#wordsmiths

[agatheringofthreads]

Pomegranate

The sky is pomegranate red at sunset.

A wayward cloud shaped like an arrow pierces the fruit and the juice drips secrets down into vessels, into valleys, into all the fields and oceans.

Clouds gather. Tides roll in. I watch from the shore, shifting with the sand, asking for my place in all of this.

The roots of trees respond to me:

Be honored. You are witness. You are watered by the storms you’ve weathered. You are lifted by the winds and you dance. You sing. You journey and return. You are pulsing, a complex system intertwining, yet a still and simple thing of nature. You are many things and many ways at many times and many places, and always through it all you are witness. There is nothing more precious you can be than that which you are.

I listen to the rustle of the wild blooms that sprout from my limbs and face and heart and everywhere, and I know that the roots speak true.

I gather the seedlings that the breeze plucks off my petals and onward, with an armful of hope, I flow.

#creative writing #free verse #new p.s. #poem #poem of the day #poetic prose #poetry #poetryriot #poets on tumblr #spilled ink #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writerscreed #writing #writtenconsiderations #words #wordsmiths #from the archive #01042018

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By Leanne Italie

November 27, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.”

Authentic cuisine. Authentic voice. Authentic self. Authenticity as artifice.

Lookups for the word are routinely heavy on the dictionary company’s site but were boosted to new heights throughout the year, editor at large Peter Sokolowski told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview.

“We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity,” he said ahead of Monday’s announcement of this year’s word.

“What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”

Sokolowski and his team don’t delve into the reasons people head for dictionaries and websites in search of specific words.

Rather, they chase the data on lookup spikes and world events that correlate.

This time around, there was no particularly huge boost at any given time but a constancy to the increased interest in “authentic.”

This was the year of artificial intelligence, for sure, but also a moment when ChatGPT-maker OpenAI suffered a leadership crisis.

Musk himself, at February’s World Government Summit in Dubai, urged the heads of companies, politicians, ministers and other leaders to “speak authentically” on social media by running their own accounts.

“Can we trust whether a student wrote this paper? Can we trust whether a politician made this statement? We don’t always trust what we see anymore,” Sokolowski said.

“We sometimes don’t believe our own eyes or our own ears. We are now recognizing that authenticity is a performance itself.”

Merriam-Webster’s entry for “authentic” is busy with meaning.

There’s “not false or imitation: real, actual,” as in an authentic cockney accent.

There’s “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character.”

There’s “worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact.”

There’s “made or done the same way as an original.”

And, perhaps the most telling, there’s “conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features.”

“Authentic” follows 2022’s choice of “gaslighting.”

And 2023 marks Merriam-Webster’s 20th anniversary choosing a top word.

The company’s data crunchers filter out evergreen words like “love” and “affect” vs. “effect” that are always high in lookups among the 500,000 words it defines online.

This year, the wordsmiths also filtered out numerous five-letter words because Wordle and Quordle players clearly use the company’s site in search of them as they play the daily games, Sokolowski said.

Sokolowski, a lexicologist, and his colleagues have a bevy of runners-up for word of the year that also attracted unusual traffic.

They include “X” (lookups spiked in July after Musk’s rebranding of Twitter), “EGOT” (there was a boost in February when Viola Davis achieved that rare quadruple-award status with a Grammy) and “Elemental,” the title of a new Pixar film that had lookups jumping in June.

Rounding out the company’s top words of 2023, in no particular order:

RIZZ: It’s slang for “romantic appeal or charm” and seemingly short for charisma.

Merriam-Webster added the word to its online dictionary in September and it’s been among the top lookups since, Sokolowski said.

KIBBUTZ: There was a massive spike in lookups for “a communal farm or settlement in Israel” after Hamas militants attacked several near the Gaza Strip on October 7.

The first kibbutz was founded circa 1909 in what is today Israel.

IMPLODE: The June 18 implosion of the Titan submersible on a commercial expedition to explore the Titanic wreckage sent lookups soaring for this word, meaning “to burst inward.”

“It was a story that completely occupied the world,” Sokolowski said.

DEADNAME: Interest was high in what Merriam-Webster defines as “the name that a transgender person was given at birth and no longer uses upon transitioning.”

Lookups followed an onslaught of legislation aimed at curtailing LGBTQ+ rights around the country.

DOPPELGANGER: Sokolowski calls this “a word lover’s word.”

Merriam-Webster defines it as a “double,” an “alter ego” or a “ghostly counterpart.”

It derives from German folklore. Interest in the word surrounded Naomi Klein’s latest book, “Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World,” released this year.

She uses her own experience of often being confused with feminist author and conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf as a springboard into a broader narrative on the crazy times we’re all living in.

CORONATION: King Charles III had one on May 6, sending lookups for the word soaring 15,681% over the year before, Sokolowski said.

Merriam-Webster defines it as “the act or occasion of crowning.”

DEEPFAKE: The dictionary company’s definition is “an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said.”

Interest spiked after Musk’s lawyers in a Tesla lawsuit said he is often the subject of deepfake videos and again after the likeness of Ryan Reynolds appeared in a fake, AI-generated Tesla ad.

