Avoiding Pretentious Language and Most Euphemisms

How-to... poetry and fiction.

A lot of people think too much about making their writing more poetic. They want to sound intelligent, or think that certain words will sound better than others. In reality, they often make their writing too verbose. Simplifying writing makes it easier for the readers to understand and enjoy. Pretentious language is often so wordy or "flowery" that it masks the true meaning of the sentence.     

Euphemisms are nice-sounding words or phrases that are substituted for other more simple words. Here are some examples:

Progenitors = parents

Ensepulcher = bury

Adult entertainment = pornography

Preowned automobile = used car

Negative savings = debts

Incendiary device = bomb 

Remember to avoid using overly complicated language.  A lot of people tend to experiment with words especially in poetry, which is great, but there is always the urge to substitute a more simple word for a more complicated "prettier" one.
 

The most important part about what you are writing is your meaning.  If you want people to understand where you are coming from and what your poem or story is conveying, simplify.  Even imagery can be simple.  After you write something, read it back to yourself.  Reading out loud is a great way to catch things that don't sound right.

Reviews

[Riverz]

good advice. writers could do worse than follow it.