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 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?
by Naomi L. | February 3, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Is it February already? Honestly, where does the time go? To kick off Valentine’s month, why not have some fun with a few “What If?” Writing Prompts in the romance genre? See what tales of love you can spin around these ideas! Enjoy!
What if… you accidentally drank a love potion that made you become infatuated with the first person you laid eyes on?
What if… you lived in a society where you were the only person who believed in love?
What if… you developed feelings for someone you hated when you first met?
What if… someone you thought was your worst enemy turned out to be in love with you?
What if… you had a highly intuitive pet who kept trying to lead you to your soulmate?
Have fun writing some more romantic stories!
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. | February 1, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: celestial
Pronunciation: sə-LES-chəl
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition:
- positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space as observed in astronomy
- belonging or relating to heaven
- supremely good
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Drawing inspiration from the last Word of the Week of 2015, here’s another beautiful word for what seems to be (or actually is) from the heavens. Humanity has long been fascinated with the sky and space, so it’s only natural that we have so many words to describe the wonders beyond our world. When gazing up at the starry night sky, it’s hard not to fall in love with the “celestial” beauty of space!
“Celestial” describes what is heavenly in nature, whether it’s literally in the sky or outer space or figuratively of divine quality. Originally French, the word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin adjective caelestis, meaning “of the heavens”. This adjective stems from the noun caelum, which means “heaven” or “sky”.
I’ve always loved the word “celestial” for how poetic it sounds; one of my favorite uses for it is to describe the shades of blue seen in the sky. I seem to read it equally in the literal sense of astronomical bodies such as planets and stars as in the figurative sense of heavenly figures, and occasionally to refer to something of near perfect quality. Whether you enjoy writing about space, the sky, or divinities, “celestial” is a lovely word that I highly recommend for your stories and/or poetry!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | January 27, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Life is keeping me extra busy these days, so why not help yourself to some more “What If?” Writing Prompts until I can catch up again? This week’s post features yet another set of prompts in the paranormal genre. See what mysterious tales you can spin around these ideas! Enjoy!
What if… you felt an electric shock up your arm whenever you touched someone who had committed a crime?
What if… you could hear the voices of people who had passed on to the next life?
What if… you found out you had telekinetic powers… by accidentally unleashing them in public?
What if… you could see into the afterlife?
What if… the days a person had left to live appeared to you as a number over their head?
Have fun writing some more paranormal stories!
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!
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