DYSTOPIAN: Climate chaos brought on interest in the word. So did books, movies and TV fare intended to entertain.

“It’s unusual to me to see a word that is used in both contexts,” Sokolowski said.

COVENANT: Lookups for the word meaning “a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement” swelled on March 27, after a deadly mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

The shooter was a former student killed by police after killing three students and three adults.

Interest also spiked with this year’s release of Guy Ritchie’s "The Covenant” and Abraham Verghese’s long-awaited new novel, “The Covenant of Water,” which Oprah Winfrey chose as a book club pick.

More recently, soon after U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson ascended to House speaker, a 2022 interview with the Louisiana congressman recirculated.

He discussed how his teen son was then his “accountability partner” on Covenant Eyes, software that tracks browser history and sends reports to each partner when porn or other potentially objectionable sites are viewed.

INDICT: Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on felony charges in four criminal cases in New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C., in addition to fighting a lawsuit that threatens his real estate empire.

#Merriam-Webster #word of the year #word of the year 2023 #authentic #dictionary #Peter Sokolowski #words #wordsmiths #lexicology #lexicologist

[agatheringofshapes]

Meeting Place

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#art #artblr #artists on tumblr #collage #collage art #collage artists #collage poetry #digital art #digital collage #found poetry #micropoetry #mixed media #poem #poets on tumblr #text collage #visual poetry #wordsmiths

[enchantingepics]

Story Prompt 71

There existed a bond between two individuals. One was a hardened figure, weathered by the trials of time and circumstance. The other, a compassionate soul, whose heart seemed to overflow with empathy for every passing moment.

"You always seem to have a heart for the ones in need," the weathered figure remarked, his voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

The compassionate soul paused, turning to meet the gaze of his companion. "Isn't that what it means to be human? To feel for others, to share in their joys and sorrows?"

The other scoffed, a cynical edge creeping into his tone. "People die every day, yet you only seem to care when they're dying at my feet."

The words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the divergent paths they had chosen. One, guided by duty and survival, hardened by the harsh realities of life. The other, driven by compassion and empathy, refusing to turn a blind eye to the suffering around him.

#story ideas #writing prompts #plot ideas #creative prompt #fiction ideas #story starters #writing inspiration #character suggestions #storytelling prompt #writing challenge #story concept #plot prompt #writing exercise #imagination prompt #narrative ideas #storytelling inspiration #writers block help #story genius #creative writing prompt #fiction prompts #writing adventure #storytelling craft #writing community #author life #inspire writing #wordsmiths #story crafting #author journey #writers world #storytelling magic

[mumbled-tea]

Criminalize

In shadows deep, where darkness hides, A tale unfolds, where good resides. A soul once pure, with heart untamed, Faced trials that left it scarred and maimed.

The world, a stage of torment and woe, Unleashed its wrath, a cruel tableau. Torture and cruelty, their bitter refrain, Transforming a spirit, causing deep pain.

A good person, with noble dreams, Caught in the web of sinister schemes. The weight of malice, a heavy shroud, Fueled the fire, in heart allowed.

Through battles fought, in righteousness clad, The line between good and evil blurred, gone mad. With every blow, their essence was torn, Aching to break free, their true self mourned.

In the fight, where shadows dance, The good person caught in a malevolent trance. Once tender-hearted, now filled with strife, Yearning for the days of a simpler life.

The mirror reveals a stranger's face, A criminal born from this darkened space. Heartbroken, they witness the fall from grace, Longing for redemption, to find their true place.

For in the depths, they lost their way, A pawn in a game they never wished to play. But hope still flickers, a distant spark, To reclaim the light that once left its mark.

In the struggle between good and ill, A yearning to restore, to rebuild, fulfill. With strength and courage, they'll seek release, And heal the wounds that shattered their peace.

For though the world may cast its cruel guise, A good person's essence never truly dies. Through tears and trials, they'll rise above, Reclaim their spirit, and find love.

So let us remember, as we strive, The power to change, to keep goodness alive. For in this battle, both outside and within, We'll fight for redemption, and let forgiveness begin.

#writing #writers on Tumblr #writers community #writers of Tumblr #writers corner #writing advice #writing inspiration #writing tips #amwriting #writing prompt #writer's block #writer's life #writer's problems #wordsmiths #word magic #creative writing #fiction writing #poetry #writers support #writers unite

[ghost-inacup]

Hey writers, what's your favourite thing to write?

#writers #writers on tumblr #authors #author #writeblr #fanfiction #wordsmiths

[hercurrentnovel]

The MADNESS of March!

