I have followed the discussion on the loop for the past several days as we have looked at "four-letter-words" from about every angle imaginable. Then as I was reading one day I found a creative way to say a sliched four-letter-word. Frederick Ramsay wrote the following in a book entitled: Judas: The Gospel of Betrayal. I quote from page 124. The words coming from his lips would make the roughest seaman blush."
The same author wrote such an innovative description using very few words. I quote from page 139. "The moment moved . . .like honey in winter."
On page 147 Ramsay wrote the following. "The howling stopped (coming from the demoniac), replaced by low mutterings and words, so blasphemous and vile that even I, who'd spent more years than I care to enumerate in the streets and brothels of the empire, blushed."
Diane Noble, author of The Veil, wrote on page 324, ". . . arrows as thick as horizontal rain, flooded the circle." On page 358 she wrote about a gun. "This thing's as empty as a church on Monday morning."
In The Scent of Water, Linda Nichols wrote, "Miss Harrison was on her way to gone," page 205.
Dorothy Francis wrote, in Eden Palms Murder, page215, "My anger simmered like a kettle of chowder." And on page 242, "Quinn sat silent as a chunk or coral. . ."
As you may have noticed, not all these quotations replaced less desirable words, but all exemplified good, creative writing. Let's all aspire to that high goal.
And then there's my favorite line from a favorite movie, Friendly Pursuasion. The character was a member of the Friends church -- gentle, quiet, soft-spoken -- usually. However, a Rebel soldier was chasing the family's pet goose. She picked up her broom, chased him off, and said, "When thee gets back to thy mother's house, I hope she bites thee."
We'd like to hear from readers about the remarkable writing you've come across. Please drop by and share favorite examples of great writing you've come across.
Pat Radaker
Great examples!
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