Some favorite words
Sometimes the perfect remedy for a writing slump is a small dose of the good old O.E.D. (Oxford English Dictionary).
There is something about discovering new words and being reminded of old favorites that makes me itch to put them down on paper.... These are some of the tried and true:
Tintinnabulation
Cacophony
Glow
Unusual
Caress
Aquamarine
Middling
Crisp
Emerald
I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger, but there's been a lot going on (life!) that's kept me from my keyboard. I'll try to be better, though I may slow down to a post a week for a while.
Maybe you can keep me inspired by sharing some of your favorite words!
I bet your manuscripts are beautiful, Faith. There's nothing like the perfect word, right?
ReplyDeleteYou're not a bad blogger! Dang, I've been such a slacker on the blog front this past year. Sometimes life DOES get in the way.
Have a great week!
I agree with Dawn. You're not a bad blogger. In fact, I don't think we should use terms like that! We blog when we can. I've reduced my posts to one a week, and often skip a week if I'm writing or have family concerns.
ReplyDeleteLove the word crisp from your list. Other favorite words: luminous, mossy, plume, pierce, bound, fragile, float, shiver, whoosh (I could go on and on! These are all from my current MG novel.)
I love "Hooligan". I don't quite know why, but it just sounds cool!
ReplyDeleteLife in the way, hope it's all good things. Off to google Tintinnabulation.
ReplyDeleteOne of my best inspirations and pick-me-ups is a review of “geographical” vocabulary and grammar, especially “Pittsburghese” or “Pittsburgh English.” These words always seem to bring a smile to my face and make me want to write, perhaps because of the positive memories I have of hearing them when I was young. Some of my favorites:
ReplyDeletebabushka (the headscarf, not the old woman)
buggy (shopping cart)
chipped chopped ham (very thinly sliced ham)
dippy (the adjective describing anything you can dip something in, e.g. “dippy eggs”)
grinnie (a chipmunk)
gumband (rubber band)
jag (to prick something)
jagger (a small sharp object such as a thorn or pine needle)
neb / nebby (someone who sticks her nose into other people's business)
pop (not soda, and not confined to Pittsburgh, but it's still a favorite!)
redd up (to clean up or tidy up)
slippy (slippery)
yinz or yunz (second person plural personal pronoun)
And the English think they have trouble understanding “Standard American English!”
I love the sound of tintinnabulation too. Anon, love your list. Some favorites: raccoon, cherry, slumber, hullabaloo, shampoo
ReplyDeleteI can't ever imagine blogging taking a higher priority than anything going on in life. So don't you worry.
Got to admire a word list that has both Tintinnabulation and Glow in it! :)
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love aquamarine.
ReplyDeleteI did a post on this a while back, and since then my list has gained two words: quintessential and vanish.
Wonderful words! I'd never thought of using a dictionary as inspiration, but that's a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm slowing down on the blogging, too. *sigh* I'm feeling very disconnected from everyone, but life right now is too much to juggle. It's once a week for me, too ... but at least during the A-Z challenge month, I doubt many people will notice. :D