As a writer, word choice is very important. You are the artist of your story, that doesn't just mean characters, sentences, good grammar, interesting conversation for funny anecdotes. The words that you choose to use are like the colors that an artist chooses to color a canvas and as such an element that we must be aware of.
As an avid reader, a playing writer and an artist of many materials, the choice must always be considered. No, you don't have to sit there and agonize over every word, but after the fact it can be helpful to wonder, 'Why that word to describe x or z?'
For example, one of the words that has been jumping off the page at me of late, in a variety of different words is 'wound'. Don’t get me wrong, ‘wound’ can be a lovely word. The festering wound would be the end of him. A shallow wound blossomed across her forearm, as her opponent spun away. The girl screamed, as he pressed his shirt down to staunch the mother’s gaping wound. However, it should not be used as a catch all word for every: scratch, sore, scrape, gash, cut, abrasion, bruise, laceration, puncture, mutilation or sprain. There are a lot of great words that can be applied to various forms of physical or even emotional harm. Not all injuries are the same, a scratch or scrape is typically less severe than a 'wound'. When one word is used as a catch all for every physical malady, there is no differentiation in the levels of severity.
Thus, choosing effective and realistic words can be extremely important to your reader and to your characters. They most likely wouldn’t and shouldn’t, react the same for a minor abrasion—baring some reasons—as they would for a life threatening wound. The words that you choose to use when describing things will alter the way your reader perceives your word and its reality.
Keep the thought in the back of your mind and track word usage. If a certain descriptive word appears often; perhaps, consider replacing them with something else.
