There are a million ways one can improve their writing. I could prob'ly use less adverbs, tone down certain characters' dialogue, be less dramatic, stop using comma splices, etc. But how can a deeper knowledge of words improve one's understanding of their own writing? Here's what I've discovered over the years:
- Have a basic knowledge of etymology. Tolkien purposely used more words of Germanic origin and less of Latin or French because Germanic words tend to be simpler and shorter. Perhaps in science fiction you'd want to do the opposite.
- On a similar note, know a little bit about Latin and Greek. So many English words come from Latin and Greek, that if you know a little bit of each, you can see a word's roots. I have a character named Zoe. Her name comes from Greek zoi, for life. Our word 'via,' meaning 'by way of,' comes from Latin via, meaning 'road.' This will not only enrich your writing experience but your reading experience.
- Look up the meaning of your characters' names. I always thought a certain character's name meant "mountains," when in reality it means "dark." Check out the meanings of names, because sometimes you'll have a goofy character whose name means "majestic," or the wimpiest character in a book might be named "strong." Better to do this early on, before the name is stuck in everyone's head or has become a running joke.
- Synonyms. I keep The Synonym Finder by JI Rodale on my desk, because while I'm writing, I often need synonyms. But it's good to have a few synonyms memorized, whether you're trying to define supercilious to a person who doesn't know what arrogant means, or simply trying to remember the exact word that is super similar to this other word but a little different... It's handy to know the meanings of words.