Welcome to Wordplay for Writers–a space where language isn’t just a tool, it’s a playground. Here, words twist, tumble, and tease their way into new shapes, helping us discover how writing can be both craft and game.
Julglimmer
an old Scandinavian term for the brief, shimmering brightness that appears on snow just as dusk settles on Christmas Eve
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Use the idea of this fleeting Christmas shimmer as a metaphor to write about an unexpected insight, memory, or truth that surfaced during the holidays. Explore what it revealed, why it mattered, and how it altered your understanding of the season or of yourself.
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Eldritch
an adjective describing something as weird, sinister, or ghostly–perhaps originally related to elf
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A spooky prompt for Weirdtober…describe an ex-lover by detailing the eldritch smells and sounds that came from their body.
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Precrastination
the habit of doing things too early, sometimes unnecessarily
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Imagine a character who always finishes everything ridiculously early—buying holiday gifts in March, showing up to dinner three hours before it starts, or submitting assignments before the teacher has even explained them.
One day, their habit of precrastination backfires in a spectacular (and funny, or maybe mysterious) way. What happens when being early actually causes chaos?
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Recipe
a set of instructions and a list of ingredients to prepare a particular dish; originally directions for a medical prescription
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Imagine arecipe for an emotion like loneliness, anger, or heartache.
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Juxtaposition
two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect
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Create a list of contrasts, like Hard and Soft, Vinegar and Sugar, Heart and Bones, Fear and Desire… Then pick a pair that you’d like to explore and describe them in more detail. Combine them and let theirjuxtaposition tell a story.
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Petrichor
From the Greek words rock and ichor (blood of the Gods); that pleasant scent from rainfall on dry earth
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Write two stories: narrate an emotional challenge you’re facing right now and describe your own personal petrichor, the scent of an unexpected rain after a long dry period. Weave them together.
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Limerence
An intense infatuation or obsession with another person when reciprocation is uncertain
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Your maddest crush finally calls. But something seems off–about them or perhaps about the way you are suddenly feeling. Record the conversation. How does your limerence change?
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Woodshed
in music, to woodshed means to practice an instrument in a focused way. The term comes from the idea of practicing somewhere remote, like a woodshed, to spare others from hearing you.
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Listen to one of your favorite songs. While it plays, free write the emotions and memories that come to you. Woodshed your words like playing jazz with no one listening.
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Chrononavigation
navigating or steering through time
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You’ve traveled through time and encounter a younger version of yourself. What life lesson would you share?
Linda Petrucelli 