Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Syzygy – Wordplay Wednesday™ 07/17/2019


Spacey Word for a Spacey Week 

This week’s word is chosen solely for its spacey connection. After all, Saturday, July 20th is the 50th anniversary of the US Moon Walk! What a glorious day … then and now … not only for America, but the world.

Do you recall exactly where you were at the time (don’t we all?). I was sweltering through the summer in a Podunk California desert town, with a black-and-white television set blaring throughout the large laundromat.

Some things simply cannot be glorified. Like my life. But still … it was history in the making …

SYZYGY (sizʹɘ jē) n. – 1) a pair of things, esp. a pair of opposites; 2) Astron. a configuration of three celestial bodies, as of the sun, earth, and moon during an eclipse, in an approximately straight line; 3) Gr. & Latin Prosody a measure of two feet, as a dipody / syzygial adj. [WW #225]

With its tongue-twisting spelling, syzygy is unique and not only a divinely odd word with its lack of standard vowels, but each meaning is cleverly unrelated to the others. From a pair, to celestial configuration of three, to a two-foot measurement … syzygy is certainly versatile.

And that’s great news for writers! I glommed on to the sun-earth-moon designation, but the other two have merit, as well; distinctive when applied to both fiction and non-fiction.

Sharon mused, “You know, John and Emily’s rapport personifies syzygy with their opposites-attract relationship.” Or, “The syzygial space between airplane seats is rudely unforgiving.” Let your readers mull over that peculiar sound on their tongue; and venerate you for introducing it to them.

Word Challenge: SYZYGY. Think about its marvelous flexibility as you slip syzygy into your week of triple-threat writing. (Multi-talented: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.)

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 (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!]

Note: Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary.
Endnote: FYI – All links in the PFP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. However, as with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz  

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Inutile – Wordplay Wednesday™ 07/10/2019


Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose.  

Works with words, too. We’re headed into an infinitely more cerebral world, in which words and images dominate. Nothing is worse than a wasted brain or a squandered word …
 
INUTILE (in yōōtʹ’l) adj. – useless, unprofitable. [WW #224]

Unless it’s a perfectly good yacht! Oh, the agony … but I digress …

As writers, either casually or for profit, we can often slip into a creative rut. Do you find yourself using only a fraction of your extensive, brainy vocabulary? You may not even realize that your writing suffers from an inutile malady.

Just as with your body, it helps to flex and stretch your mental writing muscles. Don’t settle for mundane and inutile, when you have so much pizazz at your disposal!

Now, you see—there is a word I haven’t used for a while. It made me smile just to type “pizazz” into my document. What other words have I been squandering? How about you? Stuck in a rut? Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose … and revitalize your writing!
 
Word Challenge: INUTILE. Wake up your writing with panache as you slip inutile into your week of useFUL 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) 

           

[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. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!]

Note: Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

Endnote: FYI – All links in the PFP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. However, as with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz