Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Apostrophes and Possessive Pronouns

If you can learn this concept, you will be amazed at its applicability across multiple scenarios. It will help you know when to use its or when to use it's. It can help you chose when to use either your or you're. It can even help you know when to not use they're when you should really be using their. Memorize this:

Possessive pronouns DO NOT use an apostrophe.

Just to make sure we are on the same page, let me define possessive pronoun.

A possessive is when something belongs to somebody. Usually, when a noun possesses something it is indicated with an apostrophe. Such as:

John's house. (John owns the house)
Bob's wrench. (Bob owns the wrench)
Tiffany's Pokemon cards. (Tiffany owns the cards)

See? They all contain apostrophes.

A pronoun is a type of noun that functions as a replacement for something or someone. For example:

John likes cheese. He particularly loves Parmesan. (He is a replacement for John)
Mary skips to school. She just can't wait to get there. (She is a replacement for Mary)
I love my job. It fulfills me. (It is a replacement for my job. As a bonus, both I and me are replacements for... ummmm... yours truly)

So, like nouns, pronouns can also own or possess something. However, when this happen it does not use an apostrophe like a noun does. NEVER. No exception. So, once again, remember:

Possessive pronouns DO NOT use an apostrophe.


Just as a reminder, an apostrophe has two uses. The first, as mentioned above, is to show possession. But it is also used to make contractions, i.e., turn two words into one. It is = it's. They are = they're. Do not = don't.

Pretend you are writing, and not reading the overly long blog post. You come up to a part where your brain says, "Put an its/it's right here" but you aren't sure which one you are supposed to use. Just think it through.

The way I usually think it through is to first see if it works as a contraction. If it does work that way, you can safely use the form with the apostrophe. Otherwise, it is a possessive pronoun.

Examples:
Its/It's going to be a cold day.
It is going to be a cold day.
(That works! It's a contraction; use the apostrophe)
It's going to be a cold day.

My book keeps falling out of its/it's cover.
My book keeps falling out of it is cover.
(That doesn't work. It's a possessive pronoun; DO NOT use an apostrophe)
My book keeps falling out of its cover.

You have lost your/you're mind?
You have lost you are mind?
(That doesn't work. It's a possessive pronoun; skip the apostrophe)
You have lost your mind?

Remember this rule. It will be helpful (and referred to) in future posts.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Is LOL a word?

No, it's not. Stop using it in writing where you want to be taken seriously! Save it for messaging and your social network of choice.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

"Altogether" vs "all together"

"Altogether" is when you are referring to something in its entirety or completeness. Such as if you are considering the sum of all parts of something.


Altogether, the trip was worth every penny.
My computer was $499 and monitor was $149, or $648 altogether.


"All together" means everyone or everything together.


Put the clothes all together in the hamper.
The dogs started barking all together.
When the starting pistol goes off, we will begin the race all together.


I often find the term "all together" being awkward. If you can split the term the sentence usually makes more sense and validates the use of all together in the first place.


Put all the clothes together in the hamper.
All the dogs started barking together.
When the starting pistol goes off, we will all begin the race together.

"Sometime" vs "Some Time"

Kudos to Tristi Pinkston for this one and her explanation. I hope she doesn't mind when she noticed I'm stealing this from her.

Sometime is a vague and unspecified time at which you do something. It's use would be the same as saying, "When I get around to it." I like how Tristi explains "some time" so I'll just quote from her writing tip: "The words "some time" mean, "I need a quantity of time." "Some" is used to refer to a quantity." So, it is like needing some salt or some proof. You are asking for an unspecified quantity of time.

Also, if you can put a word like "spare" in the middle of it, then "some time" should be the option to go with.


I need to update my blog sometime.
When I have some time I need to start outlining my story.

I need to update my blog somesparetime.
When I have some spare time I need to start outlining my story.


"Nevermind" vs "never mind"

Nevermind is a word, but it is very outdated. Don't believe me? Type it in word and you'll see the red squigglies appear underneath it (coincidentally, it does the same with the word "squigglies").

 In common (everyday) speech you are using the two-word version, "never mind," which means to disregard or ignore. Don't use the outdated "nevermind" because, I promise you, you will use it wrong. In its correct usage, it doesn't sound like correct English.

Never mind what Tom says, he is crazy! 
Never mind the manager, he is upset with everybody every day. 

 For what it is worth, "nvm" is NOT a word.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Everyday vs Every Day

I've got good news, these are both correct, English words. However, they are not synonyms or interchangeable with each other.

As one word, "everyday" is a adjective. It describes something you see often or commonplace. Since adjectives modify nouns, you'll usually see it in front of the noun it is describing.

I avoided my everyday route to school.
I got another everyday tie for Father's Day.
I enjoy hearing the British accent over the everyday, American accent I grew up with.

 Notice in that last example that I threw in two adjectives. I'll save this for another lesson, but two or more adjectives modifying a noun have commas between them.

 "Every day" on the other hand is a phrase which means "each day." "Every" is an adjective, and it modifies the word "day."

I want to hug my kids every day.
I try to whistle every day as I work to help the time go by faster.
I see that broken down car every day I drive in this neighborhood.

Jordan McCollum offered this extra bit of information from Annette Lyon:

Annette Lyon gave a great guideline for figuring out if you need "everyday" or "every day": if you can put "single" between "every" and "day," they're separate words. "It was an everyday thing." vs. "It happened every [single] day."

So to test my examples:


I want to hug my kids every single day.
I try to whistle every single day as I work to help the time go by faster.
I see that broken down car every single day I drive in this neighborhood.

Hey, it worked! I passed! *Whew*

Alright vs All Right

This is similar to the "alot" vs "a lot" argument. Technically, alright is not a word. It is a lazy way of writing "all right" to the point that it has actually become accepted. Go ahead, open up Microsoft Word and type it in. See, no red squiggly line under it (Now do it with alot just to test your sanity). It has even been accepted into the dictionary.

To be on the safe side, always write it out as two words. While it may be acceptable, it is still not taken seriously by the intellectual elite. But then again, who cares about them, go ahead and use either form without abandon!

Seriously, it really is two words.

Alot is NOT a Word, A Lot is Two Words

I'm relatively laid back when I witness spelling errors, misused word, and bad punctuation. Even when they are found in professional writings I can usually laugh it off. After all, what is important is that meaning is communicated so I don't usually get too uptight about it. But there is one exception, and I see it a lot.


"A lot" is two words. "Alot" is not a word at all.

This might have to be a rule you just memorize with no tricks. Chant to yourself the phrase, "A lot is two words. A lot is two words," until you get it. Say it until you believe it! Say it until you know it! Say it until it bugs you just like it bugs me! If you need to, say it a lot!

Why? Because it is two words. It really is! See if you notice the pattern here:

Incorrect: I ran afew laps today. Correct: I ran a few laps today.
Incorrect: I did aton of work today. Correct: I did a ton of work today.
Incorrect: I ate abit of dessert. Correct: I ate a bit of dessert.
Incorrect: I am alittle afraid of snakes. Correct: I am a little afraid of snakes.
Incorrect: I have alot of homework to day. Correct: You're an idiot and you are going to burn if you keep spelling a lot wrong, plus today is one word!

