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Finding the Lesson

Jonathan Lallement

Jonathan Lallement

A lesson is something learned, it is what we take away from an experience, sometimes you have to live it, sometimes you have to see it and sometimes you can just read it. 

The beauty of reading is you gain experience in a way that describes even the smallest detail whereas modern day technology such as Television, movies and, audio versions don’t explain every detail the way words can. Reading shows a lesson in this way, when you read a story that has been turned into a show or a movie you often feel that it has lost a lot of substance and you are getting the summary that’s on the back of the book. The substance of a story in comparison to a Hollywood version can sometimes feel draining but the knowledge held between pages is much more “appetizing” than held between film. This knowledge adds to an experience that you do not have to live or even see, just imagine. The imagination of someone is so powerful that reading can create more of a level of sympathy, empathy and, understanding of the concepts of a story. We as readers get to go inside someone’s brain and see events; fictional or otherwise, as our own. 

This isn’t only for fiction stories though, when you read the news you get to see every detail of a story and every piece of bias shown. In an article writers often use certain words to show their bias and that creates a unity of sympathy between the reader and writer that should be embraced and not discarded. Nonfiction, which should not be biased, shows us events how they happened and why they happened which is like time traveling. Nonfiction and the lesson you learn should be linked with the quote  “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”–George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905. Stories always have a lesson to learn and with fiction it is about building a concept of the world happening between the lines and taking what happens to the characters and applying it to a life that is felt and not read because even in a Sci-Fi novel we have emotional and logical connections that we can learn and apply. In a news article we can build a connection with the Journalist writing and be sympathetic of what is happening right now but we need the understanding of the past in nonfiction to correctly understand what is going on. These are broad lessons of reading but with these lessons a reader can search for the knowledge to carry onward into their life.

Overusing adjectives in Your Writing

Cheyenne Colt

By: Cheyenne Colt

When you are writing, you may sometimes experience writer’s block or simply run out of the words to say, while still having a minimum word count you need to reach. One way in which people handle this issue is by adding in filler words. Overusing filler words takes away from a writer’s piece, though. While it is adding to your word count, it somehow makes your writing less effective when your wording is repetitive. It can also bore the reader. The word “very” is perhaps one of the most overused words in writing, whether that be in the message you would like to convey, or the vocabulary being used. There are two instances in which these mistakes are made and can be corrected. The first is using the word “very” instead of other adjectives with the same meaning such as “remarkably” or “exceedingly” or “profoundly.”

Read the following sentences and take note of the difference between the two:

  1. It is very important to wear your mask in public.
  2. It is incredibly important to wear your mask in public.

While the two sentences essentially hold the same message, the second one sounds more serious and professional. Changing up wording also keeps readers interested.

Not only does the word “very” sometimes not hold the urgency you need, but it also just becomes repetitive to continually read/hear. Take, for example, the following two sentences:

  1. She ran very quickly to see her friend because she was very excited. They had not seen each other for a very long time.
  2. She sprinted to see her friend because she was ecstatic. They had not seen each other for an awfully long while.

By using the word “sprinted,” I avoided using a filler word, while also creating a stronger sense of urgency. Another example would be saying the word “joyous” instead of “very happy.” Using the word “ecstatic” instead of “very happy” creates an entirely different feel but still expresses the message you are trying to convey. The changes made in the last sentence make the writing sound more professional and interesting. It can be different to avoid overusing the word “very,” especially when you are trying to express urgency; however, there are ways around it. When I proofread my writing and I see that I used the word very, I will either think of a replacement word or look up a word on thesaurus that fits the sentence. I am not saying you can never use the word “very” in your writing. It is a simple, yet effective word. If you are critiquing someone’s work, there is not much of a need to use larger words. Saying “very good job” conveys the message just fine. It is always a good idea to check your writing to make sure you have not overused any words, though. While this is a simple fix, it can make a huge difference in your writing.