In the first Tomb Raider film, Lara Croft finds a clock that contains a clue. Her butler decides to dismantle the clock piece by piece, screw by screw. He creates a diagram and numbers each piece. He wants to put the clock back together after he finds the clue.
Writing Life
How to Weed Your Yard (and Your Writing)
Day 27. The yard is gone. The yard is gone. I can’t see the grass for the weeds…Where did the grass go?
I sometimes think about writing in terms of grass and weeds. The grass is the good, essential content. The weeds are filler words: just, so, though, like, that, anyway. My own weeds usually are “just,” “though,” and “that.” I’m self-conscious about the words. I look for them, and, if I see them, I consider what actions I should take.
The Writing Life isn’t for Sissies
One of my favorite blogs is Bill and Dave’s Cocktail Hour. I especially enjoy their “bad advice” columns on Wednesdays, which usually don’t contain bad advice. One of their latest Wednesday pieces has stayed with me, probably because it’s an idea I’ve been contemplating.
Who’s in My Audience?
A lot of time is spent identifying the right audience for one’s message, and rightfully so. It’s important to target a receptive audience. Sometimes, though, a person doesn’t have any control over who is in the audience. The person then has to deal with different types of audience members, something I discuss in my latest video.¹
Why I Dislike the Term “Grammar Nazi”
I am not a fan of the term “grammar Nazi.” I refuse to use it in reference to myself or others. The term may be meant as a jest, but I’m not sure that it is. It smarts just a little too much. Even if it is a jest, it’s not a flattering one. I know I joke about wielding a red pen, but such jokes are meant in good fun. No one gets hurt when I say I wield a red pen. While I am serious about writing better and encouraging others to write better, I’m equally serious about poking fun at my own obsessive-compulsive behavior when it comes to finding the right word or punctuation mark.
What to Do When You Feel Like a Failure
It’s hard to know what to do when you feel like a failure. Your failures seem insurmountable. They’re the bullies at the playground. They’re the opponents who outweigh you by one hundred pounds. All you can see is the size of the failures. All you can hope is that your feelings are wrong and that they won’t last forever. All you can do is stumble your way through them.