Hello, readers and friends! March is here, and there is so much happening this month! This blog post is about all the happenings of March 2024. First of all, I have an announcement and a request. I Could Use Your Vote 🙂 Most of you are probably familiar with the March Madness NCAA games starting today. I entered a similar contest with my serialized novel Patches! We are in the fifth day of the…

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#Author #Avid Readers #Christian Fiction #Christian Fiction Readers #Kindle Vella #Storytellers #Wordsmiths #Writing

[ideadeco]

Deep in the ocean

With telling eyes and expressive whispers Deep in the ocean, doubts fade away A glimpse of unspoken eternity It is just a kiss away Don't trust reality Dare to let time lose its hold Dare to surrender Dare to fall in love Sea waves, Are the answer © Areti Vassou / Poetry Collection: Dare

#Areti Vassou #poetry #wordsmiths #content creators

[chardaearchive]

Untitled

When the last light peaks at the grave of the horizon, and reality becomes unmasked by the suns glare,

the last bodies lay to rest,

buried in sacramental ceremony,

the tenebrosity of waning hours inspire acquiescence

light fragments turn to shadows in sprinkles

the night devours all in its path,

Nothingness.

-----------------------------------------------------------

this poem is written and edited by Chardae Hilson, this content should not be edited, copied, or redistributed without my written consent. If you reblog, thank you but PLEASE give me all credit.

#queer writers #female writers #women writers #writerblr #creative writing #fanfic writer #writer things #writers and poets #writerscommunity #PoetryCorner #PoetryCommunity #PoetryLovers #Wordsmiths #WritersOfTumblr #NighttimeReflections #Tenebrosity #DarknessAndLight #ShadowsAndWhispers #SoulfulVerses #MidnightMusing #ThoughtfulPoetry #WritingInShadows #InkAndNight #NightfallMusings #GlimmersOfDarkness #DreamsInVerse #EternalNight #IntoTheVoid #PoeticJourney #gothic

[saturdaysentiments]

Wordsmiths

💡Revitalize the strength of your words 💡Anoint with your words 💡Love with your words 💡Stand firm in your word 💡Keep your word 💡Heal with your words As always my beautiful people, stay prayed up

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#Encouragement #power of words #Saturday Sentiments #Wisdom #Words #wordsmiths

[eliwane]

Bloggers journey

Join us on a journey through diverse topics, from travel adventures and lifestyle tips to thought-provoking essays and cutting-edge technology. Our dedicated team of writers is committed to delivering engaging, well-researched content that caters to a wide range of interests.

#BlogLife #BloggingCommunity #WriteOn #BloggersOfInstagram #InspiredWriting #Wordsmiths #ContentCreators #BloggingJourney #BloggersUnite #ReadersDigest #Blogosphere #DigitalStorytelling #WritersBlockNoMore #BloggingTips #ShareYourStory #WritingInspiration #BloggingGoals #CreativeWriting #BloggersConnect #WordNerds

[4ndeka]

Its my bestie @cc-kote's bday today!! So i did a little codywan for him, as a treat (he also has a kick ass fanfic about them check it out)

#the fanfic takes place in the future on tatooine ben era #so its different from the above pic XD but its also very wholesome #obi wan kenobi #commander cody #star wars #clone wars #codywan #my art #READ MY FRIENDS FANFIC #U WONT REGRET HES A WORDSMITH

[stephen-narain]

#Salman Rushdie #Zadie Smith #Wordsmiths

[agatheringofshapes]

No. 17

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#102522 #art #artblr #artists on tumblr #collage #collage poetry #found poetry #micropoetry #photography #poem #poets on tumblr #poetry #text collage #visual poetry #words #wordsmiths

[digiknow]

#ucsb #writers #wordsmiths #santabarbara

[mumbled-tea]

NEUTRAL

In the realm of shadows, where secrets reside, A young girl dwells, her emotions denied. Her heart yearns to soar, to express and be free, But a possessive mother's grasp tightens its decree.

Restrictions, like bars, confine her soul, Within a gilded cage, her spirit's control. Her tears, a currency, her mother won't accept, For in her eyes, they betray and intercept.

Frustration, a tempest, brews deep inside, Annoyance and longing merge in the tide. She cries out in anguish, her pleas remain unheard, As her mother's love becomes a suffocating absurd.

Yearning for release, for a moment to break, She lashes out, behaves madly, a storm in her wake. But deep down, she craves solace, to find her own way, To be true to herself, not just a role to portray.

Insecurity lingers, like a shadow's caress, She fears she's not meeting society's request. Expected to be heartless, devoid of emotion, Yet despised for her neutral face's devotion.

Oh, how she wishes to navigate life's rough sea, To show her true self, unashamed and carefree. But the weight of expectations bears heavy on her soul, She searches for a path to make herself whole.

In this battle of feelings, she finds her own grace, A dance between warmth and the neutral she'll embrace. For within her beats a heart, both gentle and strong, An empathetic spirit, a voice to belong.

She'll rise above the whispers, the judgments, the stares, And embrace her own truth, unburdened by cares. For her emotions are a canvas, colors to express, And her tears, a testament to the strength she possesses.

The young girl will navigate life's shifting tide, In her vulnerability, she'll find her pride. For it's in being true to herself, without disguise, That she'll find her worth, where her spirit truly lies.

#writing #poetry #writers of Tumblr #poets of Tumblr #poem #wordsmiths #poetry community #writers on Tumblr #poets on Tumblr #amwriting #writersofinstagram #writingprompt