30 Days of Writing: Day 2—A Rose by Any Other Name

In the name of catching up, I moved straight from Day 1’s activity to Day 2’s activity. As I said, these activities have started out as relatively simple exercises. They are, however, useful and educational, no matter how long you have been writing.

Day 2’s activity, for instance, looked simple at first glance, but it taught me the value of occasionally testing assumed skills, and working at them. The exercise itself didn’t take very long, even using the timer to ensure I worked at synonyms for two minutes apiece. It was educational, though: I’m going to have to work on expanding my vocabulary, or, perhaps, be more aware of the words I most commonly use when I write.

Activity 2: A Rose by Any Other Name

Warm-Up Exercise

Walk: stroll, meander, wander, hike, move, step, saunter, stagger, limp, shuffle, stride, head

Exercise Proper

Said: answered queried, questioned, demanded, reported, interrupted, interjected, replied, whined, snarled, roared, shouted, yelled, ejaculated, whimpered, asked, called, grumbled, whispered, responded,

Work: succeed, labour, struggle, try, persist, ‘do the job’, ‘do it’,

Angry: enraged, irritated, annoyed, outraged, ‘in a foul mood’, ‘pissed off’, pissed, ‘put out’,

Look: glance, stare, expression, ‘check out’, observe, ‘followed with his eyes’, admire, view, scan, scout, explore, investigate, search,

Sad: depressed, down, miserable, ‘in a black mood’, weepy, grieving, teary, unhappy, subdued, mourning, ‘sense of loss’, adrift, devastated.