WRITE HERE, Write NOW!
Bring it on!
One of my favorite aspects of, well, life, is writing. Why? Because after co-teaching English literature at the College of William & Mary, teaching 9th, 11th, 12th and AP English, and designing seminars in Film and Literature, American Literature, European Literature, Literary Philosophy and The Short Novel, I know that writing is all around us: it exists in history, in music, in film, in text messages, in blogs, in the stories that underlie visual art. It doesn't matter so long as we find ways to articulate our stories. Writing and storytelling are magic!
It starts with a great many elements, my favorite of which is, shockingly, the words.
I am kind of in love with the word "flummoxed." It doesn't just sound cool. It looks cool!
I also like "schadenfreude." It might be best understood as the feeling one gets after taking one's last (ever) standardized test and thinking, somewhat maliciously, about the droves of others who still have to face it.
What are your favorite words? I want to know. And then I want to use them.
I'm not the biggest fan of "urbane." It sort of gives me stress flashbacks to mandatory 18th century literature readings. Even so, I suspect if I keep it in my arsenal, it will one day rear its annoying head and be exactly what I need, at that exact moment.
I do love the words "libertine" and "prig," used together. Do you know when it was that they were so beautifully bonded? You're right: in The Great Gatsby. In my opinion, no learning career is complete without time spent with Fitzgerald and his astonishing prose. (Yes, I'm in love with him in a literary crush kind of way.) I also used a sentence fragment a moment ago. You know why? Because when you're a writer, you can. On purpose. You just have to do it, as Cartman says, with Authorita.
Please write. Please write with me, or on your own, or both. Don't let school kill your love of writing and linguistic creativity. Don't be flummoxed. Write on!
P.S. Did you know that in the musical "Hamilton," Alexander Hamilton at one point complains that Madison and Jefferson are being intransigent? And later, Jefferson accuses Aaron Burr of obfuscating. Go elevated diction! Go Lin-Manuel Miranda!
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In her "spare time," Anne authors an ongoing local humor column, "Caution: Acorns" (regularly), works as a freelance journalist (frequently), publishes personal essays (periodically), and writes for fun (constantly).