I'm really struggling with this one. Hmmm... perhaps I could describe the struggle itself!
The writing task sat smugly on a pedestal, confident it has me bested this time.
~
The struggle for an ordinary word description smothered me in a sticky embrace.Yeah, I'm not too sure about either of those. This is definitely tricky.
Other course writers to the rescue.
"It was mid-morning, sunshine squeezed through the small slatted window of the dingy apartment."
This is part of the entry from Deana Mazzocchi-Phillips. Sunshine squeezing. I love it! Ordinary word, unfamiliar use.
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I'm going to have to keep an eye out for opportunities to practice this.
Happy Writing :-)
I definitely preferred your second option (sticky embrace) to the first. Not sure pedestal or even bested could be classed as familiar words, if, as I think they mean plain, everyday words. Thinking back to my 7-year-reading-age-of-the-average-British-householder days I would reckon both to be above that.
ReplyDeleteI heard a lovely use of fam in unfam on an obituary programme about Leslie Thomas, but I shall get it wrong - it was something like thin sky over a flat sea.
Dylan Thomas has a lovely one By a thin sea of flesh. Just ordinary words creating a vivid picture. When you hunt for such uses though that are original they will fly before you.
Smugly was the ordinary word I was actually going for in the first. I ummmed and aaahed for an alternative to pedestal for a while but nothing showed itself. I agree though.
DeleteThin sea is good - I like it.