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Wordsmithing

There aren't many words I dislike. This is because I need a huge arsenal of them for the day job, and using the majority of them has always made me happy. I think some of the old slang words when I first joined the online writing community bugged me a bit (snark, podcast and webinar, I'm remembering you) or were what I considered unattractive (blog, definitely) or trendy but silly (chiaroscuro, and have mercy, it showed up in almost every SF book I read for years.) I also have names I don't care for or use because of unpleasant personal associations (Ryan is #1 on that list) but I think everyone does that. Who names their child Adolph, right?

In any case, I'm a wordsmith, but not one who believes only the educated deserve access to ideas and stories. I avoid using gatekeeping language or any words employed to prevent a certain section of society from understanding what is being conveyed. I think that comes from being self-educated. I don't like word snobs of any variety, especially the ones who use words as weapons. Writing is meant to communicate, not punish.

I had a dream the other night that I had invented a drink made out of words, and when you drank it you understood them completely, as in they made you smarter. Since I really hated school it seemed wonderful, as would anything that would make most of compulsory public education unnecessary.

I think my generation might be one of the last to keep handwritten journals, which makes me sad. At the same time I admire the younger generation for finding new ways to record their experiences in life. Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms provide a place of expression for everyone (some, like that place formerly known as Twitter, have become unsafe, but there are good alternatives like Mastodon.) The kids seem to be living their lives on their phones, and that's fine. Even wordsmiths have to evolve.

Image by narciso1 from Pixabay, word wine glass image from The Library of Congress store, writing notebook image by Pexels from Pixabay

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