What on earth can
a person add to the already amazing posts this month? All of them have given me
lists of resources to find and try out. But as I’ve thought and thought over
what I consider my most valuable
resources - the ones I use the most - it comes down to two:
1. My thesaurus
2. My observations of people,
especially children.
My Thesaurus
I am always going
to a thesaurus as I write. If I’m in the middle of writing a story, devotional,
article, email, or even text, for heaven’s sake, the thesaurus on my smart
phone or my laptop, Thesaurus.com, is a quick go-to. But when I’m
getting down to the nitty gritty, I pull out my Roget’s Thesaurus.
I LOVE ROGET’S
THESAURUS!! I must be some kind of book nerd.
My Observations
I have a scene
imprinted on my memory of two giggly nine-year-old girls on a school bus, matching
blue turtlenecks pulled up tightly over their heads so far that the empty necks
are flopping back and forth on top of their heads while the contours of their faces push through the blue fabric in grimaces and grins. I was a parent traveling
with the class on a field trip, and I knew the instant I saw it that I wanted
to use that scene in a book someday.
You can’t make this stuff up!
My young
grandchildren spark children’s stories and songs in me.
And sitting in
coffee shops observing strangers gives me lots of writing material.
Hmmm … how would I describe a moustache that looks exactly like that
one?
The best thing
about these two resources is that they are easy to take with me wherever I go.
My thesaurus is on my smart phone, which is usually with me. And whenever I’m around
people I’m observing with a writer’s eye.
Two resources,
plain and simple. They may not be as intellectual as some of the other
resources mentioned this month, but just as stimulating.
And most valuable
to me.
All photos courtesy of pixabay.com
Joylene is full of creative stories and songs after hosting her three-year-old grandson for two weeks at her home in Edmonton where she lives with her Cowboy, Babe, and a cat named Calvin. She writes at Scraps of Joy.
Loved your 'visuals', especially the turtlenecks - I've seen that one a time or two! I also LOVE a thesaurus. I recently had to weed my bookshelves due to lack of space and since I had more than oen copy I had to let some of them go...
ReplyDeleteOh, weeding out thesauruses ... that's a sad day. ☹️
DeleteBut we should not, I hope, weed out Roget's Thesaurus, even though we have these online beauties. I love your "Plain and Simple" resource recommendations, Joylene. Love your observations.
ReplyDeleteNo, never weed out Roget's Theaurus! Thanks, Sharon.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned the Oxford Thesaurus in my post, but I also have a paperback Roget's Thesaurus sitting on my desk. I find I use it a lot because it's so light and handy. I love that you included "people watching" as one of your most valuable resources. What a great observation!
ReplyDeleteObserving children reminds me of a memory a woman told me this weekend. When she was young she was given a massive Jurassic Jaw Breaker. She said it took about a year to eat it, and during the year she'd lose it, find it in the couch, in the garden, under her brother's bed... wash it off, carry and lick it til it was lost again... It struck me as a wonderful thread to pull through a story about a year in the life of a child. Tuck that into your material Joy and use it if you choose! :)
ReplyDelete