For 90% of us, writing is the bedrock of our business. Having a good vocabulary, being able to structure a sentence properly and persuasively, and adding that special je ne sais quoi to a piece we’re working on is invaluable. It’s not about using big words—it’s about using the right word. Some of the most evocative pieces of literature use very few “big words.” Orwell’s 1984 and Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass instantly come to mind. Continue reading