Liz Tyner
Visit:
  • Liz's Latest
  • Novel Views
  • The Wallflower Duchess
  • English Rogues
  • The Notorious Countess
  • Point and Click Pics
  • Bio Bit
  • Roguish Rake Excerpt
  • The Runaway Governess

Old Words in New Stories

2/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The word computer, meaning one who computes, has been around since the 1600's. If I'm writing a story set in 1819, however, I shouldn't use it. The average reader would pause, believing the term to be wrong. Or perhaps stop and look it up. Either way, I've lost. The story isn't about computers. It's about characters.

Supposedly a word is in usage quite a few years before it hits the dictionary. So when I find a word with an origin near my time frame, I'm fairly safe using it. 

It's also possible to make an executive decision to use an incorrect word knowing it isn't correct for the time frame—if the writer thinks it will have more impact on the story.

One quick and easy reference source, http://etymonline.com/ is an amazing help to research words of the past.

I checked delete. It's listed as being in usage from the 1600's. So it's possible computers have been deleting things for hundreds of years.




0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Roguish Rake
    Picture
    The Wallflower Duchess
    Picture
    The Runaway Governess
    Picture
    The Notorious Countess
    Picture
    Picture
       Click below to post a review.
    Harlequin ®   books
    Picture
    Picture
    Harlequin ®   books
    Picture
    Harlequin ®   books

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    A Captain And A Rogue
    Alicia Dean
    Beau Brummell
    Bud
    Cat
    Conference
    Diary
    Gentleman
    Historical
    Mandolin
    Melos
    Name
    Novel
    Painting
    Photography
    Regency
    Roadrunner
    Romance
    Rope
    Safe In The Earl's Arms
    Samuel Pepys
    Ship
    Socks
    Squirrel
    Stakes
    Surgery
    Title
    Trail
    Trash
    Violin
    Winona Cross
    Writing
    Zombie

    Picture
© 2018 Liz Tyner
✕