I hope you’ve got a yummy cake mix in the pantry. You can stay up late and bake it, because tomorrow we’ll be celebrating Dictionary Day.
If you’re a writer, you’re a lover of words. In all their possible arrangements.
I’m enjoying a mental image of Marilyn Monroe performing her “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” number. Except this time, she’s singing about words, and caressing leather-bound dictionaries. (With apologies to Jule Styne and Leo Robin.)
A slip of the tongue
may be quite unintentional,
But the right words are a writer’s best friend.
Promulgate!
Deliberate!
Foreign phrases!
Multisyllabic mouthfuls!
Define it for me Noah Webster.
Fill your pages with words!
But writer’s block
Or free flow,
You write strong descriptions
‘Cause dictionaries are your best friend.
How long has it been since you’ve opened your dictionary and read a page or two just to enjoy the power of words in human communication? When was the last time you flipped through its pages in search of a new word for your writing vocabulary?
Well, tomorrow’s a chance to reflect on how words have shaped your life—especially, your life as a writer. And to thank all the people who took the time to collect and define these words for your use.
You’re probably anxious to rush off and grab your own dictionary right now, so I don’t want to keep you. But, before you go, share with us, in the comments, when it was that you first realized the power of the dictionary.