Every writer needs to build a vocabulary graveyard. Epitaphs serve as a reminder of words that deserve to die. If you take notice, you’ll find that certain words creep into stories and articles on a regular, and often annoying, basis. It’s time to put these words to rest - Permanently! Often, these words are adjectives, such as ‘usually’, ‘finally’, ‘largely’. Sometimes, these words are extra conjunctions that encourage run on sentences: ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘then’. Boost your writing skills by eliminating unnecessary words from your vocabulary.

The next step in building a strong voice as a writer is building a good vocabulary that encourages a wide variety of verbiage. Thinking that the thesaurus can provide for any kind of verbal substitution is a serious mistake. Good writers are distinguished by their ability to form and structure sentences. Use your brain and communicate effectively. In order to enhance your writing with unique words that may help to describe specific circumstances.

One way of becoming a good and affective communicator is by reading. Read classic literature. Find an inexpensive paperback copy of some good literature and tear out a few pages. Tape them to your desk, or pin them to your bulletin board. Read various genres and authors. My favorites include: Jack London, Mark Twain and Robert Frost. Subscribe to online dictionaries and word resources that offer newsletters and vocabulary building exercises.

Build your vocabulary and make good use of the words you know. Don’t hesitate to learn new words. Once these writing habits become second nature to you, they will find their way into your speech and elevate verbal communication as well. Then, reap the benefits of eloquence as people recognize your writing in public forum.