Hello people!
I was thinking of something we could do, both to get our brains and adventure ideas going. It's the "write like REH game"! Howard used a very distinct writing style, with several uncommon words cropping up again and again, often times in the same paragraph. These words, in my opinion, are what make Howard's style so enjoyable; they are Conan words, and bring us into the mind's eye of Howard himself.
Here are several that I've picked up from his writing. If you know what they mean, good job, but I don't want to go into definitions. That's what dictionary.com is for!
Here is the list (by no means exhaustive) :
Thew
Sward
Gilt
Tawny
Dusky
Pantherish (or tiger-like, or cat-like, or "like a leopard", etc you get the idea)
Corded
Carven
Limned
Nighted
Ophidian
Presently
Countenance
Fastness
Spoor
Also, you'll find some phrases or descriptions that occur over and over, like, "the hair on the back of his neck started to tingle", or "square-cut mane". You get the idea.
So, what game can we play with this collection of words? The game is this. You are to take as many of the words in the list as you like, and write a descriptive paragraph. I'll go first
The moon rose slowly, ophidian and unblinking, above the emerald forest. That yellow orb bathed a small clearing with its unhealthy light, painting it in differing shades of grey. There was no sound of animal, no movement at all. Presently a figure crept from the shadows; pantherlike he stepped into the clearing, his footfalls leaving no trace in the verdant sward that blanketed the ground. He was bare chested, and clothed only in a loin cloth, his mighty thews tensed and ready, his corded forearms gripped a silvery poniard; the copper gilt of the pommel reflecting dully in the moon glow. The figure stooped low, searching for the spoor of his quarry, and craned his neck from side to side, making an almost inaudible grunt of comprehension. With cat-like grace the figure darted across the clearing and entered once again into the fastness of the primeval forest.
There, done! I didn’t use all of the words, but I used some. Anybody else want to play? Anybody else have any good REH words or phrases to add?
Cheers!
I was thinking of something we could do, both to get our brains and adventure ideas going. It's the "write like REH game"! Howard used a very distinct writing style, with several uncommon words cropping up again and again, often times in the same paragraph. These words, in my opinion, are what make Howard's style so enjoyable; they are Conan words, and bring us into the mind's eye of Howard himself.
Here are several that I've picked up from his writing. If you know what they mean, good job, but I don't want to go into definitions. That's what dictionary.com is for!
Here is the list (by no means exhaustive) :
Thew
Sward
Gilt
Tawny
Dusky
Pantherish (or tiger-like, or cat-like, or "like a leopard", etc you get the idea)
Corded
Carven
Limned
Nighted
Ophidian
Presently
Countenance
Fastness
Spoor
Also, you'll find some phrases or descriptions that occur over and over, like, "the hair on the back of his neck started to tingle", or "square-cut mane". You get the idea.
So, what game can we play with this collection of words? The game is this. You are to take as many of the words in the list as you like, and write a descriptive paragraph. I'll go first
The moon rose slowly, ophidian and unblinking, above the emerald forest. That yellow orb bathed a small clearing with its unhealthy light, painting it in differing shades of grey. There was no sound of animal, no movement at all. Presently a figure crept from the shadows; pantherlike he stepped into the clearing, his footfalls leaving no trace in the verdant sward that blanketed the ground. He was bare chested, and clothed only in a loin cloth, his mighty thews tensed and ready, his corded forearms gripped a silvery poniard; the copper gilt of the pommel reflecting dully in the moon glow. The figure stooped low, searching for the spoor of his quarry, and craned his neck from side to side, making an almost inaudible grunt of comprehension. With cat-like grace the figure darted across the clearing and entered once again into the fastness of the primeval forest.
There, done! I didn’t use all of the words, but I used some. Anybody else want to play? Anybody else have any good REH words or phrases to add?
Cheers!
