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Q&A A torrent of foreign terms

Focus on contextual usage and descriptions, and consider the process behind how you learn new words. How often have you learned a new word by opening a dictionary and reading definitions at random...

posted 5y ago by TheLuckless‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T12:41:47Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47293
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar TheLuckless‭ · 2019-12-08T12:41:47Z (about 5 years ago)
Focus on contextual usage and descriptions, and consider the process behind how you learn new words.

How often have you learned a new word by opening a dictionary and reading definitions at random? [If you answer 'never' then you're probably not a geek, and if you answer 'frequently' then you're far geekier than I am...]

Now how often have you learned a new word by being shown something, and having someone say something about it?

* * *

"First we begin the procedure by using [insert medical technical jargon]..." as said by a doctor holding the described object, which we are then guided through the use of and given any relevant and useful details of as fitting for the scene: And most readers will have no issues understanding what that [random medical technical jargon] meant without having known it before coming across the word in a book.

* * *

Despite what the internet may suggest, humans are generally fairly smart. Avoid excessive worry about them not being able to understand while writing: Deciding whether or not something truly works or needs rewritten is really up to test-readers anyway.

- Write what works well for you while writing, edit what proves problematic while reading.
#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-08-13T18:39:25Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 0