If you're going to make a novel, do you really need deep English words to construct one?

But I really think my friend is only trying to make me feel worried..

No way. Here’s some good advice however. Match your language to whomever you’re talking to. This is to say, if you are talking to commoners, speak as a commoner would. If you’re feeling sophisticated, speak sophisticatedly. If you’re aim is to please the ghetto, speak ghetto. The beauty about being a writer is being able to put what you have observed in your brain onto paper and there are no rules, you can write however you want, as a black man, as a kid, as an adult. Perception and execution.

No. See Ernest Hemingway.

I would suggest using a thesaurus so you’re not repetitive.

Simply put, no, you don’t need deep words. You need the right words. Those are the ones that come naturally to you. You need the words that will portray the subject you are writing about.

Over time, you will increase your vocabulary, and those new words will find their way into your writing.

Let me give you the advice my father gave me when I told him I wanted to be Superman when I grew up. He very kindly and softly suggested that I would probably need to be Superboy first. You, my friend, must feel very comfortable and very accomplished with the English language if you expect to write a novel in English. Not even sure what you mean by “deep words”. English is my first language and I am pretty good at it. If I do not know what “deep words” are you probably need some practice before trying a novel in English.

You just need to use the right words in the right order. :-) It’s what a writer does with the words, not the words themselves. A novel full of nothing “deep words” would be unreadable.

Thanks :DD

If English was your first language, I would say yes. Writing needs to be varied, and it needs to flow to keep the attention of the reader.

I’m also curious about what deep words are. Are you talking about deep ideas?

I must say I admire anyone who is able to attempt to write a novel. I’ve often thought that maybe one day I would do that, but I never have and I doubt if I ever will. Even if I could write well enough, I just have no stamina. Whatever I write at once is what I write. I can’t come back and edit anything and I can’t pick up on anything in the future because I don’t have the energy any more.

So, to me, those are the two biggest issues: picking up where you left off and writing with the same intensity, and editing. If I could do those things, and if I could write, I’d try to write a novel. But I admire you for attempting this. It is a huge thing for anyone, whether you are 13 or 50.

@wundayatta Thank You! I appreciate what you just said. Thank You Soo Much! :D

Always listen to your heart before listening to (some) friends. Post us an excerpt if you feel comfortable doing so : )

You’ll probably want to learn some more complex sentence structures, as many words as you can – that you know (because nothing detracts from a reader’s experience more than reading words that make no sense in context, or are clearly incorrect) – and read a lot of other writers – good writers! – to see how they do things. Steal ideas shamelessly, but don’t copy.

I say that you’ll want to expand your vocabulary as much as you can because it’s very difficult to write book-length works using only simple words. I know that it’s been done before, but it’s more difficult to that well than it is to use more complicated words and sentences.

You’ll definitely learn English faster, simply by making the attempt, if you also work with someone who can edit your work and you can accept constructive criticism.

What @XD said.

@iNDiRAHOLiC26

You speak Tagalog? Southern Mindano? I spent a few months tracking down the Hukbong Mapagpalayang Byan! : )

With ESL, your written voice could have an interesting style to it. And your writing doesn’t have to contain super-advanced vocabulary to be considered “good”. Some of the most successful writers are the most accessible storytellers. Do what you feel you have to do to make your characters come to life on the pages – the way you imagine them in your mind…

Although simplicity in language is a good thing, it takes real mastery to accomplish. It’s why, for instance, that “simple little black dress” is nearly always more expensive than an elaborate gown. “Simple” is hard to master.

@CaptainHarley Went looking for communists over there too?

@mazingerz88

That’s classified information on a need to know basis only, and you don’t need to know. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. : )

@CaptainHarley Well, thanks anyway for your gallant service Cap! ( and hoped you enjoyed San Miguel beer when you were there. : )

@mazingerz88

Dude! I LOVE San Miguel! Except for the occasional green batch, San Miguel is just about the best beer on the planet! : D

@CaptainHarley Ok Cap, you and me, one month crisscrossing Thailand, Hongkong and the Philippines, heck, let’s throw in Japan in there. But you gotta get a written permission from your SO. Not saying you wanna do it, just assuming, heh.

@mazingerz88

ROFLMAO!!! That would have been great when I was younger, which is pretty much what I did while I was in the Far East. I fell in love with Thailand. Hong Kong and the Philippines are kinna ok, but Thailand takes the cake, in my opinion. There’s a beer there that’s about 14% alcohol that knocked me for a loop the first time I paid the Thais a visit! LOL!

@CaptainHarley Met a retired Fil-American navy man many years ago in Hongkong and he told me of a far-flung Thailand village where 8 out of ten young women were all exotically gorgeous. He said it was unbelievable, like Shangri-la. We joked about trekking there. This guy was 70 when I met him. He was backpacking all over Asia and his reason-? He could not stand his nagging wife! Lol.

@mazingerz88

ROFLMAO!!! I can well understand his wandering then.