Word of the Week: Shakespearean
Word: Shakespearean
Pronunciation: sheyk-SPEER-ee-ən
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: relating to or characteristic of William Shakespeare or his works
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Last one, I promise! After three consecutive weeks of writing about words derived from authors’ names, I’m capping off a full month of these words with an adjective taken from the name of one of the most famous writers in history! With Valentine’s Day only two days away, it seemed only fitting to end this list with the author behind Romeo & Juliet. Whether you’re describing a play, a poem, an actor, or a time period, there’s no question that some very clear imagery comes to mind whenever you hear the word “Shakespearean”!
“Shakespearean” (alternatively spelled “Shakespearian”) comes from the name of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. This word describes anything relating to or reminiscent of the author’s works. The adjective generally refers to his plays and sonnets, but can also refer to actors who perform his plays or the time period during which his works were written.
Like the others, this word is more complex than a dictionary definition can sum up in a single line, especially considering how diverse Shakespeare’s subject matter was. While the most obvious definition of “Shakespearean” refers to Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets themselves, it also functions as a noun meaning “an expert on or student of Shakespeare’s writings”. Again, like the others, make sure you always capitalize this word because it comes from a name. If your stories include references to the immortal bard’s works, “Shakespearean” is a good word to include in your vocabulary!
Bonus: For examples of clever “Shakespearean” insults, enjoy the following TED-Ed video!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
A Year in Heaven
The year I’ve spent with you
Has been the greatest of my life,
A perfect, sweet reward
For our seven years of strife.
The distance was a trial
That year by year we passed,
But it was worth the wait
To be in your arms at last.
Nobody has the power
To make me laugh and smile
The way you always do
With your charming, witty style.
I love how much we share
And how much we think the same.
Forget expensive date nights;
Let’s just stay home and game!
You share in all my laughter
And hold me when I cry.
You make me feel so special
And don’t even have to try.
That’s all the proof I need
That our love is really true:
The year I’ve spent in Heaven
Living happily with you!
Happy Valentine’s Day to my loving boyfriend! Thank you for the most wonderful year of living together! I look forward to many more to come! I love you!
Here There Be Dragons: About My Self-Publishing Experiment
Last week, I sent out a call for beta readers for three of my short stories about dragons. If you haven’t seen it yet, find out more here!
I mentioned that the stories I’m editing are going to be compiled into an ebook as part of a self-publishing venture. So today, I want to talk about what this little experiment is all about.
The Dragon Story Experiment
After five years of blogging, I realized it’s high time for an upgrade in my status as a writer. Obviously this includes actually publishing a book already, but there’s more to it than that.
After a month of reflection, I’ve been getting myself excited about changing… well, pretty much everything about my online presence.
But before I do, I want to “test the waters” of the Kindle market. And I felt there were no better stories to start with than a handful that I’ve already shared online and found moderate success with.
Why these stories?
I chose three stories with a common theme that have already been well received, which gives me a major confidence boost going in.
Here’s the catch, though: all the feedback I’ve gotten on these stories so far has come from writers, fellow artists who are already familiar with the craft and the work that goes into every story.
On the one hand, this is good because experienced writers can identify mistakes that go unnoticed by the untrained eyes of average readers. On the other, writers may be more inclined to be positive and encouraging than brutally honest to fellow artists out of empathy. We all want to be supportive, right?
So my experiment is to try to expand the reach of my writing and see if it still holds up with average readers who are just looking for a good story.
The first step is to show my stories to beta readers who have volunteered to point out the strengths and weaknesses in my writing and help me make it better. The next is to put the final drafts of those stories in front of paying readers and see how they fare. Whatever happens, I’ll take what I learn and apply that knowledge to my future self-published books.
Why now?
Now is probably a good time to mention that my “author persona upgrade” will almost definitely come with a name change! Wait, what? Again, more on this later.
This test run is therefore a way get my work out there without the fear of failure. Nobody likes it? No problem; it’s not really me! Everyone likes it? Great, now I know for sure that I can write stories readers enjoy!
So what does this all mean? Well, nothing yet. For now, I’ll continue writing and blogging as usual. But I am planning to change that in a couple of months when my blog turns five years old!
Until then, I’ll be focusing on my mini short story anthology. Here’s hoping my experiment is a success!
Are you interested in being a beta reader for my short stories? Sign up for my beta readers’ list!
Word of the Week: Kafkaesque
Word: Kafkaesque
Pronunciation: kahf-kə-ESK
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: characteristic or reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of Franz Kafka’s fictional world
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Yes, it’s yet another adjective derived from an author’s name! For today’s Word of the Week, we’re focusing on writer Franz Kafka, whose most famous stories centered around commonplace characters navigating a bureaucratic society with little or no reward to make their ordeals worthwhile in the end. Thanks to those stories, today we have a go-to word for the ridiculous obstacle course that is modern bureaucracy: “Kafkaesque”!
“Kafkaesque” describes anything reminiscent of Franz Kafka‘s works. In general, Kafka’s writing is famous for its nightmarish and oppressive qualities. When describing something as “Kafkaesque”, the most common image to come to mind is of unnecessarily convoluted and frustrating aspects of mundane life.
As with the last two vocabulary words derived from authors’ names, the full scope of the definition of “Kafkaesque” is a bit more complicated than dictionaries can sum up in a single line. Fortunately, also as with the previous examples, TED-Ed has the more complex meaning of the word covered with one of their amazingly animated videos, so I’ll just leave that here for your enjoyment. Remember that its origin from a proper noun means the word should always be capitalized. If your stories often feature unnecessarily convoluted plots, your writing itself may be more “Kafkaesque” than you realize!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
The Things I Didn’t Know
I didn’t know
The world could be
So beautiful.
I didn’t know
There were so many colors
In the sky,
In the trees,
In the earth.
I didn’t know
Music is everywhere,
Life is poetry,
And magic is real.
I didn’t know
Distance is just a word,
That some forces
Are stronger
Than miles of empty space.
I didn’t know
Waiting could be so hard,
And yet so worth it
In the end.
I didn’t know
Anyone would wait
So many years
Just to be with me.
I didn’t know
I could be
So in love
And still fall deeper
Every day.
But then again,
There were many things
I didn’t know
Before I met you.
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