Nouns
Your Bones

Part of effective writing is a sound vocabulary. At the center of your story organism is a skeleton of words carefully chosen.

Perhaps even more useful is a working knowledge of the rules for using that vocabulary. The tools at your disposal increase dramatically with every new method you learn to modify nouns and discover new ones.

The best way to learn new vocabulary and word forms is to read as much as you can in varied areas. Read outside your genre. Read nonfiction. The more you read, the larger your vocabulary will become. You drink milk and take calcium to strengthen your bones; you read everything you can to strengthen your words.

Follow these guidelines to use nouns effectively:

• Know how to correctly pluralize nouns.
• Be specific.
• Use jargon sparingly.
• Choose words that balance between ordinary and bizarre.

Know how to correctly pluralize nouns.

Remember these rules when turning a singular noun into a plural one:

• Most of the time, just add an s to make the noun plural (cat, cats).
• If the noun ends in s, sh, ch, x, and z, make a plural by adding es if the plural requires an extra syllable (church, churches).
• If the noun ends in a consonant form and y, make a plural by changing the y to i and adding es (army, armies).
• If the noun ends in a vowel form and y, just add an s (key, keys).
• Most of the time, make nouns ending in a vowel form and o plural by adding an s (radio, radios).
• Most of the time, make nouns ending in a consonant form and o plural by adding an es (manifesto, manifestoes).

These are only rule-of-thumb guidelines. There are dozens of exceptions with very subtle patterns. The two best ways to learn more about nouns are to read a lot of books and look up the words in the dictionary if necessary. After awhile, words will start to look correct or incorrect to you.

Be specific.

Is it better to call it a car or a Honda? Some writers go insane with brand fever.

Rick leaned against the counter, his Chinos just out of reach of the errant Osterizer. "Damn it," he cried, his voice echoing in the Home Depot decor. "How do I operate this thing?" Anne looked up from issue 264 of National Geographic and gazed at him through her LensCrafter spectacles.

Use brand names to add a little realism, but only where the details are important. If it says something about the character that he drives a Volkswagen instead of an Acura, specify that.

Don't trouble your readers with details that don't add anything to the character or the story.

Use jargon sparingly.

Sometimes--for accuracy or realism--it is tempting to use jargon. Sparingly used, this adds authentic flavor to the text and is a good thing.

Used excessively, though, it is a distraction. How many Star Trek episodes involve Geordi LaForge reconfiguring the deflector dish, adjusting the isolinear chips, or preparing to dump the warp core? After awhile, your jargon becomes more a source of satire than of effective detail.

Do you need to explain every term you use? Certainly not. But make sure that the function of the term is obvious from the context. Your characters know what the word means; have them use as it they really would and trust your readers to understand.

Daniel pointed toward the hills. "We must travel to the Waxtletretex plant. If we can carry two Gephron spheres each, we should have enough to take off in the shuttle again."

A writer who uses this technique much better than I just did is Anthony Burgess in his novel A Clockwork Orange. There he writes in a different language from ours, yet by the end of the book, you understand it.

Context is the key. Don't explain a term. Show it in use.

Choose words that balance between ordinary and bizarre.

Too many writers have thesauruses (thesauri?) on their desks, waiting for any opportunity to use the strangest possible words.

An unusual word in its place can give a new twist to your writing. But words too far beyond the experience of the readers become distractions.

Avoid looking up words while you write. It slows you down and you'll often choose the wrong word anyway. Err on the side of good flow and easy reading.

On the other hand, this is no reason to use the same words over and over again. Strive for variety, but strive for it honestly: by reading new words and applying them to your work.