How to get a Right-Brain Verbotomy

During the week of April 9-13 2007, we will be offering a prize to the most creative player of week. Author and creativity guru, Dan Pink (www.danpink.com), has offered up an autographed copy of his book “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future”.

The winner will be chosen based on the final stats on the Verbotomy Weekly Author Ranking for the week starting on Monday April 9, 2007.

A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink

The Six Senses for Right-Brain Thinking and Verbotomy

There’s no doubt that when people play Verbotomy, they are strengthening, and stretching, their right-brain aptitudes. Here is an analysis of how the Verbotomy Players are exercising and developing their creative thinking skills and according to Dan Pink’s Six Senses for Right-Brain Thinking.

1. Design:
Verbotomy is a design challenge. The very first thing a player is asked to do is invent, or should we say, design a new word. And players get bonus points for words that are engaging, whimsical and humorous.

2. Story:
Once a player has created a word, they are asked to write a sentence – a story – which puts their word in context and reveals it’s meaning.

3. Symphony:
Players are challenged is fuse together the conflicting ideas suggested by the definition and present it as a unified entity – a single word.

4. Empathy:
To win at Verbotomy, not only do players have to be creative, but players have to understand what will resonate with the other players, so the game rewards empathy.

5. Play:
It’s a game. It’s fun. It’s creative play.

6. Meaning:
Obviously the game starts with meaning — a definition. However the creative process pushes it to a deeper level, even if it’s appears to be tongue-in-cheek, where players reflect upon their role, and their position, in life.

For more creative ideas and inspiration see Dan Pinks webite at: www.danpink.com

Official Stuff:

Prize: The Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink, Trade Paperback Edition. (Approximate Retail Value $24.95 US.)
Contest Start Date: April 9, 2007 at 12:01:00 am EDT
Contest End Date: April 15, 2007 at 11:59:00 pm EDT

For Weekly Author Ranking see:
See: https://www.verbotomy.com/verbotomists.php

For complete contest rules and regulations please see our Verbotomy Contest Rules and Regulations.

I feel so icky!

DEFINITION: The unpleasant physical and/or psychological effects, which occur after watching the entire season of a TV show, non-stop on DVD.

I feel so icky!

VERBOTICISMS: (Invented words created by the Verbotomy Writers)

Episodomy: /ep-i-SOD-o-mee/ Buffy felt slayed and not a little lost. She also had a sore derriere from sitting on the sofa watching the entire season of Fawlty Towers without getting up. She had a bad case of episodomy. Etymology: episode (a part of television series) + Sodom (a city well known for vice and corruption especially of a certain kind likely to cause psychological unpleasantness and/or a sore butt) Created by: petaj.

Schizoscreenia: /skit-so-scree-nee-ah/ Long after Eric had finished watching Star Trek, he could still hear Captain Kirk’s voice in his head. His friends deduced he must be suffering from schizoscreenia. Etymology: schizophrenia + screen Created by: pinwheel.

Gomerpiles: /go-mer-pyles/ After watching the complete boxed set of the Andy Griffith Show and Andy of Mayberry, they both developed serious gomerpiles Etymology: Gomer Pyle (character in the TV series) + piles (Hemorrhoids caused by sitting too long) Created by: Jabberwocky.

Sitblitzed: /sit-blitsd/ After watching 14 hours of ‘Friends’ non-stop, he was suffering from all the telltale signs of sitblitz; brainblurts, Simpsonized sayings, a Fred Flintstoned look, Gomerpiles and most unusual and funny walks. No doubt he was totally sitblitzed. Etymology: sit-com + sitting + blitzed Created by: Stevenson0.

To see more verboticisms for this definition go to:
https://www.verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=tv

Be Creative,

James

www.verbotomy.com
the create-a-word game

I didn’t get an MBA for nothing.

DEFINITION: The art of sneaking to the office kitchen without having to take orders from your colleagues for coffee, or tea, or anything…

I didn't get an MBA for nothing.

VERBOTICISMS: (Invented words created by the Verbotomy Writers)

Subterfridge: /sub-ter-frij/ With careful subterfridge, Jill was able to disappear beside the fridge and take an uninterupted coffee break Etymology: subterfuge (trick used to escape) + fridge Created by: porsche.

