Writing A-Z: J is for Jot and Juxtaposition
Writing is sacred. It’s important that our writing is well-written! Grammar is important; using the right words is important. All the details are important. We want as few obstacles as possible to someone reading our work.
Jot refers to the little dot on top of the letter j and letter i. While it is, indeed, very small, it’s important because we couldn’t create those letters without it!
Fun fact from Webster’s Dictionary:
The words iota and jot share a lot more than just a common meaning — both ultimately derive from the same word. When Latin scholars transcribed the Greek name of the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, they spelled it as either iota or jota (the letters i and j were simply variants of each other), and these spellings eventually passed into English as iota and jot. Since the Greek letter iota is the smallest letter of its alphabet, both words eventually came to be used in reference to very small things.
A jot may be the least part of anything; however, it is not the least important! Jot is actually in scripture in the Book of Matthew. Jesus declares He hasn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill every jot and tittle (another word indicating a small mark).
When we set about to write our story it’s important to include the important things! Sometimes those are the hardest to share. They may reveal our vulnerability, our struggles, our weaknesses; but they particularly allow the reader to gain a more fulsome picture, e.g., the scent of an abuser’s aftershave or smell of a pasture after a summer rain.
Juxtaposition occurs when a writer places 2 things side by side as a way of highlighting their differences. Think about fairy tales and childhood stories about Cinderella and the cruel stepsisters! Ideas, images, actions, characters can all be juxtaposed, and this is a great plot device to paint a picture, or activate the senses, without using so many words to tell our story!
We want to always invite our readers into our story. I use juxtaposition often in my poetry. Think about the lyrics to some of your favorite songs. The memorable ones are usually memorable not only because of the subject, but those ballads that tell a great story — often song writer's use juxtaposition to add interest to the story and draw the listeners in to their world.
This is a great method for sharing descriptive details of a scene to allow our readers to enter the setting — metaphorically or literally in their minds. We can use it to illicit memories of sounds, smells, activities. The juxtaposition can be subtle or literal, obvious.
For more in-depth discussion on jot and juxtaposition, listen to the replay of a recent Clubhouse room I hosted on this topic! The conversation was enlightening and engaging!
You can find me online at linktr.ee/themarymoss
