Well… kind of the easy way. Here’s the thing about writing: selecting the right words at the most opportune times is the secret to making your shit great. How easy that selection is depends on how experienced or naturally talented you are.

Last time I listed some emotive words that you can use in your writing to make it punchier – those words focused on emotions, describing how people feel. Today, I want to talk about words that aren’t emotions, but that also have emotive impact. These are the kind of words that people relate to on a deep level, or that make them think of a time or place. For example, the word “mother” is hugely impactful to (you guessed it) mothers – it’s a role they generally have a deep connection to, and something they will never tire of talking about or hearing about.

Obviously you don’t want to use ten of these words in every sentence – that would sound ridiculous and have the opposite effect to what you want. When you’re editing your work, look for sentences where you need the words to make an impact – the really important stuff. The powerful words below are perfect for using either in that sentence, or the sentence leading up to it.

Think of it this way: most people won’t read all of what you write. There’s people skimming this article RIGHT NOW (hi!), just looking for the important parts they can take away. By using words that stand out, you will attract the eye of the skimmers and make them stop at your most important points. That’s basically the best you can hope for! (Hey, at least they clicked in the first place!)

So, without further ado, here are some impactful words you can use in your writing – use them with both enthusiasm and caution.

Non-Emotional Emotive Words:

Negative Words:

Murder
Destroy
Poison
Danger
Prison
Hurricane
Lawsuit (may be positive for lawyers!)
Terrorist

Positive Words:

Applaud
Curvy (careful with this one!)
Perfect
Mother/Father
Miracle
Safe
Trust
Hero
Magic
Revolutionary
Jackpot
Prize

Either Positive or Negative (depending on your target audience):

Sex
Forbidden
Dirty
All body parts – especially female body parts