I studied Latin, but I hated its arbitrary word order. Blah, blah, blah. Shut up and listen to me. It is graduation time January 1941. Ceremonies take place in Carnegie Hall. One thinks of the musician's joke, "How do you get to play Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice." For us the practice was four years of high school. Hey, wait a minute. You're interrupting … [Read more...] about Overtaken in two languages by Albert Rothman
Blog
Dawn of a new idea by Elaine Schmitz
I started a book review group, along with writers Julie Royce, Vee Byram, and Sharon Svitak, with a different twist. All of us are in critique groups sponsored by the California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch. All of us strive to improve our skills not only as writers, but as critiquers as well. That quest became the basis of this group when I attended the monthly meeting … [Read more...] about Dawn of a new idea by Elaine Schmitz
OMG! by Violet Carr Moore
OMG! Oh my God is not one of my favorite phrases. Can I change my vocabulary now that Oxford English Dictionary has declared these three letters to be spoken as a word? Probably not. God is a divine word for me, not a text or abbreviated phrase that scampers between an exclamation for spilled milk to a lost lottery ticket. I must admit that emphasis on the middle … [Read more...] about OMG! by Violet Carr Moore
A Blog by Patricia Bacon
At the request of my many fans, who do not want to be identified, and more importantly because the President of our organization has suggested all members submit "A BLOG", I have decided to take the plunge. I have never written "A BLOG", because frankly I think it sounds funny. Maybe it should be called "A BOG" (wet, spongy ground characterized by decaying mosses). … [Read more...] about A Blog by Patricia Bacon
Rejection Letters by Annette Langer
Not all publisher rejection letters are bad. Surely, some make you feel discouraged, frustrated, or downright angry. But others can cause you to smile. The one I received today (reproduced below) even made me say, "Awww." Today is the deadline on the second extension for submissions to our Mother's Day anthology. Unfortunately, we didn't receive enough of a variety of … [Read more...] about Rejection Letters by Annette Langer
Title-driven writing by Lani Longshore
Some writers keep a file of plot ideas, or characters they want to explore. Some have whole scenes written, waiting for the right project to wrap around them. I have a list of titles waiting for a story. Some come from placards. Museums are great places to get title ideas - I found Nodding Onion and Demon Duck of Doom at museums in Seattle. The first refers to a plant, the … [Read more...] about Title-driven writing by Lani Longshore
Where have all the commas gone by Lani Longshore
Where did all the commas go, long time passing? Where did all the commas go-o, long time ago? Where did all the commas go? Gone to hyphens every one. When will they ever learn; when will they e-e-ver learn? Elaine Schmitz wrote that for our critique group after I sent them this quote from the Eats, Shoots & Leaves calendar: A reader from a couple of hundred years ago … [Read more...] about Where have all the commas gone by Lani Longshore
Memoir at the meeting by Pat Coyle
"Albert," I said, "I wrote up a sketch from our conversation about your experiences during the 70s. I don't want to overstep, but if you're okay with it, I'll type it up and email it to you so you can take a look at it." Albert laughed, "I might I steal it." "That'd be great - you need to write that memoir" Patricia asked, "What are you two talking about? I missed … [Read more...] about Memoir at the meeting by Pat Coyle
