~ Something beginning with S ~

I first did this exercise here nearly three years ago, and this morning i woke up wanting to do it again (official reason: to limber up my writing mind; unofficial reason: it begins with P). If you want to play along you can either do what i did just a moment ago - stuck my finger in a book to find a random letter - or leave a comment and I will email you a letter; then simply list ten words you love that begin with that letter, and tell us why you love them.

Sensual: I love the sound of this word in my mouth, the way it rolls over my tongue and spills onto my lips like blackberry juice. There is a swathe of sensuality inside me that’s been trapped there for too long and I want to let her out of the cage. One day soon.

Serendipity: really, who doesn’t love this word? It’s pink and pretty, candyfloss-coloured cakes and smiling faces, happiness and hope, lucky clovers and fortune cookies.

Susannah: I genuinely like my name. Over the years I have been called Sue, Sus and Susie – interestingly never Susan – and after spending my early years not liking my full name, here I am at 36 loving it. I’ve grown into it.

Surreptitious: this is me sitting on my sofa, sneakily scoffing strawberries dipped in chocolate. Shhh, don’t tell anyone.

Sanctuary: my home, my family, my friends. My blog. My heart, my mind, my creativity. My cameras. All of these things give me sanctuary when the storms rage.

Supernatural: I’m not a religious person, but I believe in… things. I have seen… things. When someone you love dies, the barriers between life and death fall away for a while and you seemingly commune between the two. In your closed-off suffocating state of grief you’re more open to the airwaves; your paper-thin skin feels more, you see more. There’s suddenly more to see.

Simplicity: I adore this word. I want to live and breathe this word every single day.

Soporific: this makes me sleepy just saying it. I see fluffy clouds and pampas grasses swaying in the breeze. I feel the warmth of the blanket covering me as I snooze on the bed, a quiet afternoon of not much happening, a book beside me on the quilt, the words falling off the page as my eyes begin to close.

Synaesthesia: every time I read an article or watch a documentary about this condition I experience a keen wishing I had it too. To taste words? To see a symphony of colours every time you read a book? To visualise mathematical problems as three-dimensional creations? My heads spins at the wonder of it all.

Succulent: I wonder: do all S words have mild sexual connotations because sex begins with S? I’m looking at my list and nodding my head. Succulent makes me think of aloe vera and unctuous creams, plump lips and dimpled thighs. Slicing into a roast chicken and the juices run clear; mangos eaten in the sunshine; kisses that never end.

Other S words of note: surrender, sandalwood, sybarite, sanguine, serotonin, synchronicity, sans serif, stanza, she, suture, seaside, sultry, sarong, sashay, schmooze, sweetheart, sunshine, sundrenched, Schadenfreude, snazzy, satire, saturation, secret, saucy.

Comments

[noelle]

Hi Susannah, please email me a letter. This sounds like a fun exercise:)

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

What fun! I wanna play......I'll let you select a letter for me!

[bella]

I loved reading this ! An S word I love: sway
Have a great day, my dear. xo

[sas]

don't forget SNOG!

[kristen]

i have a friend that swears she's a synaesthesist (??) and the way she describes certain things...wow.

you certainly picked out fantastic S words...of course as i write that, all i can think of are all the curse words. (=

[allison]

ssssswell words
what fun it was to read
seductive

[stacy]

mmmm.... i love all your sweet and savory words.

i would welcome a writing exercise ~ i need one. would you mind choosing a letter for me?

xo

[Tammy Moore]

I'd love a letter! Love the blog!

[Tammy Moore]

My letter was "C" (thanks Susannah!)

chrysanthemum - I just love saying this word and feeling my lips go numb by the end!

conundrum - another fun one to say

conquest - visions of great fleets of ships on the horizon... not great for the one's being conqurered, but a great mental picture in the meantime

concure - a fabulously delicious word we should say much more often

chagrin - even SAYING the word makes me grin! And thinking a handsome man being chagrined makes me grin even more!

cogent - although I always pronounce this incorrectly, I still use it all the time

court - as in "to court a lady". You notice the word "court" just can't be uttered in the sentance "why don't you court a skank?" That should say something about society, I think.

