Word of the Week...

I have been debating on the continuation of the word of the week posts. I like the idea of challenging others to be better writers, however,I haven't gotten any feedback whatsoever, and I know a few other sites that to synonyms, so I'm debating over other possibilities. So I have a question for you! What kind of writing challenges (if any) do you like?

For next week, I will be compiling a list of places on the net where you can find different writing challenges (please feel free to leave me a comment if you have one you want included).

If you have been enjoying the word of the week challenge, please let me know, other wise, I will probably discontinue it. Daily Writing Tips offers synonyms almost daily, along with other similar tips. You can visit their site at www.dailywritingtips.com.

Word of the Week: Very

This week's word of the week is "very" as in greatly; i.e., That was very good.

Very is one of those words that writers tend to use very often. However, there are so many other options. Here's a list:

Greatly
Awfully
Acutely
Intensely
Almighty
Drastically
Over
Immensely
Quite
Exceedingly
Utterly

The possibilities go on and on and on...

This week, I challenge you to avoid using the word "very" in your writing. I'd love to hear about the alternatives that you use.

Word of the Week: Proceed vs. Precede

For this week's word of the week, I thought I would focus on two very similar yet entirely different words. Proceed and precede.

Do you ever proceed to get the words proceed and precede confused?

Proceed is when you proceed with a plan. You can proceed to write a book or proceed to climb a tree.Proceed would mean the same thing as 'go ahead' or 'move forward'.

Synonyms would include: 
Carry on, go on, continue, come, move, start, stem, grow, have at, progress, push on...

If you proceed with caution you likewise move forward with caution, start with caution, progress with caution...

Precede is when something comes before something else. The band preceded the horses in the parade. A mans words precede his actions.

Synonyms would include:
Anticipate, usher in, lead, go before, set the pace, pioneer...

To precede something is to go before it, to lead the way, or to blaze the trail.

If you use proceed or precede in your writing, I suggest you proceed with caution to ensure that you use them correctly...

Word of the Week: Cumbersome

As I was thinking of a word for this week, I came to rest on the word "Heavy". How often do authors use this word in their writing? Too often I think. Yes, it is an adjective. However, there are so many better options. My favorite being "Cumbersome".  But let's look at it in detail:

Something that is heavy has a lot of weight. It's hard to carry (physically or emotionally).

Synonyms include:
Ample
Beefy
Big
Burdensome
ConsiderableCumbersome
Cumbrous
Elephantine
Excessive
Hefty
Laden
Large
Loaded
Massive
OppressedStout
Substantial
Weighted/weighty


Instead of saying that Patrick was carrying a heavy pack. It would be more interesting to read that Patrick was hauling a cumbersome pack on his back.


Instead of saying Serena felt the heaviness of the situation. You could say, Serena felt the massive weight of the circumstances surrounding her.


You get the point. Can you think of any other synonyms for heavy, and/or give an example?


This week, I challenge you not to use the word heavy in your writing. Instead, use cumbersome, or a different synonym to spice things up.

Word of the Week:

I have heard a lot over the years about authors enhancing their writing by using better words. However, some authors take this too far, and use words that the average reader will not understand, or need to look up. I don't believe that this enhances writing at all. So on Monday's, I will be sharing a word of the week. This will usually be an adjective, as I believe that they have the biggest impact on our writing. A writer's best friend should be their thesaurus, not their dictionary.

For this week, I thought I would introduce the subject with multiple examples by using different colors. For example: instead of saying "the girl wore a red scarf." Red being the adjective, use the word crimson, ruby, or scarlet.

Some other examples would be as follows:

Yellow:
Gold(en or golden rod), blonde, honey, lemon, amber, sunshine...

Blue:
Navy, cobalt, sapphire, the color of the night sky...

Green:
Emerald, olive, lime, forest, grassy...

Purple:
Violet, plum, lavender, orchid, periwinkle...

Orange:
Apricot, carrot, tangerine, like the flames in the campfire.

Do you have other words that you use to describe colors that could be added to this list? I'd love for you to leave a comment to let me know. Improving our writing doesn't have to be difficult, it just takes a little more thought and creativity :)

While from here on out I will just pick one word, I thought there would be no better way to introduce the topic than by covering different words for different colors. This week in your writing, I challenge you to describe colors with descriptive adjectives.

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~Have a favorite adjective that you would like to share with us? Let me know by e-mailing me at heather.hart@ymail.com.