When Should Writers Use Obscure Words?

Seldom. But sometimes.

As a writer, one of my guiding principles is honor the reader. This rule can take many forms, but the basic idea is that writing is a great privilege—in some ways it’s a hard job, but hey, you can do it in your pajamas while quaffing hot chocolate and popping potato chips with ridges, so it really can’t be beat—and what makes the writing life, this grea…