Monday, September 21, 2009

From Dictionary to Delete Key

I was doing some writing last night. Late. Like after 10pm. I’m a morning writer, usually, getting up between 5-5:30am. Early, I know, but I go to bed at exactly 9:07pm so it works for me.

But now I know why writing at 10pm on a Sunday is not my norm. I read over the meandering paragraphs this morning and quickly hit the delete key before my cat could read the words over my shoulder. Cats can be so cruel.

There was one good word in the 400, however, and that word was: mandala. The context of the sentence was something like: Paige’s hair glowed around her like a mandala.

You see why I deleted the rest?

Anyway, I basically pulled that term from the depths of my mind – reaching back to an art history class I took about ten years ago. I had a vague idea of what it meant - the amber glow around the heads of religious icons as seen in religious paintings. But after deleting my night time ramblings, the word stuck with me. I had to be sure I’d used it in the correct context in a sentence I’d wiped from my screen. (I’m a bit anal, eh?)

So it was off to www.dictionary.reference.com. Clearasil ads aside, this site is my go to source for quick definitions, synonyms, etc. They even have audio buttons you can click to hear the word pronounced properly.

And what did I discover? That I hadn’t really used the word properly. I was describing a simple halo – while a mandala is a sacred circle that encompasses the entire figure.

Ah….saved once again by the delete key and by a handy online reference source. What online reference tool has your back? Wanna share? I can always use more online tools.

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