What's in it for you?
**This content comes from my self-paced, 1-hr writing course geared towards academic writing. Learn more about the full course here.
One of the most impactful understandings about writing your dissertation or a scholarly journal article is that it’s not only what you write that matters—the content—but also how you write it—the style. In this post, we’ll explore ways of being intentional about your word choice as you compose those dissertation chapters and article manuscripts. Ultimately, you should become more conscious of and confident in your power as a writer as you write with effect and purpose.
choose your words carefully
Often when you write, you have a word count target—be it assigned to you or self-selected. So you try to write 500 words or 1000 words or 1500 words. In writing with that target in mind, you may find yourself more focused on making the word count instead of making your words count. I’ll repeat that:
Sometimes you may find ourselves so focused on making the word count that you NEGLECT making your words count.
So you find yourself using more words than necessary, opting for a bevy of words when one or two would do. In that decision, you end up with vague writing. It’s not always your fault though. I’ll admit that. You don’t know every word that exists, so you stick to what you know, which can be a roundabout way of saying something. To help with this issue, find a strategy of expanding your vocabulary. For instance, I use the vocabulary builder that I designed for my writing progress journal (Click here to order your own copy). As I read, It allows me to add new words and keep track of my progress with them: How badly do I want to use this new word? Have I used it yet?. Before designing my physical journal, I used the digital version of the vocabulary builder, which helped me quickly keep track of words I encountered while I read online. Then, as I wrote, I could open up that .pdf and challenge myself to use at least one of those words, as long as it sounded natural (Click here to download your digital copy of the vocabulary builder).
In terms of effect, your words can either carry the readers where you want them, drag them where you don’t want them, or leave them to wander in search of the point. By remaining intentional with your words, you can better support your readers and clarify your message.
Case in point:
When I was in 12th grade, I became aware of my wordiness.
Wait, wait. Let me try that again:
In 12th grade, I realized I was wordy.
Hmm, it’s still not quite right.
When I was in 12th grade, I realized I was wordy.
Better. Notice how, in each revision, the same idea is being expressed. The revisions simply express it more succinctly. But beyond that, let’s examine the effect of each. The wording of Version 1 creates more of a formal tone that reminds me of high school essays: created by the LENGTH of the opening phrase–“When I was in 12th grade”–and the CHOICE of words–“Became aware of” and “wordiness.” It’s not very personal or natural but rather sounds distant and a little sterilized.
The wording of Version 2 creates a completely different effect after trimming down the opener and simplifying the clause at the end. “Became aware of” changes to “realized” and “wordiness” reduces to its adjective form “wordy.” As a result, we have a clearer, cleaner, more conversational, and less formal sentence. It would work well in a narrative reflection or any piece that is more relaxed in nature. Meanwhile, the wording of Version 3 blends the formality of Version 1 with the personality of Version 2 to create a more naturally sounding sentence that is both structured without being distant and reflective without being informal.
When I was in 12th grade, I became aware of my wordiness.
In 12th grade, I realized I was wordy.
When I was in 12th grade, I realized I was wordy.
Take-away point
Thus, the words you use and HOW you use them control the overall effect of your message. Realizing this is the first step to leveraging the POWER of your words. To learn more about upgrading your word use and writing, enroll in my self-paced, online writing course designed especially for doctoral students (Click here to enroll in the course and watch your writing evolve.)
Leverage the power of your words!
Writing Progress journal
Use a writing progress journal to experiment with new words and their fit in your sentences. This is the journal I use this journal for that.
So Impressive! Vocabulary Builder
Sometimes we're limited by our vocabulary. The words that we're so accustomed to using can be dry and flat. When I read, I use this vocabulary builder to pick up new words that I'd like to try in my writing or speech. Not all of them will stick, but those that will strengthen my voice.
36 Ways to Strengthen your writing
Find more writing and grammatical insight like the one in this post in my booklet, 36 Ways to Strengthen Your Writing. It's a practical guide for improving your writing. FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
