Writing A-Z: I is For Inquisitive and Idiom
The more information we can bring to bear in our writing the more interesting and more nuanced it is; and the more depth it has.
Curiosity is something that so important for writers! The world really is our playing field, isn’t it? Being inquisitive, though, goes beyond curiosity! Being inquisitive means we look beyond the surface. We don’t make assumptions. We continually ask the “next question.” We want to know the back story. We question whether what we see on the surface is really accurate.
Why would even want to be inquisitive?
Character research allows us to immerse ourselves in our character’s life, social status, race, experiences. It could also simply include creating curiosities for the reader like seeing a street sign we hadn’t noticed before or a house in the middle of the block. Inquisitive writers ask questions about peoples’ worlds, about— everything!
Being inquisitive often means seeking the “best” words that allows our writing to be impactful and ensures our message is clear an strong. This avoids leaving the reader wondering if they understand what we’re wanting to convey to them.
One of our distractions as we write, though, can be stopping to find that “perfect” word or phrase. My suggestion is to stay in the zone! Do self-editing at the end of our writing session. It’s all too easy to end up down a rabbit hole otherwise! Another reason to stay on task, is that on our journey down that rabbit hole, we could lose our entire train of thought and possibly lose some of our great ideas!
Inquisitive writers are
· observant
· open and aware of new ideas
· curious about the “back story
· channel our inner storyteller
Practice being inquisitive to enhance your narrative, engage your reader and grow your audience.
Oxford Language Dictionary defines idiom is as, “a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.”
Commonly understood (at least to me) include being “under the weather” or, “the ball is in your court.” But what kind of imagery would that conjure up for native French speaker? My point is, everyone doesn’t have the same background, so slang, or colloquial expressions I grew up with or have adapted, don’t necessarily hit the mark for my potential readers. Consider into how many languages your writing could be translated, or how many varying regions of the county your readers could hearken from! Would your phrase make sense to them?
When we provide an explanation of the idiom though, it allows a more diverse audience to join the conversation! It broadens the readers horizon and engages them in the process of breaking down walls, by promoting understanding and perspective.
The bottom line is that our goal as writers should always be to invite in readers in such a way that we are honoring the gift God gave us — the ability, wisdom and knowledge to minister to His world, whether through a healing word, by entertaining them, offering encouragement or providing information.
Feel free to enjoy the replay of this great discussion in my Clubhouse room on this same topic earlier this year.
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