Words and Phrases

Let me start this post by apologizing for breaking my New Year's resolution in the first week of the year. I wanted to post on here at least once a week, and this is my first post in 2012. I've been busy with school work, reading for school, looking for a job, and side writing projects, not to mention personal drama, but that's no excuse. I know I can find time to write here once a week, and dammit I'm going to do it.

That being said, I would like to say that, no, the title of this post has nothing to do with Wheel of Fortune. As an aspiring novelist, I find joy in words of all kinds, and I find even greater joy in the combining of said words into interesting, if not thought-provoking, phrases. So, I would like to take a moment to share some of my favorites with you and hopefully get your feedback on them as well as see which words and phrases you enjoy.

Your dreams are manufactured:
I guess I'll start with the name in the address bar. For a while now (at least ten years) I've been working on a fantasy series that has recently become more serious to me. One of the main plot devices is a dream world. So, when I went to use the restroom at a truckstop one day and saw this written on the inside of one of the stalls in permanent marker, I knew I had to incorporate it into my story. Now I have a character who manufactures dreams and I am one step closer to getting this story off the ground.

Ride the lightning:
Once again looking at this blog you will find a favorite phrase of mine, and once again it has to do with my fantasy series. My wife helped me think of this phrase when I read a passage to her that took her breath away. She said she felt like she just went on a roller coaster ride, and I thought of a ride called the Lightning. I also thought of a Stephen King short story, "Riding the Bullet." The phrase "riding the lightning" just jumped out at me and I've loved it ever since.

Future yesterday:
When staying up late at night, there's typically not a lot of television to watch. Having grown up a bit, I've found myself becoming more fond of late night talk shows. One of my favorites is Craig Ferguson. He's funny, unorthodox, and just obscure enough that I don't feel like a follower when I watch his show. He has a theme song, and one of the lines in the song is "Tomorrow is just a future yesterday." This is one of those phrases that really gets me thinking. After 48 hours, tomorrow will be in the past. It's something I wanted to play around with, and after much deliberation, I found the perfect use of this phrase. It is the title of a short story I'm currently working on, and it's going to be a doozy. I'll keep you updated as it nears completion.

Infinite:
I have always loved this word. I don't know how it does it, but it really captures the true essence of endlessness. There are a lot of big, flashy words that are just fine, but it is the small words that most often pack the biggest punch. I can't see or hear the word "infinite" without imagining the sideways eight. It is also great for coming up with awesome ideas, lyrics, etc. like when popular Jewish a cappella group the Maccabeats (covering a song by another famous Jewish artist, Matisyahu), referred to infinite as "one more than you know how to be." The use of infinite has endless possibilities (pun intended).

Heist:
Like I said, the small words are the ones that pack the biggest punches, and "heist" is no different. Dictionary.com defines the noun "heist" as "a robbery or hold up." However, for those of you who are writers and/or enjoy these types of movies and books, the word "heist" means so much more. Traditional heist stories involve a group of people all working together to steal something. Some examples include The Perfect Score and The Italian Job. These are appealing to me because there is more than just stealing going on. There is a sense of togetherness and a sense of identity. Everyone knows his or her role, and they all must work together perfectly to pull the heist off. I can't hear the word "heist" and not smile.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:
Just because small words are mighty oes not mean I do not appreciate the big, flashy ones. For those of you familiar with this word, I don't really think I need to say more. For those of you who aren't...where have you been? This word was made popular as a song by the same name sung by Julie Andrews in 1964. It was written by the Sherman Brothers specifically for the movie/musical, which is based on a book by P.L. Travers. In the stage version, Mary Poppins and the kids walk into a book shop in search of a good conversation, only to find out the lady who runs the shop is fresh out of conversation. She does have, however, some letters left. Mary helps the children to form the word which then leads into the song. As she states in both the movie and the stage version "It can mean exactly what you want it to mean," making supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the most useful word of all. It is pretty much the American version of the French, jena se qua, which means that something special you cannot explain.

Being a writer and a reader, words are my life. I love word games such as Apples to Apples, Boggle, You've Been Sentenced, and Scrabble. I have so many more words and phrases that I would love to talk about, but then this post would be way too long. I hope you can tell me what you think of these words and phrases and tell me some of your favorites as well. And you don't even need to splurge to buy a vowell.