Word to Your Drama
Word to Your Drama
I’m currently reading New Playwriting Strategies (not quite so ‘new’ now; Routledge, 2001) by Paul C. Castagno, which attempts to flesh out one of the more recent aesthetic trends in American playwriting. Castagno identifies his case studies as ‘the language playwrights’: Len Jenkin, Eric Overmeyer, and Mac Wellman. More on this book as I continue reading.
For now, given how important language, words in particular, are to playwrights, I thought I’d post some favorite and also newly discovered word-related links:
Schott’s Vocab for the NYT. A Miscellany of Modern Words and Phrases.
Lake Superior State University 2010 List of Banished Words. LSU has been compiling an annual list of overused words since 1977. I have referenced it in the past when teaching to discuss cliches, etymology, neologisms, etc. (Eek. I have a very nerdy side.)
OED. Invaluable resource! Need university affiliation or access to major library to use it though.
The Phrase Finder. Meanings and origins of phrases, sayings, and idioms.
Internet Slang Dictionary & Translator. (I include this one because while I believe it exists, I still can’t believe it exists.)
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking your feeds too now, Thanks.
surface encounters