by Naomi L. | January 16, 2017 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: inauguration
Pronunciation: i-nah-ɡ(y)ə-RAY-sh(ə)n
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: the beginning or introduction of a system, policy, or period
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Was there any other word I could have chosen for today’s Word of the Week? Being American and a blogger only since April 2013, this is the first opportunity I’ve had to write about this word while it’s relevant to current events. The event in question has been in the news for weeks, what the entire campaign of 2016 has been leading up to, and now it’s only days away: the “inauguration” of the next U.S. President!
An “inauguration” is the introduction or beginning of a period, system, or policy. The word is the noun form of the verb “inaugurate” (meaning to “begin or introduce a system, policy, or period”), which arose in the late 16th century and comes from the Latin verb inaugurare, meaning “to interpret omens from the flight of birds”. This verb consists of the preposition in “within” and the verb augurare “to predict”.
The history of the word “inauguration” dates as far back as Ancient Rome, when Roman priests would interpret through rituals and bird flight patterns if the gods deemed a public official worthy of assuming office. Notably, aside from its primary meaning, “inauguration” also has two sub-definitions. The first is “the formal admission of someone to office”, which applies to the aforementioned political event. The second is “a ceremony to mark the beginning of something”, such as the opening of a building or recreational area. If you like to write about the beginning of an era or the grand opening of a new facility, you could have fun creating a good “inauguration” scene for your stories!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | January 13, 2017 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
Our trip to the beach was an annual family tradition.
Every New Year’s, we’d go down to watch them.
The beach would always be crowded that night.
Everyone wanted to welcome the new year.
The final countdown to midnight began.
At one, they started flying.
All along the coast.
Exploding sky flowers.
Colorful embers.
Fireworks!
This piece is based on What If? Exercise 93: “Ten to One”. The exercise is to write a 55-word story in which the first sentence has ten words, the second has nine, etc., until the last sentence has only one word. The objective is to show that precision and thrift in writing can produce surprisingly powerful results. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
Back to the story
by Naomi L. | January 11, 2017 | Blog, Creative Writing |
As everyone knows, with January comes a fresh batch of new year’s resolutions. Since I really enjoyed making a list of books to read last year, I decided to try my luck again with a new list for 2017! Well, semi-new; some of them will be repeats of books I didn’t get around to reading in 2016, but that I’ll hopefully have better luck with this year. Either way, here’s to a bright new year of reading!
So to kick off my 2017 goals, here’s the first half of my list of the top ten books I want to read this year. Enjoy!
1) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Oh yes, I’m still working on this one. I started reading A Game of Thrones a couple of years ago, but after school started taking up most of my time, I had to put it down for a while. My resolution from last year to read every day has helped me pick it up again, though, and now that I’m done with school, maybe I’ll finally be able to finish it this year! Of course, seeing how long it’s taking me just to get through the first book, I’ll probably have to pick up the rest of the A Song of Ice and Fire saga from the TV series!
2) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
That’s right, I still haven’t read the Hunger Games trilogy! Crazy, right? I know I had wanted to start reading more dystopian fiction last year, but I guess I got so caught up in historical fiction that there just wasn’t enough time for anything else. These books are at the top of my list, though, so hopefully I’ll find the time to finally read them this year. I look forward to enjoying a new fiction genre in 2017!
3) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Speaking of dystopian fiction, here’s another book that’s been on my to-read list for a long time. I remember watching the film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 for an Introduction to Technology class in middle school, but to this day I haven’t gotten around to reading the book. I enjoy stories that explore the dangers of mass media, state-based censorship, and an ignorant society, so this book is a definite must-read for me – if not this year, then at least for my bucket list!
4) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
This one was recommended to me by my boyfriend, who started reading the book last year and has really been enjoying it so far. Ready Player One certainly sounds like the sort of novel I’d like: a science fiction story set primarily in a virtual world and rife with 80s pop culture references. I am planning to read more sci-fi this year, so this will definitely be an interesting pick for my 2017 list!
5) 1984 by George Orwell
I know, this book is on everyone’s to-read list, but it’s so iconic that I just couldn’t leave it off mine any longer. George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel is so relevant to modern-day society, it’s terrifying to think the most glaring mistake in the author’s prediction of the future may well be that he was only off by a few decades. Exploring themes of authoritarianism, totalitarianism, censorship, and historical negationism, 1984 is the epitome of political dystopian fiction. It doesn’t sound like the most uplifting choice for my 2017 reads, but… well, let’s just say, I have a feeling this novel will be more relevant this year than ever!
That’s it for today’s to-read list! Tune in next week for the second half of my top ten list of books to read in 2017! Thanks for reading!
What about you? What books do you plan to read in 2017? Have you made any other resolutions for the new year?
by Naomi L. | January 9, 2017 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: emolument
Pronunciation: ə-MAHL-yə-mənt
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
You may recall seeing today’s Word of the Week floating around the news a while back. A few months ago, some controversy in American politics likely sent a handful of people to the dictionary (myself included) to better understand the Title of Nobility Clause of the United States Constitution. Having done some research on the subject, I can understand why this was such a hot topic: we don’t want a president who’s going to be in violation of the “Emoluments” Clause from day one!
An “emolument” is a profit, salary, or fee from office or employment. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin noun emolumentum, meaning “advantage” or “benefit”. This noun derives from the verb emolere “to grind up”, which in turn consists of the preposition e- “throughout” and the verb molere “to grind”.
The original meaning of “emolument” in Latin was probably “payment to a miller for grinding grain”, hence its root in the Latin word for “grind”. This word is considered formal and is typically used in the plural form “emoluments”, as in the above example from the U.S. Constitution. If your stories include details about businesses and earnings from employment, “emolument” may be a good word to add to your vocabulary!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | January 6, 2017 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
So another new year has begun,
And we hope it’ll be a good one.
Though it still seems surreal
From the way that we feel,
We’ll at least try to make it more fun!
‘Cause the last year we suffered was rough.
For too many of us, it was tough.
From the people we lost
To the morals it cost,
Of Twenty Sixteen, we’ve had enough!
So we’re hoping this year to start clean
And to set a more promising scene.
We’ll let go of the past
And move forward at last.
Here’s to a bright Twenty Seventeen!
Happy New Year, dear readers! May you all have a blessed 2017!
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