Weekly Writing Prompt No. 62. I love words, the feel of them, the sound of them as they roll around my head or off my tongue. I ponder on the nature of them, who was the first person to speak them, why they used those particular syllables and sounds, and how they came to mean the things they do. I’m curious about why a table is a ‘table’, and a chair is a ‘chair’.
My dad has been known as Adad and mum Manma, since my son couldn't say grandad or grandma age 1. 31 years now. And 'arawisht' still means be quiet even after nearly a century of use, I'm informed!
We are indeed disputing the worth of words Sue ... and it's a sad fact that the words most disputed are those that relate to our experience of the natural world!
I like the way you use the capital letter at the start of each core word to highlight each sentence. And you capture the essence of the original quote beautifully. The image of kind words being the connective tissue of healing is insightful.
Sadly the acrostic nature of this one loses itself with the inability to properly format here...but you'll get the idea if you mentally indent every second line. :)
If your comment was more about what the formatting issues are...for me: the main ones are inability to indent lines and the removal of blank lines. There are others, but if those two could be addressed that'd be massive.
I suspect it's just the fundamental nature of the site, if I'm honest. Allowing complex formatting might be a step too far for them - one way around it would be if we could paste pictures. Maybe we can & I've missed the functionality? That's how I get around similar issues on Twitter, I simply save the text as a picture and post it that way.
True, sadly we can't paste pictures into comments, but it is possible to do a note instead .... or maybe basic html might work if the picture is hosted somewhere else! All a bit of a faff though I suspect.
Indeed, words define us and how we feel. Without words, I suspect we would reinvent them. Maybe that would take picture form, or music, but we would find some way to fill the void. The thing is, that we ourselves need to be part of that process: to define and name. Otherwise, we are merely observing Creation, not partaking in the actual creation which is our birthright; Genesis 2:20 And Adam gave names...
That's really interesting...in my nature writing group, we have a recurring theme of the importance (or otherwise) of naming things. Do I need to know that this is a green hairstreak butterfly in order to sing of its beauty or the joy of meeting it? No - but green hairstreak tells more of who it is than does the generic butterfly. Hence we keep talking our way around it. :)
And being a 'mere' butterfly detracts from the beauty and diversity of all butterflies Lesley Naming and being precise in the naming preserves the majesty and vastness of nature (as well as many other facets of life on planet earth).
Before I even start to work with this prompt, a thank you for highlighting the work of Robert Macfarlane...and if you haven't already, you must read his collaboration with Jackie Morris called "The Lost Words". I'm also going put in a plug here for Brené Brown's "Atlas of the Heart" which deeply explores how important it is to have specific language to describe our emotions - and how sadly lacking in it we are. Connection - to the natural world we are a part of and to our inner world - they both rest heavily on our mastery of language.
I've read several of his books and seen a copy of The Lost Words - it's a magical work of art as much as a compendium of words. I'm hoping someone may gift me a copy for a birthday or Chrismas maybe. And I don't know anything by Brené Brown which means I have another lovely rabbit hole to go and explore - thank you :-)
We could compile our own Dictionary Extraordinaire, Linda. Publish and be damned. Lol.
Let's add to the publication schedule then - which word should we start with??
Blackberries? 😆
My dad has been known as Adad and mum Manma, since my son couldn't say grandad or grandma age 1. 31 years now. And 'arawisht' still means be quiet even after nearly a century of use, I'm informed!
Sounds like some wonderful words for the language called 'childish' by Robert Macfarlane :-)
GOOD grief, I'm lost for wordless
WORDS! Priceless identities disolve on my tongue
ARE we really disputing the meritorious
WORTH of the humble, the hopeful, the paperback birth. So
MUCH anguish and toil and labour despaired
AND tears be shed in the writing thereof; that financial
COST, in scurrilous currency, really is
LITTLE, compared.
We are indeed disputing the worth of words Sue ... and it's a sad fact that the words most disputed are those that relate to our experience of the natural world!
Good grief, good vibes, good days,
goodness graces me.
Words on paper or shimmering in air,
blessings-in-waiting.
Are we mindful of our tongues and pens
careful of our spells?
Worth a day’s labour is the kindness
of lifting another spirit;
much heart-ache is soothed in a word or two
en courage ma brava
and let me hear you speak kindly to yourself
in your internal unheard words.
Cost uncounted, comes through mindless talk,
the ill-thought jest can deeply wound;
little is the time needed to weave a deeper magic
a connective healing tissue of a few,
even a very few, kind words
I like the way you use the capital letter at the start of each core word to highlight each sentence. And you capture the essence of the original quote beautifully. The image of kind words being the connective tissue of healing is insightful.
Thank you Linda!
Sadly the acrostic nature of this one loses itself with the inability to properly format here...but you'll get the idea if you mentally indent every second line. :)
I've liked your comment for support but we could do with a way of highlighting formatting issues.
If your comment was more about what the formatting issues are...for me: the main ones are inability to indent lines and the removal of blank lines. There are others, but if those two could be addressed that'd be massive.
I suspect it's just the fundamental nature of the site, if I'm honest. Allowing complex formatting might be a step too far for them - one way around it would be if we could paste pictures. Maybe we can & I've missed the functionality? That's how I get around similar issues on Twitter, I simply save the text as a picture and post it that way.
True, sadly we can't paste pictures into comments, but it is possible to do a note instead .... or maybe basic html might work if the picture is hosted somewhere else! All a bit of a faff though I suspect.
Indeed, words define us and how we feel. Without words, I suspect we would reinvent them. Maybe that would take picture form, or music, but we would find some way to fill the void. The thing is, that we ourselves need to be part of that process: to define and name. Otherwise, we are merely observing Creation, not partaking in the actual creation which is our birthright; Genesis 2:20 And Adam gave names...
Hopefully, the video in the next newsletter will add weight to your words here Sue.
Mystery and suspense and the power of anticipation 😊 The heArt of good writing 😉
Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice. :)
That's really interesting...in my nature writing group, we have a recurring theme of the importance (or otherwise) of naming things. Do I need to know that this is a green hairstreak butterfly in order to sing of its beauty or the joy of meeting it? No - but green hairstreak tells more of who it is than does the generic butterfly. Hence we keep talking our way around it. :)
And being a 'mere' butterfly detracts from the beauty and diversity of all butterflies Lesley Naming and being precise in the naming preserves the majesty and vastness of nature (as well as many other facets of life on planet earth).
Before I even start to work with this prompt, a thank you for highlighting the work of Robert Macfarlane...and if you haven't already, you must read his collaboration with Jackie Morris called "The Lost Words". I'm also going put in a plug here for Brené Brown's "Atlas of the Heart" which deeply explores how important it is to have specific language to describe our emotions - and how sadly lacking in it we are. Connection - to the natural world we are a part of and to our inner world - they both rest heavily on our mastery of language.
I've read several of his books and seen a copy of The Lost Words - it's a magical work of art as much as a compendium of words. I'm hoping someone may gift me a copy for a birthday or Chrismas maybe. And I don't know anything by Brené Brown which means I have another lovely rabbit hole to go and explore - thank you :-)