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ta-per

noun :: A small wax candle; a small lighted wax candle; hence, a small light.

noun :: Gradual diminution of thickness in an elongated object

"Westmacott was standing, as rigid as a statue, in the center of the room, with a lighted taper in her right hand." -- Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan

Sometimes, a creative idea is very similar to an existing idea, but has subtle differences. In order to express your unique idea, you'll need to be able to come up with words to describe these nuances. This exercise will help.

How many creative synonyms can you find for the following words? As you come up with each synonym, try to picture in your mind the small differences between the synonym and the original word.

Wet
Some examples are: drenched (very wet), moist (slightly wet)... there are least 30 more synonyms for you to discover.

Grumpy
We thought of surly (a little gruffer than grumpy) and cross (more frustrated than grumpy)...Try for 20 more synonyms.

Pick any word and repeat this exercise as many times as you wish. This practice will help you express the nuances of your creative idea.

One aspect that affects your ability to remember something is how meaningful the information is to you. A doctor is more likely to remember medical facts than a lawyer, who is in turn more likely to remember legal information. What this means is that the more you know about a topic, the faster you will learn additional information. The familiarity and meaningfulness of the information will provide cues to help your memory.

You can use this to help make material that you want to learn more meaningful. If the topic you are trying to learn is unfamiliar, try relating it to something familiar. As you study, see if you can find similarities to something that you are very knowledgeable about. The more familiar things that you can associate with a particular fact, the more ways that you will have to remember that fact.