You Said What!
It’s time to
have some fun! One of the best perks of being a writer is coming up with your
own language.
Yes, you have that single opportunity that you had once used as a
child and have complete car blanch to go so far off the rails that you can
change the hearts and minds of many, if not the entire world. There are so many
examples of inside, covert, and openly blatant examples of authors causing
publishers of dictionary and thesaurus fits.
Words like Frell (Farscape), Klingon
and their language, and nearly every alien race Sci-Fi, action, drama, romance,
comedy are just to name a few. Let’s not forget kid books, movies, TV Shows and
Educational programing. Hello Sesame Street’s Big Bird’s best friend, Aloysius
Snuffleupagus, AKA Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy for short. Just saying the name alone
brings out smiles to both children and adults.The next time you world build, try building some additional flavor to go along with the perfect character who will introduce something new and exciting to the world. Lest just call this what it is, Word Building. From the implications alone its clear to see that Word Building can be instructive, meaningful, and a crap load of fun. Sometimes, taking your work to a new level is a matter of a few new words. However, one thing you should take into consideration, each no word has to have a definition, a meaning to exist, and be able to tell a story all of its own with only one word. This word would not only explain it must also teach.
Instructive
We live, we learn, and we grow. We experience, we remember, and we forget. We laugh, we cry, and we lie to get us out of a situation where we would end up crying and for people to laugh at us crying. Any way you look at it, when you introduce something new (a word) it has to have a reason to exist. One of the most overused ways of introducing a new word is by using abbreviations, initials and my personal nightmare, acronyms. According to Cambridge Dictionary Online; Acronyms are words which are formed from the first letters of other words, and which are pronounced as full words. Hey, TGIF had to come from somewhere. But, we are talking about taking it to the next level. We are talking about giving a new word that had never existed (except in the mind of a child) and give it purpose, substance, and meaning. As with TGIF whose purpose is to tell us what day of the week it is, affluence us to anticipate the ending or the beginning of restraints (whatever floats your boat), and whose meaning is planting a wet one of their significant other, Time To Party. The one thing that has to be present for any new word that is introduced is repetition. Not even a flower grows instantly the moment the seed is planted. It needs constant care in the beginning, nourishment to grow strong, and have someone appreciate its existence. Only when the new word(s) helps enhance the experience whenever it is present will it becomes meaningful.
We live, we learn, and we grow. We experience, we remember, and we forget. We laugh, we cry, and we lie to get us out of a situation where we would end up crying and for people to laugh at us crying. Any way you look at it, when you introduce something new (a word) it has to have a reason to exist. One of the most overused ways of introducing a new word is by using abbreviations, initials and my personal nightmare, acronyms. According to Cambridge Dictionary Online; Acronyms are words which are formed from the first letters of other words, and which are pronounced as full words. Hey, TGIF had to come from somewhere. But, we are talking about taking it to the next level. We are talking about giving a new word that had never existed (except in the mind of a child) and give it purpose, substance, and meaning. As with TGIF whose purpose is to tell us what day of the week it is, affluence us to anticipate the ending or the beginning of restraints (whatever floats your boat), and whose meaning is planting a wet one of their significant other, Time To Party. The one thing that has to be present for any new word that is introduced is repetition. Not even a flower grows instantly the moment the seed is planted. It needs constant care in the beginning, nourishment to grow strong, and have someone appreciate its existence. Only when the new word(s) helps enhance the experience whenever it is present will it becomes meaningful.
Meaningful
One of the quickest ways to Word Build is by association. There are several cases where harsh or words not considered civilized, but are universally known and recognized that can be used as the basics of the new word. These spans or reiterations of base words have similar sounds or beginning letters that distinguish the new from the old. In other words, using swear words. There is no end to the list of new words whose parents were four letter words (curse words) and from them even more words were born. I know this is a childish way to Word Build, but isn’t Word Building something that is first introduced to us as children. Some may say that Word Building is mangling of a language, but I say, where did new words come from and were they not also mangling of some other language at first. What makes this and all types of Word Building meaningful and extremely enjoyable is when not everyone gets the meaning immediately, but when they do (although understood by the minority then the majority), their vocabulary is enriched. If you don’t believe me, you can go Frell yourself. Frell me if that wasn’t refreshing and a crap load of fun.
