Powerful Words

One thing that I have recently taken to doing is classifying and sorting words in my head based on the emotions they incite in me.

It seems as though there is an x factor in many of the words I find powerful. Traditionally, power words are words that sell products or services, beef up a resume, or add action to a story. For example, let's take Bob, a seller of used cars. Words that he should avoid using in advertising are:

• "It"- A vague replacement for his product.
• "Difference" - A vague descriptor of the product/services superiority e.g."Bob's Car Lot: We make all the difference" vs. "Bob's Car Lot: Our customer service sets us apart!"
• "Quality" - One should not have to state that their product/service is of good quality, they should list its attributes and let the customers come to the conclusion their product is "Quality"

Rather, Bob should use numbers and concrete statements, e.g. "Automobiles with lower mileage of competitors with over $2500 in savings!"

Similarly, any working man or woman must avoid vague words with no evidence on a resume. For example:

•  "Excellent kitchen worker with experience as short order and executive chef" vs. "Worked in diner, preparing over 250 meals in four hours. In addition, assigned tasks to a kitchen staff of over two dozen in three 2-star restaurants."

Once again, detail creates powerful phrases. The same is true in writing. However, one must avoid creating chaotic or stuffy sentences. These stem from too many adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives and adverbs must be used similarly to caffeine; in small doses, they vitalize a piece of dull writing e.g. "The pot boiled" vs. "The pot boiled vigorously" or "The dog jumped" vs. "The lumbering dog leaped poorly." The issue becomes obvious when too many of these modifiers are utilized e.g."Her hair shone" vs. "Her flowing golden shimmering locks shone dazzlingly bright" In this case, power words are the ones that conjure up the most description with the fewest amount of letters.

This brings me to my own list of "Power Words." They are a combination of the above qualities. Concise, specific, and able to create a clear image, these words and phrases have been drawn from many sources. It is a sample of the list of words that, for whatever reasons beyond the above three, incite deep emotion in me.

• Salt - Instantly, taste floods the mouth. I imagine chapped lips from long days at the sea. Salt was used to destroy crops in the ancient world yet at the same time, it is vital to our existence
• Dust - Dry and hot, in small doses, dust is impotent and insignificant, but in large volumes, it can destroy roads, buildings, and animals.
• Scarlet
• Amber
• Shadow
• Sanguine
• Tarry
• Whisper
• Earth (In the sense of dirt)
• Laurel
• Corporeal
• Melancholy
• Slumber

These are a few of the words I find to be "Power" words to me, every time I hear a word I find powerful, I write it down to add to my list, a list that keeps growing and growing. I challenge you to do the same, and see how much your writing improves!