Dear Big Words …

I believe there’s value in using big words in novels for teen readers … sometimes. Their use expands teen vocabulary and shows respect for what readers already know. The issue here is, “close” third-person is darn close to being inside the young character’s head and *almost* in their direct words. A teen’s go-to vocabulary is likely going to be simpler than the vocab words you’re comfortable with as an adult wordsmith—like “ubiquitous.” Many teens know that word, but would they use it by default? Unlikely. “Assisted” versus “helped” is trickier. Again I ask, “What would a teen default to in a normal conversation?” I think “helped” would be their go-to choice. A novel filled with language like “ubiquitous” and “assisted” is likely to sound older, so I recommend a simpler, more conversational vocabulary for your close third-person YA novel. I don’t think that’s “dumbing down.” I think that’s crafting a narration that sounds convincingly youthful. (For historical fiction, you’ll weigh the era’s language, of course.) Do your “little reach,” but with reserve and in instances that won’t jar readers—you want them to stay immersed in the world you’re writing about, not questioning the words you choose to write with.

Happy writing!
The Editor

The Editor, Deborah Halverson, has been editing books for thirty years and specializes in picture books, Middle Grade/Young Adult fiction and nonfiction, and New Adult fiction. For her editorial guidance in making your manuscript ready for submission to agents and publishers or for self-publishing, click Editorial services. Learn more in her books: Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and Writing New Adult Fiction.