Rhapsodist – Wordplay Wednesday™ 04/22/2020

Time to Wax Poetically and Dramatically 

Working at home takes discipline and self-motivation. It’s the latter that’s tough for me to get excited about … and I’ve been working at home (freelance) for nearly two decades. I have no excuse.

 

Rather than work in their homemade office, many others are grabbing their modern-day soapboxes and microphones, and taking to social media with their monologues on everything from soup to nuts … literally!

So I consulted with my muse and we found a word to generate a little excitement of our own. Shake your head to fling the cobwebs aside; then throw your arms wide to refresh your vocabulary and embrace speechifying with style …

RHAPSODIST (rapʹsɘ dist) n. – 1) rhapsode*; 2) a person who rhapsodizes. [WW #265]

If you know what rhapsody is—and by the way, it is not primarily an energetic, freeform musical composition—then you’re halfway to knowing that a rhapsodist is one who waxes “ecstatic or extravagantly … in speech or writing.” (According to the dictionary.)

The first definition above, “rhapsode,” takes rhapsodist a step further, or more to the point, a giant step back, “in ancient Greece, a person who recited rhapsodies, esp. one who recited epic poems as a profession.” (Link is not from dictionary definition.)

Think, the adventures of Beowulf, the longest epic poem in Old English, and imagine a rhapsodist reciting its length (3,182 lines) in grand gestures before an amused audience. They were much easier entertained than we … and of course, we would need a translator.

Rhapsodist is a terrific word to insert as a description of a novel character or nonfiction personality, regardless of the era your story is set in!

“Sherry watched with growing admiration as the rhapsodist became more animated with each impassioned word of his soliloquy.”

Word Challenge: RHAPSODIST. Consider that when it comes to writing, the more active you make it, the better vision it invokes for your readers, as you fit rhapsodist into your week of lively writings.

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 in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime 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!]

*Note: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz