May 24, 2005 1:53 PM
Must-have tools for writers
I grew up like everyone else - on Roget's Thesaurus. But somewhere in the beginning of my writing career, I stumbled upon something so superior: Rodale's Synonym Finder. Read the reviews at amazon to see what I mean.
I also recently discovered The Writer's Digest Flip Dictionary, which is not only useful for finding synonyms but also as a creative tool for reaching the right word when you're kind of stumbling toward it.
Examples:
satisfaction from another's troubles: schadenfreudesame in amount or value: parity
uneasy feeling about something: qualm
Of course, the general rule of thumb for writers is that the simplest word is ususally best -- at least until you really know what you're doing.
I sold my Roget's long ago and have felt liberated from it's stodgy layout ever since.
Love,
