of what your reader sees in their minds eyes while they are reading your books. 

Tall to me at 5'4" is someone who can reach the top shelf of the cabinet while tall to my older brother at 6'3" would be an NBA player. 

While there is no wrong way to say something if your point is coming across clearly for the reader, there may be a way to say it better. 

Read over your writing every once in a while and see if there are any places you can swap out what you've written for a word that may add more to the story. 

Best of luck.

With love, 

B.K. xo xo

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This story was originally posted on Medium.

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