by Naomi L. | September 30, 2013 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: benevolent
Pronunciation: bə-NE-və-lənt
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition:
- well meaning and kindly
- serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.
– The Monster, Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818)
Frankenstein was one of the novels I had to read for Language Arts class in the seventh grade. It was my teacher’s absolute favorite book in the world, which is why she would have her students read it every year. Since I was only 12 years old the one time I read it, I can’t say I recall very much from the novel, but if there’s one thing I do remember, it’s that the book was packed with vocabulary words that I had certainly never seen or heard before. Some of these, the teacher would write on the blackboard as the vocabulary word of the day, and of the handful that I still remember, “benevolent” was one of her favorites.
A “benevolent” person is someone who is generally kind and well intentioned in their actions. When referring to an organization, “benevolent” indicates a charitable purpose as opposed to a profitable one. The word comes from the Old French adjective benivolent, which originates from Latin bene volent, meaning “well wishing”. This term is comprised of two roots: the adverb bene “well” and the verb velle “to wish”.
The above quote is from a scene in the aforementioned novel when the monster confronts his creator about the misfortunes provoked by the latter’s abandonment of the former. The creature begs for a companion, arguing that he is naturally good and that his loneliness and suffering were what brought about his evil acts. Based on this example, “benevolent” seems to be a good word to imply a deeper level of innate kindness, much like “altruistic“. Like the poor tortured soul in Mary Shelley’s classic science fiction novel, even a character known to commit terrible acts can still be good at heart (at least until their spirit is broken completely)!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | September 27, 2013 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
Visions of beauty are they.
Open petals,
Vivid colors,
Strong leaves.
In full bloom,
In the prime of their life,
They are her pride and joy.
She smiles at their beauty.
She speaks highly of their blooms,
Coloring her home
And bringing light into her world.
Such beautiful flowers
Are her beloved orchids.
But what would flowers be
Without a caretaker?
Their petals would droop.
Their colors would fade.
Their leaves would wilt.
The very life in them would vanish
Into the memory
Of an ephemeral spring.
For it is she who provides comfort,
She who waters them,
She who talks to them,
And she who urges them to live.
They would be nothing
Without her care,
Without her encouragement,
Without her affection.
The orchids may be
The most beautiful flowers,
But they owe their life to her
For her nurturing love.
Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother! Thank you for all the love and care you’ve given me my whole life; I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. I love you!
by Naomi L. | September 25, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing |
You know that moment while you’re writing a story, carefully following the plot in your mind, when you’re suddenly struck with inspiration for a specific point in the middle of the narrative? It’s that moment when the details start stringing themselves together in your head to form the perfect scene, word for word, exactly the way you want to read it back on the page, and you know you have to write it down before the moment passes and the right words are lost for good. Does that sound familiar at all?
OK, maybe it doesn’t happen to you, but it certainly happens to me all the time. Maybe you’re one of those writers who can plow through the events of a story in the order they’re supposed to happen, who can stick faithfully to an outline from the hook in the first paragraph to the final lines of the very last page. I’m sure there are writers who manage to write in a “straight line”. But I’m not one of them. I zig-zag. I shuffle. I start in the middle and shift between the beginning and the end. I write backwards (maybe not in the literal sense that Leonardo da Vinci could, but you get my point). Basically, I write every which way but straight.
So how do I turn these scattered pieces into a story? In a similar way that a famous fictional scientist turned separate body parts into his iconic monster: by “stitching” them together.
Collecting Parts
Frankenstein’s Monster (Frankenstein, 1931)
Everyone at one time or another has heard the name Frankenstein. Since the first publication of Mary Shelley’s novel in 1818, the name has become practically a legend in the horror and science fiction genres, and today is even one of the more obvious monster themes associated with Halloween. Even if most people haven’t read the book, many have probably seen at least part of the 1931 film adaptation (especially fans of the Universal Monsters movie series), and it’s on this interpretation of the creature that I based my writing method. While Shelley’s novel leaves the process of the monster’s creation ambiguous, the movie has Dr. Frankenstein build it out of collected limbs and organs that he pieces together into a human body. As for what happens after he brings the body to life, suffice it to say it all goes downhill from there.
Sometimes I like to think of my stories as my own little Frankenstein’s monsters, not in the sense that they’ll unleash untold horror on the world (which some of them might, though it’s too soon to tell), but in the sense that many of them are comprised of prewritten pieces that I later connected by inserting more words in between. Some of them are only a couple of lines long, some are a few paragraphs, and some take up more than a page. But they all come to me “out of turn”.
I spend a lot of time daydreaming about my stories, and a common result of this is the inspiration for a perfectly worded sequence that I haven’t yet reached in the main draft. In order to hold on to these ideas, I often keep a separate file on my computer where I can type them out while they’re still fresh in my mind. After making a note of it, I don’t usually read a scene again until I’ve worked my way up to that point in my story. That’s when the fun of stitching begins.
