F is for Fiddlesticks

Alphabet of Accountability

My mom used to say, “Oh fiddlesticks!” when something something surprised her. I looked up the definition, and found out, much to my surprise, that it can be both a euphemism for “Nonsense!” Or, it can also be used to express, “Damn it.” Or, it can also mean a bow for a fiddle. My mom also used to say, “Oh caramba!” in a Texas drawl. She was from Texas and we had lived in South America, and she took on whatever swear words were nearby.

Let’s talk about Nonsense. First, here’s a little poem to get you in the mood.

I just came back from a lunch with a friend who I had asked to read a novel proposal I’d written. I know the proposal is in need of help and she was a writer friend who I knew would be honest and upfront with me. She was definitely honest. She told me I needed to “loosen up,” that my prose was not me, that it wasn’t funny.

Oh fiddlesticks, I wanted to say. Read: Damn it, you’re reading it wrong. But I knew in my heart of my hearts which is really my gut, that she was right. I left that lunch knowing that I’m trying too hard. Another friend told me that I’m funny, except when I’m trying to be funny. They are both right (or maybe I need new friends. No, they are also the funniest people I know, so they know when funny is funny.). My novel-in-progress is intended to be funny. The proposal is not funny. It’s smart, and well-researched, but it’s not funny.

Loosen up. For me, that creates a visual of a dog shaking off water from a bath, or some woo-woo yoga class where we shake our limbs and Let Go.

I have a Nonsense prompt I use in my writing workshops. I read a nonsense story a lot like the poem above, and then we all try our hand at writing nonsense. We do it in the workshop for a little warm up, to be silly, to loosen up. It’s a matter of not worrying so much about what you put on the page, but to let one thing you think of lead you to the next, and see where it takes you. It may come out like Nonsense, but when you look back and read it, you can see the unintentional connections, or maybe it’s just nonsense. It is almost always guaranteed to make you laugh.

Let’s try writing Nonsense this week. Write from the word “Fiddlesticks.” What does that word bring to mind for you.

Oh, Fiddlesticks.