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.
