FLAPDOODLE, FRIPPERY, AND FALDERAL

Stella introduces Alexis Morgan...

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You might well wonder what those three words have in common. That’s easy: they make me smile. I like the way they sound and how they look on the page. You see, I love words. Heck, I’ve been known to read dictionaries for fun. Then there is the embarrassing amount of time I’ve spent pouring over the pages of J.J. Rodale’s Synonym Finder, my favorite reference book. I keep it close at hand whenever I’m writing.

However, as much as I savor fun words like the ones listed above, it’s highly doubtful that I’ll ever get to use them in one of my books. They simply don’t resonate with the type of tales I tell. After all, another name for a writer is wordsmith, meaning words are the tools of the trade. To do the job right, I must choose words carefully because the only way I can truly bring my characters to life is through the way I describe their thoughts, their actions, and how they look.

One of my Paladin warriors would never wear frippery nor would he charge into battle screaming “Flapdoodle!” or “Falderal!” at the top of his lungs. (Though I will admit to snickering a bit at the image that makes.)

So as much fun as I have while dictionary-diving, I’m always on the lookout for the one word that will paint the sharpest picture. For example, when I was starting my Paladin series, I wanted to convey the idea that these warriors were treated as a commodity rather than cared for as individuals. To that end, the wounded are taken to labs where the medical staff are called Handlers rather than physicians. Even the exam tables are cold stainless steel with chains for restraints. These guys are offered nothing soft, nothing warm. In contrast, I chose to call them Paladins, letting the connotation of the word remind us that these men are knights charged with saving our world.

When I was hunting for the right name for the warriors in my second series, I stumbled across the word “talion.” It actually means punishment meted out in kind; an eye for an eye. What better name for the ones charged with hunting down and eliminating murderous renegades? Granted, my readers may never know the meaning of this rather obscure word, but I do. That helps me stay focused on what truths lie at the heart of my story.

Here’s the bottom line when it comes to good descriptive writing: word choice is everything. But that doesn’t mean I won’t still stop and smile when I run across flapdoodle along the way.

Bio:

Alexis Morgan is the best-selling author of seventeen books. Currently she is writing two paranormal romance series from Pocket Star. DARKNESS UNKOWN, her fifth Paladin book, was released in February, and her second Talion story, DARK WARRIOR UNBROKEN, will be released this August. Her first full-length vampire story will be a May 2010 release from Silhouette Nocturne. Learn more about all of her books at www.alexismorgan.com.