Friday, January 6, 2012

I wanna live with a synonym girl

Does this happen to you?

You’re writing a blog post, video script, e-direct, web page or brochure and you’re in another place. Words are cascading across the screen like a swift moving stream. Sentence after sentence just flows. It’s a rapturous feeling. Almost euphoric. You bask in it. Suddenly, unseen and unanticipated, you hit an impenetrable wall.

DAM!

As in, flow stopped completely.

What brakes your momentum?

Me? More often than not, I find myself grasping for a word.

Can you believe it? Everything comes to a screeching halt because I’m not happy with a word choice.

Many writers probably just paddle on. They use a placeholder and get back to writing. That’s not me. I have to find the right word. I can’t move on.

What to do. image

I call on my synonym girl.

Mindful that synonyms do not always carry the same meaning, I may end up cross-referencing the word in the dictionary. Back and forth I might go between the two tabs three, four or five times.

The word I choose has to be precise. It’s important to ensure clarity and audience comprehension.

When I’m satisfied, I get back to writing and find that flow. Ah, there you are. I’m back in the stream. Nice.

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