[stylist] using borrowed words?

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Helene,

Well, a squib is also a firecracker that doesn't go off, isn't it?  It's
late here, so sorry too lazy to look it up.  It just seems I've come across
it before Harry Potter.

I've read that Tolkien took many of the words for his races from ancient
Norse mythology, like Orcs and Balrogs and so on.  I think "hobbit" was his
own word, but most of the others, he took from Norse myth and introduced
them to the modern English language.  These days, in so much of fantasy, you
can't swing a cat without hitting an orc!  Dang things are popping up
everywhere.

And I have now completely lost the ability to make sense.  That's assuming I
had it to being with. /smile/

My only suggestion at this time is to do an internet search for the word to
see if it existed BHP (Before Harry Potter) or not.  I will be interested to
find out what the rule there is, since squib, muggle, and a few other HP
words have become part of the language.  How cool is that?

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of helene ryles
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 9:04 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] using borrowed words?

I'm wondering what the rules are on using words that another writer
has made up.

The word I have in mind is squib. For those who haven't read harry
Potter a squib is someone who comes from a magical family but is not
magical themselves. I have a few 'squibs' in a deafblind girl.

Would I be able to use this word in my novel or would I have to make
up another?

Helene

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