In this 4:16 podcast, I talk about importance of learning the vocabulary—the lingo—of the writing world. The following is not exactly a transcript, but gives an idea of what's recorded.

Every industry has its own lingo—insider words that leaves outsiders feeling ignorant when they simply haven’t learned the terms and acronyms and phrases associated with that particular business.

The publishing world is like that, too. Whether we’re talking about traditional publishing or the online writing world, lingo abounds. And writers are expected to navigate both arenas and understand the accompanying lingo.

A lot of the writers I work with as a writing coach feel frustrated because they’ve got writing talent, skills, and experience, they’re trying to sell a book or start a blog or submit to an online magazine and end up confused and frustrated, lost in the lingo.

Don’t be afraid.

Learn the lingo.

Type a new word into Google or Bing and read articles about it. Subscribe to relevant blogs. Watch YouTube tutorials to hear the word pronounced and see how experts explain it. Inform yourself.

Start saying the words out loud and asking friends who know more about them to explain how things work. As you learn one word, you’ll hear five more new unfamiliar words, so keep a list and work your way through.

If you do this work, I promise you that slowly, the unfamiliar will become more familiar, and you’ll have a base to build on. In time, you’ll learn the lingo and start to feel less like a foreigner and more like an insider. You’ll feel more comfortable and confident engaging in this online writing and publishing world. Before long, you’ll be tossing around those terms like an expert.

The more you understand what the lingo means, the more you’ll understand how things work. And then, the more confident you’ll feel diving into this world to do the writing you wanted to do all along.

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On Being a Writer

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