by Eva Caye
I can’t help myself. As an author, words are important to me. My goal is to write with clarity, but sometimes I have to consult Thesaurus.com, tasting the flavor of all possible words to pick the precise one I need. That’s when ‘It Happens’; when I’m stuck in word-selection-mode, I get a little geeky.
The OCD-editor-in-my-brain cackles madly. “Showtime!” She hovers behind me as I pull up the online thesaurus. “Mission parameters?”
“Well, the last few days I’ve experienced a barrage of mind-boggling extremes. I’ve been in a rare emotional state, laughing and crying at the same time. I know I’m not crazy but I legitimately feel both joy and sadness, a poignancy that is nevertheless funny as hell for some reason. I want a word that represents the intensity of both ends of the emotional scale.”
“Paradox is out; that’s a logical descriptor, inadequate to represent an emotional state. Cognitive dissonance is psychologically similar, but it’s a medical phrase and being overused by mainstream media. Dacrygelosis is alternating between laughing and crying, not simultaneous, and it is too scientifically obscure for the modern reader.” Miz OCD suggests I click through numerous entries, insisting I check the official dictionary definitions. After analyzing them all, she simmers quietly. “None of these words convey the emotional intensity you require.”
“I know. I’m going to have to create a word.”
Lady O emits a scream that pierces my solemn contemplation. “There are 615,000 entries in the Oxford English Dictionary! It’s bad enough to have to actively search online for the definitions of modern slang, given pop culture, new science, and business acronyms! Remember when Tracy questioned why, how, and whether you needed to create the word ‘croggled’?” She laughs maniacally.
I bounce up and down. “That’s it, right there! That emotional state you are in right now is the one I want to portray! You are laughing at me yet crying in despair, stuck between being eager to help me yet frustrated in not finding the right word.” I know if I give her a task, the Dame of Compulsion will quit freaking and start working. “Don’t you want to make a mark in the world of literature? What can we call that emotional state?”
I love how Miz O engages her faculties with immediate, fierce concentration. “Combinations of spliced ‘happy’ and ‘sad’ words sound ridiculous. ‘Craughing’ is ugly, ‘lying’ is taken, ‘smouting’ sounds stupid, ‘piling’ sounds disgusting. Describe the most recent situation in which you found yourself laughing and crying at the same time. Perhaps the ambiance of the moment will provide some inspiration.”
“Basically, people pay $3 for an overhyped cup of coffee at Javaschmucks that will chemically stimulate them for half an hour, but don’t care to spend the same amount for an e-book that will give them hours of pleasure. Some people even pay $5 to $40 to register at a website for pirated copies of books that indie authors spend thousands of dollars to get edited, giving the money to criminal site owners who do ten minutes of work and rake in the money. Compare that to the writer who has spent thirty years perfecting her craft, dredging up every glorious or horrifying scene in her own life to capture the essence of meaningful life-lessons for readers.
“I laugh because I used to be like that, only willing to buy a book if it was on sale. I now feel just as sad about pawn shops and auctions, where everyone is determined to get the ‘deal’ despite the desperation of the original owner. I cry because I hate the economic disparity of earning so little for all my hard, thoughtful work.”
“You laugh at being ignored and financially shafted?” The Lady ponders deeply.
“I feel great joy when I receive another five-star review or a personal email to thank me, knowing my book has enriched my readers with the scope of my imagination and vision of the future. So I laugh at all the penny-pinchers out there who do not recognize the true value of hours, days, or a lifetime of inspiration. Sure, I pinch pennies, too, but only to pay Tracy for her professional opinion on how to improve my work. So I cry when I calculate how many e-books I must sell at $2.99 to get my other six books edited.”
Miz O smiles. “I have two words. ‘Lacrimania’ is the created word, but I believe a regular word will suffice.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Awakening.”
Eva Caye morphed from dilettante writer into obsessive author after a health crisis forced her out of teaching. Her début novel DIGNITY, the first of her seven-part To Be Sinclair series of science fiction romances, was published in August 2012 through KDP Select. Book two, MAJESTY, will be out in October 2012. She lives in a tiny, century-old farmhouse with her magnificent husband and two lovely mutts in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more about Eva from her website, her blog and her Amazon author page.
Lacrimania is wonderful! Thanks for a fabulous word. 😀
That word is definitely a keeper. Nice job! But in my house, it is often merely called writer.
Hah! Yes, when the hubby sees me at the computer, he knows better than to interrupt my concentration. Unfortunately, when he forgets, the words I use are all too common, so common that they have, ah, multiple meanings shall we say?
Love it. I created the word ‘stumped’ to described the way my character with a peg leg walked. Not everyone likes it but it’s staying.
Ambicosis? Concomity? Bifurpsychia? Oppocognia?
Too funny, but you should tell us what they mean! Not everyone is trained to recognize Latin morphemes!
I love learning new words. Thank you for sharing that. 🙂
Great post, Eva, thanks! I too have spent countless hours at Thesaurus.com, clicking through entry after entry to find the word I need. And you’re right — sometimes you’ve just gotta make one up.
Love your writing style! Those elusive words…I know what you mean. I just put in a long blank line, if I can get around the word, and keep writing. Then I come back to it. But I like the Grammar Diva you describe. I have one of those–but she comes out when I’m window-shopping (“It costs too much.” “Where are you going to put it?” “Why do you think you need it?” and “Who’s going to dust it?” Honestly, it doesn’t pay to shop for myself if she comes along.
The barbacity of this post is simply amazing. Plus, love to see authors representing my home state!
Haha, Brian! If you use a made-up word, you should at least define it for us at some point! You wouldn’t want to offend people without them at least KNOWING, now, would you?! Teehee!
Great post, Eva! Thanks for the laugh 🙂