A strong grasp of vocabulary is one of the best weapons a writer can master in his / her communications arsenal. Understanding when to use subtlety and when to use strength with words gives your writing a flow and keeps the reader engaged.
There are several ways to increase your vocabulary. One, naturally, is to read, and read often. Another is to peruse the pages of a dictionary or thesaurus. One of my favorite ways, however, is through word play, whether it's a crossword puzzle, a riddle or challenge.
Tonight I'm thinking of ways to paint pictures and scenes with words, so I want to give my brain a chance to work through the alphabet focusing on a descriptive topic. I've selected three topics for you to choose from, listed below.
writing exercise: Work your way through the entire alphabet (as best as your can) using one of the following topics as inspiration:
- colors
- emotions
- weather
Write down one word for each letter of the alphabet.
This exercise will be as challenging as you make it. If you can not think of a word for a particular letter, you may choose to skip it, research it, or get creative with your spelling. Write your first instinct, or push yourself to dig deeper. (i.e. If the topic were "fruit," for the letter "P" you may stick with peach or plum, or you may work your way over to pineapple, persimmon, pomegranate.)
I selected the three prompts above as they are each important tools to create ambiance for your story.
Click "read more" to see writercizer's sample responses on color and emotion.
writercizer sample response:
colors:
emotions:
acrimonious / bitter / conniving / devious / exaggerated / free / giddy / hopeful / intense / jealous / kooky / lame / mischievous / nosy / open / petty / quiet / racy / sly / tense / underestimated / vain / woeful / x-hilerated / yearning / zany
Sounds like a good, fun exercise. Thanks for this idea.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a useful exercise. I'll give it a go.
ReplyDeletei finally did it! i love alphabetizing =)
ReplyDeleteSure thing LynNerd! Sounds good JEP - look forward to seeing your take on it. Yay Tara!
ReplyDeleteVery creative with the letter 'x' under emotions!
ReplyDelete