A word i hate

[onyxhawke]

Diminutive.

Really, i find this word nearly as horrifying in relation to books as i do the word Prologue. The reason for the near omniscient loathe i have for those words is that they are usually used in such a bad way as to drag down the quality of everything around them. In this case we have an author who's novel has been consistent in its use of plane language, very few words more than five to seven letters, and none you wouldn't expect you nine or ten year old grade level reader to breeze through. Its therefore jarring to have a character who hasn't said or thought a single polysyllabic use this word four or five times in the space of a chapter or two.

BAD!

Comments

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

So you're saying that sock-puppet-as-authoritorial-voice really sucks when the hand in the sock puppet wants to contribute too?

(Which really puts an odd twist on the phrase "talking out your ass")

[onyxhawke.livejournal.com]

Its not even sock puppet, its just _clumsy_.

[wordwitch.livejournal.com]

Yeah! And it means the author's beta-reader (who is supposed to catch such things!) is falling down on the job too!

Or else his sister Allison took over for a chapter or two ...

("Plane" language? It's an aviation fic?)

[onyxhawke.livejournal.com]

Hey!

No making fun, or pun of my pre-C&S posts. The fact that it only had one error is amazing.

[jennawaterford.livejournal.com]

Those damned word-a-day calendars have MUCH to answer for.

[onyxhawke.livejournal.com]

Someone needs to invent a "clue a day" calender. Maybe, just maybe with the right marketing we could save the world!