And again, I’d like to comment on Blogger’s Blogs I’m Following feature.
What with the brain fog of Rx drugs and fibromyalgia, this is a god send! Thank you, Blogger.
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Several of my earlier posts speak to the power of words. [See: The Power of Words or The Impact of Words] So Mr. Branford’s piece today speaks rather loud, and evoked a fond memory this gloomy rain-drenched morn.
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Prior to my going on LTD, I worked [for almost 18 years], in the field of electronic publishing. Editing, enhancing, and verifying the accuracy of legal citations and text. A good 10 years ago now, a fellow co-worker became known for writing reviews for a local paper. Via recurrent email exchanges, he would voice his disgust for being edited and repeatedly told to, ‘dumb down your work.’ An interpretation, to be sure, of his editor’s words. Though I fully supported his arguments against being forcibly dumbed down, there were times [after reading his latest review], when I had no choice but to write [and say with Love], “You’ve been reading the Thesaurus again, haven’t you?”
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He moved out west to pursue better employment [and weather no doubt], and we have since lost touch. So on now, to how I use a thesaurus.
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When I first decided to put pen to paper and release the stories in my head, I had nothing but a beautifully crafted hard bound book. What did referring to this thesaurus teach me? That a word here and there, ones I’d grown up hearing and subsequently used, did not mean exactly how I understood they should be used.
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While majoring in English helps to unlearn bad usage, it is no light matter when hearing someone say, “what difference does it make whether I say I or me?” or “you should write the way you talk,” one feels duty bound [regardless the come back] to explain and defend why..
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The only time I lay claim to what I call Writer’s Block, is when I’m simply stuck, or brain-dead, on what word to use. I’m talking about moving along, keying out a perfectly good thought into sentence form and then--- the flow just stops. The next word--- Think, think, think--- [I know it’s just behind my e-y-e-s, but... ], it juuust isn’t there. That’s when I skim through a thesaurus. Though now I use the Research feature in Microsoft Word.
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Let’s say ramparts eventually comes to mind; but— No! Ramparts is too Francis Scott Key. So, with absolutely nothing else springing to mind, I highlight ramparts, click Thesaurus--- and there it is. Battlements. THAT’S the word I was struggling to find. Now I can get back to work!
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What I find most important to remember is the need to have an understanding of the words one seeks. I could very well have said, Hummm, how about parapet instead? n-n-n-No. That doesn’t even sound like me much less blend with the tone of the storyline. And I wouldn’t have considered stockade, because in my head stockade equates to brig.
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A writer truly needs to keep his or her readers in mind. When brig is an informal reference to a *prison on a warship, one needs to maintain the proper context. Especially if a writer, working on a period piece, describes a protective enclosure built of felled wood and spiked posts, then stockade is clearly the word of choice. Which is also [using North American vernacular], precisely where one might choose to store a particularly naughty character. It’s knowing when to use stockade instead of brig. Or vice versa.
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So! A thesaurus can be quite useful in jump-starting a blocked brain [regardless whether it’s the right word or one that will inevitably read as having been plucked from a hardcopy or digital lexicon], as it is in teaching a writer what words NOT to use. All I’m saying is we simply can’t go about substituting words nilly-willy! It's about knowing the craft. [And yes. I know it’s willy-nilly.]
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In the end, thesaurus-based word usage, while not going anywhere, will eventually [and quite rightfully so], imply either the writer is not versed in the proper jargon and/or history, or will never even give an editor pause for concern.
The only time I lay claim to what I call Writer’s Block, is when I’m simply stuck, or brain-dead, on what word to use. I’m talking about moving along, keying out a perfectly good thought into sentence form and then--- the flow just stops. The next word--- Think, think, think--- [I know it’s just behind my e-y-e-s, but... ], it juuust isn’t there. That’s when I skim through a thesaurus. Though now I use the Research feature in Microsoft Word.
.
Let’s say ramparts eventually comes to mind; but— No! Ramparts is too Francis Scott Key. So, with absolutely nothing else springing to mind, I highlight ramparts, click Thesaurus--- and there it is. Battlements. THAT’S the word I was struggling to find. Now I can get back to work!.
What I find most important to remember is the need to have an understanding of the words one seeks. I could very well have said, Hummm, how about parapet instead? n-n-n-No. That doesn’t even sound like me much less blend with the tone of the storyline. And I wouldn’t have considered stockade, because in my head stockade equates to brig.
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A writer truly needs to keep his or her readers in mind. When brig is an informal reference to a *prison on a warship, one needs to maintain the proper context. Especially if a writer, working on a period piece, describes a protective enclosure built of felled wood and spiked posts, then stockade is clearly the word of choice. Which is also [using North American vernacular], precisely where one might choose to store a particularly naughty character. It’s knowing when to use stockade instead of brig. Or vice versa.
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So! A thesaurus can be quite useful in jump-starting a blocked brain [regardless whether it’s the right word or one that will inevitably read as having been plucked from a hardcopy or digital lexicon], as it is in teaching a writer what words NOT to use. All I’m saying is we simply can’t go about substituting words nilly-willy! It's about knowing the craft. [And yes. I know it’s willy-nilly.]
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In the end, thesaurus-based word usage, while not going anywhere, will eventually [and quite rightfully so], imply either the writer is not versed in the proper jargon and/or history, or will never even give an editor pause for concern.
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I’d prefer to work toward the latter.
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Blessings
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Blessings
From AskOxford’s free online dictionary:
stockade • noun 1 a barrier or enclosure formed from upright wooden posts. 2 chiefly N. Amer. a military prison.
brig1 • noun 1 a two-masted square-rigged ship. 2 *informal a prison on a warship.
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