How to Make up a Word (Recipe 1)

1. Create a list 30 concrete nouns, that is words such as tree, pick-up, carton.
2. And then create a list of 20 abstract nouns such as liberty, sadness, etc.
3. Create a list of 10 adverbs (ly) words.
4. Combine an abstract noun or adverb with a concrete noun as randomly as possible. You can drop the “ly” on the adverbs. You should end up with a list of 30 random concepts, such as a liberty tree, a sadness pick-up, a quick carton, etc. You will most likely find that you will need to fuss a bit with each of these word combinations to make them work. For instance you may need to flip the word order.
5. Pick seven (or more) of these terms and write their definitions.
6. The definition can be along the lines of an explanation for a friend rather than something you’d find in the dictionary. Feel free to use examples or tease out nuances in the concepts. These concepts are only constrained by your ability to explain them, and you should not be concerned with their real-world sense or probability. Do not worry about if they belong to a narrative.
7. In revising this list think about what a world where you list might make sense. What values are suggested in this world? What kind of people (real or imaginary) might have cause to invent or use words like this? Revise your piece to suggest these things if they seem relevant.