New environments and experiences can do wonders for us writers. As we are documenters, we not only need to experience new things in order to understand them and have more content, inspirations and so forth, but we need to be able to compare things to one another, and fit them in our own specific schemas. We as humans like to categorize things and fit them in these specific patterns that we’ve set up. And adding more content into those groups, and more contrast, broadens our horizons and gives us more material.

Metaphors are everything in writing. Especially as a poet, comparing an aspect of the world with another more specific one, is a wonderful way to evoke an emotional response and general understanding. Comparing the crops on a field to hair on a scalp can be quite imaginative and provoking if used in the right context for example. Especially as someone who struggles to want to get my hair cut, looking at it in this context does make me feel more comfortable with going to get it done. Not that I’d want any random mid-western farmer to work on my head mind you; it’s just the connections that can be made from looking at it in this way can lead to some helpful insight. Crops are more healthy if taken out at a reasonable time and the land is better for it in the long run. Of course, this metaphor isn’t one to one, but they rarely are.

I used the word schema earlier, and perhaps that might require some explanation on its context and meaning. In psychology, the term originally coined by Jean Piaget I believe, a schema is a general framework through which children are able to process information and find its place in their worldview. A general lens or box that they, and we, place real world concepts in, that are similar to other concepts in the same lens, box or schema. We all do this naturally, and it does wonders for realizing patterns in the world and makes it easier for us to pull information out of the void that is our mind. I believe this concept is why we use the wrong words sometimes. Like, saying bush instead of flower, lava instead of magma, or ass instead of Trump. Presuming we know the difference between the two words, we sometimes use them interchangeably because they are close enough in concept for them to be in the same schema, although their meanings and focuses can be different.

As writers, being aware of these schemas that we make subconsciously is pivotal in creating lively dialogue or profound and exciting sayings or descriptions. And we don’t have to pull everything from the void in order to use them; as I mentioned in an earlier entry, we are documenters of the world and we are inspired by the universe around us. That includes all sources we have at our disposal, living or not. As an example, I used to ask people

When I say Bulldozer, what other words come to mind?

From there, I can see what other people put in the schema of bulldozer. Normally with this, people give you descriptions or consequences of the word, rather than alternatives, and that’s perfectly fine. That’s where thesauruses come handy.  

Most people don’t carry a physical thesaurus with them, and that’s ok, because not only are they quite heavy, but why do you need one if you have the internet? Thesaurus.com is probably one of my most visited websites, because I don’t want to use the word “firm” or “lost” too often, and really want to spice things up a bit. (If you don’t judge me, I won’t judge you.)

Doing this not only makes your writing better, but also more completes you as a person and helps you be more accurate, because you learn more words and understand when and where they should be used, as you use them more. And using better words in certain scenarios is like completing a puzzle. Maybe you can shove in some other shape and fill up the spaces enough so you know what the picture is supposed to be. But, putting in the perfect words gives you the most perfect and complete understanding of what it is that’s trying, or should be be said. And as humans, we should always be striving to most accurately complete. We are all works in progress and we should do our best to make it to fill what we can out as completely as we can.