My personal favorite is the very awesome and useful Dictionary.com. It’s handy for looking up all sorts of things - dictionary stuff, thesaurus, flashcards, quotes, reference, translator and now even a Spanish learning resource. Plus, it’s so simple to use on the fly while toiling away at the computer, in the throes of the muse. Or her sorta hot cousin – the faux muse (“your muse is on break so my analytical ass came to work instead, I’m so gonna make you do math right now”).
They’ve really improved the holy smurfs outta that site since I 1st began using it regularly - back in Spring 2007 when I started my Decadent Angels series. It was dang useful even then though.
When writing hot on a fast paced rhythm, word selection or meaning can sometimes become a hindrance. A burst of what freaking word am I thinking of can quickly unravel into a lost hour of 1st class space cadet proportions, as them pretty word magics suddenly irrevocably drivel out into keyboard drool. Being able to bust out a quick comprehensive reference source, type in a couple of spastic but educated guesses and move about your writing should never be underappreciated.
Of course there’s always the useful Wikipedia. But come on that’s more of a - hey I’ve got an hour block of deep, heavy research time right now - kind of resource.
What’s your favorite online dictionary, thesaurus or reference for quick look-ups while writing? What’s some of your favorite free online reference sources for heavier research modes?
Posts
