Writing Soap Opera Recaps Renders New Vocabulary

As a blogger for Days of Our Lives recaps, perhaps the single most important attribute I acquired from this experience was my newly extensive use of vocabulary. Through my experience, I was able to consistently learn new words in the English language which I previously even didn't know existed. Having a rich vocabulary not only enhances your recap writings, but that of your other works as a writer as well. An article, short story, or other literary work would be quite redundant if the author was to repeatedly use the same words.

Even though I acquired a college degree, it was only until I started writing recaps, though, that I realized the myriad of vocabulary words that existed. Even though I hold a teaching license, I soon discovered there were numerous words in the English language that I was oblivious to, such as quip, demur, acquiesced, intrepid, among many others. As a writer, it's not only important to consistently practice the usage of word variety, but also knowing how to apply these words. Writing soap opera recaps greatly enhanced my confidence in executing this diligent task.

My experience in writing recaps for the popular daytime soap Days of Our Lives has instilled positive belief in myself as a writer. I would watch the show and write my own detailed version of it. Afterward, I would log onto (www.soapdigest.com) and read the recap version on their website. If I noticed a vocabulary word which I didn't recognize, I would write it down and look it up in the Webster's Dictionary, which up until that point only took up unneeded space on my bookshelf. Thus, I started a journal of my own vocabulary words that I was previously unfamiliar with and I would refer to these list of words when writing my recaps.

Furthermore, I would also purchase the latest copy of Soap Opera Digest from the grocery store each week. Naturally, many assume that when soap opera fans purchase this magazine, the fans only want to get the latest scoops and gossip on their favorite soaps and thus escape reality. I not only purchased it for this purpose, but also to gain a more extensive knowledge of vocabulary. While reading the weekly recaps in the magazine and the "Performer of the Week" column, I would always jot down the unfamiliar words and record them in my journal, along with their definitions. Unbeknownst to many soap bashers, this is an excellent magazine to refer people to if they have a limited vocabulary. We all know people who consistently use four-letter words, so advise them to go purchase this magazine!

As a general suggestion to other aspiring writers, read as much as you can! Read the news, your favorite books, magazines, articles, children's books, or anything accessible within your reach. According to (www.languagemonitor.com), there are 991,207 words in the English language, so apparently the word choice possibilities are seemingly endless. No matter how much education and experience one has, there is always something to learn each day. As quoted by Albert Einstein, "Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it."