Why a Word of the Day Will Not Keep the Writing Doctor Away

Good morning everyone. It’s your writing coach/doctor here. Thanks for tuning in.

Question: Do you subscribe to a “Word of the Day e-mail newsletter?”

Don’t know what I mean? Check out Dictionary.com’s version here: Archive of Words of the Day since 1999.

In a lot of writing advice I read and hear, its recommended that novice writers learn a new vocabulary every day to improve their writing. I couldn’t disagree more.

While I think the words lugubrious and bombinate are wonderful, it doesn’t help my writing. In fact, I can’t even use these words in my writing because my readers won’t be impressed by them.

I am a subscriber of the Word of the Day, but not because I think it makes me a better writer. It makes me better at Scrabble.

If you are looking to improve your writing skills, I don’t recommend you learn a new vocabulary word every day. Instead, I recommend you take five minutes to do a creative free writing exercise every day.

I also recommend that you read a lot and read a variety of different writing styles and topics.

The old saying, practice makes perfect, cannot be understated.

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