by James Scott Bell
@jamesscottbell
Let’s give a little love to the poor thesaurus. Because there’s a bit of writing advice that’s been floating around long enough to become a critique-group axiom. It has to do with the work of Mr. Peter Mark Roget (1779 – 1869) and the throwing of shade thereon.
I trace this back to an article written for the 1988 Writer’s Handbook (which sits on my shelf) by one Mr. Stephen King. It is titled “Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully—in Ten Minutes.”
In said article Mr. King advises not looking at reference books when writing a first draft. Use them later if you wish. Except the thesaurus. “Better yet, throw your thesaurus into the wastebasket…Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.”
A similar edict was issued by the author of Robert’s Rules of Writing (a book I am not gifting to Brother Gilstrap): “The minute you pick up a thesaurus, you’ve muddied the waters. Into the clear running stream of your prose, you’ve introduced a foreign agent. Nothing sticks out in a piece of prose like the words you’ve plucked from those long lists of synonyms, each one more obscure than its predecessor.”
Not that these gentlemen have an opinion or anything. But I wonder, is such unqualified vitriol (or should I say contempt? Or disdain?) justified? I think not.
First, King offered his opinion in the context of writing a first draft. He didn’t want a writer stopping to grab a physical reference book off a shelf, thus breaking “the writer’s trance.” Just make a guess or mark the spot, and look stuff up after the draft is done.
That’s valuable advice for writing in “flow.”
But with the digital tools available to us today, you can find synonyms in under ten seconds. Flow isn’t the issue it used to be.
Second, both of the above authors assume that the word one is looking for is a “fancy” word, one that does not traipse easily into the writer’s mind. That word will always be “wrong” they say, because its obscurity will confound the poor reader.
However, it may not be a fancy word the writer is looking for. It might simply be an alternative to the word that he immediately typed. With a synaptical flex of the brain a preferable word may come easily to mind. But if not, a click opens the e-thesaurus for a quick perusal.
Example: In my fourth paragraph, above, I originally wrote A similar command. I didn’t sound right to me; not precise enough. No writing guru has a warrant to command anything.
So I clicked open my Mac dictionary, typed command and hit the Thesaurus tab. Up came this list: order, instruction, directive, direction, commandment, injunction, decree, edict, demand, stipulation, requirement, exhortation, bidding, request. I chose edict right away. This isn’t a “fancy” word, or a word I wouldn’t normally use. Boom, in it went, and I continued typing.
That’s the value of a thesaurus for me—it reminds me of words I do know but can’t quite put my finger on at the moment.
The thesaurus also gives me a more expressive word when I need it. If I type something like He walked into the room I might want a more descriptive word than walked. I can usually think up something better on the spot, but on occasion I’ll pop open the thesaurus for a quick look.
I also will use the thesaurus when editing my previous day’s output. The other day I was editing a short story about road rage, where I’d written that a character driving a car gave a hefty blast on the horn. A few paragraphs later I wrote The monster truck’s horn blasted. That’s what I call an “echo.” I don’t like using the same descriptive word in close proximity. So up came the thesaurus. I chose blared.
I know there are some who might say that’s too much “work” for so little “return.” To which I have a simple rejoinder: Bosh. (I also could have used nonsense, balderdash, gibberish, claptrap, blarney, moonshine, garbage, hogwash, baloney, jive, guff, tripe, drivel, bilge, bunk, piffle, poppycock, hooey, twaddle, gobbledygook, flapdoodle, crapola or tommyrot. But I digress.)
I’ll take this ROI every time, not only because it pleases me to do good work, but because I also believe most readers, even subconsciously, appreciate the effort. (Now is the time to repeat Twain’s oft-quoted aphorism (maxim, adage, precept, dictum): “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”)
By the way, you might want to hang on to your printed thesauri (yes, that’s a word), for who knows what AI will do to the digital versions? This is not an idle thought. A few weeks ago I was working on a post for my Substack, about the late George Foreman. I ran it through ProWritingAid and it flagged “Foreman” fifteen times, suggesting (in no uncertain terms) that I change it to “work supervisor.”
A final note: I went to the bookstore and finally found the thesaurus I wanted. But when I got home and opened it, all the pages were blank. I have no words to express how angry I am.
Your turn (chance, moment). Do you ever use a thesaurus?
(Note: I’m teaching at the Vision Christian Writers Conference at Mount Hermon today, so will check in when I can!)
Do you ever use a thesaurus?
Yes, for the reasons cited by JSB. And when writing poetry, to find words that will (potentially) rhyme and/or match the meter. Unfortunately, some rhyming dictionaries are absolutely awful. Word Hippo’s thesaurus is not bad, but much of their rhyming dictionary doesn’t rhyme.
Exactly as you describe, I pull out the Thesaurus to avoid echos in my writing. I’ll occassionally come across a word I have never heard of before (using in magazine articles), then I’ll look up the word and wonder why the author used such a fancy word.
I recall first hearing about Roget’s Thesaurus when I was in the fifth grade, and thinking Mrs. Rosen was talking about a story about a kid and his pet dinosaur – and sort of blew it off… When in the seventh grade I learned what that book REALLY was, I couldn’t keep out of it… so much so I literally wore the paperback cover off of it by the time I went to college. I replaced it with an out-of-date hardback bought at a college library book sale. I still have, and use, both. In fact, the practice of “Thesaurusing” seems to have helped improve my vocabulary and word-associations.
