: Re: Should I avoid "big words" when writing to a younger audience? I was writing the other day and I used the word "ubiquitous". While I don't think "ubiquitous" is the most egregious example

The easiest way to do this is have a character use it, and another character (like yourself, not knowing the word at that age) ask what it means, or look it up, or otherwise figure out what it means.
You can even use this as a moment of conflict, or humor.

"It's ubiquitous," Angela said.
Kevin frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means it's everywhere."
"Then what's wrong with saying everywhere?"
"It doesn't have a Q in it, does it?" Angela said, as if this was too obvious to need to be said.

EDIT: @TheNovelFactory remarks: This is okay for one word, but the book will start to sound a bit strange if you do it multiple times...
Correct. You shouldn't tell the same joke twice. But the dynamic between Angela and Kevin in this example can be sustained and grown: Angela likes big words, Kevin doesn't -- at first.
Make it a rivalry, like a sibling competition. A short list: Kevin tries to stump her with a big word and fails. Then succeeds, but she is delighted. Then guesses a meaning wrong but sticks by his guess, exasperating her. Then guesses a meaning right, and she is impressed. Beats her to the punch in using a big word correctly, and she laughs.
I can even key a plot point off this rivalry: Angela uses an obscure word as a code only Kevin will get. she shouts it across a field knowing the enemy will hear it. She screams "onomatopoeia, Kevin! onomatopoeia!" What she is really doing is reminding Kevin of when he tried to stump her, and what they were talking about then, because it is crucial to her saving him. Only Kevin can figure this out, so it makes no difference if she shouts it or if the villain knows the definition.

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@Odierno164

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: Usually "and" is indeed dispensable and the fact that you wrote it is a clue to check if it is. Using that sentence as an example, I can eliminate "and" with a semicolon,

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: What is the literary device called for a "serious" pun? I ask this because I'm quoting a line from a song in my paper and the play on words is signifying something dark and somber, not something

: Re: Should I avoid "big words" when writing to a younger audience? I was writing the other day and I used the word "ubiquitous". While I don't think "ubiquitous" is the most egregious example

More posts by @Odierno164

: I want to make two of my characters fall in love My story is about two gang leaders. The female is the leader of the largest gang in the country. The guy is the leader of the 2nd-largest.

: Doubt about the double action of the concept of plot in fiction writing In the first discussion of the concept of "plot" given by [1] I, maybe, understood two different, but complementary, concepts

: Usually "and" is indeed dispensable and the fact that you wrote it is a clue to check if it is. Using that sentence as an example, I can eliminate "and" with a semicolon,

: What is the literary device called for a "serious" pun? I ask this because I'm quoting a line from a song in my paper and the play on words is signifying something dark and somber, not something

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