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Words Matter

Every thought, every word, is either worth their time or proof that you didn’t think it was.

Did you know: a single negative term — no, won’t, never, fail, bad, shouldn’t — registers in the amygdala as a threat. The amygdala then braces the body for danger, even if the message was don’t forget to have a great time.

I’m sure you didn’t approach your work intending to trigger anyone’s fight-or-flight response… and yet.

Word choice isn’t a finishing touch, some treat you saved for after the real work is done. It is the work. Every part of your message rides words like boats to reach your audience. If the language is lazy, the ship sinks.

Do the work. Find the right words.

Hemingway rewrote the last page of A Farewell to Arms forty-six times before he was happy with the words. He understood the work. So did Stephen King: “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

At any point, you can cut 30% of any first draft and lose nothing you needed. The surviving words are more essential but far from perfect. It’s your duty to make them memorable, engaging, sensible, and clear — even if it’s bad news.

Above all, remember: your audience gave you something they’ll never get back. Every thought, every word, is either worth their time or proof that you didn’t think it was.