As a writer, I am obviously very fond of words. I simply love them and love to find new and creative ways to say things. One of my favorite writing tools is my trusty thesaurus. I love it. Within the pages of this treasure are literally thousands upon thousands of different ways to say the same thing. Yet each word seems to only be perfect at certain times in my writing. Each wonderful word has its own perfect moment to shine.
The problem with being a word lover is that sometimes you get so many different words in your head actively floating around in your mind simultaneously. While this is handy when you are writing, it does become a challenge when you are speaking with others. You begin to become known as a walking and talking thesaurus. People take advantage. To illustrate my point, here is how my afternoon unfolded the other day:
From my son:
“
“Cuddle.”
“No, that’s to sissy. How about another word?”
“Nestle.”
“Nestle?”
“Yes.”
“Any other words?”
“Yes. Here is my thesaurus. Look it up. I would guess page 528 to 530.”
From my Spouse:
“Honey, what is another word for probably?”
“Plausibly.”
“No, that doesn’t sound right…”
“Try likely.
“No, it needs to be stronger. That it WILL happen.”
“Oh, you mean inevitably.”
***RING, RING, RING***
“Hello?”
“Hey big sister... I need a word for ridicule.”
“Tease?”
“No, that won’t work.”
“Taunt?”
“No, not right.”
“Ok, I’ll go out on a limb here…how about belittle, mimic or disparage?
“Oooo, those are good. Thanks.”
