The Importance of the Right Word

mot juste

noun \mō-ˈzhuest\

pluralmots justes\same\

Definition of MOT JUSTE

: the exactly right word or phrasing

Origin of MOT JUSTE

French

First Known Use: 1912

Learn More About MOT JUSTE

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about "mot juste"

Being a writer, I'm rather obsessive when it comes to finding and using the precise word or what the French refer to as "mot juste." This makes life hard and drives me and everyone around me crazy (I'm sure other writers reading this are nodding along in sympathy). So there I was, happily typing away on my current Work In Progress (WIP) and the Hero faces the Villain for the first time. Pretty cool situation, right?

And then I typed: "There's nothing more creepy...." and I stalled. Now I would use the word, but would my hulking, tattoo-covered djinn H? I heard author & writing guru Candace Havens in my head sharing how she was reading somebody's pages and the hero kept saying "Lovely!" Um, doesn't work.

So I checked the thesaurus and got a bunch of words, from eerie to sinister...but which would a manly man use?

Of course, there's never a man around when you need one. So I sent out an SOS over twitter and facebook. Thank goodness for friends & tweeps!

Several wives volunteered that their husbands did indeed use "creepy." Okay, but I think these married men might have different vocabulary than a manly-man djinn who hasn't benefitted from being around the influence of a woman (that's the whole reason we have a heroine -- he has to meet her, fall for her, win her heart as she wins his, save her ass while she saves his...and then...he can use words like "creepy" and recognize colors like "fuschia.") <--Just saying.

Now here are some words from guys: fucked up, weird, strange, bizarre and disturbing. Whacked out. Dodgy, shifty, slimy.

Then the teen contingency chimed in: messed up, weird, disturbing.

In the end, I chose weird...but depending on who your character is and what backstory you've given him, anyone of these could work. So, do you have a word or two to add to the list?

UPDATE: So I was leaning toward "weird," but couldn't let go of "whacked out." Had a twitter conversation about it and my twitter bud M. Price came up with "Whacked." LOVE it! Yeah, my Hero is definitely a W-word kind of guy...isn't it amazing how writing gets done?