H. D. Dodson

I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I’ve used the phrase “use your words” as a mother.  Since Super Spawn was first able to talk I’ve encouraged the use of his vocabulary to explain his feelings instead of having a tantrum on the floor.  (And get this, it works!)

Something I’ve tried to impress upon him, even as a small child, is that words are powerful.  Coming from a toddler’s standpoint, being able to use his words can mean the difference between bawling on the floor because he lost his toy or whatever the “crisis” is, and having Mom fix the problem.

As he grows I hope to teach him how words affect people on an emotional level.  How a single phrase can change the way someone sees themself, for better or worse.

As writers I feel like we hold a very special gift in our hands — the ability to take words and shape them into more.  We can create turns of phrase and entire worlds that have the ability to reshape the way a young adult’s (or whoever reads) view of society, the world as a whole, or themselves in a very deep way.

So, use your words for good whether it be on your blog, in your life, or in your novel.  Don’t forget the power they hold.

As Spiderman says, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  (Can you tell Super Spawn is into Spiderman lately?)

Monday, July 9th, 2012, 8:58 am   |   Uncategorized  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback