Which we can take in several ways. We can take it as the crazy, wild, exhilarating ride writing can be. Today I was turning over ideas in my head about a story I've wanted to write for months, but had been stuck on. Suddenly all the pieces fit together and I had more and more brilliant ideas, and knew exactly how I would weave the characters and locations together. It was a total rush, pure joy, and I was feeling another B word, bliss.
Merriam-Webster says the first known use of bitchin' was 1957, and I once heard a rumor it was connected with surfing, but can't substantiate that. Anybody got a link?
That magical feeling, the wonderful happy flow of a poem or story coming together, whether on paper, screen, or still in our heads, just like riding a monster wave, is... totally bitchin.'
Of course, bitchin' is also slang that's gone in and out of popular usage. That's what writing is about, too, blending together formal vocabulary and grammatically correct sentences, perhaps dusting off a shy little word that's been languishing in a corner for far too long, and throwing in some slang or some Tweetspeak that's crept into our lives and our language.
So, bitchin' is still rockin' my world. Not ready to throw it under the bus yet.
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| Photo by Rene S at Flickr |
But mostly, right now, I'm on a writer's high because I'm very excited about this A-Z challenge thing. I want to prove to the word, and also to myself, that I can make it All - The - Way. It's like an Ironman triathlon, except I don't actually have to do anything athletic.
Which is, in and of itself, bitchin'.
Which is your favorite use of bitchin' as it applies to writing? Tell me about it in the comments, below. (Yes, the comments have changed, but you can still be anonymous, if you prefer.)
