Revenge of the Word Nerds

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I fully admit I am a word nerd. I love them. I'm the person who's interested the the etymology, the definition and the synonyms.

Most of all though, I generally fall prey to one of my biggest pet peeves: using the wrong word. There are a lot of people who use words interchangeably that mean completely different things. A lot of people don't care that when they say "I feel nauseous" they really mean "I feel nauseated," but I do.

Half the thrill of writing is choosing the perfect word. Getting that one bit a a sentence just right, so that it means just what you want it to. Words are your tools, so use them well. One critique I see over and over from agents is about using words correctly. If you use words incorrectly, how are you supposed to impress anyone?

Spend some time the next time your writing to not settle. Don't use a word until it's perfect. Words are precious, treat them as such.

Tell me, are you one of the word nerds? Or do you not think about getting the precise word?

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