Fuliginous – Wordplay Wednesday™ 02/20/2019

Dark Fiction Shines with Bright Writing 

When writing dark, intense fiction—or even likewise nonfiction—help your reader pull out of the darkness once in a while with a word designed to break the tension. Make them stop reading and peer intently at …

FULIGINOUS (fyōō lijʹɘ nɘs)) adj. – 1) full of smoke or soot; 2 dark, dusky. [WW #204]

And perhaps another literary term for a smokescreen! Fuliginous is a fun word for fiction writers. If you have a crime-solving character, for instance, who is rather pompous and/or exceptionally learned and wordy, fuliginous plays right into his or her affected vocabulary.

Example: Thurman peered up into the old fireplace chimney. “The house may be old and dilapidated, but this fuliginous fireplace has seen recent use. It’s unlikely the murderer entered this way.”

Word Challenge: FULIGINOUS. Give it some thought, as your characters develop their personalized vocabulary, and fit fuliginous into your week of creative writing.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word on Wordplay Wednesday!

           

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

 

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. The true behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz

 

Horologe – Wordplay Wednesday™ 02/13/2019

Timing is Everything 

“Timing is everything” is a phrase I turned into a mantra many years ago. I don’t believe in “chance” or “coincidence” except as another mystery of life that we mere humans are incapable of unraveling.

Have you ever been lookin’ for love in all the wrong places? Maybe it was the right place, but the wrong time. How is it that we unexpectedly meet someone who becomes a lifelong partner or friend, in a place or time we didn’t even know we’d be?

We can plan our lives to the nth degree, but the outcome is based on timing … every time …

HOROLOGE (hôrʹɘ lōjʹ; -läjʹ) n. – a timepiece, clock, hourglass, sundial, etc. [WW #203] 

From the beginning of time … oh, exactly when was that? Well, as with much of our ancient history, we can’t say for sure, but apparently horologes began showing up in earnest around 1380s. Obviously, there were ways of calculating days and time for navigation even earlier, but horologes for convenience took their time.

Oldest working clock Salisbury

The Salisbury Cathedral “faceless” clock in England is generally considered the oldest clock still “ticking,” built in 1386 or earlier. When did we adorn our wrists with horologes? “The earliest known wristwatch was given to Queen Elisabeth I of England already in 1571.” (WhichWatch.org) But … it took until the late 1800s for wristwatches to catch on with the masses.

Prague Astronomical clock c.1389

While we have evidence of measuring time since shadow clocks in 1500 BC (giving way to popular sundials), understanding time is still an elusive secret of the Universe. So we’ve thrown our intellect into creating horologes of infinitely more accurate time measurement, as time marches on. Some are purely functional, while others are infinitely striking in their beauty and intricate craftsmanship.

♪ If I could turn back time ♪* … how many times have you uttered that lament? The best we can do is appreciate its importance in our lives and accept that Timing is Everything … and it doesn’t always go our way. When it doesn’t, remember, This Too Shall Pass. (*Cher 1989)

Will you meet the love of your life this heart-filled Valentine’s week? If you do, be sure to check your horologe the moment it happens. Only time will tell if it will last …

Word Challenge: HOROLOGE. Explore the fascinating field of horology, as you fit horologe into your week of timely writing.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word on Wordplay Wednesday!

           

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. The true behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz