Two trucks loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus collided as they left a New York publishing house last Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Witnesses were aghast, amazed, astonished, astounded, bemused, benumbed, bewildered, confounded, confused, dazed, dazzled, disconcerted, disoriented, dumbstruck, electrified, flabbergasted, horrified, immobilized, incredulous, nonplussed, overwhelmed, paralyzed, perplexed, scared, shocked, startled, stunned, stupified, surprised, taken aback, traumatized, upset. . . . [Internet Joke]

"Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule." - Stephen King

I've read this book - it's really fresh and fun. Who wouldn't love a detective that dresses like a clown with a zombie assistant? Get the Kindle version while it's FREE!

Children were children and grown ups were grown ups, and teenagers were somewhere in between
Bad things were small, like the punctured old beach ball, or the sadness of a melted ice-cream
Park-keepers were alert, and everything actually worked, and if we hurt ourselves, mum didn't want to sue
She would kiss it where it was sore, cuddle us some more, then we'd be off and start our climbing up anew

I'd love to drink every star reflected in your seas
just to taste your deepest thoughts
suspended in darkness that you,
yourself,
get lost in.

Now as the browning, crinkled and carefully placed note lay teetering between two fingers, Toby realizes that what he had just read will change his life forever. Without knowing it, he had crawled through his mind long enough for his intoxication to fade into his despair and feed it his remaining ounces of blood. He was now as sober as the clearest pane of glass.

I look around,
I see the ground is frozen,
cold water unmoving,
birds have flown north,
wind bites at my skin.
Nothing is near.

I watch him walk away, waiting to see if he will turn around. He doesn't, of course. Which I expect. I am always right about him. Well, that's not true; Mom is always right about him. If I were always right about him I would have learned my lesson and I wouldn't be here. But I am here, watching him leave me. Again. He strolls casually, as though the heartbreak he just doled out has rejuvenated him, reminding him to soak in this beautiful day.

"Describe the world." The teacher's expression was unreadable. The always-bright girl sitting in the front seat expectedly replied that the world was beautiful. The constantly-angered boy next to her muttered that the world was too beautiful. One by one, students gave out adjectives reflecting just how easy their lives were. When it seemed like the whole class had given a description, the teacher noticed that one girl, normally very happy, had grown quite thoughtful and had not answered.

My mother cried, her eyes dark and wet with tears. My father had a comforting arm around her shoulder and looked on at me in discust. I thought I'd known my parents and how much they loved me. I guess not. They mourned the loss of their son, though they weren't losing me...they were pushing me away, disowning me as their child. So I guess in some respects I was dead. To many people I'd be concidered so. I would never exsist to my parents again...and it was my fault...

"Come on kid." The guard led me to the gates of my new prison.

"I could tell you stories about alien invasions, or runic scrolls concealing the cure for cancer, or the true insidious purpose of Facebook. I could tell you, but if I did I would have to get the light pen and wipe your memory." He paused only for a second, possibly hoping for a reaction, but apparently unwilling to wait for one. "I am just kidding, there's no pen light, just a guy with a flashlight and optical forceps to slide behind your eyeball and scramble up your brains a bit. You won't necessarily forget everything but you'll spend long hours muttering seemingly wild stories that no one can understand or even care enough to listen.

thirteen year old boy
south central
stagnating pond
in a ten mile universe

he had dreams
aspirations
knew there was more
education, it propels

The garden girl
Wakes one morning
To find everything
Clear

Bright
As the sun that
Breaks over the sky
And burns away the clouds.

Hi SoCalScribe,
Thank you for the information, it is a great help to me.

Always watch the language at first- after that, blast the eardrums.

Jace, Great News letter.It was very informative on a topic that is hitting close to home. I am in a fast writing period, chapters flying by. I have thrown in words that do not mean what I thought they did. Many are picking the wrong spelling. But I hate stopping and looking stuff up. When plodding along I am surrounded by tomes and constantly checking.I wonder how many of us have the same problem?

Dear B. Meredith,
What an insightful article. And, it comes in a delightful, humerous style. You write with such ease, it makes me jealous. You inspire others to greatness through your gift. Thank you for your encouraging words.
John

Thanks for taking the time to write this for us.
Point well taken.
love, LinnAnn

This is a fun site to get my creative mind working especially after a long day at work. Sometimes my regular routine just drags me down. Coming her just rejuvenates me.

This is a newly drafted short story about my experience flying home in the wake of my father's passing, particularly my thoughts and reactions to the goings on back home in regards to it. I'm considering actively pursuing a publisher for this, so all feedback is more than welcome!

Just read this. Nice. I have tried getting to know WDC and feel I have a good grip now; where to go to find things and such.

link to my story. Could not get the WDC item ID to work.http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1848818-Ocean-Boy-77-words
[Editor note - I've linked it here: "Ocean Boy"  [E]]

Hope I wasn't late in submitting my first item. I think I'm falling off the WDC Newbie cloud down into the general abyss of authors inhabiting WDC. But that is ok, there are loads of things to stick my proverbial author's toe in.

I'm stoked too because I have begun "reviewing" and that is a BIG help. I met a super-mentor in Lornda, because I actually reviewed her review. I was impressed at how much she put into her review and told her and it's been 'peas and carrots' ever since.

Good luck my newer newbie mates. This place is excellent if you involve yourself.