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Say...what?
Have you ever had anyone in your life that just had a naturally unique flair for language? I have been lucky enough to have a few. I say lucky because these people created humor with their word choices. Sometimes the humor was on purpose and sometimes it was not. Either way, I ended up with lots of laughs.
My dad was an intellect, a Ph.D., and a college professor of English. He had a sense of humor but was not a classic jokester. His humor was very intentional and when he was feeling especially silly he would crack out a real groaner of a pun. The pun would be his original and tailored to the conversation at hand. Luckily for my teenage self, he was not likely to do that sort of thing around my friends. What I remember with great fondness now would have made me DIE of embarrassment as a youngster 
These are not my dad's puns.
My late mother-in-law had her own vocabulary that I found hilarious, but she wasn't trying to be funny. She would get so offended if I laughed. She also had some interesting sayings I found amusing. One in particular I loved but it actually made no sense. Busy as a cranberry merchant. Once when she used it, I asked her about it. My family had always discussed language, so it seemed natural to me to ask her if there was more to the saying. She got so mad at me. "NO! There wasn't more to it, that was the whole thing."
Oops.
Let's just say I was not her favorite daughter-in-law. Never mind that I was her only daughter-in-law.
I expected my dad to use vocabulary that was unfamiliar, although I never did have any problem understanding him. Context, I suppose. My mother-in-law, however, came up with words I had never heard of and I was never exactly sure where she was coming from with these words. I would ask my husband later and he would shrug, "She has always said that."
Here are some things my mother-in-law would say. Please note that some are real words and some are not. Some are real words but she had her own interpretive definitions.
Loblolly--a giant mud puddle. I understand that this is a southern expression (M-I-L was originally from Missouri). She also used it in the context of something being a big mess or a messy situation. I'm absolutely sure that is her own creative interpretation of the word. That divorce turned into a loblolly.
Larrapin--a sarcastic version of wonderful, good, or lovely, etc. I tried different spellings but I can't find it in the dictionary. I especially love this one because I'm pretty sure it is made up and because it is used as a sarcastic or ironic word. "Oh, honey, that perfume smells larrapin," I reassured her as I tried to breathe in through my mouth.
Ring-Tailed Tooter--this describes a person who is a real character, lively, and amusing.
Busy as a cranberry merchant--to be really busy. Are cranberry merchants particularly busy people? Maybe one of you can explain this one to me. I learned my lesson about asking the mother-in-law about it (even if she was still around to ask).
Busy as a one-armed paper hanger--Although this is a bit of an unfortunate saying, it wasn't intended as a jab at handicapped people (although she wasn't above that). It is meant to indicate that something was a big struggle.
So, why did I tell you all this? You can absolutely use this kind of thing to create a colorful, quirky, funny character, a real ringed-tailed tooter! Memorable characters are not cookie-cutter, they are unique. They are enjoyable and/or relatable. Humor is a great way to get your readers' attached to your character and want to keep reading.
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Question: DO YOU HAVE A PERSON IN YOUR LIFE (PAST OR PRESENT) WHO HAS A REAL WAY WITH WORDS?
From "Comedy Newsletter (March 9, 2022)" :
Lazy Writer est 4/24/2008  : Sometimes if I don't have a deadline it never gets finished! Since retiring I don't have deadlines. I did try a few contests and did ok, but that fizzled out too. Thanks for your newsletter, I enjoyed it.
The key is to find a contest that really fires up your muse. Don't give up! I'm so glad you enjoyed this newsletter, thank you!
dragonwoman : Sometimes it works, other times my muse digs in her heels and thumbs her nose at deadlines.
Boy oh boy, do I know about a muse that knows how to dig in her heels and thumb her nose at deadlines. So onery!
Jtpete 1986  I haven't had any deadlines except the ones I place on myself. I don't listen to my inner voice much, so the deadlines are dead in the water. Because of this, I admit I need something to kick start my writing. I have lots of ideas; however, I just seem to start.
Any suggestions?
Well, if your own deadlines don't work it is because you aren't holding yourself accountable. How about using this tool "Weekly Goals" . You get positive reinforcement for making and updating your goals, and it gives you something to work towards. Contests have firm deadlines, if you can find one you might enjoy entering. Give those things a try, see how they work for you.
Elfin Dragon-finally published I really don't care for deadlines. I don't do well with them. But Yes, I do enter contests to push myself into writing. I think it works about half of the time.
I know of no one who likes deadlines, but they can be a useful tool. They can also be stress-inducing. That is probably something you would want to avoid, I know I do. |
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Comedy: April 06, 2022 Issue [#11295]
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