Freelance Ghostwriter – Quick Tips For Building Better Vocabulary Skills

Same Meaning – Different Words
As a professional freelance ghostwriter, I am constantly in search of different ways to say the same thing. Perhaps a different structure of a sentence may convey an idea or thought to a reader better than another. Maybe the choice of words used will make a vast difference in the presentation of the information.
Parental Words of Wisdom – Look It Up Yourself
Throughout my youth, whenever I questioned the meaning of a word I’d heard or read, I was instructed to “look it up” in the dictionary or encyclopedia. Please note that I am of the “old school” age, meaning that when I was growing up, there was no household appliance such as a computer connected to the internet. Looking up a word meant physically utilizing a printed version of Webster’s or the encyclopedia.
My parents were of the mind that if I looked up a new word myself, I’d remember and absorb the information better than if they simply told me. And, sometimes, maybe they were unsure themselves and needed a bit of brushing up on their own vocabulary skills. Even when we have seen or been exposed to words in the past, we sometimes forget them if we don’t use them regularly.
This habit that was instilled in me in my youth followed me into my adult years. Coming across a word I am unfamiliar with in a novel or a movie warrants investigation.
Vocabulary Building Develops Freelance Ghostwriter Skills
Vocabulary building strengthens my skills as a freelance ghostwriter. I finally developed the habit of not waiting for new words to find me. Instead, I decidedly go searching for them. I consider it an exercise for my mind and my writing skill development.
At first it might seem that finding new words is a challenge, but really it isn’t. Here are a few places I find new words for my vocabulary building exercise:
* the dictionary – thumb through it in search of words that are unfamiliar
* movies – make a note of words that are new to you in screenplays and movie dialogues
* novels – make a list of words you come across in your reading and research them promptly
* conversation – listen for new words at parties, at work, in the news, at school, on television shows
Vocabulary Skill Building for Families
New words are everywhere, and most all of us can stand a bit of brushing up even on some of the words we have been exposed to before. This exercise is great for families to do together, especially if you have children.
Maybe at breakfast each morning or some other point during the day when the family is together, you discuss a new word as a group. You might assign each family member with a day of the week to present the word for discussion. Share not only the meaning of the word, but usage examples such as in a sentence or examples from famous literary works, novels, short stories, songs, or movie screenplays.
Once you get in the habit of the “word for the day” exercise, you’ll find yourself feeling something is amiss if you skip a day. There are many things I can always do to continue to develop and grow as a professional freelance ghostwriter. Vocabulary building is certainly one of them.