j. laster
“The words echoed around the cavern and broke through mere rock, so great was the force behind them, melted mere mountains, screamed across the miles.”
Terry Pratchett
I’ve been watching the news, the weather, the pandemic reports from our nation and the world. However, the Writer Elkhound reminds me there is work to be done. A book to revise. Stories to write.
Antlers to chew.
The Writer Elkhound lends a paw to the editing process.
j. laster
As I wrap up a very long revision, I am once more struck by the power of words. They are potent in times of change. And often finding the right noun or verb is an arduous journey.
“O snail
Climb Mount Fuji
But slowly, slowly!”
Kobayashi Issa
j. laster
“Words: So innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Every so often we end up in a particular moment, a collective AHA for the ages – that split second where thought, intent and action coincide. Words guide, shape, or rend. Condemn or heal.
j. laster
“A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you.”
John Steinbeck
The language we use requires reflection, carries intent and can even spark illumination.
j. laster
“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
Markus Zusak
Imagination is the flint, words are the spark. The fire is a story.
illustration from Yore j. laster
An interesting cascade of thoughts. Thanks for sharing! We are trying to be creative in isolation. Cheryl and Ethan have rehearsal this afternoon for a production of Winters Tale. The performance will be via Zoom Saturday evening at 7:30. You can find the link at the “Advice to the Players” website if you would like to attend (https://www.advicetotheplayers.org/). I’m developing a blog that I hope to launch soon, “An Archaeological Perspective”, anecdotes of a career thinking about change over broad expanses of time. Anyway, we are all keeping busy and looking forward to better times. It’s good to see that you are doing the same.