I’m at a writer’s conference this weekend surrounded by creative types.  At a casual meet-and-greet this evening, words like “obsequious”, “rapacious” and “perfunctory” were bandied about — with wild abandon.  I stood, mouth agape, and tried to add something, ANYTHING, to the conversation.  Alas, I was taciturn.  (Go look it up.  It means to be woefully quiet.)

I consider myself to be a semi-proficient wordsmith.  I’m always trying, always searching for just the perfect verb, adjective or participle to dangle.  But sometimes, less is more.  I’m not sure if the writers in question were trying to out-do each other, but it left me feeling a sense of inadequacy.  Now I know what erectile dysfunction must be like.

I try to use words that are conversational and have a certain colloquial spirit.  You’ll never find me peppering “scurrilous” in to my musings unless the grammar police are holding a gun to my head.

Did you know “moist” is the most despised, universally loathed word in the English language?  Several polls deemed it “quintessentially hated”.  I have no idea why.  Duncan Hines must have been crushed when they got word they’d have to replace all their packaging, huh?  Also, nearing the top of the list were “slurp” and “jowls”.

What did those words ever do to anybody?  Granted, I’m not a big fan of the word “dank”, but I don’t have such an unadulterated hate for it that I refuse to use it.

All I know is that I take great pride in picking a bon mot.  And if moist fits, I’m gonna use it to the best of my ability regardless of what anyone says.  This weekend it looks like I’ll have to step up my game a little bit.  But if you had been a fly on the wall listening to some of these Chatty Cathy’s, you would have found it derisory … er, laughable.