Thread: Wording

So far I've been reading stories by indie authors and they use simple words. I believe indie is another term for self published, that's what I read. I realize I can use any words I want but should I? I live in the country and people don't use/say these words I'm using in the story, some don't know what it means. I feel like I'm making them seem stupid as I said that but I'm not meaning to. Example: disregard, assail, curt, elict, adamant, eccentric,ect. I know some of them are not "big words" but still some people don't know the meaning. Should I keep it simple?

I think that depends on your own personal writing style, and who you are writing for. I like to "keep it simple" myself, although I would consider the words you listed pretty basic. I like to write like I speak, and I don't use a lot of advanced vocabulary in my speech. But again, it really is your call. Just make sure you use the words correctly!

I am not a great one for writing to suit other people, I want it to sound right to me, and I find that my biggest fans (not that there are many) tell me they enjoy my writing precisely because of its difference from everyday language. I would say go with what you are comfortable with, nothing will suit everybody and readers like me note all the words they don't understand, with the page number, on the flyleaf, then look them up after they finish the book to educate themselves

Your neighbors aren't writing the story; you are.

Thanks for your comments and for future comments. I got caught up in writing I forgot, I am writing a story for young adults. I don't speak that way but I wanted to write differently. I have another question, which grammatically correct to write "OK" or "okay?" I think I have seen them written both ways but I'm not sure.

I would go with the second, 'okay'.

"I got caught up in writing I forgot" , "which grammatically correct" see:-
http://www.writingforums.com/non-fic...r-writing.html

It all depends on what you're writing.

You mentioned writing for YA. Okay. Keep it simple. Use that as a general rule. Don't overwrite.

Something to keep in mind: your characters will sometimes dictate the language they use. If you have a punk kid who talks slang, his speech will have a lot of slang and word contractions. Lots of "ain't", "gotta", and "runnin' ", for example. If you have a character who thinks he's above everyone else and likes to use big words, have him say things like "curtail," "inevitability", and "adamant."