The word of the year and you

Every year, various institutions declare the "word of the year."

This can be a new word that was recently invented, a word that became more topical through the last calendar year, or a sentiment that was felt across the world.

Past words of the year include covid (2020), quarantine (2020), NFT (2021), and AI (2023). You can see how these related to each year they were selected.

What does this mean to you?

You don't have to start using a word just because it was declared the word of the year. You don't need to make sure you use it once a day or in each of your stories.

What you can do, however, is realize that this is what was on people's minds, either incorporating these themes in your story or trying to figure out what the next one will be.

Even more exciting, you can make up a word and do your best to get it recognized in a future year. Good luck!