That's 7... hmm...

COFFEE - my nectar of life!! Happiness can be found in a cup of coffee. Especially if you're still sitting in the coffee shoppe!

companion - soothing...
comforting - word. :) I love the word comforting, just makes me think of a motherly hug (either with my daughter or mother), a warm quilt, more coffee.

computer - couldn't live without it. I think I could get used to not having the internet (lol... maybe) but to not have typing, games, Photoshop... it'd just be over.

Ok, there's my 10! :) Great exercise!

[Jere]

letter, please! this is such fun.

[janine]

Satisfying s's! (sorry, I had to) :)

I'd love if you emailed me a letter.

[lisa leonard]

can i have a letter please? xo

[Chris]

Oh yes, please email me a letter. I love creative assignments!

[Kerstin]

I'll take a letter, please :) Love your list and how perfect that you would have picked your initial randomly! Kxo

[Jennifer White]

Yes oh yes.... a letter please ;-)

[Catherine]

Sun, sea, sand, sky, soar

[Jennifer White]

My letter is "J" picked by Susannah!

*Jennifer = similar to Susannah, I've been Jen, Jenny and Jennifer and always have preferred my given full name.

*Juniper = my uncle's nickname for me

*Jiggle = just makes me giggle...and rhymes w/giggle!

*Jade = a beautiful color that I love

*Jazz = keeps me mellow

*Jiggerbug = my parents could do this like no one's business

*Joy = something that I'm working in to my life

*Juxtapopse = just love this since there's an X in it!

*Journey = in so many ways, I am a on a journey as well as I always want to be working toward a new journey

*Java = I'm cheating a little here, but I am most definitely addicted to coffee, without a doubt.

[Jeanine]

oh yes. i totally forgot about this. must play along before i leave.

Two other S words. So Soon... eeeek :)

[rebecca]

i would love a letter too! thanks susannah, always inspiring!

[beth lamphier]

how fun...please selcet a letter for me..thanks

[Lee]

I did this exercise last month when my friend Jack sent me the letter 'R': http://l2l-lemons2lemonade.blogspot.com/2009/01/ten-things-starting-with-r.html

Feel free to send me another letter. Loved the exercise. Really makes you think!

[Chloe]

Wonderful exercise. Thanks for the inspiration x chloe x

[Jere]

Thanks Susannah for the lovely M! I posted mine over at my blog, so as not to hog your comments.

http://cossetandbutch.blogspot.com/2009/02/m-words.html

[Meg]

What a wonderful exercise! I loved reading you 's' words.

[GypsyGirl]

love this little play with words, letters and sounds. You really made it visual too, which is what i always loved about your writing. I know something else that starts with S, you temptress muse! will get back to you on that ;)

[Tiffany]

I would love a letter if it is not too late?

[anji gallanos]

I'd love to play. I just found your blog via Artful Blogging and I am really excited to read more.

Anji
http://anjigallanos.blogspot.com

[Leslie]

Oh! As easy as it would be for me to choose a random letter I like the idea of you sending me one even better. Pretty please?

[Tiffany]

"I" was a tough letter!
I thought too much on it, so I stopped with four words. Anything more would have felt too contrived.

imp- It reminds me of my three-year-old stepdaughter. She is not a bad girl, just mischievous, with a smile that would melt granite.

Indochine- I have always loved this word, starting when I was a young girl. When I would come across it in my reading, it just sounded like a culturally rich place, exotic. Of course, I had no idea where it was, or the actual history. I just embraced the word.

Inhale- In onomatopoeia on two fronts (not possible, I think!) Say it slowly. You are inhaling and exhaling. It is a very relaxing word. When someone tells you to take a deep breath, perhaps you should just say this word slowly instead.

inkling- I am a writer and so ink is important to me. I almost chose
ink for a word, but this is more descriptive and sounds like what it should mean?
It makes me think of a drop of ink hanging from the tip of a pen. The beginning of something, creation.

[Elle]

Too fun! Send me a letter, please, and I'll play along.

[Elle]

Please email me a letter, love. I can't wait to give this a try. Your list is breathtaking.