Galleyphanting: /GAL-E-fan-ting/ Felicia Fanshaw formerly known as the office galleyphantom, has died of poisoning from arsenic in her coffee mug. Several of her colleagues are assisting police with their enquiries. Etymology: galley (kitchen) + phantom (something elusive) + gallivanting (roaming about in search of pleasure such as chocolate biscuits dipped in hot coffee) Created by: petaj.

Gofahcoffy: /go-fah-coff-ee/ ‘Time to gofahcoffy’ she said to herself. This was one of the few times this week she would try to invisibly gumshoe her way to the staff room to enjoy a cup of tea by herself and wallow in the solitude and calmness of the vacated kitchen. Goinfahcoffy was a huge challenge and risk, but if she got by her twenty-two co-workers, the tea and the time alone would help her overcome her protaskination and comtemplate the highly emotional marrage she encountered earlier in the week. Etymology: go + for + coffee-Related to the ancient and timely Canadian art of sneaking off from work to be on your own, known as ‘goingfahcoffy’, or ‘Tim’sing it up’. Also referenced in respect to unsolicited and irrelevant comments, such as a protoclash. Created by: Stevenson0.

Ninjava: /nin-JAH-vah/ Every day, Bret would miraculously appear several times with freshly brewed coffee in his mug, while his colleagues went dry. He was a true master of the art of ninjava. Etymology: ninja, java (slang for coffee) Created by: Alchemist.

To see more verboticisms for this definition go to:
https://www.verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=sneak

Be Creative,

James

www.verbotomy.com
the create-a-word game

But I don’t know how to take out the garbage!

DEFINITION: A specialized inability, or area of “chosen incompetency”, based on an individual’s need to avoid certain unpleasant tasks.

But I don't know how to take out the garbage!

VERBOTICISMS: (Invented words created by the Verbotomy Writers)

Conchoreshun: /con-chor-shun/ Conchoreshun is the ability to snake around undesirable tasks in a seemingly innocent manner Etymology: contort + chore + shun Created by: Jabberwocky.

Incompretence: /In-com-pree-tense/ Jack’s incompretence fooled everyone except his mother, who was not convinced by his excuse that he could play tennis left-handed instead of taking out the trash. Etymology: Incompetence + pretence Created by: Discoveria.

Protaskination: /proh-task-tuh-ney-shun/ Protaskination always overtakes me when it is time to clean the toilet and change the cat litter. Etymology: procrastination + task Created by: Stevenson0.

Skillusion: /skill-oo-zhun/ My son is a master at the art of skillusion. His latest task evasion tactic was to weedwhack all my violetto artichoke plants, claiming he thought they were just giant thistles, which, of course, they are. Etymology: skill, illusion Created by: purpleartichokes.

To see more verboticisms for this definition go to:
https://www.verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=trash

Be Creative,

James

www.verbotomy.com
the create-a-word game

That’s my word!

DEFINITION: To engage in an emotional debate over the small, yet somehow surprisingly important details in a simple game.

That's my word!

VERBOTICISMS: (Invented words created by the Verbotomy Writers)

Scrapple: /skra-pull/ Despite the fact that the points were as useless as tits on a bull, Bulletchewer and Jabberwocky scrappled over the nuances of Stevenson0’s Verbotocism. In the meantime, Purpleartichoke’s word languished, garnering nothing more than a passing glance. Etymology: Scrabble – the word game; Scrap – an argument; Scrap – a small detail; Scrapple – A Pennsylvania Dutch meat product made from cornmeal mush mixed with normally discarded pork scraps, onions, and spices. Created by: purpleartichokes.

Monopolemics: /mono-pole-em-ix/ Boardgames were just an excuse for us to engage in monopolemics Etymology: monopoly (popular board game) + polemics (art or practice of controversy) Created by: Jabberwocky.

Parcheeseoff: /par-cheese-off/ Bill, how often gets overly competitive in games, usually starts to parcheeseoff the other players within the first rounds of the game. Etymology: Parcheesi (a game) + cheese off (annoy) Created by: jedijawa.

Protoclash: /proh-tuh-klash/ Because of his competitive nature, a protoclash would undoubtably occur if the score was not in his favour. Etymology: protocol (rules) + clash Created by: Stevenson0.

To see more verboticisms for this definition go to:
https://www.verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=squabble

Be Creative,

James

www.verbotomy.com
the create-a-word game