(I'm breathing, I'm breathing)

Okay, that is my soap box. These other cases don't put me in the mental house but I do see them from time to time.

Do it, breaking this rule will instantly and forever brand you as somebody who doesn't know what they are writing about

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Robison Wells Book Bomb

A few days ago Larry Correia announced here:

Larry's Blog Post

that he was going to do a Book Bomb for Robison Wells' book Variant. The idea being that if enough people purchase this book on November 10th it will elevate the book higher in the Amazon rankings and open the possibility of more book sales due to increased exposure.

So if Larry is doing it, you must be wondering why I am as well. After all, Larry is an established author with krundles more credibility and followers. But my reasoning is three-fold:

1) As somebody who hopes to some day be elevated to the rank of Published Author (not if I keep splitting infinitives like that, right?), I consider those who are already there brothers and sisters I care for. If you follow my twitter feed I do a lot of promoting their friends because, quite frankly, I have nothing of mine to promote as of yet. But I love promoting others and I saw this a perfect opportunity to do so again.

2) I have a lot of respect for Robison Wells. No, I have NOT read Variant. It is on my reading list, I promise, as I've heard NOTHING but good things about it. As he announced on his blog: "Publishers Weekly has named Variant as one of the Best Books of 2011!" A few times Rob appeared as a guest on my favorite Podcast, Writing Excuses, and they were some of my favorite episodes. He is very insightful on the writing process and this is just my way of giving back.

3) Academic interest! As of this writing, Variant is ranked #6,077 in books. I'll be getting this on Kindle, and it is ranked #9,181 on paid Kindle books. I would really love to see how successful a Book Bomb can be.

So, on November 10th make sure you pick up Robison's book. I will! The link is here:



Oh, and if you want to get to know Robison Wells more his blog is here:

Robison Wells' Blog

And, LDS Writer's Blogck also blogged on it. Check that out here, if you are interested.

Good luck, Rob!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

NaNoWriMo Day #3

Day two sucked!

There, I said it. Things got too busy. Work was nothing but meetings. The second I got home I was in the car to attend parent teacher conference, and then every Wednesday I host a movie night for the neighborhood so by the time I finished yelling at my son's school counselor for putting him in retarded classes (two P.E. classes and a class he got straight A's in the year prior) I prepped for that. By then, my night was done. So no writing time.

Today got better. After work I went to a local dining area, ordered some food, and went to town on my story. Afterwards I went to my writing group and discussed writing in general. All-in-all, it was a good day for writing and for NaNoWriMo. I'm still a little behind on my word count, but I'm  making progress so I'm a happy camper.

In the meantime, feel free to play this music video in the background to keep you inspired while you do NaNoWriMo!


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

NaNoWriMo Day 1

Okay, I've signed up for NaNoWriMo (for more info, see the previous post). And why? you might ask.

 I need to push myself, that is why. I'm not anticipating writing a best seller here, but it is better than what I've been doing lately when it comes to writing. I'll need to sacrifice some of the things I'm doing now but with most things in life, when you sacrifice something you can get dividends elsewhere.

 I've found a quiet place where I can get away from everything and really work. And I slammed out over 1,000 words when I ran out of water and my nose started running. But by the time I got in to take care of both those things real life caught up and I wasn't able to get back out.

 Lesson learned: Bring more water and Kleenexes next time I venture out so I can work longer undisturbed. So, 3% of the month is gone and I'm 2% towards my goal. At least it is 2% closer than nothing at all (wait, doing the math on that, and it really doesn't work that way... but I digress).

The thing I'm concentrating on with this story is conflict. It started off small (a wife arguing with her husband and her feelings of being neglected) and I was getting it escalated when I got pulled away and didn't return. Hopefully I can finish it tomorrow.

 So, with each story, I hope to focus on a specific aspect of writing. Today conflict. Next, I don't know. Dialogue? Humor? Wonder? I'll keep this updated as I make progress.

I hope everybody else is rocking their NaNoWriMo.

Monday, October 31, 2011

NaNoWriMo 2011, Should I?

Last year I signed up for NaNoWriMo. What is NaNoWriMo, you ask? NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month and (literally) hundreds of thousands of people attempt to write a book of at least 50,000 words. If you do, you win. For more information, or to sign up for yourself, visit the NaNoWriMo website.

So, did I "win" NaNoWriMo? No, and yes.
I did not achieve the 50,000 word goal. I don't think I even crossed the 10,000 word mark. So why did I add the little "yes" at the end up there? Because the entire reason I signed up for NaNoWriMo was to learn more about the writing process. And I felt I learned a lot!

The biggest thing I learned was the need for outlining, which I've already covered in previous blogs. But it was also great to see a character get developed in front of my eyes and end up taking me in directions that I hadn't even considered. I also found that when it happened I was both enthralled and infuriated. Hence, the reason I need to become a better outliner.
I've had a few people ask me if I planned on doing it again. Until this time I've been saying, "No, not for me this year." Primarily it is for two reasons. 1) I don't have a suitable outline and 2) I don't know if I can make the time commitment. There are a few other cons, but I think the pros outweigh the cons so I won't dwell on them too much.

Yesterday I was giving NaNoWriMo some thought and came across an idea that would help take care of concern #1 (not having an outline). What if, instead of writing out a book, I write a number of short stories instead. This would enable me to practice the craft (something I should be doing anyways) and could possibly even help me stumble across the story I'm looking for. I did a little searching and it turns out that NaNoWriMo is okay with this idea, so I can do it and not feel guilty. If I can shoot for one short story a day I should come pretty close to the 50,000 word goal.

But then there is concern #2, the time commitment. Time seems to be the commodity I'm always short on. And while I think the motivation of NaNoWriMo could help me find more time to write I still don't know if that is going to be enough. So while I need to shoot for 2,000 words a day, I don't know if I can realistically pull that off.

I do have a couple of days throughout the month where I can play catch-up, but my biggest fear is that I'll use that as an excuse: "Oh, I'm busy tonight, I'll just write twice as much this weekend." That always leads to me needing to write 7 times as much over the weekend. I've got to avoid doing that as often as possible.

I admit, I'm mostly talking (errrr, typing) to myself here. Should I do NaNoWriMo and give it my best shot? I'm leaning towards yes, but I'm not 100% sold on the idea. So, dear reader, your task (should you choose to accept it) is to convince me to do it. I'd love to read your feedback on if you are doing it or not and why. And if you think I should do it, SELL ME ON IT. That is all.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Book Review: The Crystal Bridge by Charlie M. Pulsifer

This is largely the review I left on Amazon, but I'm going to add a little more detail. Because this is a new book by a lesser known novelist, I'm almost positive that everybody perusing my blog has never read -- or even heard of -- The Crystal Bridge by Charlie M. Pulsifer. Therefore, I'm going to try and give you a good idea of what the story is about while avoiding adding any spoilers.

I’ll get the one thing off my chest that I didn’t like about this book, and that was the number of characters and plotlines thrown at us at the beginning of the book. It first struck me as a bit much as the story lines seemed so unrelated. But as you continued reading they do all fall into two storylines that become interrelated. In the end, I was left satisfied with how they all came together and were independently resolved. But despite the fleshing out of several characters, there were three main characters and I hope that by introducing you to them it makes getting into this book a little bit easier.

