The first book my parents ever gave me as a wrapped present was a dictionary.  It was an Illustrated Children’s Dictionary, but a dictionary nonetheless.  I read that book cover to cover.  Had it for many years, it finally fell completely apart.

If you think you don’t need a dictionary, think again.

Spellcheckers may fail, but having your writing rejected and returned with a copy-editors blue pencil scrawls all over it can be a massive blow to the ego.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary there are 170,000+ words in it’s volume.  With more being added all the time.  It speculates that there are at least 250,000 more distinct English words that are not listed in it, with at least 50,000 that are not in current use.  Now add inflections, technical jargon, and new words and the number conceivably tops a million.

Will you boast that you know all of them?

So grab yourself a dictionary.  Better yet, grab two and put one in the bathroom.  Every time your in there seeing a man about a horse pick it up and read one page.  Just one.  And watch your knowledge blossom.

It’s not boring.  Look at it this way – just as your writing tells a story, so do words.  They have origins, plot twists, and back history.  Look at each word as a tiny self-contained story for you to discover.  See how the usage, definitions, and even pronunciation have changed over the years.

You should be on an intimate first name basis with your dictionary.  You should know it’s pages by years of long caresses, and never tire of returning to it like a man eagerly on his way to his one true love.