My writing group leader told me to stop using fancy words and my stories got way better

Last year I joined this online writing group, and the leader, this retired English teacher named Carol, kept crossing out half my descriptions. She said, "You write like you're trying to impress a dictionary, not tell a story." I got pretty defensive at first, thinking she just didn't appreciate my style. But after she pointed out three specific paragraphs where I used words like "utilize" and "endeavor," I started to see what she meant. So for one month I rewrote everything with short, plain words, and I actually got three short stories accepted by a small indie magazine in Portland. Now I catch myself every time I reach for a fancy word and just swap it for something simpler. Has anyone else had an editor or beta reader give advice that seemed dumb at first but actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyw991mo ago

Utilize" is always just "use." Carol got you right.

theasmith1mo ago

Guess I gotta 'utilize' my vocabulary more carefully now. Pretty sure my thesaurus just filed a complaint.

joelwells10d ago

Nah, "utilize" has a more formal vibe than plain "use.