The first is Kaden, a teenage high school boy who has the power and ability to open up worm holes to different worlds with the power of something he calls an egg. The idea of the egg is fantastic, and I loved it. Kaden is hesitant to use it because the one time he did he almost gets eaten by tiger-like creatures and he fails to bring anything through with him – including his clothes.

Things change when he meets Aren at his new school, a teenage girl who has an ability of her own. She has the ability to read people’s minds. Actually, it is more than that. She can see into their soul, know their inner workings and secrets, and be able to devise quickly the character of somebody. She is also the only one who can see Kaden’s egg. Accidently, she triggers the egg and transports them both to a new world.

Before long, they get separated, and Kaden and Aren try to find each other so they can both return to Earth. Meanwhile, they run across some different Elf- and Dwarf-like races as well as a group of humans who are about to be attacked by a powerful, God-like being. Kaden and Aren then get intermingled with their politics and society which fulfills the fantasy half of this story.

Then there is James. This is where we see the Science Fiction half of this story. James is a scientist who is hired to work for a secret, mysterious company to manipulate DNA. Charlie M. Pulsipher must study a lot of weird science because this point of view explains all the mysteries and “magic” in this story – even the magic in the fantasy side of the story. This is where wormhole theory is explained and Pulsipher writes a great story that could come right out of a Michael Crichton novel.

So there are plotlines in both our world and this new world that must get resolved by these three characters and their friends/counterparts.

I love how the story gets wrapped up. It does a great job of explaining a lot of things that often go unresolved in most stories. For example, how do the people and creatures of the other world communicate with Kaden and Aren in English? Explained! Also, there is some foreshadowing throughout the book that comes to glorious fruition at the end and makes you think, “Ooooh, I get it now!” The ending had the resolution of many great unseen twists that I thought made the story fantstic.

I thought this was a great and brilliant book. I’m a slow reader, but I could not put this down for the last 30% of the book (causing me to stay up way past my bedtime and a drowsy day at work the next morning). Everything came together quite well. And with the Kindle version being priced at a reasonable $3.99, picking this up is a no-brainer.

It is primarily aimed at the young-adult crowd, but I found that people should find somebody to identify with into their 30’s. I am roughly the same age as James and I found myself rooting for him the most and it wasn’t because of his (fantastic) name. So I would recommend this to both genders between ages 14 and 40.

Despite my misgivings concerning the number of characters and the jumping around confusion that came from it I still give it five stars. For a debut novel, I thought it was quite solid and I look forward to future works from Mr. Pulsipher.

If you are interested in buying the book, just click on the link below.



Here is more information about Charlie M. Pulsifer if you'd like to follow his writing progress and get to know him better:

Charlie's Blog (Notice Your World)
Charlie's Twitter Account

Friday, September 16, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday Week IX: Establish a Healthy Lifestyle

Here we are, week nine of our ten week wellness program. How are things going for you or your team? This event has been phenomenal as the City has lost 318.3 pounds as of last week. Keep up the great work, everybody!!

Next week is the final weigh-in. Please get your final results to me on Wednesday in preparation for our last drawing. Remember: if you are behind on your goal don’t turn to a drastic diet to “catch up.” As I’ve said in previous emails, extreme dieting only leads to getting those lost pounds back…and then some.

If you want to be healthy, you need to establish a healthy lifestyle. The habits we’ve focused on in this and previous wellness activities (such as sleeping more, eating well, making goals, exercising, and tracking progress) are all supposed to become lifetime habits and not something you do for a couple of months.

The benefits of a healthy lifestyle are not just about losing weight. It also helps you feel better, have more energy, and enjoy life to its fullest. A healthy lifestyle is more than making it to the end of the wellness program; it is about making healthy habits to last a lifetime.

I hope everybody reflects and can find at least one habit they have developed in the last nine weeks and sticks with it when this program is over. Your body will thank you!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday Week VIII: Eat Breakfast

Are you eating your breakfast? The old adage that "Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day" is truer than most people believe. Studies have shown a link between obesity and those who skip breakfast.

Why? When your body goes several hours without eating it goes into what is known as starvation mode, where it slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. After a full night's sleep (you are getting a full night's sleep, right?), breakfast prevents your body into going into starvation mode so you burn more calories throughout the day.

Starvation mode not only slows your metabolism, it often causes overeating in future meals and increases your cravings for unhealthy foods. In other words, you burn less yet consume more calories throughout your day, which ultimately leads to an unhealthy lifestyle and obesity.

While eating breakfast, make sure it is healthy and filled with proteins and fiber so you stay comfortably full until your next meal. Breakfast is a great opportunity to get closer to your daily fruit and vegetable eating goals.

Weight management is not the only benefit to eating breakfast, it also makes your day better. Eating breakfast can reduce fatigue, increase cognitive ability, and encourage a good mood.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday VII: Say no to fast food – eat slow food!

In our day and age we are always trying to do things fast. Work faster. Think faster. Do everything faster! (Here is a useful video on things faster) We tend to even want our food faster. DON’T! We all know the pitfalls of fast food but I would like to focus on the slow food movement. It’s simple:

Eat your food slow.

That’s it! Slow down and enjoy your meal. This small, simple change can make a huge difference in your weight. It takes time for your stomach to notify your brain that it is full. When you eat slowly you stop eating closer to the time you should so you consume fewer calories. This can cut calorie consumption by over 100 calories a day, or 1-2 pounds per month. That could be 20 or so fewer pounds to worry about per year!

Here are some tips to slowing down while you eat:

· Listen to your mother; chew your food. Work your way to chewing 20-40 times before swallowing. Not only does it slow down the pace you eat but you also increase digestion efficiency, allowing your body to use more nutrients.

· Ignore your mother; don’t clean your plate. Stop eating if you feel full but still have food. The extra caloric consumption will do you no good.

· Take a break between bites. As you chew your food, put down your fork or spoon. After you swallow, take a sip of water. The extra water will do you good anyways.

· Wait ten minutes before going back for seconds. Personally I’m surprised how often my appetite disappears during that time.

· Don’t eat while watching TV. Pay attention to your food. Enjoy it. Savor it! When you pay attention to the TV you can easily slip into a mindless binge.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday Week VI: Make Exercise Fun

Six weeks down, four more to go. The progress thus far has been amazing! For this week’s fitness tip, I suggest…

Make exercise fun!!

Most people do not consider going out and running for hours on end a fun experience. Those who do had to work their way into getting that runner’s high. But to add exercise into your life you do not need to become a gym rat or hit the road for countless hours. Start small and find ways to make it fun.

