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Exercise #419: Craft
Posted 5/6/11
Technical terms. You’d think those would only matter if you’re writing a technical manual, right?
What you may not realize is you use “technical” terms every day. Most of us probably know the difference between a broom and a mop, but many people don’t. I realize this is a simplistic example, but think about the things you talk about, and all the specific words you use to describe it.
For instance, my aquarium, which has been the topic of much of my casual writing and one training session, is a freshwater tank converted from a saltwater reef tank. It has halogen lighting, sump filtration, and houses about a hundred (seriously) tetras.
How many of those words were unfamiliar to you?
If I want my story to be believable, I have to use the right terms. Any tale involving my aquarium would lose credibility if I said things like “the lights are bright” or “the filtration is a bit different from my mom’s old ten gallon tank.”
The balance is critical, too, though. If I overload my piece with these terms, I’ll lose the people in my audience who aren’t familiar with in-home fish tanks.
Test your own terms. Today, write a short piece about something you’re passionate about. Fill it with exact terminology. You have a piece which someone who shares your passion will understand. Now go back and try to look at it through the eyes of someone who doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Re-write your piece so they can understand it well enough to be involved . . . and might even learn something.
If you can’t think of a topic, email me privately and I’ll give you a few to consider.
Give us both versions, and you may add a summary if you wish.
Critiquers, along with the usual technical critique, note how well you think the author met the requirements of this exercise. Do you think the second piece was well-rounded with just enough technicality to be believable? Why or why not?
Word limit: 500 words each for the passion pieces, 250 words for the summary
Please use the subject line
SUB: Exercise #419/yourname
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