One of the quickest ways to Word Build is by association. There are several cases where harsh or words not considered civilized, but are universally known and recognized that can be used as the basics of the new word. These spans or reiterations of base words have similar sounds or beginning letters that distinguish the new from the old. In other words, using swear words. There is no end to the list of new words whose parents were four letter words (curse words) and from them even more words were born. I know this is a childish way to Word Build, but isn’t Word Building something that is first introduced to us as children. Some may say that Word Building is mangling of a language, but I say, where did new words come from and were they not also mangling of some other language at first. What makes this and all types of Word Building meaningful and extremely enjoyable is when not everyone gets the meaning immediately, but when they do (although understood by the minority then the majority), their vocabulary is enriched. If you don’t believe me, you can go Frell yourself. Frell me if that wasn’t refreshing and a crap load of fun.
A Crap Load of Fun
In the past, what once was considered gibberish or a lack of vocabulary prowess is now looked upon as creative, innovative, and pleasantly eccentric if not downright exotic. Authors have never truly been locked down to a specific language structure or unyielding definition, but allow themselves to be restrained in the status quo. I clearly remember a creative writing teacher telling me one moment how I need to stay within a structure and the next saying that they couldn’t put down what I had written because it was a blast to read. I am far from being a trailblazer, but whoever said that the barn doors must be locked at all times has never created, but maintained and had yet breathed life into the living document called their story. It was very interesting for me when the following writing course was about breaking free from the restraints that stifle creativity. Of course, the professor said it was important to have a solid foundation so you would have something to crush. I had never had so much fun writing gibberish in my life. In his wise words; Authors are allowed to have oil and vinegar mix. Authors are allowed to make a coward into a hero. Authors are allowed to make the idiot the smartest person in the room. And, authors are allowed to use words that don’t make sense, but have meanings deeper, importance, and whimsical than any word ever imagined. In other words, if you’re not having fun writing it, then the person reading it won’t have fun as well.
In the past, what once was considered gibberish or a lack of vocabulary prowess is now looked upon as creative, innovative, and pleasantly eccentric if not downright exotic. Authors have never truly been locked down to a specific language structure or unyielding definition, but allow themselves to be restrained in the status quo. I clearly remember a creative writing teacher telling me one moment how I need to stay within a structure and the next saying that they couldn’t put down what I had written because it was a blast to read. I am far from being a trailblazer, but whoever said that the barn doors must be locked at all times has never created, but maintained and had yet breathed life into the living document called their story. It was very interesting for me when the following writing course was about breaking free from the restraints that stifle creativity. Of course, the professor said it was important to have a solid foundation so you would have something to crush. I had never had so much fun writing gibberish in my life. In his wise words; Authors are allowed to have oil and vinegar mix. Authors are allowed to make a coward into a hero. Authors are allowed to make the idiot the smartest person in the room. And, authors are allowed to use words that don’t make sense, but have meanings deeper, importance, and whimsical than any word ever imagined. In other words, if you’re not having fun writing it, then the person reading it won’t have fun as well.
I would be remised
to leave out that some of the most notable words are also considered cash cows
when it comes to advertisement association and especially merchandising. You
know, things like tee-shirts, hats, plush toys, posters, stickers, and
spin-offs. Yes World Building Words have been used to launch spin-offs. The
important thing to remember is to have fun with fun words so the fun will be
enjoyed by others. As far as I am concerned, stories are societies all of their
own with people, places, things and a language that is unique only to them and
yet rooted in the known and stretch to the unknown.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious had to come from somewhere. SD Tracy Harper
Illustration; alwaysinfo.us
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