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Inspirational Reads

Goofy Words I Want to Work into a Book

May 3, 2009

I don't know if this will become a somewhat regularly appearing feature or not; we'll see. Being that I'm, you know, doing that whole whoring myself to any literary agent willing to listen...or at least read their email...I've started back into writing. Slowly, to be sure, because it's been a bit painful. I'm currently reworking some of my chapters in the BIG BAD EPIC STORY so that they, you know, don't suck. A lot of shit I'm redoing I worked on while still in college, so it's not...good. I mean, it conveys the story, but it's not where I am now as a writer (you know, with dick jokes every other paragraph).

Anyway, I've come across a few words in my reading (in that whole trying to become a better writer game I've been playing with myself) that I think "Wow, that shit's goofy enough that I should work it into my book somewhere."

And I have. A couple, at least. And I was mighty proud of it, too. Even now, when I re-read this shit and I come across your face the word that I slipped into the writing, it makes me smile.

The first of these words--surprise!--has a heavily Latin influence:

uxorious: characterized as being excessively fond of or submissive to a wife.

It comes from the Latin uxor, which means "wife".

And here's a sample:

"Count Alsace was a small and uxorious man, with beady eyes, a balding pate and a propensity toward twitching his upper lip. He spoke softly and stepped quickly and was exceedingly deferential to anyone who asked anything of him, as if he had spent his entire life bowing and scraping before another, despite his noble station in life."

As you can see, I chose the latter part of the definition, where poor Count Alsace was submissive to his boorish wife. Strangely enough, we never meet her in the course of the story. It's for the better, I'm sure; my inheritance rests on Countess Alsace not making an appearance in the story.

15 comments:

the iNDefatigable mjenks said...

You'll have to click on the top cartoon to make it bigger so as to read the fine print.

Phat Mama said...

My dream is to be published.

Good luck! :)

Girl Interrupted said...

I love words!

Can't wait to read your book. I'm assuming, of course, that your faithful followers will all be receiving free, autographed copies ...

Kristine said...

I totally played that word in Scrabble once.

Or maybe it was the person I was playing.

Whatever. I knew what it meant, right?

Kristine said...

Also: funny cartoon!

Soda and Candy said...

Ooh that's a good word, like it. I always thought it meant something like unctuous. I'm too lazy to look words up when I'm reading.

mike said...

You could be making these words up and I would never know the difference. I'll let you know when I buy your book.

Eric said...

Best wishes with the writing, I know you'll do well.

Personally, I like to start with the big confusing words, then fill in all the cracks with the remaining smaller words.

Greta said...

Count Alsace sounds like a well trained man.

coolred38 said...

There are jokes about dicks? No waaaaay!!!

Chemgeek said...

Some of my labmates dared me to insert various and totally unnecessary words in my dissertation. Words like "dick" and "vagina." Words that are not vulgar but had no place and no context to appear.

I am sad to say, I didn't do it. I almost did because I figured no one on my committee was actually going to read it. However, at that point, vagina, I didn't want to dick risk anything.

LiLu said...

I am determined to work "uxorious" into conversation today. Watch out, B.

Frank said...

I'll be the most uxorious man alive given I marry someone with some money.

Nej said...

I'd love to read this as a "somewhat regularly appearing feature". I love learning new, and less obvious, verbiage. :-)

The Ambiguous Blob said...

2nd time today I read "Alsace" in a blog. Hmm. That must be my new word of the day.