Looking for a Hobby? Create Words for Fun and Profit!
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
by Ken McCreless
RMS1437
Greetings Fellow Travelers ...
Have you ever found yourself with a wicked case of writers block because you just could not come up with the right word?
One more question before I get started. Do you consider yourself to be creative?
Of course you do. That's why you're a writer!
Well, the solution to the first question is yours because of your answer to the second.
Make up words!
To help get you started I will list a few words that I have created. I enjoy using them as much as I do creating them, but remember. Some folks may not get its significance right away, or, at all.
That's why the first and only rule of "Wording" is to craft the word in such a way that the reader can glean its meaning.
Here we go, in no particular order, my Ten Most Favorite Made Up Words!
1) Wording- This one, used above, was inspired by the word "birding," and is a fitting title for the sport and craft of the creation of new words.
2) Splob- When a tube of toothpaste has a trapped air bubble in it close to the opening it will compress, then shoot the toothpaste ahead of it out onto the toothbrush handle, floor, or yourself. That is a splob.
3) Furd- This a vehicle from any automaker that acts as if it were fecal matter.
4) Oreelian- Inspired by "Orwellian," this word is an excellent skeptical term for use in polite company. Example- "I question everything. I am an Oreelian."
5) Shat- This word has more than one definition. It could be the former tense of "shot," or a way to describe the meltdown one might experience with the vehicle mentioned above.
6) Steeyull- Once again, a word with more than one meaning. It could be describing a southern metal, an object or element that is not moving, or used in a debate as an impudent way to steer the speech back to the original thought. Example- "Steeyull, if Colonel Mustard had not been in the conservatory he would not be a suspect."
7) Crackette- This is when your pants are dangerously close to the point of no return. While still legal, the wearer is just asking for a coin or pebble, if you know what I mean.
8) Jurispuddin- A small, portable snack. It is named so after what most jury duty pay is spent on.
9) Kornsiderin- Deep contemplation as to why one's ears are ringing after a rock concert.
10) Walmark- The level at which a merchandiser becomes willing to skewer a person's soul in order to bolster the bottom line.
Well, there you go. Please feel free to use these words at your discretion, as I get a quarter each time! OK, not really.
There is absolutely no reason for you to feel limited by what you find in a dictionary. People make up words all the time! I mean, I can remember when "ain't" would not be found in any dictionary, anywhere.
We, as writers, have the knowledge and skill to bolster the collective intelligence of humanity by crafting words for them. It is both a blessing and a responsibility, but never a curse.
So, have fun with this free but potentially income producing "hobby." It could change your life!
Have you ever found yourself with a wicked case of writers block because you just could not come up with the right word?
One more question before I get started. Do you consider yourself to be creative?
Of course you do. That's why you're a writer!
Well, the solution to the first question is yours because of your answer to the second.
To help get you started I will list a few words that I have created. I enjoy using them as much as I do creating them, but remember. Some folks may not get its significance right away, or, at all.
That's why the first and only rule of "Wording" is to craft the word in such a way that the reader can glean its meaning.
Here we go, in no particular order, my Ten Most Favorite Made Up Words!
1) Wording- This one, used above, was inspired by the word "birding," and is a fitting title for the sport and craft of the creation of new words.
2) Splob- When a tube of toothpaste has a trapped air bubble in it close to the opening it will compress, then shoot the toothpaste ahead of it out onto the toothbrush handle, floor, or yourself. That is a splob.
3) Furd- This a vehicle from any automaker that acts as if it were fecal matter.
4) Oreelian- Inspired by "Orwellian," this word is an excellent skeptical term for use in polite company. Example- "I question everything. I am an Oreelian."
5) Shat- This word has more than one definition. It could be the former tense of "shot," or a way to describe the meltdown one might experience with the vehicle mentioned above.
6) Steeyull- Once again, a word with more than one meaning. It could be describing a southern metal, an object or element that is not moving, or used in a debate as an impudent way to steer the speech back to the original thought. Example- "Steeyull, if Colonel Mustard had not been in the conservatory he would not be a suspect."
7) Crackette- This is when your pants are dangerously close to the point of no return. While still legal, the wearer is just asking for a coin or pebble, if you know what I mean.
8) Jurispuddin- A small, portable snack. It is named so after what most jury duty pay is spent on.
