by Naomi L. | December 8, 2014 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: idyllic
Pronunciation: ai-DI-lik
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: extremely happy, peaceful or picturesque
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Who doesn’t appreciate words for extremely positive feelings? If I remember correctly, this one caught my eye while I was reading a novel, and I liked it as soon as I learned what it meant. It made sense to me that “idyllic” would stand out as such a lovely adjective; I always enjoy discovering poetic words to describe the beautiful things in life.
Anything considered “idyllic” is extremely peaceful, happy and/or beautiful in nature. This word is the adjective form of the noun “idyll”, a word for “an extremely happy, peaceful or picturesque scene” that’s typically idealized or unsustainable. This word can be traced back through the Latin noun idyllium to the Greek noun eidullion, which is the diminutive form of the noun eidos (“form” or “picture”).
Though I don’t see the word “idyllic” as often as I’d like, it’s definitely an adjective I’d try to work into my writing more often. I’d probably get the best use out of it in my poetry, since I especially love writing about nature, but it could work just as well in prose to describe an idealized scene. Every writer has likely envisioned a utopian setting at one time or another, so if you haven’t used this word yet, you’ll no doubt be able find a place for it in your writing too. Who knows? If you write well enough, your readers may find your work itself “idyllic”!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | December 5, 2014 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
The day I stopped caring was the greatest day of my life.
That was the day I heard the voice inside. The voice that set me free.
I used to be terrified of what everyone thought. My life was nothing but overwhelming fear of judgment and humiliation. After every move I made, I would worry about how someone might react. Anyone could be a critic. Everyone’s opinion mattered.
Most nights, I’d cry myself to sleep. All I wanted was to please people, to be accepted. I wanted my actions to mean as much as everyone else’s did.
And then one day, I woke up to the sound of that voice. Not the pretend voice I used to kid myself or make myself feel better. The real voice deep inside that had finally endured enough phoniness and decided to speak up.
It only asked me the one question. But that was exactly what I needed to hear.
“Why do you care?“
Why did I care? Why did I care what people said? Why did I care what people did? Why did I care what people thought? I didn’t know. And when I realized I didn’t have an answer, something incredible happened.
The fear just… disappeared.
Suddenly, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I no longer felt embarrassed about bad memories that everyone else had long forgotten. I stopped trying to hide the things I liked that nobody else understood. I quit doubting myself and began trusting in my own abilities. And never again did I let anyone laugh at me, because now they were laughing with me.
I had stopped being afraid, and started living life. All because that voice inside had made me realize whose opinion really matters most.
What a liberating day that was.
The day I stopped caring what anyone thinks… but me.
by Naomi L. | December 3, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Happy December! To start off the season, here’s a new batch of “What If?” Writing Prompts for you, set to the theme of holidays. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays to all!
What if… it were your favorite holiday every day of the year?
What if… Christmas were “cancelled” one year, and it were up to you to bring it back?
What if… time froze for you at the turn of the new year, and the only way to get it back to normal was to fulfill your New Year’s resolution from last year?
What if… you came downstairs late on Christmas Eve to find Santa Claus placing a gift for you under the tree?
What if… Christmas weren’t about giving and receiving presents, but only about being together as a family?
Have fun writing stories about the holiday season!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | December 1, 2014 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: anhedonic
Pronunciation: an-hi-DAH-nik
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: unable to feel pleasure
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Marshall: (during a sword fight with Ted) Ted! If you wanted to be married by now, you would be, but you’re not. And you know why? Because you’re irrationally picky, you’re easily distracted and you’re utterly anhedonic.
Ted: Anhedonic?
Marshall: Anhedonic. It means you can’t enjoy anything.
Ted: The hell I can’t. I’m enjoying this!
Marshall: I know, this rules!
– How I Met Your Mother (Season 1, Episode 8 – The Duel)
The only time I’ve ever heard the word “anhedonic” was in the above dialogue from an episode of How I Met Your Mother. While sword-fighting with Ted to decide who should keep their apartment (it makes sense in context, trust me), Marshall calls him out on his inability to take pleasure in activities normal people enjoy. Perhaps Ted’s counterargument is invalid, given that a sword duel in the middle of a New York apartment hardly counts as a “normal activity”, but that just makes the scene all the more fun to watch.
An “anhedonic” person is someone who is unable to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable activities. The word is the adjective form of the noun “anhedonia”, a term in Psychiatry for the inability to feel pleasure. This noun traces back to the French noun anhédonie, which consists of two Greek roots: the prefix an- “without” and the noun hēdonḗ “pleasure”.
“Anhedonic” may be a good word to describe people who are constantly unhappy, regardless of whether or not it’s an actual psychiatric condition. As for dialogue, because the word “anhedonia” is a Psychiatry term, it would most likely be used by characters of high intellectual achievement. If you write about miserable people or characters such as psychiatrists or doctors (or even lawyers, as is the case of Marshall Eriksen), you may be able to get plenty of use out of this word. Just try not to be “anhedonic” when it comes to your writing!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
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