Friday, April 20, 2012

A to Z Challenge: R - Raconteur

Raconteur

Happy Friday, everybody! I'm going to meet one of my online writer friends today for the first time, but I can't talk about him, because he's very secretive about his identity. Which scares me a little.

I'm mostly joking, but let's get to work, anyway.

rac·on·teur [rak-uhn-tur; Fr. ra-kawn-tœr] n. a person who is skilled in telling stories and anecdotes in a captivating way

Synonyms: anecdotist, storyteller, narrator

Etymology: 1828, from Fr. raconter "to recount," from re- (see re-) + O.Fr. aconter, from a- "to" + conter "to tell" (cf. recount).

42 comments:

Shain Brown said...

You can text me if it doesn't feel right, use the secret word.

Have a great weekend.

Rebecca said...

My grandma was one of these the best storyteller ever

Elise Fallson said...

Columbo! (:

Emily White said...

Have fun!

Bryan Russell said...

As you wish.

Tonja said...

Great word. Have fun with your meeting. You never know who people really are....

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Love the picture. Brings back memories.

A Daft Scots Lass said...

and of course the genius, Jack White, was in a band called the Raconteurs for a while..

Daisy Carter said...

Love a great story-teller. There's a raconteur character on my newest Nancy Drew game (yep, I'm that girl!).

Thanks for following my blog and coming over for my contest. Nice to meet you, too! New follower

Daisy Carter said...

Love a great story-teller. There's a raconteur character on my newest Nancy Drew game (yep, I'm that girl!).

Thanks for following my blog and coming over for my contest. Nice to meet you, too! New follower

Kristen Wixted said...

"Mostly joking?" Hmm.
I love the Princess Bride.

farawayeyes said...

How fun is that, meeting someone you only know online?

Raconteur -- all of our aspirations in one little bitty (kinda) French word.

Rick Daley said...

Inconceiveable!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yeah, but who's going to read me The Princess Bride now?
And just for the record folks, the secretive blogger is not me!

Libby said...

A secret rendezvous with a secret writer pal? Cool.

Jessica Bell said...

Hey that's a scene from the Princess Bride! :o)

Dani said...

If your blogging is it really secretive? How can you be secretive if your blogging? My brain is over thinking again.

Anonymous said...

Secret identities...oooh...sounds all spy-like!

Claire Hennessy said...

Very cloak and dagger and 007. Hope you have your invisible cloak and broomstick with you in case he turns out to be a serial killer! Still, maybe it will give you fodder to 'recount' to us later!

Slamdunk said...

If he is an anonymous blogger like me, we are protective.

I had forgotten that term so thanks.

Nancy Thompson said...

I'm scratching my head here. May because I've never seen Princess Bride. Hmm...

Great word! I've heard it before but didn't know it's meaning.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

someone needs to job my memory... have a great time, it's cool when the worlds collide!

Right On... to the challenge "R" is for Refreshing Post!
Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
A to Z Co-Host
My New Book:
Retro-Zombie: Art and Words

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Please at least let us know where you're meeting him so if you disappear, we know where to begin the search.

Hope all goes well. Don't forget your taser.

Jeff Beesler said...

Can you use raconteur to describe someone who is well-skilled in query letter critiquing? I certainly hope you can, because I just recommended to someone to come over here to the QQQE and learn a few pointers on queries from your blog. :-)

Old Kitty said...

Ooooh - sounds ever so James Bond-ish!

Take care
x

Christina Lee said...

Oooh, my sister calls me this, says I can tell a story about a boring grocery story trip and make it interesting (which I guess is a good thing for a writer, huh?)!

Make sure to bring your wand and invisibility cloak, just in case!

Sarah Ahiers said...

OOOH! Secret meetings! It makes me wonder who it is...

Leslie S. Rose said...

I'm lucky to come from a long line of southern raconteurs who are prone to lying and hyperbole to make a story zing.

Dana said...

Awesome word. Have fun!

StratPlayerCJF said...

As you wish...

StratPlayerCJF said...

Doh!!! Just read the other comments above and Bryan beat me to it...

Inconceivable!

Dang! That one's been used too.

Anonymous said...

A classically underused word, that one. I'll be honest, that's not what I remember that word meaning.

Cassie Mae said...

I was sounding out the word and for some reason said Rack about four times before my brain could comprehend the uhn.

I'm so glad no one was around.

Tasha Seegmiller said...

Great post - I love this word. Kind of hope that I am one of these. Good luck with the meeting.

Anonymous said...

Just so everyone knows, when I met up with Matthew today, he left in one piece. If he was flensed, it was after we'd parted.

Stina said...

Next time someone asks me what I do, I'm going to tell them I'm a raconteur. Oooh, it sounds so sexy. :D

Jessica Salyer said...

Never heard of that one. Have a great time/weekend. Love me some Princess bride.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Matthew .. it's a great word isn't it - and I sure hope you enjoy your meeting with him/her. Storytelling is a great art ..

I see Joshua is the raconteur .. I must go and meet him ..

Cheers Hilary

Unknown said...

So, are you really meeting with him or is this an example of a raconteur?

Traci Kenworth said...

Love the pic!! Brings back happy memories.

Andrew Leon said...

That's one of the things I'm known for, actually. The kids I know (which is a fairly large amount from being involved at my kids' school) are always asking me for stories.
It's probably part of the reason I finally sat down and started writing.

Steve MC said...

Never connected raconteur with recounting a story.

Hope you had a good visit with Mystery Man.