• Exercise with the family. Don’t tell them it is exercise and focus on the fun. Play tag. Have races around the neighborhood. A family bike ride is a great way to burn a lot of calories. Go swimming. Play a friendly game of basketball. Convert family time in front of the television into active time outside. Even tossing a baseball or the ol’ pigskin is better than sitting in front of the tube.
• Find an exercise buddy. Nothing motivates me out of bed more than knowing somebody is waiting for me to exercise. Find a friend who has similar weight goals as you. The social aspect will keep you motivated and make exercise something to look forward to.
• Get a dog. People with dogs tend to be more active, primarily because dogs need exercise as much as people do. They make great running and walking companions. If you don’t have a dog, borrow one from a neighbor or friend and offer to take them out for some exercise. The dog and your friends will appreciate it.
• Get a stationary bike or a treadmill. Work exercise into your television schedule. Get a stationary bike to ride or a treadmill to walk on while you watch TV. If that is out of the budget, work exercise into the program. Instead of heading for the fridge during commercial breaks, alternate between pushups and sit-ups until your show returns.

Get creative with your exercise. If you are having fun then exercise doesn’t feel like such a chore and can even become something you look forward to. Always remember that moving is better than sitting and making little changes can make a huge difference.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Don't Trust Your Spell Checker

Don't get so lazy that you forget where words are applicable or not. The other day I shared (more like ranted) homonyms that can be one or two words. Some are "real" words while others are not and I try to help you remember which is which.

My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Benanti, was one of the most influential teachers I ever had. No, scratch that, he WAS the most influential teacher. I need to dedicate a blog post to him and make it required reading for all teachers. But one lesson he taught was to always keep a dictionary nearby so you can quickly look up a word if needed. With the advent of this little thing called the Internet you can verify words faster by going to reference sites like www.dictionary.com.

While I'm not really into poetry, here is a poem that is awesome. I wish I had thought of it and it has been a favorite of mine for over a decade. There is a lesson here: Don't trust your spell checker. While modern spell checkers also check the references of words, you still need a basic foundation of knowledge to get the words right.

Eye have a spelling chequer,
It came with my Pea Sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss Steaks I can knot sea.

Eye strike the quays and type a whirred
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am write oar wrong
It tells me straight a weigh.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your shore real glad two no.
Its vary polished in its weigh.
My chequer tolled me sew.

A chequer is a bless thing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right all stiles of righting,
And aides me when eye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The chequer pours o'er every word
Two cheque sum spelling rule.

-Jerrold H. Zar, 1992

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Writing Lesson: A lot of meanings between one or two words

I'm relatively laid back when I witness spelling errors, misused word, and bad punctuation. Even when they are found in professional writings I can laugh it off. After all, what is important is that meaning is communicated so I don't usually get too uptight about it. But there is one exception, and I see it a lot and far too often.

"alot" vs "a lot"

"A lot" is two words. "Alot" is not a word at all.

This might have to be a rule you just memorize with no tricks. Chant to yourself the phrase, "A lot is two words. A lot is two words," until you get it. Say it until you believe it! Say it until you know it! Say it until it bugs you just like it bugs me!

Why? Because it is two words. It really is! See if you notice the pattern here:



Incorrect: I ran afew laps today. Correct: I ran a few laps today.
Incorrect: I did aton of work today. Correct: I did a ton of work today.
Incorrect: I ate abit of dessert. Correct: I ate a bit of dessert.
Incorrect: I am alittle afraid of snakes. Correct: I am a little afraid of snakes.
Incorrect: I have alot of homework to day. Correct: You're an idiot and you are going to burn if you keep spelling a lot wrong, plus today is one word!

(I'm breathing, I'm breathing)

Okay, that is my soap box. These other cases don't put me in the mental house but I do see them from time to time.

"Alright" vs "all right"

This is similar to the "alot" vs "a lot" argument. Technically, alright is not a word. It is a lazy way of writing "all right" to the point that it has actually become accepted. Go ahead, open up word and type it in. See, no red squiggly line under it (Now do it with alot just to test your sanity). It has even been accepted into the dictionary.

To be on the safe side, always write it out as two words. While it may be acceptable, it is still not taken seriously by the intellectual elite. But then again, who cares about them, go ahead and use either form without abandon!

But, seriously, it is two words.

"Everyday" vs "Every Day"

I've got good news, these are both correct, English words. The only thing is that they are not synonyms or interchangeable with each other.

As one word, "everyday" is a adjective. It describes something you see often or commonly. Since adjectives modify nouns, you'll usually see it in front of the noun it is describing.



I avoided my everyday route to school.
I got another everyday tie for Father's Day.
I enjoy hearing the British accent over the everyday, American accent I grew up with.


Notice in that last example that I threw in two adjectives. I'll save this for another lesson, but two or more adjectives modifying a noun have commas between them.

"Every day" on the other hand is a phrase which means "each day." "Every" is an adjective, and it modifies the word "day."



I want to hug my kids every day.
I try to whistle every day as I work to help the time go by faster.
I see that broken down car every day I drive in this neighborhood.


"Nevermind" vs "never mind"

Nevermind is a word, but it is very outdated. In common (everyday) speech you are using the two-word version, "never mind," which means to disregard or ignore. Don't use the outdated "nevermind" because, I promise you, you will use it wrong. In its correct usage, it doesn't sound like correct English.



Never mind what Tom says, he is crazy!
Never mind the manager, he is just ornery every day.


For what it is worth, "nvm" is NOT a word.

"Sometime" vs "Some Time"


Kudos to Tristi Pinkston for this one and her explanation. I hope she doesn't mind when she noticed I'm stealing this from her.

Sometime is a vague and unspecified time at which you do something. It's use would be the same as saying, "When I get around to it." I like how Tristi explains "some time" so I'll just quote from her writing tip: "The words "some time" mean, "I need a quantity of time." "Some" is used to refer to a quantity." So, it is like needing some salt or some proof. You are asking for an unspecified quantity of time.

Also, if you can put a word like "spare" in the middle of it, then "some time" should be the option to go with.



I need to update my blog sometime.
When I have some time I need to start outlining my story.

I need to update my blog somesparetime.
When I have some spare time I need to start outlining my story.


"Altogether" vs "all together"


"Altogether" is when you are referring to something in its entirety or completeness. Such as if you are considering the sum of all parts of something.



Altogether, the trip was worth every penny.
My computer was $499 and monitor was $149, or $648 altogether.


"All together" means everyone or everything together.



Put the clothes all together in the hamper.
The dogs started barking all together.
When the starting pistol goes off, we will begin the race all together.


I often find the term "all together" being awkward. If you can split the term the sentence usually makes more sense and validates the use of all together in the first place.



Put all the clothes together in the hamper.
All the dogs started barking together.
When the starting pistol goes off, we will all begin the race together.


To Be Continued...

Well, not exactly. I've decided to break each out into its own lessons. So I'll do the examples below as their own post. I was about to delete this post altogether, but decided against it to preserve the comments below.

I'll add more since there are a lot more words that would fit in this:

"Pickup" vs "pick up"
"Already" vs "all ready"

Do you have more? Feel free to comment below!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Book Launch

My friend, Tristi Pinkston, is having her book launch for Hang 'Em High.


When: Saturday, August 13th, 12 – 4 pm
Where: Pioneer Book, 858 S. State, Orem
Prizes, games, Dutch oven cobbler (first come, first served)
Authors Tristi Pinkston, Nichole Giles, Heather Justesen,
Cindy Hogan, and J. Lloyd Morgan

She is also having a blog contest.

