WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 30 -- Monday

[linaewen]

Hello on Monday!  What kind of a writing day has it been today -- or yesterday, if today hasn't gotten going yet?

•     I thought about my fic once or twice
•     I wrote
•     I did some planning and/or research
•     I edited
•     I've sent my fic off to my beta
•     I posted today!
•     I'm taking a break
•     I did something else that I'll talk about in a comment

Discussion - How do you overcome the struggle to find just the right word?  Do you use a thesaurus?  Something else?  Does not being able to get a word just right stop you in your writing tracks or can you move on and come back to deal with it later?

Comments

[linaewen]

I'm doing writing for work this week, as it's quarterly newsletter time, so I may not have much time left for fun writing. We'll see!

I keep an online thesaurus open on my computer as I write. If I can't think of exactly the word I want, I can often find it by thinking of a similar word then locating it in the thesaurus. If I remain stumped, I leave a bracketed note in place of the word and move on, then go back later to deal with it.

[samuraiter]

One story done already today, and I think I've got enough steam left to do at least one more before the day is out. Got to stay on top of those challenges!

....

I also have to stop being a Last-Minute Larry. Then again, I've been trying to kick that habit for about two decades now.

EDIT — A thesaurus is handy, but it's kind of a grenade. It can clear the way for you, but it can also blow up in your face; I use it sparingly. The most helpful tool for me, if something doesn't sound quite right, is to read it aloud to myself and listen for what sounds awkward.

[cpolk]

one must beware the temptation to use a thesaurus willy nilly, I agree.

I'm a big believer in narrator software to read the piece aloud to me. it really nails those unneeded commas.

[cpolk]

I thought about my fic, I wrote 1459 words, I did some research.

generally the Thesaurus will jog my memory and settle the word i'm looking for. I don't use obscure or difficult words in my fiction unless I absolutely need them. if I need a better word but I can't be arsed to struggle over it i highlight the word in my MS and move on.