How Synonyms Keep Your Writing Interesting

Marissa Metcalf reports:

"If you’re bracing yourself to learn about some new writing technique or complicated literary device, relax. 'Poecilonyms' is just another word for synonyms, which you already work with on a daily basis...Synonyms are words or phrases that have the same meaning as other words or phrases. As writers, why should we care about using them? One reason is that repetition usually undermines our work. Consider how you feel while listening to someone who uses the same stock word or eccentric phrase in every other sentence. You might be amused, distracted or even annoyed by these reiterations. Readers often have similar reactions when they encounter something over and over...A varied vocabulary can make you sound more creative, informed or articulate. Finding new ways to express the same thoughts is also part of what makes writing fun...Of course, even the best writers can get stuck in linguistic ruts. One of my favorite things about working on a computer (besides the Undo command) is that discovering new words takes minimal effort. You only need a minute to search through a thesaurus online or in a word processor. What if you can’t find direct synonyms for terms that have precise meanings or lack widely known substitutes? You can always use paraphrased definitions...If you’re writing about a topic with specialized jargon, or if you know you have certain go-to words, try specifically searching for those terms in your work. You might be surprised to see how much you rely on some of them. Once you focus on shaking up your wording, though, it should be easy to start expanding your vocabulary and making even the dullest topics seem more interesting."