One-Word Wednesday

Could you get your message across in one word sentences? Today I challenged myself to do that (mostly via text). I'm not a woman of many words (until I drink caffeine or alcohol), preferring to write (duh), but it was still tough to condense what I wanted to say into one word. I had to get creative with descriptions, which led to being more accurate while at the same time more confusing. By the end of the day, I found it hard to not word vomit everywhere; I kept thoughts in my head to spew out once my self-imposed challenge ended.

A simple Google search of "one word" brings up some fun things--apparently I'm not the only one challenging myself this way, nor am I the only one who recognizes the power of solo words:

oneword.com : they give you one word, you type for 60 seconds. It's about "being inspired by words." If you choose, you can register & upload your flow. Today's word is "sweep" and I invented a new definition for it: sweet weep. Like happy crying. I sweep fairly often.

myoneword.org : "Change your life with just one word." The idea is to "choose one word that represents what you most hope God will do in you, and focus on it for an entire year." This super overwhelms me. Like defining an entire city with one word (see Eat, Pray, Love --Rome is "sex," New York is "ambition," London is "stuffy," etc.), I think it's neat to think we each have one word that defines us. I just don't think I could ever settle on one word forever. (Maybe my word is overwhelmed?) A search for Chicago's word comes back with "loyal," "husky," "nonchalant," "real," and "straightforward."

oneword365.com : Similar to My One Word, this site is a 2013 New Year's resolution to choose one word to focus on for an entire year. What does it mean if the words I think of first are "wine," "balance," and "pranks" ? When I asked Britney, she said her word would be "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Getting the most bang for her buck, that one.

I remember having to do a one word writing exercise in high school. We wrote stories with just one word sentences; it was one of my favorite activities. I write better when posed a challenge, given a specific topic, or made to follow story guidelines--I'm not nearly as overwhelmed by an expanse of white page when my options are limited. In some way limits are freeing. I can't find the story now, though I'm sure it's at home somewhere. It was mostly dialogue, which happens to be my writing forte.

I guess I'll write another...

Trying

Bar. Empty. --Wait. Woman. Alone.
Bartender. "Thirsty?"
"Parched."
"Drink?"
"Beer."
"Enjoy."
"Thanks." Sip. Grimace. Bitter.
"Bad?"
Frown. "Unpracticed."
"Patience."
Door. Man. Sits. "Whiskey. Please."
"Sure." Turns. Pours. Serves.
Downs. "Another."
"Careful."
Wave. Dismissing.
"Grieving?"
"Celebrating." Sarcastic. "Pregnant."
"First?"
"Fourth."
Whistles.
"Exhausted."
"Wife?"
"Same."
Nods.
Woman. Eavesdropping. Sighs. Bottle.
Emptied. Empty.
Leaves. Leaving.
Stops. Whispers. "Congrats."