Putting in a Good Word
(or how I string my letters)
To become a writer of any sort, reading a lot really helps. If only to expand my vocabulary 😂 I love adjectives. They make any story so much more appealing. While writing I discovered I am a woman of many, many words. And although there are enough times that I really ‘Can’t Words’, it has always been a challenge to use words in the most beneficial way, for any particular situation.
Growing up in a small village, we did not have a real library, but a library-bus instead. Every other Wednesday, it would be parked in the center of the village and we could go and change books. No scanning was done, not even stamps, no, at that time we had little cards. If I remember correctly, we had about 5 cards, a couple green and a couple red, standing for the either simple entertaining / leisure reading or the more educational reads.
As far as I can remember I would have 5 books every week. If possible, I would sneak in left over cards from my siblings, to get even more books. I loved several children’s series, like ‘Paddington Bear’, by Michael Bond and ‘The Famous Five’, by Enid Bleyton, as well as several Dutch series. You Dutchies sharing my age should all know ‘Pinkeltje’, by Dick Laan.
I would be waiting for every new sequel to be published with the utmost eagerness. However, my interest did also include educational stuff, especially books about the universe. Everything stars, planets and galaxy’s was right up my alley. I would always search the crates with books that were written off and sold for a couple of cents. I did not really have a ‘proper’ bookcase, but my books where spread through my room.
I would also scour any flea market for really old books, early versions of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, for instance. I not only love to read, I just love books. Going from the children’s books to young adult and finally the ‘grown up’ books, I still read a lot. I do however, have to confess, that holding an actual book in my hands does not happen often anymore. It all has been traded in for e-reading. Easier with all the traveling…
No, I don’t own an actual e-reader lol. I know my family once was talking about gifting me one. This was at the time I was not into anything electronic at all, so you’d guess my answer to that. By now I’ve gained some knowledge, but still haven’t bought one, while there’s so much to read online already. The only books I have been buying the last couple of years were of the cooking kind.
The power of words has always intrigued me. It’s not for nothing, I once wanted to be a Dutch / English teacher. For me the power of words is shown at its best while reading the Bible. And yes I actually do that. And we all know, words spoken to you, can stick with you for years. Unfortunately the negative words mostly have a way to linger way longer than the positive ones.
When I was doing my ‘investigation’ before starting my blog, I stumbled upon a couple of YouTube video’s about verbal (-domestic), abuse. It was heart wrenching to hear about children growing up while their parents / loved ones, talked them down every day. The words used to control them were terrible and that’s putting it mildly. The impact of these words on the, now grown ups, was horrific. Most of them either broke up with their family or even tried to commit suicide. Some of them managed to build a new life, but the effort took them years.
The opposite might also be true… Keep telling your kids they ‘Can Do / Be Anything they want’ and face the consequences when they grow up…
Words are often used as a shield to the outside world. Been there, done that. Social media is full of it. One of the reasons I wasn’t that active on social media before starting my blog. Since then I have added a couple of social media accounts to get my blog out there. And it does surprise me every time, there’s a lot of positivity going on there too. People who actually encourage each other with good words. It can really be empowering.
Of course we can never be certain how much of it is actually truth or sincere, but that’s not up to me to judge anyway. I love the verbal sparring going on in some groups, it keeps me on my toes and as I mentioned in my Spotlight on Discoholic: ‘I’ve known for the better part of my life, sarcasm is as a matter of fact, a language not everybody speaks’. Until now, I have not encountered any cruelty yet, but just a lot of joking around and man… We need it right now. People who take it too far, you should just block right away, nobody needs that negativity in their lives.
I’ve learned that a couple of good chosen words, can get you a long way. The same goes the other way around of course: a first impression can be blown to pieces by the wrong choice of words, even when not meant the way it sounds…
I guess I inherited my love for reading from my Gran and Mom. My Gran would point out really great books when I was young. Those were still of the very happy, innocent kind, with a touch of irony. I would devour them and most of those series I’ve read again and again. Not sure where my love for Space came from, I do recall we could have some nice conversations about it at home, but if I should pinpoint it, I guess the vastness of it, is forever intriguing me.
We also had some parts of an encyclopedia – mind you, not a whole series, we weren’t that cultured 😉 – and although on a later age my interest in history faded, the stories in there were fascinating. I daresay that reading as much as I did and taking in information, has helped me through my education. I certainly wasn’t the smartest regarding some classes, but grasping the assignments got me halfway there, even if my solution wasn’t the correct one.
The Spotlight features I am writing, are another challenge altogether. With just a little information about the artist and guided by their music, I still challenge myself to personalize the article. It is what people like the most about it. Just going with what I know and responding to what I believe they’re all about. It’s always a big rush, when they voice their gratitude and give their ‘Go Ahead’, after they’ve been able to have a first exclusive look. For me that means, I have used the right words to describe them and that’s my reward.
Steve asked me recently if I did not wish to write fictional stories also, which I have been reading loads of throughout the years. Well sure, that’s what I’ve been thinking forever about and I might, some time. But I am not fooled by the difficulties this would bring along. You see, reading so much also makes one a critic of sorts. I love a good love story as much as the next woman, but even those should have a certain level of depth to even capture my attention. Anyways, who knows, I might just try it someday. Tell me what you think 😁
Though I know my smart mouth can be annoying, most of the times I really hope my words can bring some encouragement and if all else fails, at least something to laugh about. When used correctly, words can carry power and life. They can carry fun and joy and best of all, they can carry Love.
Wishing you all a great weekend, use some nice words, use a dictionary if necessary ❤
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