The Power of the Simple Word
- Madelyn Wong
- Oct 19
- 2 min read
Reading is meant to be enjoyable. It is meant to be enlightening. It is meant to be insightful and educational, inspiring and captivating. What the art of reading is not meant to be is boring. It shouldn’t be strenuous or dull or exhausting—at least, not the creative kind.
Many young writers tend to overuse advanced vocabulary in their pieces, convinced it elevates the story or poem and impresses their audience. Sometimes, it does work. Sometimes, an adjective that describes a certain sunset is the only thing you can use to truly express its beauty, and that’s okay. Nevertheless, using an advanced word to describe a sunset, then proceeding to call the sand ubiquitous and the water idyllic all in the same sentence can be… a little confusing to the reader. The truth is that SAT-level vocabulary isn’t what is going to bring you to the top every time. In many cases, less is more.
As a writer, I completely understand the temptation to write in cursive. I love the sound of certain tricky words, and it truly makes you feel smart when you include words in your writing that others might have to look up in a dictionary. But as a reader, I know the utterly baffling feeling when the entire piece needs to be translated into Simple Terms. Don’t get me wrong—reading is the reason why I know some of the words I do. It is good for you and builds up your vocabulary, and it would be a waste for you not to use it in your own work. However, everything must be applied in moderation. It’s okay to use common language in your pieces. In fact, you should. Doing so works to cut the richness of your vocabulary and make it easier for the reader to understand. Believe it or not, “casual” can sometimes be a better word choice than its more extravagant counterpart, “colloquial.”
Simply just being more mindful of your word choice can make your piece a more pleasant experience for readers. There’s nothing wrong with fancy words. Use the fancy words! But make sure to equipoise balance those words with more colloquial casual terms for a piece that is enlightening and fun, not serious or boring! Opt for the simpler adjective from time to time. Yes, you want your pieces to make readers think, but to befuddle them, addling their brains with the likes of vocabulary beyond their mental capacity? That would be way too overwhelming.
