by Lucius Trae

Created on: December 27, 2010

Writers all have different approaches, and using a thesaurus to improve one's writing can occur during or after the creative process. Some individuals may feel constantly using a thesaurus slows them down. Instead, the thesaurus can be used heavily during editing to create more eloquent sentences.

Everyone has a different approach to writing, and some people may "dumb-down" for their audience. Dumbing-down is a rather unfortunate phrase because society is diverse for a reason. A doctor may not know a lot about carpentry, but it's preferable that they spend their time on improving their medical skills. People can't learn everything, and the average person won't have the vocabulary of an English doctorate or even the average reading enthusiast. A political article advocating for local candidate B is probably not going to benefit from containing obscure words and esoteric terms (like esoteric, for instance). 

Nonetheless, a fiction writer may be concerned with creating their "ideal work." If there is a word for "fuzzy white blankets with pictures of rabbits on them," it might be beneficial to use that word even if few people know it. This shows off the beauty, complexity, and uniqueness of the English language and can add flare to your work.

How do you use a thesaurus when writing? Once you have decided to use one, there are things you should keep in mind. For example, an online thesaurus is an excellent resource, but it separates synonyms into categories. If a word has multiple meanings, you will receive synonyms for multiple meanings. Even after selecting a word you find interesting, "look up the definition."

There are many reasons it's important to know the exact definition of your word. The main reason is that synonyms are rarely exact, and a thesaurus search for "anger" might give you a word meaning "anger over a recent dispute." If there is no recent dispute, and the hero merely hit their head against an low-hanging tree, it is probably not the right word to choose. If your work becomes famous, a poorly chosen word can make you a target for jokes for years to come. Many famous authors have given rise to comedic reading, where individuals recite their sentences to point out poor grammar, word-choice, or other problems. Every sentence should have a purpose and execute said purpose in an effective way.

When using a thesaurus, you can find words to replace by determining words that you've used frequently. This can be done manually by reviewing the work,

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