The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

When to Use a Thesaurus

And, more importantly, when not to use a thesaurus.

I have been devouring books since the first grade. I've read classics and biographies and historical fiction and sci-fi and children's books and adult books and YA and romance and mysteries—You name a genre, I've probably read something from it at some point. Of course, I prefer fiction (leaning towards fantasy, maybe? I'm not really sure), but that's not the point. With all that reading, do you know what I've gained?

No, I'm not talking about my abundance of social awkwardness.

No, not my hardcore introvertedness.

No! Not my tendency to shut myself away from the world whenever I get upset instead of dealing with my problems.

No.

I'm talking about my vocabulary.

This is a big reason why a person who doesn't read can't write. Of course, I'm not saying you have to read absolutely everything like I have (I know, even among readers, I'm weird), but you have to read. This is the only way you'll truly get a good, strong vocabulary built up. It takes years.

I am preaching to the choir, and I know it. If you're into Harry Potter fanfics, you're obviously a reader. Even if that series was the gateway to reading, you're still a reader, I'm sure. But this still applies to you.

Now, with that extensive vocabulary, I rarely have a need for a thesaurus. That's not because I know a lot of big words, either. If you've read my writing, you probably know I use a lot of average words. However, I have a much wider range to choose from.

Instead of "angry," I can focus in on exactly what I want to convey, using "bitter," or "cross," or "enraged," instead. All of those words put a bit of a different picture in your head. They all fall under the broad category of "angry," but they are each more precise words.

This is when you should use "fancier" words, when you're trying to narrow in on a more limited set of meanings. By fancy, I don't mean over-the-top words hat most people don't know the meaning of. I mean more precise words that hone in on exactly what you're saying. There are other times when using a more precise word can actually take away from the story. If you say, "Sally Mae ran from the werewolf," but you decide to swap that out for "Sally Mae dashed from the werewolf," you're actually distracting the reader from the action taking place. Especially in fast, action-packed scenes, it's better use common words like run, hit, and said.

On the topic of said, let me say something: Said is not dead. I know you hear that all over the place, and you can't go two minutes on Pinterest without finding several "replacement for said" pins with lists of words to use. I hate this stigma against said. Sure, it gets boring after a while of he said, she said, but even with different words, I think that's boring. You know, said is the best word for a dialogue tag because you hardly notice it. And that's good, because the focus should be on the dialogue. Otherwise, the dialogue is useless (unless this is a scene with something much more important happening between the dialogue, in which case you wouldn't use said anyway because you'll be describing the action instead of using dialogue tags). So forget this stigma around said. Use it, unless there's legitimately a better word that conveys the idea better and fits the tone. If your character is whispering, say whisper. If they're mumbling, say mumble. But if they're just saying something, use said. Use an adverb with it. Trust me, it's okay. It's just like every other word: if you can say it more precisely and it won't take away from the story, do it. If not, use said.

So, when should you use a thesaurus?

My rule of thumb, personally, is to only use it when you're looking for a specific word that you can't remember but you know exists. Of course, if you look back and see you've used the same word three times in a paragraph, you might consider the thesaurus then, but I generally use the thesaurus only when I know the word I'm looking for, and it's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't remember. I'll put in a synonym that just doesn't fit quite right, and I'll find the word I need quickly enough.

I would like to make it clear that I'm not bashing long, uncommon words. Used sparingly, those can really help your writing. The problem arises when you use them all the time. Some writers live with a thesaurus in their left hand and a pen in their right. That is stupid. The thesaurus should not be a crutch. Use it sparingly. Long words should be spices, not main ingredients.

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Any tips you have about using a thesaurus well? Let me know! And tell me if you have any questions or topics I should cover!