I prefer Roget’s over the alphabetical versions – it’s a bit more work looking up the word I want to change and then going back to the various headings and search, but I find the way the words are grouped makes finding the “nuance” I want a lot easier by making me think about each word as they’re grouped (and this flipping back-n-forth may have helped me with building code searches in my day job).
Needless to say, (but here goes anyway), many today may consider a Thesaurus a dinosaur, but like a good rhyming dictionary, I find and use it as a (pet) tool to find the right screwdriver instead of using a hammer.
“That’s the value of a thesaurus for me—it reminds me of words I do know but can’t quite put my finger on at the moment.”
Jim, that’s so true, esp. with a senior brain!
I also use the thesaurus to get rid of echoes. Sometimes a certain word just gets stuck like a broken record and I repeat it over and over. In one book, he or she “regarded” another character about 20 times. Another bad habit is “shrugged.” On rewrite, I pull out the trusty thesaurus.
“Work supervisor” is hysterical. Yeah, give me the paperback reference every time.
Whew. For a minute there, Jim, I thought you were gonna agree with the “rules” of never using a thesaurus. Like you, sometimes the right word escapes me. Or I’m trying to avoid an echo. The thesaurus is a handy tool.
All the pages were blank? How strange. Any explanation as to why?
Excellent points, Jim. I once heard the 500 most used English words have over 5,000 meanings, and we can produce the desired ‘feel’ by picking those with specific meanings and connotations.
I still am using the thesaurus I was given when I went off to college in 1965. It’s quite weathered, sort of like me. I will never give it up (relinquish it). For those wondering which edition the beat up old book is, it’s the third.
I still am using the thesaurus I was given when I went off to college in 1965. It’s worn and weathered, sort of like me. But I’ll never give it up — relinquish it.
For those wondering, the thesaurus is the third edition of the book.
Wish I could be there at the conference to say howdy (greetings, hi, bonjour, good day, buenos dias) as in years past. The best gift I ever received was a Roget’s Thesaurus when I was 11 from my dad. Now that I have that handy helper on my phone, I use it for the myriad (countless, multiple, bogs, heaping,) reasons you mentioned in your post.
My thesaurus is one of my besties. I use it all. the. time.
And, just because it’s Sunday, here’s an alternate definition of balderdash: a rapidly receding hairline.
You’re welcome! 🙂
😣
I resemble that remark…
😋
🤡🤡🤡
I keep a copy of “Roget’s Super Thesaurus” on the shelf above my computer monitor, ready at a moment’s notice when revising. Like you, it helps remind me of words I know but can’t recall at that moment, as well as help me find a better (not more obscure) word to the one I typed.
Great point about hanging on to print a thesaurus—I agree,
Have a wonderful conference!
“That’s the value of a thesaurus for me—it reminds me of words I do know but can’t quite put my finger on at the moment.” I wholeheartedly agree.
I have my original Roget’s College Thesaurus (In Dictionary Form) from 1978. (The price was $1.95!) My 12th grade English teacher required us to have it. I’ll never let it go, but it’s certainly easier to go online to find the word I want.
That’s the value of a thesaurus for me—it reminds me of words I do know but can’t quite put my finger on at the moment.
Yep! Plus the not getting the word right disrupts my flow!
Thoroughly enjoyed this one, Mr. Bell. Especially your ‘A final note:’ Always good to leave ’em with a laugh. Especially me.
Thanks.
To Stephen King, Dean Koontz begs to differ. Koontz uses words I, queen of vocabulary, do not know.
My own rule is “the simple right word is better than a complex right word.” I started my first novel a few years after quitting my English doctoral program. I used words that were natural to me after spending years around very smart English majors who loved big words. It took me years to figure out you don’t write popular fiction filled with Latinate multi-syllabic words. It’s pretentious and breaks a major rule of popular fiction, “Thou shalt not stop the reader in his tracks and drag him out of the story.”
I don’t care about the size of a word. Or its nuance.
I only care if I think it is the right word for what I’m writing.
My brain isn’t only senior, it is damaged – people with ME/CFS have significant problems with memory. What usually happens when I need a word is that my conscious mind issues a request to my brain for the precisely right word I want (one I already know), but the time for the brain to serve the word up is hugely increased. It may come, later, tomorrow, or never.
I’ll know it if I see it – so a thesaurus offers up a list which helps me find what I meant, but can’t quite remember. My vocabulary isn’t gone – but it has been mistakenly been put into archives, and I can’t remember what I need, not spontaneously, but the thesaurus prompts often help.
My bookshelf has both “Roget’s A-Z Thesaurus” and “Synonym Finder” (which I found more useful for my needs than Roget at the time). But now, I’m more likely to use the digital versions.
When I can’t think of a ‘better’ word, I use brackets and go look for synonyms later rather than interrupt the “flow.”
I’m surprised by the opinions of Stephen King and the author of Robert’s Rules of Writing. I would think writers would always seek the right word for every situation. If you can’t come up with it, a thesaurus is the place to go.
I like the quote by Catherine Bowen: For your born writer, nothing is so healing as the realization that he has come upon the right word.
Been a busy day at the conference. But I’m heartened by all the comments. Strong on thesaurus love. I like that. Thanks for playing, everyone!
>That’s the value of a thesaurus for me—it reminds me of words I do know but can’t quite put my finger on at the moment.
Ditto!
Ihave a synonym finder, not a Thesaurus, for writers. It sits on my desk and gets a lot of use when editing. I like my book for finding just the right word while the Thesaurus on my computer is good for that quick fix when needed. And like you, I don’t go for the fancy word unless that is my character’s speech pattrn.