flashquake Editor's Corner

A DIVINE FEAST
by Jonette Stabbert

I love words. I’m sure anyone reading this will understand, because if you came to this site, you’re a reader and maybe also a writer. Sadly, there are many people who never pay attention to words. But to a writer, and to a reader, words are alive. To me, they're love objects.

In my early teens, my favorite uncle gifted me with a paperback copy of Roget’s Thesaurus. It was probably the most cherished present I’ve ever received. I kept and used that thesaurus for over forty years, finally replacing it with a snazzy hardcover edition when my trusted old book became tattered and fell apart. I wanted to save my old book in a place of honor on the shelf, but the pages broke into tiny pieces like miniature printed mosaics. Throwing it away felt like an act of betrayal.

Shortly after falling in love with my thesaurus, I discovered a delightful book: Ounce, Dice, Trice, written by Alistair Reid and amusingly illustrated by Ben Shahn. This had innovative ways to use existing words and also made up silly new ones like ‘hamburgler’ and ‘gnrr’.

Like all aspiring writers, I played with vocabulary, trying poetry, prose, and various genres. I typed, I wrote — I’ll stop myself before I go off on a tangent and write a book about pens — I mastered the computer keyboard.

I matured into a full-fledged word glutton. Words fascinate and are devoured with my eyes and ears. As a journalist, copywriter and fiction aficionado, I can never get enough.

Words attempt to manipulate us every day, and often succeed. Television, radio, newspapers, billboards, sale signs in shops — advertising copy is all around us, as are political messages and personal opinions. Words are magic. They have enormous power. They help us to understand each other, communicate our ideas and beliefs and influence behavior. When coupled with voice, gestures and mannerisms, they can enchant and transform the world around us. Unfortunately, people often use buzzwords these days, without ‘really’ communicating. Exercising creatively with words improves communication skills and helps us to connect on more meaningful levels with others.

I’m an adventurous word-nerd. I watch new films and TV ads with the sound turned off, and with other films I only listen without watching; in all these experiments I try to figure out the stories — very often coming up with something totally different. I do various exercises, looking at magazine ad copy without the photos, and looking at ad photos without the texts. Words are like one of the senses — without them, we miss so much! Try these experiments — they open up a new awareness.

What an advantage it is to be fluent in other languages. Those who understand several languages or even more have whole continents of words to explore; I can only speak two. Now I’ve discovered other fun games — I can watch an English-language film that I know with the sound turned off and read the subtitles. Sometimes the translation is poor and this gives the whole story another slant. Communication can be very subtle. It makes me worry about those who translate for world leaders, especially when there is a possibility of war.

Eavesdropping is a necessary part of a writer’s life. I gobble up others’ words in elevators, in shops, through open windows, in public restrooms. I return home full of ideas to digest and use to fuel my stories.

Friends often call me up to ask for ‘the right word’, and when I offer something that pleases, they say I’m a walking thesaurus. It’s true, then. You really are what you eat. So here’s dessert: END, FINIS, TERMINUS, and PERIOD.

Copyright 2002 by Author

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