People often say one thing and do another. It means that what you do has a stronger impact on others than what you say. “Actions speak louder than words,” is one of those wonderful adages that will always be relevant. Tapping into universal human emotions, makes us want to follow them on their journey, eager to know what happens next. Give us just enough words to ensure that what you envision comes through.Īnd subtext brings depth and dimension to your characters, creating roles actors will be eager to play. Put the emotional content on the page and the actors will be able to play the subtext more potently than any writer can put into words. What makes writing visceral? Words that make us feel as if we are experiencing the emotions. When we are emotionally connected with the character, we are the hero. When the hero is in jeopardy, we are flooded with adrenaline, ready for “fight or flight” although we are experiencing it on a 2D screen. If your hero runs for her life, the part of the brain that we use to make our legs move lights up as if we were running – while we are sitting perfectly still. A special MRI machine showing brain activity proves that the same area of the brain that the hero uses lights up in the brain of the reader or viewer. Our brains can be activated by your words. How it makes us hungry for story, eager to experience a film on the big screen, stay up all night streaming, or unable to put down a good book. I’ve written before about the visceral experience our brains crave. These stories literally light up our brains. “The museum was so quiet, you could easily hear the slightest shushkeh from two rooms away.The stories that stick with us are, therefore, the visceral ones. Shushkeh (SHOOSH-keh, with the “oo” pronounced as in “book”): This Yiddish word for “whisper” literally sounds like what it means. “Even though he’s kind of cheap, my shtub-mensch is a real mensch.” English already uses “ mensch” to describe a good, decent person., so why not give it an upgrade? Shtub-mensch (SHTOOB-mensh, with the “oo” pronounced as in “book”): The literal translation of shtub-mensch is room- or house-person, but is used to mean roommate. “Would you like the last cheese blintz, Zissele?” Zissele (ZISS-uh-leh) Use this term of endearment instead of the blander ‘”sweetie,” “sugar” or similar English words. Make sure to put some attitude behind it! (Some self-righteous fist-shaking, perhaps?) It’s already a sentence use it when your buttons have been pushed too far. Veren zol fun dir a blintsa (VEHR-en zol fun DEER ah BLIN-tseh): Yelling this at someone who cuts you off is more entertaining than using more off-color language since you’re telling the offender that they should turn into a blintz! “I often find myself wishing I still had my old Trapper Keeper ringlheft.” It refers to a three-ring binder and is definitely an attention-grabber. Ringlheft (RIN-gul-heft) This is hands-down my favorite word in Yiddish. “The band usually puts on a great performance, but last night’s show was nit azoy ay-ay-ay.” Nit azoy ay-ay-ay (NEET ah-ZOY aye-aye-aye the “ay” should be pronounced like the pronoun “I”): This phrase means ‘”not that great.” “Just one more hour of this malokhe and I get to head home!” Malokhe (mah-LOH-kheh): This is a word borrowed from Hebrew, and it means work. “My mom must put a pound of butter in her kashe-bulbe, but it’s so good I don’t care!” Kashe-Bulbe (KAH-sheh BOOL-beh): Want to expand your culinary Yiddish beyond kreplach and kugel? Kashe-Bulbe means mashed potatoes, and is more fun to say than its English equivalent. “Pull up your britches your unterzakhn are showing!” Unterzakhn is also the title of a graphic novel by Leela Corman. (OON-ter-zakhn) Literally “under-things,” unterzakhn refers to undergarments.
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