Invigorating Words

     I've been skimming a marketing book called Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads written by Roy H. Williams. It's an interesting collection of business and marketing tid bits that read like blog posts. I bought it at this wonderful used book store in my town called The Book Exchange. Its cover resembles a spell book that contains secrets and magic and the inside pages give off the same old mystical feel.
     As I was page jumping I came upon a section titled "Surprising Broca". I didn't know what that meant, but I kept reading. It turns out Broca is in an area of the brain, located in the left frontal lobe that is responsible for language. After further reading and research I learned another part, called Wernicke's area. This area is responsible for assessing a words significance, which is then transported to the Broca area for further evaluation. Williams states in his book, "Broca energetically generates verbs, enthusiastically constructs sentences, and anxiously anticipates what others are about to say. (p52)"
     Williams goes on to talk about how as humans we tune out language that is familiar to us. As writers, the term cliché may come to mind. We can write a passage that contains description that has been used several times; to explain a setting, a woman, the way a kiss feels, but if our readers have known the same descriptions their attentions may divert, and their hands may close the book. Our brains have expectations for words and the way they are used, or paired with other words. Its like going to same mundane job everyday, performing the same mundane tasks, but if there's suddenly a new boss who wants to give everyone a raise, attentions perk, excitement bubbles.
     As writers we want to surprise our readers, titillate their imaginations, keep their eyes gobbling up word after word. As I read some of the passages in Williams' book, which focuses on using words to market, I can't help to correlate so much to the craft of writing fiction (and other genres as well).
     We color with words. We choose our crayons carefully, creatively, sometimes rationally, sometimes irrationally. We want our voices to flow with power and individuality. We have to think of fresh ways to describe, characterize, and plot. In the first part of Williams' book he states,
            
            Words are electric: they should be chosen for the emotional voltage they carry. Weak and predictable words cause grand ideas to appear dull that they fade into the darkness of oblivion. But powerful words in unusual combinations brightly illuminate the mind.

     Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads is book that focuses on marketing, but its a great read for writers, who not only want to create electrifying work, but who want to succeed at promoting it!


Reference: Williams H., Roy. Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads. Austin, TX. 1999