The word irony comes from a Greek word meaning "dissembler". It was used a considerable amount in regards to comedy, where irony was used as a mechanism in plays.

The biggest issue that comes with irony in common use is that most people don't really understand the meaning of it, and thus misuse it. Irony is "an inconsistency between what is expected and what occurs." Most people equate irony as wit or sarcasm (which is technically a type of irony, but so are puns). Irony can be those things, but it isn't always those things.

Thus, a common exchange like the following would be incorrect.

John: Man, I had a terrible day.
Tina: That's ironic: you look great.

It's not ironic that John looks good; it's just a statement that's different from what he's claiming. Irony would be dying of thirst in a raft on the ocean.

I was asked to drive my girlfriend to an event this morning, and I got lost. I don't usually get lost - being a frequent road traveler - and this bugged me. "What does this have to do with language," you ask. Here's how: the directions I was given were sorely in need of clarity.

The purpose of language - in my mind - is to communicate ideas between individuals. In order to do so as effectively as possible, language has to be clear. Clarity comes not only from an understanding of the language but also from an understanding of the guidelines (notice I did not say rules) of the language.

The directions I was given to the event (and I'm paraphrasing) came down to this:

"Meet Person A near Veteran's Park near the sign for the Lincoln Bridge street sign."

There were a few things wrong with this:

1. Person A didn't have a contact number reachable on the weekend.
2. Veteran's Park runs nearly a mile long from north to south. Stating that something is near the park isn't very specific.
3. The street sign mentioned is not for the street mentioned but another.

Needless to say, it was a pain to have driven right past the location twice before recognizing someone and understanding that it was the place. Clarity is essential when dealing with language because the lack thereof causes a significant amount of confusion, and as a writer, you don't want confusion in your readers. So be as specific as possible without being too wordy. That's where being concise comes in, which is a topic for another day.

This is a new feature for the JB Dryden Company blog. Each Wednesday I will focus on one word, it's etymology, and some proper uses (or improper in some cases).

Today's word: irregardless.

Irregardless is an erroneous word meant to mean regardless. Etymologically it has a strange place, having a status much akin to flammable/inflammable and may one day have a similar function. It has been in use (again, erroneously) since the 1870s. It was probably a blending of irrespective and regardless.

Recently I've been re-Tweeting the Daily Challenges from the Milwaukee Writers Workshop (www.twitter.com/mkeworkshop if you want to follow or just @mkeworkshop).

I recently had a conversation via Twitter. (If you don't use this, and you're looking to market yourself to a social-media-conscious generation, then you should look into this.) The conversation centered around the use of the term "creative writing" to describe, well, Creative Writing.

In response to my last post, I received this comment:

...Assuming I have everything in my head, how do [sic] I get it OUT of my head?

Having worked with a number of new writers over the past three months, I've come to discover a trend: there's a sense of knowing what to put in a story but not knowing how to write a story. I think a lot of people understand the basic theory behind a storywriting - characters, plot, conflict - but not as many people understand the process by which ones crafts those elements into a cohesive unit.

WriteCamp has come and gone for this year, but it will surely be back and improved from the first iteration. "What is WriteCamp?" you ask. WriteCamp is a free, open-source style conference with the intent of bringing together anyone within the writing community to discuss writing, network with other literary folk, and exchange their knowledge. It was a great opportunity for those involved and those who planned, and I believe that it is something sorely needed in the literary community as a whole.

Over the course of the past few months, the publishing industry has become increasingly more and more depressed along with the economy. Publishers like Esquire, HarperCollins, and Publisher's Weekly have all either begun or announced layoffs to their editorial staff. It's discouraging to a lot of folks in the editing & publishing industry.

I tend to be a little less than apologetic about the divide between "good" and "bad" writers and writing. I don't find that it helps anyone by skirting around the issue and pretending that everyone is a competent writer. If that were the case, then there wouldn't be any need for editors.