Wordplay Wednesday™ January 25, 2017 – Minatory

Good Day or Bad … Power Out. 

There is no doubt about it. Life is a daily challenge in the best of circumstances. If you love your life now, savor every second … nothing is forever.

When we’re going through tough times, though, it always feels like it’s forever. With a frown in place, our happiness is threatened …

MINATORY (minʹɘ tôrʹe) adj. – 1) menacing; threatening; 2) conveying or constituting a threat. [WW #96] 

This Wordplay Wednesday offering is an end-of-January inspirational message, for those who feel minatory forces are already at work to spoil their 2017 resolved goals.

You have the power … don’t let it happen. We can cite many platitudes and attitudes to work through minatory moments. The Internet is full of inspirations and quotes to buck you up or take you down.

But this quietly potent message is brought to you by an easy to miss utterance I picked up from the latest episode of the original NCIS (01/24/17). Courtesy of its writers, who always put such wise words in Gibbs’ mouth …

“When you’re going through hell … keep going.”  

Never give up. As soon as you do, “they” win. And you can’t let that happen.

Life is a cycle. Look ahead to your next bright dawn, knowing it will come. It may take a while and it may not be as golden as you envisioned, but it beats your current cycle, right?

One more cliché for the road: an astute high school instructor once said to me, “This too shall pass … will you?”

 

Happy Hump Day and cheers to your Wordplay Wednesday!

Word Challenge: MINATORY. Fight for your successes and guard your soul against the cruelties of life. May the Force be with you as you fit minatory into your week of powerful writings.

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ January 18, 2017 – Cento

Are You One of a Kind? Write Like It.

There is often a fine line between plagiarism and tribute … medley and mad music … words of intellect and words of nonsense …  

CENTO (senʹtō) n. – 1) a literary or musical work made up of passages from other works; 2) anything made up of badly matched parts. [WW #95] 

I once knew an investor who bought into a small press publishing company. As president/CEO, he purportedly desired to learn the business—of which he knew nothing—from the inside out. In an effort to impress the staff and a stable of authors, he “wrote” and published a book.

It was at first thought a good sign that his interest in the company was genuine and its future secure. You feel a “but” coming on here don’t you? Yep …

But, he gathered quotes from others’ works, stuck his name on it, and gave it a title. Lack of real effort foretold the ultimate result of his faux sincerity with a cento, and the company’s dubious future.

Don’t get me wrong—please don’t start a Twitter storm about my perceived deplorable POV 😉—I applaud anyone who spends the time to cull inventive writings to share.

Time is our most important asset. Creating a cento to make a point and honor those creative, wise, and often humorous folks, who conceived them, is certainly time-consuming.

Kudos also to anyone who goes through the publishing process, traditional, independent, or self-publishing. It is not for the faint of heart.

There is no question, however, that writing a book, either fiction or nonfiction, in your words, is a long and laborious project, far removed from a cento arranged in an attractive format.

This person’s effort to impress in a company of authors, was the proverbial slap in the face at worst, and a feeble attempt, at best. He may have meant well at the outset—and again, there is a place for a collective book—but a cento did not bode well in this context.

Moral of the story: As an author—know your readers—since you obviously feel you have something important or enjoyable to share with them, do it in your words.

If you discover incredible quotes, lines, or passages that simply deserve a book assemblage, set them off with your narrative, comments, or exploration that are relevant to your reader. (Mindful of fair use and copyright laws, of course.)

Readers are waiting for your sparkling wit and charming inspiration—give it to them!

Word Challenge: CENTO. Mashups may be funny, interesting, or exciting in images and music, but in writing, originality is usually best. Enjoy the inspiration of your own muse as you fit cento into your week of imaginative writings.

'Til next time ... cheers to a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ January 11, 2017 – Moggy

Purrrrrr, Meow, Lick, Lick … 

Sound and feel familiar? Aha! You’re a “cat person.”

While dogs are man’s best friend (in the general term; many women count them as their besties, too), cats tend to gravitate to independent thinkers, or those who wish they were.

 

We’ve heard many stories of how they often choose you, rather than the other way around, and it matters not whether you opt for purebred, or a …

MOGGY or MOGGIE (mägʹē) n. (Brit. Informal) – a domestic cat, esp. one of a common or mixed breed.  [WW #94] 

Kinda the feline form of a mongrel dog, British style.

We tend to think our pets need us, which fulfills a basic human requisite. It’s wonderful to be needed, but for my liking, dogs are a little too high maintenance.

Yes, I’ve had both dogs and moggies—and once, a glutton for punishment—both at the same time. The unconditional love of a dog is heartwarming, but the very conditional love of a moggy is so rewarding to earn.

My favorite handsome man sported the traditional tabby* striping, soft gold, with burnished streaks. He came to me on the 2^nd of January many moons ago.

Peering through the sliding glass deck door, his fur caught the rays of the early morning sun—I was hooked—as if I had a choice. His insistent meowing made it clear he would not be ignored. Sunny stayed for more than a decade.

However, I still had to earn my moggy’s affection. He stuck around for the food and a cozy bed to snooze in during inclement weather, and soft stroking when he was in the mood.

But we didn’t truly bond until a few months later when he arrived at the door, literally caterwauling. His back legs and haunches covered in motor oil, Sunny wailed in frustration and mortification.

Normally an impeccable moggy, the filth of it all obviously distressed him, as he tried futilely to clean himself.

After a frantic call to the vet, I filled up the kitchen sink with warm, lightly soapy water. His big green eyes grew even larger when he realized I was easing him in to the water.

I swear I heard him growl, “You’re not serious!” Lowering him ever-so-slowly, the fright on his little face was clear; but he allowed me to stroke him and gently wash the oil down his legs, as best I could.

Though terrified, at one point, Sunny leaned his head against me and I knew he finally trusted me completely. We were best buds.

There was no way to make that outdoor moggy an indoor kitty—in fact, you didn’t “make” Sunny do anything—as long as I knew that, he was happy.

*Tabby is any domestic cat, esp female, but be careful how you use the term, as you might be calling the woman next to you an old maid, or a spiteful gossip (Old Brit. Informal). Talk about someone who’ll scratch your eyes out!

Word Challenge: MOGGY. Put a little sunshine in your life, with a sweet moggy of your own—or a dashing doggy—as you fit moggy into your week of independent writings.

'Til next time ... cheers to a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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