While touring the Acropolis Museum in Greece, I stumbled upon a stone relic that
caused me to smile, as though I’d just learned a powerful secret. The English
translation said simply: thesaurus, a treasure box.
The meaning that fueled my interest is the idea of a storehouse or a treasury.
The ancient Greeks used a thesaurus to store treasures, and for writers, our
words are our treasures.
Since grade school, we’ve used a thesaurus to find synonyms and sometimes
antonyms for specific words. This valuable resource helps writers locate
specific words when the ones normally used are not exactly what we intend or the
concept needs to be bigger, more definite, unique, or the writer wishes to avoid
repetition. Meanings twist and turn according to culture, dates used, and what
the writer is desperately seeking.
Word lovers can get lost in a thesaurus.
But there are dangers in tossing aside creativity and diving into a treasure box
each time we want to sound distinct or extraordinary. The result builds barriers
in our writing. We lose our voice and our character’s voice in an endless
pursuit of the perfect word when often the most common fits our passage.
Communicating with our readers is an invitation to a relationship. We want to
use appropriate and recognizable language not chase them away with word choices
that send them to the dictionary.
A treasure box is valuable when we open the lid rarely. For then the jewels
inside are priceless and we value their worth.
Years ago, I started a treasury of words and their meanings. I titled them, “Di
Words.” Those gems were the ones in which their sound and meaning appealed to
me, the way they rolled off my tongue and their detail. I wanted to use them for
special characters and how they viewed life, to bury them deep in narrative
where they could be explored and mined like treasure. Many times only one of
those words was used throughout the story because a gem is of immeasurable worth.
A thesaurus is indeed a storehouse of treasures. Used sparingly, they cause our
writing to sparkle—overuse and our readers are blinded. How do you find the
balance in searching for just the right word?
Expect an Adventure
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an
adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to
create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.
Her titles have appeared on
the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists
for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award
contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre
Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for
Firewall.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American
Christian Fiction Writers; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers
Association; International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love
chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is co-director of The Author Roadmap
with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of
helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches
writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob
and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and
believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her
husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
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