Story Element #7: Word Play (Porcupining)

Today is Valentine's Day and I am so excited to bring you another book for the famous STORY ELEMENTS. If you hadn't noticed, I've been prepping for this for a while. There is a set of links to access each of the TEN elements located on the left side bar. 

I have issued myself a challenge to post a new book for the next two weeks. So I declare the next two weeks BOOK LOVE! And I'm going to have a giveaway to celebrate the fun, but you have to participate. It's simple. Just leave a comment sharing a book recommendation you'd like to see featured for that day's craft in Story Elements. What do you win? A MARKET GUIDE BOOK! I might even give away TWO (if there are lots of people commenting). 2011 and 2012. So, let's get started!

Second installment for WORD PLAY! 
Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story 
by Lisa Wheeler

It's such a fun and awesome book with tons of word play. I LOVE it!!! Unfortunately, it's out of print. That's a bummer for readers, but you could still try the library or Amazon. For writers, you could learn a thing or two from today's post.

Remember, word play is fun words used playfully to give extra meanings to the text. Lots of puns, onomatopoeia, and the like. Buckle up, it's gonna be a long, fun ride full of pricks, sticks, and pokes. Sorry, word play days don't go much into plot. You can infer, though.

First of all, a book about a porcupine named Cushion looking for a mate. Hilarious, right? Cushion! The name is perfect. Here's more:

• Cushion went poking around.
• started poking fun at him
• "You're a walking burr-ball!" they teased. "Go away, Pin-Cushion!"
• Cushion got the point.
• "Must be stuck-up," he decided. "I'll find a wife who has a sharper sense of humor."
• She started needling him.
• scrub brush
• just stick with it
• He felt a prickle run down his spine.
• "But you can call me Barb."
• 
• "I've got quills."
• "hedge or a hog"
• "pork or a pine"
• (Or what would be the point of this whole story?)

So, there you have it! 

AND you can buy Porcupining as an APP now. Woo-hoo, yippee! Now there's a statement with a real POINT to it! If I had a Kindle, then I'd know how the song went. That would be SHARP!

TODAY'S QUESTION: Hit me with your best pun/word play having to do with APPLES. 
"You are the apple of my eye." (Sorry I beat you guys to the cliche.) Now let's be original...

Keep on keepin' on...