Like all writers, I love discovering slightly fresh uses for words. Recently I ran across the following passage in The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin, which describes a waitress in traditional dress:
“Her white-mittened feet whispered over the tatami.”
I think “white-mittened” and the verb “whispered” in this sentence perfectly convey the woman’s movements, creating an effect.
In my own writing I always have to root out what I call “garden variety” words, including –gasp–cliches. Whenever a particularly interesting word strikes my fancy, I jot it down in a writing file, and keep the file updated. Sometimes the word itself isn’t that unusual, but can seem fresh when used in a slightly different way.
When I hit upon a goodish-sounding word that suits my purpose, unfortunately I have a tendency to overuse it. For example, in one manuscript I discovered that I kept using the verb “freshened.” It became my verb du jour–a breeze would freshen a flag, stuff was freshening all over the place. I had to go back and rework them all. I also repeat certain words in my everyday speech. My sister recently pointed out that I’d started using the word “draconian” a lot. Things weren’t simply bad anymore–suddenly, everything had become draconian.
Are you the type of writer who systematically collects words that you find interesting, or do you rely on brainstorming and free flow? Do you have any interesting new sources for words?