I wish I could be there, but I've got too much to do down here in beautiful St. George.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday Week III - And Balancing Life

I have two tidbits of self-help for everybody. Both could be applicable to writing, but these were written by request of others and I thought I'd post them here.

So, first, is an excerpt of the Email I sent out for today's Weight Loss Wednesday:

If you aren’t meeting your weight loss/maintenance goals then you might need to sleep on it. Substantial medical evidence points to a correlation between good, interrupted sleep and weight. Good sleep allows for energy to get you through your day (and your workout) and also regulates hormones. With a lack of sleep, your body cuts back on producing leptin (the hormone that tells you when you are full) and produces more ghreliln (the hormone that increases your appetite) enticing you to eat more – and usually unhealthy – food.

So shoot for getting at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night and you could literally be losing weight in your sleep.

funny gifs

Also, I was asked to write for the Authors Incognito August newsletter a segment on balancing life. That, and other contributions, can be read here:

Authors Incognito August Newsletter

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Time to Catch Up

It's been two and a half weeks without a blog update. I'm sorry I'm a blog slacker, though I do feel like a lot of things in my life have progressed. For instance, since my last blog post I've ran two half marathons and kept them under the time I wanted.
As for the Wednesday Weight-Losses, I sent out a few Emails but they were so short I didn't think they would justify a blog post. For those who are interested in weight loss, I think you will find a portion of my last note of interest:

For those who don’t know, I’m a data junkie! I love looking at and analyzing numbers. Here is what I found interesting about the results. Those who DID NOT keep track in their habit trackers lost an average of .77 pounds. Those who DID keep track lost an average of 1.87 pounds. That is a 243% improvement over those who didn’t!! So if you didn’t lose what you wanted and you didn’t keep track of your daily food, water, and exercise then by all means start tracking NOW. The ONLY difference is that one group tracked and the other didn’t.


For my WIP, I'm pretty deep into the world building. It is hard, yet rewarding, work. I am surprised at how much work is actually involved in this process. I thought the first step would be putting together the outline and while that is coming to fruition, it is the world building I'm finding to be the time-consuming process I didn't see coming.

To practice writing, I entered Karen Hoover's Weekly Flash Fiction challenge. It is fun and I would encourage more people to get into it. Best of all, it only takes an hour of your time (it's in the rules). She just changed up the schedule and, unfortunately, it doesn't fit in with mine this week so I couldn't find time for another entry. I do look forward to entering more as my schedule opens up. For those who are into poetry, she also has a weekly poetry contest of the same vein.

And the result? I won! Well, I co-won. I tied with Rebecca Blevins so we have both won the following trophy for our blog:

I am planning a blog series soon to look at different ways to outline a story. I just read a book on story structure and I've seen, and mentioned previously, a few others. I would really like to explain, analyze, and discuss each method and hopefully get feedback from all of you good folks.

I noticed my "currently reading" page is out of date. I'll get that back to speed ASAP.

Thank you everybody for sticking around. I appreciate all of my followers!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Weight-Loss-Wednesday: Week 1

One week down, nine to go!

To keep healthy and combat obesity we are recommending a popular program called 5-2-1-0. The guidelines are easy (as easy as 5-2-1-0); just do the following on a daily basis:

Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables.
Limit yourself to 2 hours of recreational screen time.
Get at least 1 hour of physical activity.
Do not drink sugary drinks (0 Sugar).

Monday, July 18, 2011

Hit the Space Bar ONCE

A few weeks ago I read something that really floored me, that something I had learned at the tender and impressionable age of twelve was completely wrong. I learned that hitting the space bar twice after the period was not only incorrect, but Satan is creating a new circle of hell for those who unleash two spaces upon the world.

The article (linked here) was by Rob W. Hart on the Novel Publishing Group, LLC website. In it he breaks the news that you only need to hit the space bar once when you end a sentence.

I've shared this new revelation with others and most -- no, no scratch that -- all of them were just as shocked. I'm hoping that I can get a reprieve from Beelzebub with the, "everybody else is doing it," excuse, but I think my other shortcomings will still sink me.

At first, I wanted to understand why. After searching around the best explanation I've found is that this stems from typewriters. With early typewriters every character filled the same amount of space. Whether it be a skinny 'i' or an extra wide 'w', it consumed the same amount of space. In modern language, they took the same amount of pixels. Because of this, a period-space-beginning of next sentence was too close and the typeset caused readers having problems recognizing the beginning of a new sentence. However, with modern computers this is no longer a problem so the double-space-bar rule no longer applies.

Sorry folks, that is the best I could find. I have trouble buying this theory because you would think the capital letter at the front of the new sentence would have been a clue.

I then wondered who else believes this. Short answer: the pros. All of the styled guides prescribe to the single striking of the space bar. When you talk to the elitists, they are all in favor of one space. It is actually so well known that I can't believe I haven't even heard about the debate surrounding this topic.

I also wondered if anybody would care. After all, I've been sending out email and story submission one after another breaking this rule and nobody has ever questioned it. Not even a yellow sticky note saying, "I fixed your double-space issues." Nothing!

But it isn't these people I will be submitting manuscripts to when I want to be taken seriously. So while most people will not care, those who would care are the ones I need to impress. And I've noticed since trying out this rule nobody has written back criticizing me for being too lazy to hit the space bar twice.

That said, I'm trying to repent. After this many years of hitting the space bar twice I'm finding it very difficult to get out of the habit. Rob W. Hart insists it is a piece of cake, but I have yet to unlearn this habit. I seem to be developing a new habit, and that is hitting space-space-backspace. Arg!!
I resolve to become a one-space-bar advocate. This is going to be an uphill battle for me, and that hill is going to be full of wraiths wielding chain saws and the latest editions of the Chicago Manual of Style. I don't care, this will be a battle I will win or die trying! RAWR!!!

WHO'S WITH ME?!?!?

(And, yes, that is my keyboard)

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Poetry Schmoetry Blogfest & Janitors by Tyler Whitesides


Here is my entry for the Poetry Schmoetry Blogfest that is being ran by Shelly Brown, the winner of my 50 follower contest. Poetry isn't my common M.O., but I promised I would participate. She recently did a review on Tyler Whitesides, who is coming out with a book called Janitors Since I finished reading and enjoying it just the other day I figured I would base my poem as a review of his book.

So here it is!

Why You Should Read Tyler Whiteside’s Janitors

By James Duckett


I just read a fantastic book,
I’ll try not to give much away;
I’ll review it in a poem
Instead of a boring ol’ essay.

The book is named Janitors
It is written by Tyler Whitesides,
Here is a glimpse of the fun and excitement
That this entertaining book provides.

It has magical brooms,
It has magical mops,
It has a substitute teacher,
And a scene with some cops.

It has government officials,
From the mysterious B.E.M.,
Who recruits Spencer Zumbro
To fight warlocks who are against them.

With the aid of a cleaning glove
A girl named Daisy Gates,
And a flashlight to find an item
That leads him to dire straits.

There are mean little creatures
Hiding everywhere in schools,
They attack students who are smart
And turn them into fools.

There is a cabbage smelling teacher
That does little to help out,
There is a bully that causes trouble
In this book he is there throughout.

You’ll read as Spencer and Daisy
Do all everything they can,
To save the day and by the end
No doubt you’ll be a fan.

