I admit to kicking it old school lately–my trusty Roget’s II Thesaurus sits by my elbow as I type this post. Sure, grammar-check and spell-check are lovely tools that no modern writer can do without these days, but I still find an old-fashioned thesaurus offers the best suggestions for when I want just the right word.
As I move through a manuscript, polishing each page, each paragraph, every word gets called out in my mind. “Is that the absolute BEST choice?” I ask myself. Was that character thin or would emaciated, slender, frail, skinny or scrawny evoke a clearer image for my reader? And when I know a word is almost, but not quite right, the thesaurus gives me that boost in the right direction.
Since description is not my strength, I must forever return to my manuscripts and tend to my nouns (specific!) and verbs (active!) and amend my prose with adjectives and the not-so-stylish-these-days adverb. Attention to these details create a world of difference and, in my view, separates the novice writer from the expert.
Consider these two sentences:
Mona ran across the parking lot to help Jenny.
The gravel sharp beneath her feet, Mona sprinted across the parking lot to grab Jenny by the arm.
Same meaning, but a little tweaking gives a more specific scene. One of Nina’s good friends exclaims to her students “Remember the verb!” Indeed, but don’t forget the rest of the words in a sentence!
