Just as there are indispensable tools for construction projects, utensils for kitchen adventures, and equipment for dog show matches, there are invaluable items that should always be handy in your writer’s toolbox (or bookshelf, whatever you want to call it…). Here are two essential writing tools:
The Thesaurus
What’s another word for thesaurus?” ~ Steven Wright
The answer to this formerly-rhetorical question is “a writer’s favorite dinosaur,” of course (even though that’s more than one word…).
Although it doesn’t have rough skin or a neat roar, this book can give you other words for rough, like scaly, pitted, or irregular. This resource is absolutely vital for colorful, engaging word production.
It doesn’t even have to be a physical book. Mac computers, for example, have a free dictionary and thesaurus widget built in (which I use all the time). Microsoft Word comes with one as well. You can find countless more online or as apps.
Here’s an example of what a thesaurus can do for you:
Before: “Sally drank her tea slowly. It was still hot. Casually, she looked around the coffee shop. To her surprise, a dog walked through the room, its leash hanging behind it. Seeing no one chasing the dog, Sally jumped up and ran over to it. Taking its leash, she set out to find its owner.”
After: “Sally sipped her tea unhurriedly. It was still scalding. Casually, she glanced around the coffee shop. To her astonishment, a dog trotted through the room, its leash dangling behind it. Realizing no one was pursuing the canine, Sally leaped up and dashed to it. Grasping the rope, she set out to locate its owner.”
There are countless ways we could rewrite and even simplify this paragraph. This is just a small example of what a thesaurus can do for you by expanding your vocabulary and thus your power, earning it a spot in our writing tools list.
Plus, the more you use it, the more you’ll retain new words and broaden your vocabulary, and the less you’ll have to rely on it, kind of like with cooking—the more experienced you are, the less you need exact measuring devices for every step.
The Dictionary
This is one of the most essential writing tools and is something my mom calls, “your best friend.” Although I hated thinking of the dictionary as my best friend when I was a kid (because it certainly wasn’t), I can now see how valuable it is. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
Dictionaries are not only helpful for spelling and definitions, but also for determining which word to use. For example, check out this sentence: “Sally worried over the email, trying first one word and then another.”
Compare to this: “Sally agonized over the email, trying first one word and then another.”
Worried is a good word. We all know what it means. But agonized takes it a step further. The Google definition defines it as to “undergo great mental anguish through worrying about something.” This word is stronger and more powerful.
Writing Tools 2.0: The Thesaurus/Dictionary Combo
This is a deadly duo—a sure recipe for word choice success. First, use a thesaurus to see what all of your options are for a given word (like worried above). Second, look up each one in the dictionary to select the precise term that will make your idea pop off the page. Third, sit back and watch your success.
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