A story about a hat, a thesaurus, and words that rhyme

We stopped to chAT
with the lady in the hAT.

She wAS, like us,
dressed foR the weaTHer ...
wHEther shE liked iT or nOT.

The weaTHer thAt is.

WinTER weaTHer.

WhETHer it'S brISK and brIght
or gray like tOdAY,
we bUTTON and bOOT it.

Then we snAP, zIP, and
tUCK it, tOO.

bUT we'D qUIVER and shiVer
if thAT was aLL thAT.

So wE pAUSe and we pONDer
for thAT which iS thAT ...

WhERe's my hAT?

---

This poem came together over the course of a few days with the help of a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary.

Both are helpful in similar and different ways. The rhyming dictionary does just what it sounds like, finds words that rhyme with one another ... in this case I was looking for words that rhyme with hat. Quiver and shiver came to me without the dictionary ... but maybe they were inspired by it?

The thesaurus is, I think, a sometimes overlooked tool for writing.

Word choice makes a difference.

I once wrote a post about Brussels sprouts that included a bit about a chef who appeared on a local television show ... he said he was going to "make" Brussel sprouts. It caught my attention because I thought, he's not going to "make" Brussels sprouts, he's going to (and here's where a thesaurus can help) bake, steam, or maybe roast them, but he's definitely not making them.

Choosing the right words not only makes your writing more interesting, it can lead to more accurate writing as well.

This week's story starter calendar got me started on hats and offers a nod to the thesaurus ... if you're not already, sign up today and get the calendar delivered, every week, straight to your inbox. And start writing.

Get my calendar!