July Theme: Expand Your Vocabulary

Summary

The Microcosm Editorial Team challenges writers to expand their vocabulary by using more complex words and reviving old or forgotten terms in their writing during July 2021, defying the common advice to write simply and directly.

Abstract

In a playful rebuttal to the prevalent advice in writing self-help articles that encourage simplicity and brevity, the Microcosm Editorial Team proposes a July theme that encourages writers to embrace sesquipedalian words. They suggest that writers can rejuvenate archaic words, borrow grandiose terms from other languages, and even invent new words, drawing inspiration from the freedom that other authors have taken in coining their own terms. The team humorously asserts their rebellious stance against conventional writing wisdom, advocating for a month of linguistic exploration and creativity on the platform Medium.

Opinions

The Microcosm Editorial Team positions itself as rebels against the mainstream writing advice that prioritizes simplicity and clarity.
They encourage the use of big, complex words, challenging the notion that writing should always cater to the broadest audience.
The team suggests that writers can and should take ownership of language by using, reviving, and creating words.
They mock the idea of strictly adhering to societal norms of acceptable vocabulary, implying that writers should have the freedom to be more adventurous with language.
The editorial suggests that writers can find inspiration in history and other languages to enrich their prose.
They playfully assert that writers on Medium have the power to turn the world upside down with just a keyboard and the platform, echoing Nietzsche's sentiment about the power of writing.

Short stories with big words

One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple. ― Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

Hmmmm…..

Dear Jack:

Today’s not the day.

Signed, Microcosm Editorial Team

Reading through the writing self-help articles on Medium and the internet at large, there is a common theme.

Write to your audience. Write simpler. Don’t use words like “that” and “just”, (that) are (just) filler. Say it, don’t spray it. Wait, that’s for something else.

Their theme is simplicity. Being the rebels that we are, here at Microcosm, our exhortation for the month of July in the year of our Lorde 2021 is to utilize more sesquipedal words and discombobulate the serfs endeavoring to decipher your prose.

Use words like you own them.

Maybe we can grab some old words, some forgotten words, some words of yore, and breathe new life into them. Take them from the pages of history, and make them ours.

Perhaps there are some big honkin’ words in other languages that we can take and make our own. Or have taken and made our own. Now we just need to use them in stories.

We are all writers of fiction, here. Why do we need to use the word that society has deemed acceptable? Why don’t we simply steal some made-up words from other authors?

And if other authors can make up words, why can’t we?

All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down. -Friedrich Nietzsche

We’re better than old Freddie. We don’t even need that. A keyboard and Medium are all that we need.

Stay tuned. The initial prompt for July will arrive tomorrow.