You don’t always have to write first thing in the morning.
Seek adventure that might spur a whole new plot, a new series of blog posts, even a misdemeanor on your up-to-now unsullied criminal record.
Be open to possibility.
http://gratisography.com/
Eclipse checklist: I’m ready.
Seems we’re expecting tens [maybe hundreds] of thousands of folks heading to our area for this weird thing happening up in the sky on Monday.
Bring it on. There are rumors of our utilities being overtaxed, what with visitors needing things like water, electricity, and basic sanitation–seems there’s no pleasing some people.
I say, bring on the apoc-eclipse. I am all over this.
First and foremost…coffee [pre-pulverized, in case we lose power], my Clever Coffee Dripper, and coffee beans [we snobs like it fresh ground, if possible]. Filters don’t rate a photo, but they’re in my emergency pack, as well.
Second, [again, if we lose power] a heat source…boil water for coffee and grill whatever will be thawing out from the freezer. And there’ll be lots of unfrozen fruit on our paper plates as well. Not so surprisingly, even in these potentially dire situations, I’ll still be unimpressed by the bumper crop of summer squash holding up our side fence.
Next, my most vital food stuff.
Still in the sustenance department, nothing like a little touch of whimsy…
Seems someone in the household is having boundary issues.
On the day of the eclipse, I guess I’ll humor those millions of alarmists who seem to think a) they know more than I do b) I need these when looking at sun and moon in partial eclipse phase.
NASA is also inviting us to be citizen-scientists. My specialized headgear is a clear sign I take this responsibility seriously. [My wife agrees it’s a clear sign of something else.]
And if outages persist and I get desperate…
These should perfectly disguise me when I saunter into someone’s living room and snag their generator complete with, I hope, an idiot-proof instruction manual.
I just noticed the missing eyebrow. That’s a problem. I’ll be a whole lot easier to pick out in a lineup. Luckily, the headgear will help me blend in. Then again, will I make it to the lineup or will there be an executive decision to transport me elsewhere?
Writers Horoscope August 18: Your standards will be tested today.
Newspaper’s…store sign’s…blog post’s…everywere you look, you see typographical error’s, subject-verb disagreement’s, and multiple misuse’s of the apostrophe.
Your wundering if its a plot to drive you nut’s. **
What to do? Cease and desist reading hard or Web copy?
Or, for a measure of writerly catharsis, whip out a red pen at the coffee shop and have at the local rag. [Do resist intrusive rants and violent shredding, and you might consider an iced frappa-soya-chino instead of the lawsuit-inducing 16 oz. dark roast .]
Or just shrug and forge ahead, secure with the guiding light of Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition rules.
**Count the number of errors in the bold text and let me know in the comments how many you’ve detected. If you’re really intense, copy/paste the text in the comment box and paste in little dagger emojis next to the errors.
This might also help >>>>>> 😡
Writers Horoscope August 17: Solid advice exists elsewhere.
Age-old wisdom from golfing instructors: “Keep your head down.”
It works with first drafts too.
Head down. Or at least away from the screen.
The misspelled ‘their’…the extra space at the end of a sentence…the ‘angle’ instead of ‘angel’? Fixable.
‘Drift’ in your draft? Not so fixable. Ditto that feeling you’ve been through a grinder after your daily 1000 words.
Remember: Head down. [You can sweat the ergonomics later.]
Typical victim of EAYD [Edit-As-You-Draft].
At least his head’s down…
Writers Horoscope August 16: Expect to encounter frustration. It’s how you deal with it that counts.
In other words, don’t blame the tools.
Writers Horoscope August 15: Don’t take your challenges lying down.
Though there is something to be said for an occasional mindfulness minute or stretch break. [Not a bad idea, however, to warn others of your upcoming ‘private time’. They’ll thank you for that.]
Writers Horoscope August 14: You overestimate your mental capabilities.
Enough with the multitasking already! It doesn’t even exist. And what you are doing (current terminology: context switching) is stealing brainpower.
Consider these drawbacks:
- You have a lower IQ. [This would explain your predilection for Dora the Explorer reruns to finishing that chapter from John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction.]
- You reduce your memory. [Uhhhh…you’re on this page because you clicked a web link to get here. ;->]
- You damage your brain. [Listen, your teens and 20’s are ruthless enough. No sense piling on.]
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
Writers Horoscope August 13: Sharing your work has its limits.
There’s a not-so-fine line between publishing and defacing.
Besides, ink-on-wall is so limiting…so 20th century. Today, join the digital age.
Writers Horoscope August 12: Today, take a second look at your [w]rituals.
It’s possible you’re losing sight of your writing goals.
Take a deep breath…that’s it…now put down the compass. The only sharp object you should be working with is a medium point Bic.
Writers Horoscope August 11: Solitude is not your friend.
Those endless hours alone are turning ugly.
Along with changing your writing landscape, consider tapping into collective genius. Form a writing productivity group that checks their ‘critic’ gene at the door.
Word Inventions 