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)
[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
