Topic: 125 Ways to Say "Look"
Ever get hung up on look? He looked, she looks, I looked.
For those who need a little variety in your life, this may help.
- Sideman
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Re: 125 Ways to Say "Look"
Thanks, Marilyn. Some nice alternatives on that list. A couple in particular caught my eye. No pun intended - well, maybe a little.
3 2018-07-10 14:23:28 (edited by j p lundstrom 2018-07-10 14:24:20)
- j p lundstrom
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Re: 125 Ways to Say "Look"
So the author has a thesaurus. Oh, wait—maybe not.
Because eyes do not beam, bore, browse (that’s a thought process, not a biological function), canvass, compare, consider, contemplate, criticize, or cross-examine (more thought processes), to name just a few.
Back in the nineties, it became popular to post lists of synonyms on the walls in grade-school classrooms, to help kids avoid repetition in their writing exercises. The article reads just like those lists.
The only problem with that is the writers have to actually understand when and how to use those synonyms. Otherwise, they write like third-graders.
Writing first requires understanding. It's not just choosing words from a menu.
- Marilyn Johnson
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Re: 125 Ways to Say "Look"
Using 'look' repeatedly is like having a nervous twitch. You do it when you can't think of anything else to say, or when the room fills with silence. In this case, when your writing hits a wall. Instead of saying 'I looked at his face' you can use 'I canvassed his face.' I contemplated his face. I cross-examined his face. Eyes don't have to be mentioned.
Yes, writing does require understanding. This is not meant as a menu of words to choose from. It's making you aware of how often you use 'look.'
- Seabrass
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Re: 125 Ways to Say "Look"
Make your POV character blind. Problem solved!
- vern
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Re: 125 Ways to Say "Look"
You don't really have to say "look" in any way or use synonyms for such. What are you seeing when you "look" at someone's face or whatever it is you're "looking" at? That's what you describe and in doing so, it is obvious you had to "look" in order to see what it is you're looking at. Why say "I looked at her eyes" or any semblance of such when you are going to go right ahead and show the reader what it is you are "looking" at. If you say she has blue eyes, then you must have looked and the reader can figure that out without being told direct; it's like beating them over the head and telling them, "Look, damn it, or else you're gonna miss what I'm about to tell you to look at." Okay, look, that's my opinion. Take care. Vern
