ditch the stupid thesaurus already
Before I torch the thesaurus, a story:
Last week, I stirred up a record amount of controversy on the daily email list by airing my (completely tame) religious beliefs.
My inbox is full of messages like:
“This is imprudent.”
“You need to consider the consequences of saying stuff like this.”
“Disappointed to hear this about you”
And so on.
I’ll leave the overall drama behind for today (that pleasure belongs to devoted readers of the daily letter). Instead, let’s look at one of the nicer replies, and then use that as a jumping off point for my other controversial beliefs.
Here’s the response.
“Hi Todd,
After attending multiple free sessions, enrolling in courses, reading newsletters, and gaining knowledge from your office hours (in the Badassery Academy community), I have noticed one thing about you!
And it is that you are an honest person.
Whether you give recommendations on writing, business goals, talk about your lovely wife or mention your cat, there is something pure about it! So, everything, whether it’s religion, politics, or any other part of your life, it reflects in your sayings, advice, and writing.”
OK, don’t miss the point.
I’m not showing that response so you’ll think I’m great.
(Because, let’s be honest, if you’re on this list, you ALREADY think I’m kinda great… and you aren’t sure yet, well… just ask any random subscriber about my track record…Or ask
or specifically…or Google me.)Really, I’m showing you the that we can talk about this word:
“Honesty.”
Many writers are dishonest. Their writing is not a true representation with what they know, think, or believe.
In other words, what they say does not match who they are.
This is the ultimate temptation of the online world: to present a facade of yourself. A fake. A fraud. This is not a new transgression. It’s as old as internet itself — (“You don’t look anything like your picture!”)
When you convince a person you are someone else, it’s called catfishing. But when you attempt to pass of Warren Buffet’s wisdom as your own, it’s called “social media best practices.”
Seems screwy.
Dishonest writing is a result of unchecked pride, of course.
We want to appear better than we are. Ironically, though, great writers are required to put down their pride at any moment and assume the role of a novice. Admitted ignorance is the only way to real knowledge.
And ah yes — the thesaurus.
The thesaurus enables dishonest writing. Running to a thesaurus (or Google) to improve your sentences is like renting out a home every time you need to take photos for your Instagram. Fake.
Use the word you would use. Select the noun that comes to your mind. Choose the best adjective that your mental faculties can summon.
For years, I thought I was alone in this belief.
Then I read the following from Stephen King’s On Writing.
“Your vocabulary is a tool. Make no effort to improve it.”
How do you improve your writing, then?
Read more. Learn more. Understand more.
To write better, simply be better.