Because there is a lesson in here
A lesson that is true,
That honesty is the best policy –
Be truthful to those around you.

Tell the truth in all circumstances
Don’t ever turn to lies,
Good things never happen
To those who compromise.

So pick up this book
Sit back, and enjoy the ride,
Without a doubt you’ll be hooked
To the story that is inside.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday: The Beginning

At my day job, I have been asked to run a 10-week weight management programmed called “Winning by Thinning or Maintaining.” The idea is to help people achieve proper weight in an effort to lower our healthcare costs.

I know this has nothing to do with writing, but as part of that program I plan to send out an Email to all of the participants with words of encouragement and tips on living a healthy lifestyle. So every Wednesday I’m going to have to write, so I figure I’ll also post what I write here in a new, but temporary (10 week) segment that I’ll call Weight Loss Wednesday. Even though at work I will be calling it Weigh-In Wednesday. If people out there are looking to improve their weight, or maintain it, maybe you’ll find something here to help you with that.

I mention habit trackers. Google a good food log online that works for you. Trust me, those things really work!!


Thank you participants in our new Weight-Loss program called “Winning by Thinning or Maintaining.” Our goal is to establish healthy habits to help everybody achieve or maintain a proper weight. This is a ten-week program and you should have had your first weigh-in Wednesday morning. If you haven’t weighed in, please do so immediately and we’ll pretend like you did.


I’m not asking that you share your weight with me, or anybody. If you want to, great!! Own it! I think it will help. But I do not want to discourage participation because somebody is afraid a number might be attributed to them. That is okay, you are more than a number to me anyways. All I ask is that you participate and share your goal with your Wellness Captain.


Every Wednesday is Weigh-In Wednesday. Reporting takes place every other Wednesday, so you will be asked to share your progress five times during this program. When you weigh yourself on Wednesday it is a good time to reflect on whether you are heading in the right direction or not.


Participants will receive a habit tracker. KEEP THIS ON YOU!! Use it to track what you eat, how much water you drink, the servings of fruits and vegetables, and how much physical activity you do. Track everything as if your success depends on it, because it might. Studies have shown that those who are attempting to achieve or maintain a certain weight are TWICE as successful if a log is kept.

When you weigh in every other week, make sure you show your habit trackers to your Wellness Captains. Those who weigh in will be entered into a drawing for nifty and fun prizes. Those who keep track of their habits will receive a second entry.


Make S.M.A.R.T. goals! Make sure your goals are…

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely



Specific: Don’t be too general. Answer the five “W” questions. Who is going to be involved? What are you going to change in life to better yourself? Where are places you are going to go to keep motivated, e.g., the gym, a walking trail, etc? When will you be doing these things? Why are you doing this?


Measurable: Set a goal that is based on numbers. If your goal is to lose weight, sit in a sauna for an hour and you will have accomplished your goal. But that isn’t what you meant, right? Make your goal measureable so you know if you’ve truly accomplished your goal. “I will lose 10 pounds,” is a measureable goal.


Attainable: Make the goals important to you. Only if they are important will you have the motivation, attitude, and ability to achieve you goals.


Realistic: Make sure it is a goal that can be achieved. You have ten weeks. Don’t expect to drop 100 pounds in that time. Even if you did, the reality is that you will gain that weight back, plus a little interest. Dropping five, ten, or even twenty pounds is more realistic. Be honest with yourself, it is the only way you’ll achieve what you want. I would like to limit the weekly weight loss to two pounds per week (twenty pounds total), which has been shown to be the safest way to take weight off and keep it off.


Time-Based: Have a time limit. In our case, we are setting it to ten weeks. That makes math really simple! If you want to lose the max, then that is only two pounds per week. Focus on the two pounds every week, not the twenty you wish to lose overall. If you want to lose more, have a separate goal outside of this program to continue losing weight. At two pounds a week, one can lose over a hundred pounds in a year! Just remember to be realistic. Remember to be S.M.A.R.T.


Make goals and habitually track what you are doing every day -- that is all we ask. For more help, talk to others who are participating to keep yourself and your teammates motivated. Maybe find a buddy!! Waking up to go for a morning walk or jog is more likely to happen if you know somebody is waiting for you. You are not competing against anybody except yourself. Don’t psych yourself out of it. My biggest hope is that each of you will learn something new to help you sustain a healthier lifecycle in the next ten weeks.


But ultimately, it comes down to you. Like the Michael Jackson song “Man in the Mirror,” take a look in the mirror. It is you that is going to have to make that change. YOU CAN DO IT!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

50 Follower Contest Results

I am stunned! I had no idea how successful my little contest was going to be and I am amazed at how awesome my followers were in helping get the word out about this blog. Now that the contest is over I have sooooo many writerly things I wish to address. But for now, I'm sure you are all waiting at the edge of your seat to see if you are a winner.

Well, I'm going to tease you a bit. I think this calls for a shout-out to everybody who participated as my way of saying THANK YOU and YOU ROCK MY WORLD. Okay, if you really just want to see who won then scroll down to the bottom.

Thank you to everybody who participated!!

Brenda Sills
Blog: http://brendasills.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Brenda_Sills

Cathy Witbeck
Blog: http://cathywitbeck-storypainter.blogspot.com
Twitter: I couldn't find you, please comment below and I'll add you

Cindy M. Hogan
Blog: http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/watched1

Danyelle Ferguson
Blog: http://www.danyelleferguson.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DanyelleTweets

Donna Weaver
Blog: http://weavingataleortwo.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaKingWeaver

Erica Badu
Blog: I couldn't find your blog. :( If you want it linked, please comment below
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EricaABadu

Katie Dodge
Blog: http://katieonfiction.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KatieDodge2

Lynn Parsons
Blog: Do you have one? Your website seems parked. Here is her Good Reads page for her book.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/parsonslynn

Melissa Cunningham
Blog: http://www.melissajcunningham.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MECunningham01

Melissa Lemon
Blog: http://lemoninkwell.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Melissa_Lemon

Natalie Galasso
Website: http://www.krze.net/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/XZChick

RaShelle Workman
Blog: http://www.rashelleworkman.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RaShelleWorkman

Small Town Shelly Brown
Blog: http://writingwithshelly.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SBrownwriter

Tamara Hart Heiner
Blog: http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tamaraheiner


Thank you, everybody, for your participation. My biggest fear is that I missed somebody but I tried to be as thorough as possible. If I did miss somebody, please chastise me in the comments and I'll find some way of making it up to you.

And, just so you know, I follow everybody mentioned above and I highly recommend ANYBODY else to do the same.

So now, the big winners. First place, for the $20 Gift Card to Amazon.com, from a Facebook entry is...

SHELLY BROWN



And in second place, for the $5 Cold Stone Creamery gift care, from another Facebook entry is...

DANYELLE FERGUSON



Thank you, everybody, again. I cannot express my appreciation on how well this worked. I can't wait to do it again when I get to 100 followers. Please keep spreading the word.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

50 Follower Contest

I reached 50 users. YAY!!! And, as promised, I'm throwing a little contest.

