For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.
T is for Treasure
Discovering treasure is the theme of Rightfully Ours. There are several ways in which the theme resonates throughout the story, including the discovery of actual lost treasure and the figurative recognition of that which is valuable. In this case, it is authentic love. Treasure brings to mind buried treasure and pirates, and you’ll find that in the book as well.
In looking up “treasure” before I began this post, I was surprised to learn that the word comes from the Greek and Latin “thesauros/thesaurus,” then through Old French (tresor) to English. I’m sure all writers would agree that the thesaurus (a repository or collection) is a treasure!
For fun, I looked up “thesaurus” at thesaurus.com. Ten synonyms are listed, including, you my have guessed it – “treasury of words.” So, there you have it. We may not all be so lucky as to discover gold doubloons beneath a big, fat, X in the back yard, but most of us have access to a big book of synonyms!
What reference work do you treasure most?
A treasury of words – I quite like that
Me too! Very fitting.
Yes, I love my thesaurus! I never realized the word “treasure” came from “thesaurus.” Cool!
I was surprised too!
I’ll have to attempt this challenge next year 🙂 My most treasured writing resources at the moment are the Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus collection including the Emotion Thesaurus, Negative and Positive Trait Thesauruses, and the online Emotional Wound Thesaurus. I’m working on a series to share how I’m using each to develop characters, back story, and scenes in my current WIP.
I own a copy of the Emotion Thesaurus and need to get it on my new little writing shelf. It’s a handy reference.
For sure a thesaurus feels like a gold mine, especially when you’re trying to find the right nuance of meaning.
I love Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon when revision time comes–it helps you do so much, from deepening thin parts to repairing pacing to amping up the story’s thematic impact and style.
http://laurelgarver.blogspot.com/2017/04/t-thankful.html
Etymology is fun. I usually end up falling into a hole and losing track of time when I do search the origin and history of words, but it’s time well-enjoyed. 😀
Yes, it’s fascinating!
I wouldn’t have guessed the etymology either – how fun. And yes a thesaurus is a treasure indeed.
It sure is! I rely on it more than a dictionary.