by Naomi L. | February 17, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but love goes on and on! If you celebrated this year, I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day (or Singles Awareness Day; I’m not judging). If, however, you found yourself lonely and longing for a significant other with whom to share the day, then fear not! You may be surprised to learn that there’s one commonly underrated trait that can help you attract a partner: proper grammar!
Grammarly partnered with eHarmony to determine whether the writing skills displayed in people’s online dating profiles affect their chances of finding romance, and, in true Grammarly fashion, they summarized the results along with other online dating statistics in an infographic. So if you’re searching for love, be sure to consider these helpful grammar tips; they may save your chances at romance! Good luck!
Today’s creative writing post is brought to you by Grammarly, the World’s Best Grammar Checker. For more information on Grammarly, visit https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check. Thanks for reading! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | February 15, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: alacrity
Pronunciation: ə-LA-krə-tee
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: brisk and cheerful readiness
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Today’s Word of the Week was suggested by Mike from M.C. Tuggle, Writer. He claims it’s a word he’s had to look up more than once, and I agree that I’d probably have to look it up every time I read it too. “Alacrity” is not a word I’ve read very often myself, but knowing what it means, I think it could definitely add a cheery note to a story!
To show “alacrity” is to be briskly and cheerfully ready for something. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin noun alacritas, meaning “cheerfulness”. This noun stems from the adjective alacer, which means “brisk” or “ready”.
Not being overly familiar with the word “alacrity”, I have yet to work it into my fiction. If I were to use it, it would probably be to show a character’s high level of enthusiasm when setting a goal or preparing to carry out a task. If nothing else, it’s a great word for people who are just ready to get up and go for it! So what are you waiting for? Take on that novel or other unfinished goal with “alacrity”! It’ll make the journey all the more enjoyable!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | February 12, 2016 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
If I could be with you today,
I’d never leave your side.
I’d stay with you from dawn to dusk
And through the eventide.
If I could spend the day with you,
I’d make it so much fun.
We’d play all day and through the night
Until the morning sun.
If I could hold you close today,
I’d never let you go.
I’d smother you with snuggles
(As you only too well know).
If I could touch your lips today,
I’d kiss you long and deep.
You’d know from all my passion
That my love is yours to keep.
But I can’t have you for a day
Until I know for sure
That I can have you all my life,
Now and forevermore.
Someday I’ll be with you again,
And then we’ll know at last
The perfect days together
That we’ve missed in years gone past.
So wait for me, my love; someday,
We’ll make our dreams come true.
Until that day, remember
That I always will love you!
Happy Valentine’s Day to my adoring boyfriend! Thank you for always loving me so much, no matter how far apart we are. I love you, sweetheart!
by Naomi L. | February 10, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing, Tropes |
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and that means it’s the best time of year to indulge in some romance! To mark the occasion, I went through some of the romantic tropes on TV Tropes and put together a list of my favorites. So to help inspire your romantic creativity for Valentine’s Day, here’s a list of my top five romance tropes. Enjoy!
1) The Power of Love
Of all the romantic tropes I’ve ever seen in fiction, The Power of Love is by far my favorite. It’s the main reason romance has always been one of my favorite genres. I have a weakness for stories in which love triumphs over hate and helps characters grow and change for the better. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I honestly believe that love can indeed conquer all. This one doesn’t even have to be a romantic trope, as love comes in many forms, none of which are necessarily the strongest or most influential of all. Whether it’s the healing magic of True Love’s Kiss or the driving force behind a mother and father‘s protection of their children, The Power of Love can change the world!
2) Love at First Sight
I admit it’s ironic that this trope is on my list given that I’m not sure I completely believe it can happen in real life, but I absolutely love reading about true love at first sight in fiction, especially when it works out in the end. There’s just something so uplifting about the idea of two people instantly connecting on a spiritual level and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’re meant to be together. Love at First Sight can go either way: the couple may really be perfect for each other and eventually earn a Happily Ever After, or they may simply be sharing a passion that’s doomed to burn out (in which case it’s really more of an infatuation at first sight).
Of course, if the two lovers are a good match but the story calls for them to be kept apart anyway, this can become a tale of…
3) Star-Crossed Lovers
Admit it, you knew this was coming: another chance for me to gush about Romeo & Juliet! The most famous Star-Crossed Lovers in literature (and the trope namers), the young protagonists of my favorite romantic story shared a passionate and dangerous love affair that was doomed to a tragic end. Though a strong case can be made that Romeo and Juliet were indeed soulmates, the sad truth is that their love was not strong enough to overpower fate. Of course, it’s still fair to say that their love did triumph over hatred in the end: by taking their own lives to be together eternally, they finally ended the feud between their families.
The tale of Star-Crossed Lovers is one of the greatest literary devices that can demonstrate the powerful contrasts between love and hate, and that’s probably what makes it one of the most enduring plot structures in the history of romantic fiction. It seems no matter how many times this tragic story is retold, Romeo & Juliet never gets old!
4) Childhood Friend Romance
On the other side of the love spectrum, we can also see two people who have known each other their whole lives but who only develop feelings for each other in maturity. Some of my favorite love stories involve a Childhood Friend Romance, a story about characters who’s affection for one another started at a young age and eventually became the foundation for a solid loving relationship (my favorite example is the seven-book buildup to the relationship between Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley).
It doesn’t have to be a romance that began in childhood, of course; my parents, who met in their young adult years, are a perfect example of how any relationship that started as friendship can blossom into everlasting love. Still, there’s something about a story of two lovers who were meant to be together since childhood that warms my heart every time. Can you say “D’awww”?
5) Babies Ever After
Whether two characters fell in love at first sight or grew to love each other over time, a happy ending is a happy ending, and my favorite kind of happy ending is one that keeps on going. I don’t know about you, but I’m not always satisfied with just “and they lived happily ever after, The End”; I want to see what happens next! That’s why I love a good epilogue, especially one that shows the main characters in the future with children of their own!
I’ve made it only too clear in the past how much I love the Babies Ever After trope: the most popular story I’ve ever written is a second-generation fanfiction set in the universe of my favorite video game characters. The idea of the canon characters having families in the future was so fascinating to me that I just couldn’t resist writing my own story about it! Not that I have anything against the choice not to have children; I just happen to have a soft spot for family love and next-generation characters. May the stories live on!
What about you? What are your favorite romantic tropes?
by Naomi L. | February 8, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: empyrean
Pronunciation: em-PI-ree-ən / em-pə-REE-ən
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: belonging to or deriving from heaven
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
That’s right, it’s yet another word for “heavenly”! I know I’ve already featured several of these synonyms in my Word of the Week segment, but in my opinion, you can never have too broad or poetic a vocabulary when it comes to the heavens. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, what better time is there to learn new words to describe the “empyrean” beauty of love?
“Empyrean” defines what belongs to or comes from heaven. The word arose in late Middle English and can be traced back through the medieval Latin adjective empyreus “fiery” to the Greek adjective empurios “on fire”. This adjective comprises the preposition en “in” and the noun pûr “fire”.
Interestingly, while words like “celestial” and “ethereal” refer to heaven in general, “empyrean” refers to a special part of heaven. According to ancient cosmology, the “Empyrean” was believed to be the highest level of heaven where the purest light and fire existed (hence the Greek root word for “fire”). The word has since been used as a literary term for the divine realm of Paradise or simply the visible sky. So if you like to write about the highest heavens or the perfection of what seems to come from the divine, “empyrean” may be your most poetic choice!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
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