I'm giving away two prizes to help promote this blog so I can get closer to the 100 follower mark and hold another, bigger contest. The first prize I'm giving is a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com, my online store of choice, and I'm also giving away a $5 gift card to Cold Stone Creamery.



Entering is easy. Just follow this blog and tell everybody how wonderful I am! I'll go with the point system.

1) Mention this blog and contest on Twitter with the following: "Follow James Duckett's writing blog and you could win a gift card. http://bit.ly/ojREtE" That is worth one drawing per tweet.

2) Throw it on Facebook. I think that is worth two drawings. But because I may not be Facebook friends with you you may need to leave a comment. I'm trusting everybody will be honest.

3) Mention it on your blog. Again, comment below so I don't miss it and so I can follow your blog if I'm not doing so already. I'll give five points for that!

Each point represents an entry into the drawing. I'll first draw for the Amazon gift card and then for the Cold Stone gift certificate. If you win, I'll stalk you until I find out how to get it to you.

I'll let this run through the weekend and tally everything up Tuesday night (July 12th) around 9pm and hold the random drawing. The winner will be announced on this blog Tuesday night.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

Remember those reports we used to do as kids with the above title? Mine were always easy. "I swam. I slept. My parents shoved me in the car and drove me places I didn't want to go. Now I'm back in school, blah!"


Unfortunately, my vacation report this year is not much more exciting. Except the pool where we were staying was filled with kids so I didn't feel like venturing in that direction. I actually didn't sleep all that well. And it seemed like all I did was shove kids into the car and drive them places I didn't want to go. The kids actually didn't complain since I took them to Lagoon four times. There were other things of note, but if you follow me on Twitter (you follow me on Twitter, right?) then I think I covered most of the highlights.

My personal highlight was being able to read, which is something I don't get to do as often as I'd like. I can now cross a few books off my "am reading" and "want to read" list. Yay!!!

But now it is time to pay the piper. As much as I tried to keep up with my email, I have 56 personal emails and 130 work emails waiting for me. OUCH! On top of that, I have 182 blog posts to read as well. At least I have tomorrow to catch up on work and the weekend to catch up on everything else.


When I left I had 49 followers to this blog. I'm sooooo close to 50, I thought I'd get one more follower in the meantime. Nope, still at 49. When 50 hits I'll have a little contest and give away a little prize. So who will #50 be? If you could encourage people to follow me, I'd be most grateful.


Now, on to writing topics.

One of the books I read was Larry Brook's Story Engineering. It is the main book on writing I've wanted to get to since the LDS Story Maker's a few months ago (has it been that long?). I've mentioned outlining before, and I think this gave me a lot of great ideas on what to look for. Coincidentally, outlining is where I am in my book development process so the timing on this could not have been better. I'll expand more on this later, maybe this weekend, as I think it deserves a blog post of its own.

I did stay on top of Twitter. The post that mainly caught my attention was one that questioned the double spacing after a period. This blew my mind because I didn't even know it was under debate, much less that some are considering it taboo. This bodes not well for me as I'm hopelessly addicted to hitting the space bar twice after hitting the period. You can see that in this blog post and I'm leaving it as is for now. I want to research this more and probably make that the Lesson of the Week.

Okay, I've got a lot to do tonight! I've got some serious catching up to do on blogging so you may hear from me a few times this weekend. At a minimum, at least once. I guarantee it, or double your money back!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Blog Award - Tagged QnA Part Deux

Donna K. Weaver has awarded me The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. It is funny because I've seen this award splattered on other blogs but I've only glanced at the picture it comes with.


This is the first time I've realized that it is NOT a pepperoni pizza. So with that, and being tagged, I've got some questions to answer. Again.

This will probably be the last time I do this. While I do enjoy putting these lists together I really don't want this blog to turn into stuff about me. I use Facebook and Twitter for that purpose and I'm more than happy to friend and follow writers with common interests. I also love reading others when they do this, so I would encourage others to not follow in my path. I thank you for your understanding.

Rules of the The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award (some rules varied but these were the most popular):
1. Copy and paste the award to your blog.
Done

2. Thank and link to the person(s) who nominated you.
Thanks, Donna! (Now, done)

3. Share seven random facts about yourself.
Oh boy. This will probably be harder than finding 8 people to tag in my previous question/answer blog.

One
I love Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. Not only are they easy to make, but they are delicious. I can eat them for any meal. In all seriousness, if you took the number of days I've been alive, doubled that number, you would probably have a good approximation of how many I've had in my lifetime.

It amazes me of how many people have memories of me and PBJs. I'm surprised I have not turned into one since you are what you eat.

In case you are wondering: wheat bread, Jiff Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter, and Seeded Red Raspberry Jelly. A glass of milk on the side to wash it down is a bonus.

Do I have you on the edge of your seat, yet?

Two
I love to cook! Especially things with sugar or peanut butter in them.

Three
I love movies!! And now that I'm writing I call it something else: research.

Four
I'm a gadget maniac. If it is shiny, makes noises, and has an operating system I am 10000% more likely to buy it.

Five
I'm going on vacation in a couple of days. I can't wait!

Six
I have claustrophobia. I get uncomfortable in elevators. I get more uncomfortable if others are in it with me. Anything smaller than that and I'm not a happy camper. If I read about somebody in a confined area I need to go outside.

I don't have a lot of other fears. I used to be afraid of heights, but I outgrew that. I guess I have an irrational fear of being handcuffed to the bottom of a pool or being buried alive in a coffin but I think they both stem from the claustrophobia and watching too many movies.

Seven
I've had to re-write my seventh random fact four times. I think I'll just stick with this one.

Monday, June 27, 2011

I'm a Big, Fat Winner

Deanna Henderson from the Procrastination Station is having a daily contest and giving away some pretty nifty prizes, if I do say so myself. I happened to stumble across her blog post the day she was advertising Tyler Whitesides' book entitled Janitors. You can pre-order it here from my favorite bookstore.

This is great because I've been looking forward to the book's release since I met Tyler at LDS Story Makers. It is even on my Goodread's to-read list. Of course I met Tyler AFTER he handed out all of his free copies of the book, so I entered Deanna's contest hoping that I could get lucky.

And get lucky I did!! I WON!! I WON!!! I can't wait to read it!

\

Make sure you visit Deanna's blog, follow it, and see if you can win some of her other prizes from her ongoing contest. Right now she is giving away The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz. Hurry, you could be a winner, too.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

I Entered a Poetry Contest

Acknowledging that poetry is not my genre (or my thing or my M.O.), I entered a poetry contest anyways. Just remember that you only get one vote, and I can't tell you which poem is mine so there are no hints for favoritism.

Check out the entries and place your vote here:

Karen Hoover's Poetry Challenge

Plus, the music that was the prompt behind the poems automatically plays. So, hey! Free music!

On a side note, I hope to participate more in the future especially during the weeks of the flash fiction. But I have to wait until next week before I can throw my hat in the ring since they alternate every week.

If you are interested in joining, follow Karen Hoover's blog:

Karen Hoover's Blog

Off-topic: I'm heading for Northern Utah next week to take a much-needed vacation. My hope is for a lot of time to relax, read, and write. Chances are it will be me battling two teenagers and acting as a taxi driver the entire time. My blog posting may be anywhere from sporadic to non-existent.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Nearly 50 Followers!

