Word-a-rama

I'm constantly being accused of inventing words. This may have something to do with the fact that I'm always doing it, but I still don't know why my friends persist in pointing it out. Yes, I make up words. But listen up, people: I DO IT ON PURPOSE!

Mostly, it's just because I have a Bachelor's in English and have to do something to prove that it was worth the time and effort. Because really, all that a BA in English does for you career-wise is makes you a shoe-in to put the letters on the sign outside of McDonalds. Trust me on this one.

The fact is that I love words. I like playing with them, creating new ones, and trying to see if I can use them enough times to make other people pick them up (or throw things at me... it's happened once or twice). Like "snarftastic." I'm sure I'm not the first person in the world to use it, but I've decided to champion it, and when it wins an Academy Award, I'd damned well better be in the acceptance speech.

Er... yeah. Pretend that made sense for me, will ya?

But combining words together to make new ones? Man, if you don't appreciate that, hie thee to the library and pick up a copy of Jabberwocky. Every single computer I've ever had has been named the Frumious Bandersnatch, because that name is just so freaking cool.

Anyway, since I like to play word games, signs with missing letters or ridiculous misspellings make me snarf. I remember two signs with particular fondness. On the way to work, I used to drive past the Red Oof Inn, and I always wanted to stay there just so I could call all my friends and tell them that I was sleeping at the Red Oof. And then I'd go down the street to order the "Big Chicken F" from Rally's, because hey, they were advertising it. I don't know why, but the Big Chicken F really cracks me up. It sounds vaguely pervy for some reason I don't quite understand.

One of my other favorite word games is the reading things backwards game, and again I've got some favorites to relate. See, the mall in Toledo, where I used to live, is called Franklin Park. And there's nothing like going to Krap Nilknarf for a little shopping. After that, I like to go to Niknud Stunod for a glazed chocolate donut. But not with the Big Chicken F, because everyone knows that Big Chicken Fs and Stunods don't go well together.

Part of this is just me being silly. (I know, you're absolutely aghast at that one.) But part of it is I think essential to being a writer. Not that you need to take the silly approach to it, but always to play with words, to squish them around and jumble them up and see what new things you can come up with. To play with anagrams and abbreviations and new ways to say old things. To explore slang, how it evolves, and to find new ways to make it work for you.

And I am the world's biggest geek, because I love that schtuff. But you can call me wobgeek for short.