Quick Tip:
2 Valuable Books to Improve Your Writing
By Will Newman

We recently recommended the "Thesaurus of Alternatives to Worn-Out Words and Phrases" – an excellent resource to help you avoid using cliches in your writing. It was out of print when we recommended it, but it was possible to pick up a used copy at a bargain price from Amazon.

Shortly after that, demand went up … and so did the price. The book now goes for $148 on Amazon.

Don’t pay that price! The author, Robert Fiske, has produced two newer books that include even more words and phrases than his "Thesaurus":

1. "Dimwit’s Dictionary: 5,000 Overused Words and Phrases and Alternatives to Them," $13.57 (paperback) on Amazon. More detailed descriptions of why to avoid included the phrases, and more alternatives than given in the book below.
2. "Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases," $13.57 (paperback) on Amazon. More words than the book above, but fewer detailed entries for each word.

You don’t need to buy both books. Either one would be a good addition to your copywriter’s bookshelf.

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Published: November 21, 2005

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