STEALING WORDS by Lea Wait
My name is Lea Wait, and I am a thief.
I steal words.
I’m a stealthy thief. I don’t steal more than one, or
possibly two, at a time, so tracing their origins would be impossible, even for
me. I steal them from friends and relatives and CNN commentators. I reach out
and boldly take them from overheard conversations at grocery stores or farmers’
markets or coffee shops. But, worst of all, most of the words I’ve stolen have
come from those in my own profession. I steal them from other writers.
I steal them for the same reason a jeweler might steal a
jewel: they are so beautiful I can’t
resist taking them and making them my own.
I carry a notebook, as most writers do, and it is in that
notebook that I capture those precious, fleeting words. Often they are sensory
words. Images. Words I recognize, I admire, but that I don’t always use myself.
Or that I suddenly see, or hear, in a different way. That remind me of smells
or sights, or tastes that fit in scenes in the book I’m writing. They are
treasures. I hoard them.
I copy them into lists, and I read them over, cherishing the
way they feel, before writing a certain scene, or before starting my work for
the day. They evoke feelings. They are almost a meditation. Sometimes they form
themselves into short phrases.
What are some of the words and phrases on my list now, as I
plan a new book?
“Sea lavender, wishing stones, frayed, wafted, cobalt blue,
gray skeletal pilings, the scent of lavender in an old pine bureau drawer, the
front of the house painted white while the back was left wind-grayed, socked
in, glowing, fingers grazing, skittered, slog, fragile, mud and mould and
rotting fish, screams of fishers in the dark, creak of hardwood boards, shabby,
clamoring.”
And many more. Some of those will no doubt end up finding
homes in my new book. Some will not. But reading them over will remind me of
why I love writing. Words are my tools.
Go ahead. Steal some of mine. Words are wonderful. Used by
different authors, they tell different stories. And yet: standing alone, or in
limited company, they contain their own messages. Sing their own songs.
USA Today best-selling author Lea Wait’s most recent book,
TIGHTENING THE THREADS: A Mainely Needlepoint
Mystery, was published this week. Antique dealer Sarah Byrne has made a home
for herself in Haven Harbor, Maine. But why did she come to Maine? Sarah’s
story involves forced immigration, and her quest for family. But when she finds
that family … she also finds that family dynamics can be delicate … and deadly.
Maine author Lea Wait writes the Mainely Needlepoint mystery
series and the Shadows Antique Print mystery series, and historical novels set
in 19th century Maine for ages 8 and up. She invites you to friend her on Goodreads
and Facebook, and to check her website, www.leawait.com,
for links to free prequels of her recent books.
Comments