I bet you do this and perhaps don’t know it has an official name, or many names . . . Words that create new words when spelled backward are called: heteropalindromes, semordnilaps, semi-palindromes, half-palindromes, reversgrams, mynoretehs, reversible anagrams, word reversals, or anadromes. The term “semordnilap” is a playful invention. Though the term is relatively modern, the concept has been used for centuries. Lewis Carroll is known for creating “Semordnilap” (the reverse of Palindrome). Examples of semordnilaps are found in the works of James Joyce, particularly “Finnegans Wake” (1939). Joyce was known for his experimental use of language, and “Finnegans Wake” is filled with complex puns, wordplay, and linguistic tricks. Although the book primarily focuses on palindromes and complex word formations, it also features instances where words and phrases take on new meanings when reversed or rearranged. Joyce’s innovative approach to language helped cement semordnilaps as a legitimate and intriguing form…
Category: Just Write
Working with an editor
What to look for when working with an editor: “My goal is to help them [editing clients] bring their vision to life and to push their craft further.” –Maggie Smith, “Building Together,” Jan/Feb 2025 Poets & Writers. More about editing: Re-visioning aka editing Just Write!
Get through trauma
“One of the best things you can do for yourself to get through a traumatic life or childhood or single incident is to not bury it but talk or write about it until you acquire the skills to manage it or put it to rest.” — Janet P. How to write about a difficult subject without adding trauma. Just Write! #iamawriter #iamwriting #justwrite
Scent: Powerfully Evocative
Rainy Day Chocolate “The seasonal ingredient that might be the most powerfully evocative is scent. Physiologically speaking, the central location for identifying aromas lives in the front of our brains in the olfactory bulb. This structure is closely tied to the limbic system, a command center for our emotions and long-term memory. That explains why scent is so closely allied with thought.” — Stephen Orr, Editor in Chief of Better Homes & Gardens magazine (December 2023). Choose a prompt related to sensory detail and Just Write! Smell, Taste, Hear, Touch Imagery and Sensory Detail ala Adair Lara Sensory Detail
Nathan Bransford asks . . .
Nathan Bransford recently posted the question, “Has your ambition changed in the past few years?” on his Blog. Hmmm . . . My answer: My goal, since 2003, has been to encourage writers, especially people who want to write but think they can’t. The older I get, the more I am inspired to keep doing what I’ve been doing: Posting inspiration to Just Write! And so, here we are, on The Write Spot Blog asking: Has your ambition changed in the past few years? You can click on Nathan’s Blog post and comment there. Or: Since I no longer have a comments section on my blog (because I couldn’t keep up with deleting spammers), you can answer the question on Marlene Cullen’s Write Spot Facebook Page. Just Write! #justwrite #iamawriteer #iamwriting
Armando Garcia-Dávila: Writing With Prisoners
Something new on The Write Spot Blog: A video! Some of us hold our cards close to our chest, reluctant to reveal anything personal. Not Garcia-Dávila. In this video, Armando opens his heart to tell us about his experience with prisoners. “I present my experiences volunteering at San Quentin State Penitentiary in Marin County, California. I interacted with inmates over three-day retreats. An unexpected takeaway; there are many decent people, some admirable, that are serving sentences from two years to life. I had an interaction with one particular inmate that was life changing for both of us.” —Armando Garcia-Dávila The video is about 50 minutes long. Scroll down for link to video. Armando opens with a poem “Keeping Quiet,” by Pablo Neruda. Suzanne Murray wrote about “Finding Magic in the Mundane,” referencing Neruda. “I have many favorite poets but, the Nobel prize winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda tops the list in…
More than “Just the facts”
Balancing Facts With Narrative “Fact-packed prose might feed the mind, but stories stir the soul. This is where structuring your narrative to build interest comes into play. The goal is to weave your facts into a story arc that escalates the wonder, making each page a gateway to the next surprise. By balancing detailed factual content with engaging narrative structures and vivid scene-setting, you transform your nonfiction into a compelling story. This isn’t just information, it’s an experience, a journey through the phenomenal world of your subject that educates and enchants.” — “From Ordinary to Extraordinary,” Ryan G. Van Cleave, Writer’s Digest Sept/Oct 2024
Create Original Phrases
Rather than using a tired cliché, create your own phrases that might become popular and memorable. Like this one: “ . . Maureen Seaton wrote beautiful poems the way some people eat potato chips.” — Mario Alejandro Ariza, “Writers on Writing,” Writer’s Digest, July/August, 2024 Have fun with clichés. #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter
Concise Poetic Forms
“While excess can be fun when writing nature poems, many poets find minimalism is preferable. Emily Dickinson wrote several nature poems — often in fewer than 10 lines — including ‘Who robbed the woods’ and ‘My river runs to thee.’ One of the most concise poetic forms is also a nature poem: the haiku! Many poets debate the number of lines and syllables (not everyone believes in the 5-7-5), but every haiku poet agrees haiku should focus on a brief moment, provide a sense of enlightenment, and offer a cutting and season word.” Excerpt from “Poetic Asides” by Robert Lee Brewer, Writer’s Digest, July/August 2024. More about haiku and nature writing: Nature Journaling Crystallize a Moment Why I Love Writing Ekphrastic Poetry #justwrite #amwriting #iamawriter
Nature Journaling
“With nothing more than a pen and a notebook, nature journaling can help you slow down and create a reference you can call upon to bring your reader into the worlds you build on the page.” Excerpted from “How Nature Journaling Can Help Your Writing,” by Maria Bengtson. Writer’s Digest, July/August 2024. Go outside with pen and notebook, get settled, observe, use sensory detail to enhance your writing. Bengtson suggests using these prompts I notice . . . I wonder . . . It reminds me of . . . “Your observations will create a reference that will help you transport your reader from their cozy chair to the world on your pages. Sketch a tree or flower or a critter you see. The work of creating a rough map, schematic, or stick-figure diagram forces you to think about how things are related to one another, and how the environment…