Do you consider the nuance behind the words you use? Or even
the phrases? For the sake of communication and clarity, this is such a key element in our
writing.
“Nuance,” in the context of words, refers to shades of meaning. For example, do you
want to use the word “truly” or “really”? “Really” implies “very,” so if you
said “really sunny weather” you might mean “very sunny weather.” “Truly”
implies “honestly.” So, if you said “truly sunny weather” you probably mean “the
sun is actually, literally shining.” See the difference? Which one do you mean
to say?
Recently I titled a blog post: The Love of a Mother. Now, tighter writing would mean deleting the prepositional phrase: A Mother's Love. But that has a different meaning. I wanted the title to be more general, not as specific. I felt the second title might come across as referring to a specific mom, and I didn't want that. See the difference? Brings up another point, if your editor wants you to write tight and you lose the nuance you meant, please let him/her know. Share your reasoning. Editors want to help authors communicate what s/he meant to communicate. We desire clarity. And we're watching for your nuances.
So, we need to analyze our word choices and phrases so we’re
sure we’re actually saying what we mean to say. (or that our characters are)
Nuance can get you into trouble when your words might mean
something a bit more, shall we say, embarrassing? Have you ever ran your sweaty palms
over your jeans? Let’s say your character
needs to do that. Be careful how you word it. Having her shove her hands “down”
her jeans is probably not what you mean
to say. See what I mean? (I’ve had to rewrite a similar line in my own work, so
I’m telling on myself here, but hopefully you get what I’m saying.)
I think Christian romance
writers must especially concern themselves with nuance. Look at
your phrases. If a non-believer could find implications you
didn’t intend, rework them. That’s the way it goes in our culture. Many TV
sitcoms make a habit (and train our minds to do the same) out of insinuation
and innuendo that isn’t God-honoring. I can think of a specific 70’s show of
three co-ed roommates that did this endlessly.
So, watch for nuances in specific words you’re using and
also in your phrases.
Your turn. Can you think of any examples? Have you ever had
a critique partner point out a phrase you’d written that could be taken the
wrong way? Did you rewrite it? We’ve had some great laughs at our critique group
over one-liners the writer never intended. How about you?