9) Kornsiderin- Deep contemplation as to why one's ears are ringing after a rock concert.
10) Walmark- The level at which a merchandiser becomes willing to skewer a person's soul in order to bolster the bottom line.
Well, there you go. Please feel free to use these words at your discretion, as I get a quarter each time! OK, not really.
There is absolutely no reason for you to feel limited by what you find in a dictionary. People make up words all the time! I mean, I can remember when "ain't" would not be found in any dictionary, anywhere.
We, as writers, have the knowledge and skill to bolster the collective intelligence of humanity by crafting words for them. It is both a blessing and a responsibility, but never a curse.
So, have fun with this free but potentially income producing "hobby." It could change your life!
Ken McCreless is just a guy who loves to write, and was born to do so. He is a freelance writer with several projects ongoing, including books and magazines. A huge fan of both irony and history, Ken has dedicated his life and his writing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
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More commentsGreat article. Well done.I love making up words. I think they work very well in writing if they can be worked out from context.Thank you, Connor.That is the challenge, making a new word fit.
This is a rib cracker! I hope I can do as well as you have done in creating words.Well done.Thank you so much!I have no doubt you can.
Excellent job, sir! I thought I saw a WalFurd (Walmart just started marketing them here in Austin) on the road the other day, yet turns out it was just another Lexus.Are you sure it wasn't a 2010 Let-Us? Practically identical, they are!A Let-Us What-Where, possibly?
Thanks for reading and commenting, Michael.
You crack me up, Ken, with this piece. Yet I know you're exactly right, coz I've seen myself coining words that the word processor flags. Sometimes I comply with the word processor's correction. At other times I just tell MS Word or Open Office to shut up and add my new word to its list. BTW, you said, "my Ten Most Favorite Made Up Words!" But you gave us 9 words. What's the 10th word? Creative work...enjoyable reading. ~mogama~Thank you, Mogama.I had to go back to count the words and noticed that the #1 showed up on the second word also. I used the blasted "Auto Numbering" option and it worked ok, and was fine after I submitted it. In my first draft I had used 1[)], instead of the 1[.] that was displayed. Somehow it got changed after I submitted it..Thank you for pointing that out, though. I have corrected it!I, too, have made a lot of additions to my "dictionary." It's the only way to live
Hi Ken, great premise about making up words...sounds cool to me. As for Shat, my relatives are all from Europe and used the word all the time, usually when they were angry--I never knew they were trend setters!Rats! I was afraid I had not actually made that one up. Still, it's quite a word!Thanks, Steve!
"5) Shat- This word has more than one definition. It could be the former tense of "shot," or a way to describe the meltdown one might experience with the vehicle mentioned above."Ummm. it's the past participle of "to $%&*@$%&" as in "he shat himself"...LOL, great article. ThanksrichReally? I thought it was "I sh----d myself."Oh well, I still love to make up words!Thanks, Richard, I appreciate you stopping by.no sir...I had an english teacher (In high school no less) who not only taught us how to speak standard english, but she also taught...at the end of the semester, "cool" stuff that was always talked about in "hushed" tones in the hall ways just before summer break! That was one. It's one of those words that changes in the past participle form...Yes, I realize that, Richard. I was just being myself- facetious!
Well I never would have though of making words up; what a fun concept.It is a lot of fun, especially the ones the public will never see!Thank you, Carol, for reading and commenting
Excellent article, and some great wordlings there - I'd love to see them become official words when they're older!Cool, "wordlings?" I love it!How awesome would that be, to see my words listed in a dictionary!Thanks, Ben.
You know 'splob's' were always one of my pet peeves, I just never knew what to call them. Fun article Ken.Thank you, Brianna. I had fun writing it!
Ken,Great article. My first read of the morning and, of course, you had me laughing. Personally, I like making up words...it makes sense to me. But I always thought shat was the past tense of another sh -- word? Not true?Thanks. Your articles are like my morning coffee. G-o-o-o-o-d - as Andy Griffith would say.Haven't seen you in a while but then I wasn't around either for a brief spell. Good to be back. Always enjoy your 'reads.'Thank you so much, Nancy, I really appreciate the kind words and support.I tried to find that word in a couple of dictionaries, and could not. It is a funny word though, right?
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