Goodwill words: A little boost for a very responsible 20-year-old
Curation Corner: Time for some advice…or not.
So, let me give you a little advice… ;-|
5 Pieces of Common Writing Advice You Should Absolutely Ignore
A few comments:
Some folks have written complete books on item #1.
Sometimes that longer word just does the work much more effectively.
We’ve all heard about that ‘filthy first draft’ [I prefer the alliterative version.]. But knowing there is a massive clean-up operation ahead often steers me anywhere but there.
The best piece of advice came at the end: “use the wisdom that works for you and discard the rest.”
Keep putting words on the page! Unless, of course, it’s one of your off-days. Or you don’t feel like ‘showing, not telling’. Or you prefer to simply ‘not edit” period/ever/I’ll smack anyone who suggests it!’ vs. ‘edit-as-you-go to’!
There now, wasn’t that helpful?
Curation Corner: 30 uses for those half-used or blank notebooks
Lots of good ideas in Shelby Abrahamsen’s
30 FUN AND EFFECTIVE WAYS
TO USE A BLANK NOTEBOOK
You’ll see some of my favorites in the intro graphic.
Plus, there is something non-threatening to picking up a half-used notebook and diving in with your latest brainstorm. Just my observation…
Goodwill words: Sending hope to a college grad
Note: Explanation for the amateurish patches of approximated color…
I try to omit the recipient’s name in these posts, even though the More Love Letters website includes them in the Letter Requests section.
Hoping the words count for something.
Thanks for visiting. I always appreciate the folks who press the ‘Like’ button to let me know the post arrived safely.
I am always happy to steer you to letter-writing destinations and resources on the Web. Just let me know what you need.
Goodwill words for a couple with faith and fortitude
This recipient and her husband are recovering from a serious auto accident and boy do I feel like a heel when I’m yammering away about some minor inconvenience.
Note: Explanation for the amateurish patches of approximated color…
I try to omit the recipient’s name in these posts, even though the More Love Letters website includes them in the Letter Requests section.
Hoping the words count for something.
Thanks for visiting. I always appreciate the folks who press the ‘Like’ button to let me know the post arrived safely.
I am always happy to steer you to letter-writing destinations and resources on the Web. Just let me know what you need.
Curation Corner: Can/should writers multitask? A verdict.
First off, my posting this is the epitome of multitasking, as I was in the middle of a search for online images for another project. I guess that makes me as qualified as anybody to post this. (Further proof of my qualifications: Dating back a couple of weeks, I have three separate posts in draft mode.)
Sadie Chelsea of thehonestwriter.org breaks down the issue for us here.
One thought: Sadie’s post claims “Multitasking can even impair cognitive ability…” For me, that’s assuming I have any left.
Another thought: There are some mindless tasks that can be accomplished while, say, exerbiking or with the TV on. Granted, it may well erode that cognitive ability discussed above.
A third thought: I’ve run out of cognitive ability for the moment. Time to click ‘publish’.
Today’s forward nudge** for writers
Otherwise known as a ‘kick in the butt’. ;-|
Stuck for writing topics? Visit Quora.
Okay, so here I sit and there is a dog on the floor beside me who is morally (possibly even biologically) opposed to humans using technology when he’s nearby. In other words, he’s smarter than most humans, including me.
Despite the canine objections…seeing as how I’m well into retirement, I was struck with this thought: At what age does a man become a codger?
So I clicked over to Quora. Lots of ideas and discussion [and ads, but I’m sure you’re as adept as I am at looking past that stuff.]
Then, in the right column ‘Are you a geezer, codger, or coot?‘ caught my eye.
Seemed like a fun little etymology exercise.
And it set off my idea machine [ten ideas ideally on a single topic] exercise for the day:
Find ten writing topics from this page on Quora.
1. When did I become a codger?
2. Does my dog think I’m a codger? [An interview]
And I came across, this guy on Quora, who fed me all kinds of topics—
He says he still believes in ‘silly little things like:
3, “Life is simply a never ending series of decisions.”
4. “We are in control of our destiny, although politicians think they are.”
And my favorite…
5. “Worry is the most egregious mistreatment of imagination that there is.”
This person is also shooting to live to 112 1/2—a source of multiple topics…
6. “What if I knew I’d live that long? How would I live my life right now?”
7. “Do I want to live that long?”
8. “If I knew the exact date, or even month, of my passing, how would I treat those last few months?”
And circling back to the original ‘When did I become a codger?’…
9. Would there be a new classification/label for someone who’s hanging around at 112?
10. Where would I be warehoused at that age?
11. Would I still have a dog at that age?
12. When should we decide to NOT have a dog? [i.e. don’t want to leave him ownerless/homeless if I should pass—or— don’t want to be so feeble that I can’t take good care of him]
So these are thoughts that might have entered my mind as I celebrated World Baking Day yesterday. Instead, I focused on chocolate chip-peanut butter-cranberry cookies and a fresh loaf of Italian cheese bear bread.
Other stuff I’m doing:
retiredguys.net
and more Goodwill Words Project letters.
Curation Corner: Make your writing fit and trim.
I ran across this post from vappingo.com (a valuable new find) that’s all about ridding your work of ‘flabby words and expressions’.
Exact Title: 164 PHRASES AND WORDS YOU SHOULD NEVER USE IN AN ESSAY—AND THE POWERFUL ALTERNATIVES YOU SHOULD
I like the ‘powerful alternatives’ part…
A few examples:
— Use ‘will differ’ instead of ‘will be different’.
— Use ’emphasize’ instead of ‘point out’.
–Use ‘Start by’ instead of ‘The first step is to…’
While I don’t write essays, a quick scan of the list awakened me to lazy expressions I’ve used in my posts and letters.
Note: After reviewing the post, I’m now paranoid about every word I’m writing. Probably a good idea to NOT check out this post…
before your first drafts.
There are 17 more pages of Vappingo posts here.
Curation Corner: Are you a writer who’s stuck? Try freewalking.
Word Inventions 