Writing tickles my fancy because I love words. Words fascinate me. Endlessly. They look static and colourless, but they have a rich life of their own. When I’m writing I’ll choose a word that’s perfect for the context — meaning, alliteration, rhyme, etc. — and it will suggest another idea all by itself. It will open up new possibilities hitherto unseen and take the poem in a totally new direction. I may have a good idea where the poem is headed at the start, but that’s not always where it ends up!
E.g. ??
Often it’s looking for a rhyme or a synonym that does it. I’ll use my rhyming dictionary or thesaurus to find a word and that word will suggest a whole new line of thought that I previously hadn’t seen. Or I won’t find one and I’ll have to change what I’ve written and hunt for another and it’s the new words that offer new opportunities.
Sometimes I lead the words, sometimes they lead me.
Are you a word lover? I’d really like to know what it is you love about them and why they fascinate or excite you.