Can't Think of the Perfect Word? Think Flip!

by LuAnn Schindler

So, you call yourself a writer. But if you have friends or family who are similar to mine, they want the specifics: what exactly do you write? Calling myself a writer is fine. But sometimes I say I'm a freelancer, and that's still not specific enough. I could try one of these: author, biographer, calligrapher, columnist, composer, copyist, correspondent, critic, dramatist, editor, essayist, fabulist, hack, journalist, lyricist, novelist, playwright, poet, reporter, reviewer, scribe, scrivener or wordsmith.

Surely somewhere in that list of possibilities is a word that explains what I do for more than half of each day!

I have found a great source that cuts my frustration when I know what I want to say but the right word fails to come to my mind. Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer, Ph.D.. weights in at 692 pages and offers more than just specific words that separate a mundane sentence from a descriptive and accurate line.

Let's say I'm interested in writing about war. When I turn to that entry, not only do I get a list of specific words and related terms, but I also have a list of wars that have occurred throughout time.

This book has rightfully earned its place on my desk. It's been useful and guided me toward the word I couldn't think of several times!

Check it out and see if it can assist you when you can't think of the exact word you want to use.