Connection & Communication: A Guest Post by Megan C. Reynolds

You’ve undoubtedly used the word countless times, in equally countless ways, but where does it come from and what does it actually mean? Now you can find out in this riveting history of a singular word that is perfect for linguistics geeks and word-nerds. Read on for an exclusive essay from Megan Reynolds on writing Like.

Writing a book about a word that people say, like, all the time, without even thinking about it sounded like an easy enough task—but like most things in life that sound easy and are in fact not so much at all, I learned a lot about myself (and writing and words and how to be a good person) along the way.

The idea itself is so simple and so open-ended that there were a million different directions to go in; as I started writing, the book took shape exactly as I wanted it to. It was never my intention to be didactic or to dabble in pedantry—and so even though my tone can be strident at times in imploring people to care a little less about saying “like,” I approached the subject through the lens of pop culture and my own personal experience. Talking about anything that might be difficult to parse or would otherwise be found in the syllabus of a high school English class is much, much easier if it’s presented in the lingua franca of my peers. The old adage about writing what you know was the thing that drove me—finally, my passion for and knowledge about Love Island USA came in handy. In my mind, this is the best way to work through most things in life, but it works remarkably well for a book about a subject that could be dull in the wrong hands. 

My research revealed some surprises—primarily, at first, that the word’s existence in our vernacular now isn’t just because of the Valley Girls. It’s actually been kicking around in the language since the 1600s and examples of the word’s usage in the “bad” ways that we do today proliferate. This revelation was to be expected, of course, because nothing is ever as simple as it seems. But the thing that surprised me the most was how one teensy word that makes people so fussed is used for creating and maintaining connection.

Connection, communication, and the idea of vulnerability are themes that run through my work. And it did come as a surprise to me, too, that “like” is one of the most useful tools we have in service of these concepts. I looked at my own patterns while writing, a not-altogether unpleasant process that, as corny as it is, taught me some things about myself.