2012
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Really? We’ve heard that one time and again, but is it true? Of course in some ways a picture can convey things that may take many words to describe, but then again there is an immense amount of power in words or even in a single word. If I offered the word “frigid” what images would it conjure within your mind? Perhaps your imagination would take over and leave you with an image of snow being whipped by a winter wind. Maybe your mind pictures a large, cold block of ice. In some cases, one might suddenly see the profile of a particularly uppity individual? Possibly it would send chills through your body and cause you to imagine sitting inside near the fire while that previously mentioned snowstorm rages outside your living room window. One word that can send so many different messages to your brain; amazing isn’t it?
Not long ago I attempted to enter the Twitter age. As I’m not big conversationalist, I spend more time reading the tweets of others than I do sending out my own tweets out into the world. As I checked Twitter, I saw a tweet from Karen DeLabar. Karen is one of many people I follow on Twitter. Along with Susan Borath, Karen runs a site called Writing on the Rocks. Writing on the Rocks is a book review site. You can check it out at http://writingontherocks.com.
Karen’s tweet was: “What would you do-oo-ooo for a Klondike bar?” Pretty simple, huh? We’ve all heard the jingle thousands of times. The next thing I know, I’ve got that jingle on my mind for hours. I find myself whistling it at work. Soon others have the same jingle on their minds. You know how it goes; you play it over in your mind until it actually begins to aggravate you that you can’t get it off your mind. After hours of trying to remove it from my thoughts, I had to tweet Karen back and thank her for offering that particular tweet.
But later on, I started to think about that jingle. Karen didn’t hum it for me. She didn’t send me a YouTube video of someone jumping up and down on a busy street to get a Klondike bar. She merely tweeted a few simple words and the music immediately started playing in my head. That’s the power of words. They can bring to mind sounds, tastes, emotions, scents, or textures. Writers use words to paint beautiful pictures, convey the feelings of their characters, or transport you to places you’ve never been. The writer of that jingle used words to bring attention to the product. You might think of a cool, creamy dessert or a polar bear like the one on the package. You might think of people doing outrageous things to earn one of those tasty treats.
Words move us; they motivate us and they touch us. They make us laugh out loud at stupid elephant jokes. They bring a lump to our throats or tears to our eyes as they convey heartbreak. They may cause our heart to race as we remember that first tender, touch of a kiss. Words fill us with apprehension as the villain sneaks up on the hero. Those words, along with the imaginative power of the human mind, allow us to experience and re-experience.
The mind is a powerful instrument, and it can take something as simple as a word and create images or trigger memories. In my book, Loving Deacon, Emily’s words are powerful enough to change a man’s feelings and perspective. By reminding Deacon of his role in the relationship; by helping him bring to the surface old memories; she leads him towards the discovery of the treasure which had remained elusive throughout their life together.
“What a marvelous thing exists in the human mind? It has the ability to block out entire segments of time, moments of pain which could otherwise torture the soul of an individual. It compiles and retains intricate pieces of information, and can recall them in their entirety… to the most infinite detail… triggering warm feelings which overwhelm the senses. Its information processing can involve the other senses in a way we can remember the sounds of a moment, the smells of an event, or the images of a person. When all other material or physical reminders are lost to us, we rely on our minds to bring them back again.” – Loving Deacon Our words impact others; whether it is in a creative work such as a book or a poem or in our personal conversations. Tone and context change how a word is perceived. We have the ability to make people feel good or bad with our words. We can brighten a day with something as simple as “Hello.” Use the power of your words to make a difference. Say something silly or enlightening. Bring a truth to light. Tell a tale. Remember that one word could be worth a thousand pictures, a million images, a multitude of sensations, or a myriad of emotions.
