It’s the first Monday of daylight savings time. If you’re like me, you haven’t adjusted, yet. The cat hasn’t adjusted, yet. You have this feeling that the harder you work, the behinder you get.
Yes, I’m aware that “behinder†isn’t a word, but you all know what I’m saying, don’t you? Isn’t that the beauty of words? It’s the fun of words. I love making up words. I tell people that I’m a writer and I can make up words if I want to.
Words are fluid? Yes, they ebb and flow. They come into and go out of use like the ocean waves wash in and out on the sands of a pristine beach. And they change like the ocean tides, as well. As a culture, we make up words when it suits us. Often, those words come into use. Just look at all of the new words they’ve added to the world’s dictionaries since the advent of computers and the internet. Miriam Webster added about 100 new words in 2007.
For example, ginormous (very large), hardscape (landscaping with fountains and other hard surface structures), nocebo (a harmless substance associated with usually imagined harmful effects), sudoku (Japanese puzzle) gray literature (literature not generally accessible).
Do you make up words when you write or speak? I think we can get away with it when we speak, but it’s a little risky to try out new words when we write for publication or for an audience. The thing is, however, that the words you invent probably aren’t new. They may, in fact, be in the dictionary or have fallen out of usage or they are being used by others and will make it into popular usage at some point.
In the meantime, have fun with words. They are there for our employment and our enjoyment. They are meant to facilitate understanding between humans. Isn’t it strange, though, how our choice of words can mean the difference between a pleasant conversation and a conflict, a well-written piece and trash, a show of appreciation and a slap in the face? It’s all in the interpretation and the perspective of those who hear/read those words.
And then there are those species that don’t rely on words, like the cat who just came into my office to “tell†me that he’d like to sit in my lap for a while. Yes, words are useful. They are necessary. They can be dangerous, fun, chilling, humorous, threatening, disappointing, annoying, comforting. But they are all we have and, for some of us, they are our lifeblood.
How will you use words today? To make a point or a sale, share a thought or a feeling, scold a child, thank a friend, teach or preach, for example? As you go through your day speaking and writing words, be aware that you are leaving an impression behind. Make sure it is one you can live with.
Patricia Fry offers 360 pages of words specifically designed to help authors succeed in her book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
If you’re interested in metaphysical adventures, read her memoir, Quest for Truth.
http://www.matilijapress.com/questpage.html