I'm getting close to the 50 follower mark. Rock on!! Look, everybody is getting excited!


I'm so close, in fact, I think I can safely announce my intentions of having a little contest when I get to 50. What are the contests you like to see on blogs? Guess a fact about me and win something? A little poetry contest? What tickles your fancy?

And what is a suitable prize for 50 followers? A book? A gift certificate at Amazon? (That's a personal favorite) Free piggy-back rides?

I'd love your feedback!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Weekly Lesson: Using i.e. and e.g. Correctly

A common mistake I see is interchanging i.e. and e.g.. I find it to be an easily forgivable mistake because most people can figure out what you meant from the context. You might even get away with it. But that doesn't mean you should do it.

The initials i.e. comes from the Latin phrase id est which literally means, "that is," but would best be presented as meaning, "in other words." This usually rephrases what was just written to help the reader better understand.


EXAMPLE: I sing best when the acoustics are good and I'm alone, i.e., in the shower.

In this example I described a place and then better spelled it out for the reader in case they didn't understand what I was hinting at. Note that I didn't list places because I was only trying to describe one place.

However, e.g. comes from the Latin phrase, exempli gratia which literally means, "for the sake of example." This is then followed by a non-exhaustive list of examples.


EXAMPLE: I like to eat breakfast foods for dinner, e.g., pancakes, waffles, and bacon.

In this example I am making a list of examples of breakfast foods. While I like the three breakfast foods listed, I didn't state how I also love oatmeal, sausage, french toast, and cereal for dinner as well. So don't list everything, you are only providing examples to help them better understand what you were trying to convey.


INCORRECT EXAMPLE: I like three girls in my class, e.g., Sarah, Natasha, and Megan.
CORRECTED EXAMPLE: I like three girls in my class: Sarah, Natasha, and Megan.

So all you have to do is brush up on your Latin and it all comes easy, right? Well... no. Here are three tricks I use to remember the difference.

Trick #1

Just think of the first of the two letters. If you can remember that the "i" in i.e. stands for "in other words" and the "e" in e.g. stands for "example" then you are on the road to remembering which one to use at the appropriate time.

Trick #2

If that doesn't do it, here is another trick. Pretend that i.e. stands for "in essence" and e.g. stands for "examples given."

Trick #3

One other tip I've heard is that e.g. sounds like (are you ready for this) "egg sample." Hey now, don't laugh, it is usually the silly tips I remember best!

Keep in Mind

Don't forget that a comma follows i.e. and e.g., and they are in small caps, i.e., little letters. They are abbreviations, so do not forget the periods after each letter. Do this properly and you can impress your friends and coworkers with your written communications, e.g., Email, manuscripts, and sticky notes.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Tag, I'm It!

I've been blog tagged twice with these questions, I think that is a sign I better buckle down and answer the seven questions. Unfortunately, I'm not interesting so message me if you make it all the way through and let me know how much coffee it took to accomplish that feat.

1) Do you think you're hot?

Yes! I can't help it; I blame my metabolism. Also, having a female roommate at work never helps, either, as she makes me feel guilty when she has to come to work in a sweater... in July.

If I could, I'd turn my office into a meat locker! I'm sweating here!! Somebody remind me why I live in the hot desert?

As a side note: dual-climate control in a car is the best invention EVER!

2) Okay, here is what I use at work:


I love it. Thrice I've had people do a double-take at my monitors because it actually looks like somebody put that sticky note on my screens.

3) When was the last time you ate chicken?

The week after the LDS Story Makers Conference, which is a shame because I love chicken. While visiting my brother-in-law during the conference he made some chicken strips and they were DELICIOUS!!! I asked him what they were and he was nice enough to go out of his way and post this picture to his Facebook wall:


I rushed out to the store and picked up a bag. Oddly, I haven't had any since but I just bought some yesterday while passing them in the frozen food isle. So I'll be having some again, soon.

This is all riveting stuff, isn't it?

4) The song(s) you listened to recently.

I just finished watching the first "Back to the Future", which had a bunch of music from Huey Lewis. As a side note, remember that scene when he is auditioning for the battle of the bands and he starts playing that song by Huey Lewis and the judge interrupts him and says, "I'm sorry, you are just too darn loud. Next please!" That is Huey Lewis!!

As for albums, I bought the new Owl City album "All Things Bright and Beautiful" because I loved their first album. The second album sounds a LOT like the first but I still loved it anyways. I have probably given it about ten listens already with more on the way.

To show off my geek a bit, I fully intend to buy "Weird Al" Yankovic's new album "Alpocalypse" on Tuesday.

5) What were you thinking as you were doing this?

It sure is hot in here!

6) Do you have nicknames? What are they?

My last name is Duckett. Because children might read this blog I won't go into any detail but it doesn't take much imagination to figure out most of my nicknames.

In pleasant, polite, and/or proper company, I go by James, Jim, and Duckett. As a teenager, I only went by Duckett and when people would ask for me at the door, "Is Duckett here?" my mother always thought the response, "Which one?" was funny. Well, it was funny, but I wasn't going to admit that as a teenager.

I think the oddest nickname I've ever been called was Jeeves. A girl who liked me called me that. I'll never know why.

Other ones: King James pops up now and then. Oh, and several people call me Doctor Duckett. That is a reflection on my handwriting, not my intelligence.

7) Tag 8 Blogger Friends

The first two are obvious. NOT only because they tagged me (I would have tagged them regardless), but turnabout is still fair play.

1) Small Town Shelly Brown - Because she is the funniest blogger I follow. Hands down. Also, she is nice enough to promote my blog from time to time. Did I mention she is hilarious? She is also pretty funny. Best of all, she is funny, too!

2) Brenda Sills - Because she is the NICEST person I've ever seen on the Internet. The Interwebs if full of trolls, jerks, dweebs, and flamers and it is nice to see somebody who does NOTHING but say nice things about everybody. How rare is that?

3) Tristi Pinkston - Who is a great writer and I owe her one for proofreading one of my earlier blogs. I value her input on the Authors Incognito email list a LOT.

4) Matthew Tandy - This buy blows my mind. He blogs. Daily! Now that is dedication. And it isn't quick, "just doing my daily blog" type of deal. He does interviews. He talks about writing and the challenges. I've noticed we both share the same time challenges yet he does a much better job than me working around them.

5) Jamie McHenry - This guy caught my attention while we were tweeting at LDS Story Makers. Oddly, we kept tweeting a table or two apart from each other. I've been following him ever since.

Side note: Congrats on 15 years of his marriage!

6) Donna K. Weaver - Donna writes very helpful blog on writing properly. I think everybody would benefit following her blog because I have found it VERY informative and educational. I could use help in grammar and she offers it regularly.

7) Rob and Amy Shupe - I'm going to cheat and go with family on this. She isn't a writer but Amy does a great (and regular) job of blogging on her adorable family, while keeping things fun and creative.

8) Ariell Larson - I've called her slacker because she doesn't blog enough, in my opinion. But you have GOT to see her kids, they are adorable. She has a lot of talents, and making cute children is definitely one of them. She is also a writer and has been a true friend through the ages.