Stock Your Synonyms

The case for building a "verbal ready rack"

Jean-Louis Meissonier Young Man Writing (1852)

When writing, I take pains to avoid repetition. In particular, I endeavor to refrain from employing the same noun, verb, adverb, or adjective twice in any given paragraph. As a result, I keep a thesaurus close at hand.

Alas, the selection of synonyms slows me down. Worse, it takes my mind away from the subject at hand. Thus, before I return to the paragraph at hand, I must often take additional time to stoke the firebox of my mind.

I am therefore resolved to try another approach, one that, if all goes well, will greatly reduce both the number and duration of interruptions. Rather than looking up fresh words as I write, I intend to stock up on synonyms before I begin to type.

In order to do this, I will have to eschew the “hum a few bars and I’ll fake it” approach to composition. Indeed, I may even have to use an outline, or, at the very least, make notes that are more extensive than a few lines scribbled on an index card.

I will let you know if this works!