"No! No! Do NOT use this word over again! Your readers will get so bored of reading your stuff they will FALL ASLEEP."
...The words that every writer despises to hear.
I, myself, along with most other people, have trouble using terms such as "I, Big, She, He, That, It, and, Said" more often than I should.
All, if not most people around my age, have this problem. It's something we've all faced, and will eventually face. The notorious teacher telling you not to do it.... the mocking readers....
What next?
Feel like you should have a big red sign on your forehead to tell you not to do it? I can relate.
When you're using your words in poetry, or book writing, or any type of LA piece, you know you don't want to use the words that you're used to, because if the piece is long enough, you'll be forced to use them over and over again.
That's when you have several options to help you.
Personally, the Thesaurus is my BEST BUDDY when it comes to writing.
When you find yourself using a word over and over again, you can use this type of book to look up synonyms and antonyms for whatever words you find you keep on using.
Example: Have you ever used the word "Big" a LOT of times in a piece? You'll most likely find words such as
Large
Massive
Vast
Monstrous
.....and even a longer selection than that!
It's not even funny how useful a Thesaurus is when it comes to writing.
There are a couple different types of these books.
There are the complicated, boring type that scare kids out of using them, and there are the classroom kinds that most people would prefer:
They are in simple ABC order and list all of the words that relate to the word that you're having trouble with.
And what if you're a person that's like.... a MINIATURE Stephen King?
You LOVE detail and all of its candied effects that cast a spell on your writing...
If you can't get your hands on a Thesaurus, then the every-day, handy-dandy dictionary is also grand for the job!
Once, before I had heard of the wonders of the magicalicious Thesaurus, I got out the family dictionary and started to try to read it.
I felt like plucking my eyes out of their sockets after a while, though. (Honestly, though, I would prefer not to do that.) So I flipped to random pages and scanned them for the bigget words I could find.
If the word sounded like something I would use in one of my stories or poems, I would write it down, along with its defenition, and saw what I could do with it.
It's worked before, even though it's boring down to the point where you're bored to tears.
But even though you may be bored: it works. trust me.
Here's hoping I gave you (Er... Or should I say anyone bored enough to read this passage?) ... a sense of what to do if you're stuck.
Happy Writing! ------------------> For thsoe that have told me over again that you are able to use the same words in repetition for effect/emphasis, i know this, but realize that i also said that if you were trying to write a STORY, these tips can come in handy.
Adding your comment:
Amazing what people do who use the pen and words but like everything you have to put time and effort into developing your craft and where else do you go but into a dictionary and thesaurus. I found reading these books seeking for words can help inspire even break the dreaded block...
