After all the stories I’ve written—shorts, novellas, and novels—I’ve arrived at the point where I know I’m missing the “mot juste.” I even edit things I hear on TV now, automatically, looking for editing mistakes in word usage and better ways of saying things. Here’s a silly example: A TV reporter said, “Police investigations into what happened continue and are needed to determine what happened.” I thought when I heard that, “That first ‘happened’ is okay. It might be referring to an extended ac...