Stitching the Parts Together
When I have my individual scenes laid out, the next step is to insert them into my stories. While working on the main draft, I’ll eventually come to that part of a story that I had already written in a moment of inspiration. All I have to do then is copy the piece from the separate file I’ve made and paste it into the draft to move on from that point. Simple as that. Usually.
The thing is, it doesn’t necessarily end there. Sometimes after pasting it in, I find that a prewritten scene doesn’t quite fit into the rest of the narrative the way I had anticipated, either because of simple inconsistencies in style or minor details that I had changed since first writing the separate piece. To solve this, I edit the selection to accommodate the newly inserted sequence, revising details in the narrative and/or the added part, until everything fits together like the pieces of a puzzle.
The method doesn’t always work the same way. There are times when I’m struck with the inspiration to write two different scenes that I later realize are close enough in the story’s sequence of events that I can just stitch them together right there on the spot. Other stories of mine have been born from drafts that were nothing but a collection of separate scenes in which I eventually started closing the gaps. But any way I choose to put together the events of a narrative, it’s rarely in the right order. In much the same way I imagine Dr. Frankenstein must have worked to fit all his collected organs into a fully functional body (especially in the novel, where the creature is eight feet tall!), I work to stitch my scattered ideas into complete stories that function well as fiction.
So what writing method works best for you? Do your stories usually unravel in a straight line, or do you stitch them together from separate pieces?
by Naomi L. | September 23, 2013 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: mellifluous
Pronunciation: mə-LI-floo-əs
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: sweet or musical; pleasant to hear
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Amy: (after Leonard leaves while Sheldon is talking) That was rude.
Sheldon: He does it all the time. He’s a cornucopia of social awkwardness.
Amy: Cornucopia. What a mellifluous word.
Sheldon: Let’s make that our word of the day.
Amy: Agreed. And we’ll use mellifluous tomorrow.
– The Big Bang Theory (Season 4, Episode 5 – The Desperation Emanation)
Yes, it’s another example taken from The Big Bang Theory. I know I’ve used quite a few of these already, but what can I say? I love this show, and it does have some great vocabulary words scattered throughout the dialogue. In this example, Amy comments on an interesting word that Sheldon uses to define Leonard, a word they both agree is “musical” enough to their ears to warrant a place on their daily vocabulary list (as is the word they use to describe it).
A “mellifluous” sound is one that’s pleasing to hear, especially when referring to a voice or words. The term comes from the Latin adjective mellifluus, which combines two roots: the noun mel “honey” and the verb fluere “to flow”. It’s believed that the word in English arose in the late 15th century to describe what was sweet and smooth, that is, what seemed to “flow like honey”.
Like many other words used on The Big Bang Theory, I had never heard “mellifluous” until it was used by one of the show’s eccentric characters. Based on what little I know about it, I might use it to describe the sweet voice of a gentle character or the sound of affectionate words exchanged between lovers. According to other definitions, “mellifluous” can also be used to define a smooth style of writing, and might even be considered more applicable to writing while a synonym like “dulcet” (also meaning “sweet”) would be a better alternative for describing sound (I couldn’t find a reliable citation, though, so trust this information at your own risk). To be safe, “mellifluous” should probably be applied to something audible, but it’s really up to you to decide exactly what you want to describe as “sweet and smooth”. Use it however you see fit!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | September 20, 2013 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
I feel peace as I walk to the edge of my world. The sun on my face, the wind in my hair, the smell of salty air, everything about this place calms me.
Winter is the best time of year to visit. Not a soul in sight, I can relax and be alone with my thoughts. A bird flies overhead, my spirit riding the breeze along with it. I smile as it disappears beyond the horizon. I’m content just to dream that I could follow. This is my sanctuary.
Out there, I’m a stranger, playing a part in a story that isn’t mine. There, I’m stuck in one place. But here, I am myself. At the brink of the other world, I can breathe and laugh and sing to my heart’s content. Here, I am home.
Waves upon the sand
Rolling up and down the shore
Flow out to the sea
Is there anything more peaceful than the sounds of the ocean in the morning? Where the warm earth meets the cool water, my feet stay buried under wet grains as my thoughts drift away over the waves like ships sailing out to explore unknown lands. My body, my mind, my heart, my spirit are one. Tranquility, curiosity, happiness, freedom.
Water clear and blue
And my dreams that flow within
Come and set me free
This piece was my entry for the Haibun Contest recently held by Writer’s Carnival. The rule was to write a poem about any subject as long as it was in the form of a haibun (a Japanese form of poetry that mixes prose and haiku), so I chose to write mine about the experience of visiting the beach in winter. With the contest now over and the winners already announced, I decided to share my piece here on my blog for others to read. Enjoy!
Special thanks to Writer’s Carnival for hosting the contest! It was a lot of fun!
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