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The Power and Thrill of Naming: Word Randomization

To boldly go where no thesaurus has gone before...  

On this episode of the Power and Thrill of Naming Things, we'll be doing things a little different.  

We're going to pilot our ship towards three anomalies, aka random word generators.  Whatever the generators spit out, we'll craft into short chunks of creative writing.  Ahead, word speed 10.

   Setup: 3 words (any type), make into title of book
  • Oven Knight and the Injection Fraction Battalion
  • Sea Monsters and Salvation: A Romantic Anniversary on Apocalypse Beach
  • Three Freckles and Obscure Cancer: A Doctor's Analysis of Irish Melanoma
  • How to Ostracize Allies and Tie Knots in Foreign Aid
  • Unnatural Selection: How a Menu of Bizarre Forms Persist
  • Seven Steps to Sharp, Clear, Ice-Knife Combat
  • Cool Whip Sally and the Trouble with Charmzilla 
  • Nautical Faxes Don't Lie:  The Ambitions of Boaty McBoatface Book 7

  Setup: 3 words (nouns only), make into a book's plot summary sentence.
  • A horse's bath in green paint makes a statement at the Anti-Equestrian parade.
  • Playing basketball in the rain jeopardizes a robot's screws and bolts.
  • A fireman bravely tries to stop multiple explosive-laden trains aimed at the world's last zoo.
  • Despite having no legs, a young clam must perfect a wall kick to save his family from a street lobster gang.
  • The Queen of Brass enters a battle of wits and pogo-stick racing against the conniving Emperor of Aluminum.  
  • A depressed bird of prey finds freedom and purpose by cutting his cable subscription after a hurtful comparison to a dodo.
  • The All Fruit Opera Club learns to respect the grit and singing ability of a Number 2 pencil after a showdown between the club's star performer--Banana Rama--and the pencil ends in a draw.
  • A nursing home resident saves his town by using his psychic senses to predict the arrival of a massive swarm of cloud ants.

  Setup: 5 words (any type), must use 3 in the opening sentence(s) of a book, can modify word type.
  • (Dismission, Aphis, Cancriform, Gibbering, Reverence)
    • "I've never seen such a flattened species of Aphis," said the flustered entomologist, almost gibbering. "They're positively cancriform!"
  •  (Annually, Infundibulum, Crow-silk, Indecence, Nighly)
    • "Your indescence has become an annual occurrence.  Last year, your graffiti of Uncle Egbert with an enlarged infundibulum almost gave him a triple heart attack.  I presume another cephalopodic episode is nigh?"
  • (Actinaria, Optime, Discreditable, Rabot, PahUtes)
    • He was losing his rank as junior optime.  It all started with the incident of the rabot and the bust of the college president.  It didn't matter that his accuser had a discreditable story.  Vincent had unearthed a massive sandalwood scandal in the Department of Fine Art and had to be removed. 
  • (Quartzous, Protectingly, Toothed, Coffer, Iceberg)
    • "Can I offer you a drink?" the mountain giant asked with a quartzous rumble.  He reached over and pulled out an iceberg from his ice-chest and plunked it into a cup so large that I could have swum laps in it.  "I always work up a terrible thirst before search through my coffer.  It'll take some mighty searching to discover if your lost city is among my collection," he continued, offering me a toothy grin like a row of stone monuments.  I said nothing, clutching my worn map protectingly.

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