Writing Tips & Site Help → Words not to use for people
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I recently received a review and the reviewer suggested I not use the word "exotic" to describe a person. That it was dehumanizing and only be used for places, things, and animals. While I'm not 100% understanding why that word would be that way, it brought up the idea of what words were acceptable and which ones were not to use In the description of a person.
What words would you add to this list and why.
The only reason I would might avoid exotic would be because it's more telling than showing. I got similar feedback for using the term sultry without actually showing anything. The fixed version "shows" quite a bit. :-)
Dirk
Well, I don't have a problem with either exotic or sultry. Maybe a bit more so folks who don't know the meanings can learn them, but just don't go overboard.
The woman was exotic with her dark chocolate eyes outlined in a Cleopatra fashion. Her voice sultry, she whispered an alluring word into the man's ear. Sounds like a good beginning for a romance.
That's what makes a writer unique--the way that he /she uses words. Our responsibility is to make sure the words we choose really mean what we think they do. I work with a dictionary and a thesaurus at my side at all times. If I'm not sure, I check the meaning. If it's not right, I use the the thesaurus to find one that works better. Yes, it takes a little time, but not as much as going back later.
What I hate is when people use a word that's not right, just because it sounds similar, such as "surreal" when they mean "unreal," or "simplistic" when they mean "simple." Just because a word is longer, or fancier, or from a foreign language, doesn't mean it's right.
If a reader stumbles over a word that doesn't fit--whose fault is that? It spoils the reading experience, sometimes enough to make the reader avoid your future work. Which means you lose future income.
Treat those nit-pickers with respect, and be glad they helped you hone your craft.
I'm pretty sure if you try hard enough, you'll eventually find someone that has a problem with any and every word ever used to describe someone.
So, if only one reviewer has a problem with a word I've used, I'd say it's up to me to take it or leave it. If a chorus of reviewers emerge all having that problem, I'd sit up and listen. If a reviewer says that the meaning of a word has changed in recent times (looking at K's reply), and it's not what you meant to say, I'd also sit up and listen.
I would like to say that any and every word is perfectly fine in order to describe someone or something, and the only things stopping you from using a certain description should be circumstance and quality. For example:
"A wealthy black is about as exotic as a shark in the Sahara."
Now, that's a good analogy, so give that sentence a point for quality. Circumstance, however, is a whole other ballgame. Since the main subject of the analogy is "a wealthy black", you might want to watch out. If you publish a work with that sentence, you are going to get hate mail saying that you are a racist. So if you don't want hate mail, you might want to delete it. But remember; that analogy is good, even is the subject of it is not.
P.S.: I'm not a racist. I just used that as an example.
The only reason I would might avoid exotic would be because it's more telling than showing. I got similar feedback for using the term sultry without actually showing anything. The fixed version "shows" quite a bit. :-)
Dirk
I tend to agree with Norm on this. What would be defined by one might not be the same as another. Use the generic word exotic, but make sure you follow it up with what your definition of that is by describing the person. Exotic, boring, eclectic, eccentric, the list goes on and on and can be used for any nationality, gender, race, or sexual orientation. It's only a word with a generic meaning without specific insight to the person, it's up to you to provide that insight.
Off the wall examples:
Most days PByrd would dress in brown pants, brown shirt, and brown shoes. No color whatsoever. Her personality matched because she'd rather sit at her computer all day writing instead of interacting with others. Boring, that's what she was...
OR: Most days, PByrd dressed in a Hawaiian floral skirt, bright red shirt, and wore a flower leis around her neck. Her personality was heated the way her brown eyes gazed into mine, warming every part of me to my toes. She was exotic in a way that only free-thinking Southern women could be.
For those of you that I communicate with on a regular basis, neither of those descriptions really apply to me.
Philisha
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Writing Tips & Site Help → Words not to use for people
