The Lexicon of My Heart: New Words for Hidden Emotions

Exploring the Power of Language: New Words for Our Inner Worlds

In May of last year, I attended an AWA workshop  where we wrote stories to words that were not real, they did not exist or were extinct. I had so much fun creating my micro fiction from these stories. Maybe because there is this part of me that find stability in the power of language or maybe in the power of creating. I have found inspiration in both  retrieving lost words and developing new vocabulary which expresses the complexities of emotional experiences.

Griefsong serves as a term which I created to describe the emotional echoes that stay in our hearts as  an unshakeable haunting music. The mixture of sorrow and beauty emerges when we remember someone or something  we deeply loved. Griefsong shows that loss transforms into our being rather than disappearing completely. Through  my writing process I have found healing and possibly through naming these experiences others can pay tribute to their memories  of yearning and remembering.

C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (1961):Lewis describes grief as something that reshapes a person permanently, not something that fades away.

"Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything."

My word creation process served as both a method of self-expression and a way to connect with  others. I use Inksite as my workspace because I want to provide tools that help people both  express and honor their personal experiences.

Our inner worlds benefit most from language since it serves as an essential  tool for interpreting our emotional experiences. What would it mean to assign a word to that particular sensation or period?   

—Annecy Baez

I am Annecy Báez, a writer and educator drawn to exploring themes of healing, identity, and inner transformation. I am the author of My Daughter’s Eyes and Other Stories, which received the Mármol Prize for First Latina Fiction. I have a deep love for words—their textures, rhythms, and hidden possibilities—and I am passionate about creating new words to capture experiences that language has yet to fully name. Through my writing, I seek to honor resilience, creativity, and the quiet power of self-discovery, inviting readers to journey into the landscapes of the inner world.