Find at Amazon UK

*

*

As a song-writer and musician, I've been through many a good and bad lyric/word-booster book, and I remember scouring the net and bookshops till I eventually found an excellent work that covered all the aspects I was interested in.

It's called Writing Better Lyrics and was written by a Berklee College professor of music and songwriting.

This book is full of concrete examples which take you from the very beginning to advanced.

By the time you've read and worked through it, you'll be on a completely new level.

A quick look at some of the contents:

• Object and Creative Writing - powerful techniques
• Making Metaphors - excellent and complete explanations, examples and how to.
• Cliches - Getting rid of!
• Perspectives - Points of View: your's, her's, his, theirs, ours, mine...

This is just a small selection to give you the content idea.

Strongly recommended for ANY style of creative writing. Loads of ideas to utilize your dictionary and other tools to Mind-Catching effect.

Tip o' the minute, begorrah: Don't be afraid to write on (sorry Mum xx) spotless new books, but be sure to buy them first! :-). Use coloured highlighters to mark out important sections. Bring them more alive by personalizing them with your own input and relevant comments.

This has been proven to noticeably ...speed-up the learning process.

__________

Creative Writing Essentials/Tools

Speaking of creative writing and dictionary...

Ok Ok I know Dictionary are not the most exciting reads in the world, but if you take full advantage of them, and they constantly provide you with Multiple Alternatives, New Ideas, Fresh Ryhmes and Metaphors and.. (the list goes on..), you'll soon wonder how you worked without them!

I think that you should use ANY and ALL creative writing tools you can get your hands on to help you with your quest! That's my opinion, 'cos we're not all blessed with a creative writing talent that is so well developed, it doesn't need further helping along. Using these tools will really boost your skills dramatically.

Of course there are Online Dictionary available too, and you should use these in conjunction with the good ol' printed version. It's handier than carting a desktop around...;-).

Sometimes it's not handy to go online at a moments notice but the hardcopy version can be taken almost anywhere. A flash of inspiration mightn't be there by the time you connect, so the old-fashioned book is quicker on the draw sometimes.

As often mentioned, your increased output from these creative writing methods can be worked upon and converted into e-books, hard-cash, art, media, bookwriting...whatever your interest. Dictionaries range from the very cheap to $6000 for a leather bound 20 volume edition. Lot of words and ideas that, I think I'll stick to one big volume! :-}

Creative Writing Essentials/Online

Apart from the obvious use of defining meanings, you can use your dictionary to spice up a few words here and there, or get alternative words with the same meaning. Here's an example:

Let's say you want to use an alternative word for "Intense", you've already used it twice! My dictionary comes up with the following alternatives;

violent, emotional, intensive desire, vehement, ardent and  a few more.

Now check an online dictionary for a few more different ways to say "intense". Here's a quick result: profound,

Synonyms: intense, fierce, vehement, violent

These adjectives mean of an extreme kind: intense fear; fierce pride; vehement dislike; violent rage

So you can see that our list of one, now contains a few new creative writing options.

If you don't already have a good one, I suggest that you beg, steal or borrow one and use it a lot...;-).

Here's an easier (and probably safer) way...

Like all tools available, even dictionary have the good the bad and the downright ugly! Here are a good one that's affordable and will help you to avoid the "oh no it's not in it" vibe.

Oxford Dictionary of English A must-have for all writers. Modern and massive enough. This is a good, basic and fundamental essential to add to anyone's writing tools. For the American alternative I found that Chambers had the goods to make the list.

The Chambers Dictionary

Another excellent creative writing source that will serve you well for years to come. 5 Star reviews abound.

Now that you have a massive collection of words and meanings, let's add a few more. If you need to brainstorm a word even further then use a Thesaurus to multiply your choices.

Once again choose a good one that will give you a few years of good service. If you're a bit heavy-handed like meself, and tend to mysteriously make paperbacks fall apart, you might consider a hardback version. The Oxford English and Chambers score well in this department too.

Here's a quick list of new words I found in the Oxford for our example intense...

Synonyms: acute, agonizing, all-consuming, ardent, biting, bitter, burning, close, concentrated, consuming, cutting, deep, diligent, eager, earnest, energetic, exaggerated, exceptional, excessive, exquisite, extraordinary, extreme, fanatical, fervent, fervid, fierce, forcible, full, great, hard, harsh, heightened, impassioned, intensified, intensive, keen, marked, piercing, powerful, profound, protracted, pungent, sharp, shrill, stinging, strained, strong, supreme, undue, vehement, violent, vivid, zealous.

Don't forget to look up the online version too. Same address as the Online Dictionary.

The New Oxford Thesaurus of English

Get multiple choices and options related to one word. This is a very comprehensive and clear thesaurus.

Chambers English Thesaurus

A huge listing of invaluable words and ideas to power your creative writing. Well organized, and an industry standard.

Using a dictionary and thesaurus regularly will inspire your choices and build up your command of words for whatever style of writing you use.

The next creative writing tool, the Rhyming Dictionary, is especially useful to songwriters and poets.

I use the following gud'un with a few questionable examples thrown in for good measure ;-).

The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary

This genuine Penguin's a bargain for the noggin! A rhyme fountain, a words mountain...a grinning, winning, Rumplestiltskinning,...ok ok we get the picture! :-)

Chambers Rhyming Dictionary

This is an excellent book, if for a rhyme your stuck! Ouch :-)

Already written or writing original music? See our tips on recording and promoting your music. And for more creative writing info visit our Creative Writing - Music/Online Resourcesf online dictionaries try this link - http://www.online-dictionary.net/alpha.htm

• About
• Back to Home/Contents  
• Sitemap
• 

 ... ... Oxford Dictionary... Chambers ... Thesaurus of English ... Rhyming Dictionary ... Penguin ...