“The following day the story was on the cover of every newspaper in the country.”

“The following day they began a training program that would lead them to their championship season.”

Whatever happened the next day, whether good or bad, rephrasing it this way leads you to believe something big happened.

But “the following day” is just tomorrow. And there’s nothing particularly sinister or inspirational about tomorrow.

You don’t read, “The following day he ate Cheerios for breakfast.” Unless it’s for a Kellog’s heart health campaign. In that case, eating Cheerios would be the inspirational act of the story.

Either way, we live, read, and speak in a world of subtleties. Exchanging one word or phrase for another can make all the difference.