on Jane Friedman site:

Like many authors, I’m a bit of a word nerd. And one of my favorite writing topics is the power of a word’s connotation.

First, a quick refresher:

• Denotation is the literal definition of a word.
• Connotation is the idea or feeling that a word invokes beyond its denotation.

In other words (pun intended), “grin” and “smirk” might both mean “to smile,” but one of them has a decidedly negative connotation. If someone is smirking at me, it means they are acting conceited and self-satisfied, like they are better than me somehow. Not cool.

If someone tells me that my style is “unique,” I’m flattered. But if someone tells me my style is “different” or “weird?” Umm, excuse me?

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