Words are the instruments with which writers ply their trade. On good days, the work seems to magically flow in an unending stream. On others, a writer may lean on a dictionary or thesaurus in search of a perfect word to set the tone, or describe a character, or ensure that the language reflects the setting. For me, writing a novel is like creating a puzzle, one which must be solved before arriving at The End.
I’ve always loved words. As an early reader, I glommed onto books with word play in them, like Horton Hatches the Egg, and others from Dr. Seuss. I’d set a big old dictionary on the floor and lay on my tummy to learn new words. Word nerd? That’s me.
It seems as though new words are created every day, often by way of street slang, or foreign influences, or the tech or corporate world. It’s getting harder to keep up with it all. It used to be cool to call things or people who were at the forefront of the arts cool, but then hot replaced it. Then hot wasn’t hot enough, so it gave way to fire, as in, “Taylor Swift is fire.” Seems like meanings are changing every day.
But sometimes long-forgotten words get rediscovered. Recently, as I scrolled through my Facebook feed, I came across a string of posts from a page that’s full of them. Being a word puzzle fan (and a world champion avoider of less fun tasks), they inspired my wayward mind to make up a short flash fiction, using a few gems from the folks at Grandiloquent Word of the Day. If you want to play along, here are the words:
Acrocephalic: Having a pointy-shaped head.
Blatteroon: One who will not stop talking.
Bumptious: Obnoxiously conceited, self assertive. Loud and rude to an offensive degree.
Fangast: A young woman fit or considered suitable for marriage.
Fulvescent: Tending toward a tawny, reddish yellow, or dull brownish color.
Gurn: To make a ridiculous or unpleasant facial expression.
Gwidgy-gwee: A small bruise or blood blister caused by a nip or a punch.
Hoddypeak: A blockhead; a fool: a simpleton, a numpty, a ninnyhammer.
Jumentous: Smelling like horse urine.
Marplot: One who mars a plot, design, or plan by meddling.
Oikonisus: The urge to start a family.
Schmutzwortsuche: Looking up naughty words in the dictionary.
Vaniloquent: Speaking only of oneself or speaking egotistically.
And here’s my short-short story: The Lonely Bachelor:
Once there lived a bumptious bachelor who was suffering from oikonisus. Some called him a jumentous, vaniloquent blatteroon. Others deemed him a complete hoddypeak. Nevertheless, he set out to find a wife. He hired a matchmaker to aid in procuring a fangast, preferably a wealthy one with fulvescent hair.
But, eying the nasty gwidgy-gwee on his lip, she replied with a gurn and a snort. “Sorry,” she said, “methinks I shall never be able to find a wife for an acrocephalic doofus like you.”
“Curse you, cruel marplot!” exclaimed the unfortunate man. “I shall be woebegone for the rest of my life, with only my schmutzwortsuche to entertain me.”
I could play games like this every day. But a new manuscript waits. It’s a real puzzler, and I must find the words to fill those empty pages.
Do you like word games? What kind do you play?
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A former magazine editor and short films producer, Gay Yellen first dipped into writing
novels as the contributing editor for the international spy thriller Five Minutes to Midnight, which earned a New York Times “New & Notable Books” selection. That success led to her own award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series, which earned much praise, including a Crowned Heart for Excellence and a RONE Award for Romantic Suspense; a Readers’ Favorite Mystery Award (5 Stars); 1st Place, Mystery & Mayhem (cozy), from Chanticleer International; Winner (cozy) from American Legacy; and a finalist berth for Silver Falchion at Killer Nashville.
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Website: https://gayyellen.com
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