DAY 007 – DESIGNING DANGEROUSLY

Use Feeling Words

Language is powerful. If we never branch out from the 5,000 (ish) words that compose a typical vocabulary, we are leaving a lot off the table when it comes to creativity. Words should be chosen carefully, as they are the vehicle of our ideas and an agent of change. This venture of the 100 days of writing is a different practice, it’s about repetition, so I’m trying to not be too precious with my words or writing in this case. Rather I just barf onto the page to you.

Now why did I choose “barf” over “vomit” or the pedestrian “throw up”? I could spend the next paragraph deconstructing that choice, but I think you get the gist. When we use an evocative word, it brings a constellation of meaning with it. It is more specific and precise, but in a way that opens up the imagination rather than shuttering it.