What is the meaning of the word, “charm”? My 1956 Webster’s Dictionary, a hefty tome full of words and meanings almost lost to us today, defines “charm” as:
[French: charme; Latin: carmen –a song, a poem, charm.] 1. A word, character or other thing imagined to possess some occult or unintelligible power; hence a magic power or spell; an enchantment, an incantation. 2. That which has the power to subdue opposition and gain the affections; that which can please irresistibly; that which delights and attracts the heart; a fascinating or alluring quality; in the plural, the beauties of a woman’s form and face; as, she influenced many by her charm. 3. A song or a melody. (Obsolete) 4. Any object worn or carried in the hope of bringing good fortune or averting evil; as, he wore a charm to avert seasickness. 5. An ornament worn on the person; as, a watch chain and its charm. It is extremely interesting to me, as a writer, that the word “charm” has its origins in the French and Latin for poem or song, and that the very first definition is “a word, character, or some other thing imagined to possess some occult or unintelligible power.” I am not a religious person—I consider myself to be spiritual rather than religious—but I do own an amplified Bible, another hefty tome, and it is also extremely interesting to me that the first passage in this great book is the story of how God spoke words to form light out of the darkness that was the void of the earth and He then spoke words to form everything upon the earth. Another passage of particular interest to me is John 1:1—In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. So, “charm”, then, could be construed as a word with the unintelligible, or incomprehensible, power to, attract, influence and delight others. “Charm” is a Christ-like power. In my own writing, I have created quirky, funny, endearing characters, and I have charmed others with my words. I have given them to others as gifts, and I have read them aloud on several occasions. I have made people laugh and cry and powerfully moved them. But what I failed to see, in all the years I’ve been almost effortlessly doing this, is that my words are my charm, they come from a place of incomprehensible power deep within me. Perhaps the feeling that I was NOT charming came from being overshadowed by my mother, a woman who could sing like a songbird and “charm the birds off the trees” when she wanted to. I began to hide out at an early age, to go off by myself and daydream, to create worlds in which I was the charming one. And perhaps other writers have done the same thing, hidden away, believing they were somehow unworthy, their true light obscured from themselves and others. Feeling that they didn’t fit in with the rest of the world, they created a different world with their writing, a world apart from the “real” world, a world in which they were no longer socially inept—or worse, outcasts. How many writers seclude themselves, scribbling like “mad”, afraid to show themselves to the “real” world for fear of rejection? How many writers don’t even show their works to the “real” world for the same reason? How many masterpiece manuscripts lie gathering dust in a drawer or moldering away in some dark, dank closet? What great works will never see the light of day because their authors don’t deem them worthy? How many of my own “charming” creations have I shared with a select few yet failed to do anything more that would shine their light unto the world? This sounds grandiose, but it’s not. How many years have I “back-burnered” my intent to become a bestselling author, sticking only a toe in the water here and there, winning a contest here and there, getting a poem or short story published here and there, but never following through completely? I’ve hidden away in the woods and only peeped out from among the sheltering (and obscuring) branches for much longer than I care to admit. If only all writers could realize the true power they wield. “In the beginning was the Word…” The Word… The most powerful entity of all is The Word. Everything else stems from it. A popular tenet today is: “Thoughts become things,” but actually thoughts become words, and words become things. Before anything can be created, it must be thought of, even in the mind of God. And then it must be spoken (or written)—The Word. Once an intention is voiced, it can then be acted upon and brought fully into being. Writers have been a major voice for change throughout history. Their words have created thoughts in the minds of others, put words in their mouths, and caused them to act upon those words. Pretty powerful, heady stuff. So who are we to hide our lights, lights that lead the way, under a bushel? Who are we to cower away in some forlorn cave? If our words “charm” even one other person—uplifts them, moves them, influences them to think or act differently, causes a change for the better in any way—they have not been written in vain. And in today’s world, the “real” world in which an author has to also be salesperson and promoter of their works (whether traditionally published or not), it behooves every author to rely on their inner “charm” to create an outer world that supports them in this endeavor. If we have “charm” enough to write in a way that influences others, then we have “charm” enough to speak or read in public, to create an online and offline supportive community, and to promote and sell and speak out on behalf of our “charming” creations. It isn’t being prideful. It is necessity. We live to write, why not let our writing help us live a much richer and fuller life by embracing, rather than shying away from, our inner, natural ability to “charm”? © 5-15-12 Shari Broyer, All rights reserved. Comments are closed.
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