Why So Villainous?

Concrete vs. Abstract Diction

What's the difference?

A concrete noun or verb is something that directly appeals to the senses; they are, therefore, sometimes referred to as sensory details. Some examples would be grass, scratch, cask, etc. An abstract noun or verb is more an idea and does not appeal to any of the five senses; it is therefore by nature more detached. Some examples include democracy, dictatorship, develop, etc.

The difference between concrete and abstract is the difference between car keys (concrete) and independence (abstract).

Why does it matter?

Ever heard the saying "Seeing is believing"? In fiction writing, giving the reader specific concrete details to see is essential. Consider this description of the cat, Mrs. Norris, at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamplike eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later.

Regarding what happens to Harry in the rest of the story, it may seem like it doesn't really matter that the cat's eyes are bulging or that she is scrawny and dust-colored, but Rowling is creating a believable school to put Harry in. As Flannery O'Connor says in her book on fiction writing, Mystery & Manners, "It's always necessary to remember that the fiction writer is much less immediately concerned with grand ideas and bristling emotions than he is with putting dust on cats' fur coats." (adapted, p. 70)

Specific vs. General Diction

What's the difference?

When we refer to a word that is general, typically we mean a word that groups possible meanings. For instance, the word “bird” is a general word that groups the more specific “crow,” “hawk,” or “eagle.” An even more general word for bird would be simply “animal.”

When we refer to a word that is specific, we mean a word that is less of a group and more of a particular thing. These terms general and specific are not, of course, black and white terms but refer more a spectrum, illustrated below.

Why does it matter?

The more specific your word choice, the more the reader is able to imagine your story. Does this mean that you should be on the ultra-specific side of the spectrum at all times? Definitely not, but if you are not consistently specific, your writing will lack flavor. It will also miss the possibility of implied meanings (that is, connotation) that come from using concrete-specific words. For more information, see the blog post "On Word Choice in Flash Fiction" by Jim Harrington, editor for Flash Fiction Chronicles.

The Connotation and Denotation of your words

Use words with deep associations

Denotation refers to the dictionary definition of a word, while connotation refers to the emotional or suggested associations with a word. Every word you use will have a denotation, but try to use words that also possess emotional significance. For instance, when referring to a character's car, we could simply say "John's car" (neutral/no connotation) or we could say "John's Mercedes Benz" (the connotation suggests wealth, prestige).