writerystuff

[writerystuff]

LEARN AN OLD WORD

Some hundred years ago in rural England, one could still by "lanted" ale, or ale with lant added, which supposedly makes it stronger.

Now go look up "lant" and prepare to be gobsmacked.

#writers #writing #words #old words #old customs #lant #REALLY?

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HOW TO WRITE A STORY

"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story."

– Stephen King

#writers #writing #stories #telling yourself the story #how to write a story #omit needless words #Stephen King

[writerystuff]

HOMOPHONE WOE, PART 473

"...just enough to peak your interest ..."

This writer doesn't read enough. But, on the bright side, at least they don't pronounce it to rhyme with "brick," the way so many people pronounce "clique."

#writers #writing #words #homophones #pronunciation #foreign words #read more

[writerystuff]

Interesting links within the article.

#writers #writing #words #adjectives #order of adjectives #how to make a character sound foreign

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#humor #almost a homophone

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DEFINITELY AGREE

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

― Jane Austen

#readers #reading #books #personal library #Jane Austen #love my books

[writerystuff]

AGREE? DISAGREE?

"I find that writing is a constant battle with exactly the same problems you've always had."

– Douglas Adams

#writers #writing #writing process #writing as battle #Douglas Adams

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY READING

Today is the birthday of Henry Watson Fowler, author of Modern English Usage, second edition revised by Sir Ernest Gowers and known as "Fowler–Gowers" to aficionados.

Why not track down a copy and do as T.S. Eliot advised: "...every person who wishes to write ought to read [Fowler's guide] for a quarter of an hour every night before going to bed."

#writers #writing #writing well #Fowler #Modern English Usage #Fowler–Gowers #T.S. Eliot #read more

[writerystuff]

Works for scissors too. English is weird.

#humor #English #if you know you know

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I THINK I AGREE

"You don't write novels for a reaction. You write novels for very personal reasons."

– Bret Easton Ellis

#writers #writing #novels #why novels #why write #novels are personal #Bret Easton Ellis

[writerystuff]

It's National Read An E-Book Week. Free and low-cost e-reading material!

#books #reading #e-books #readers #free and low-cost books #read more

[writerystuff]

Words matter!

#humor #sounds sorta like...

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JUST MY OPINIONS

There was some pushback on the previous post. Yes, I know that language is always changing, and change is growth, and so on. And I have no trouble, for example, with "contact" as a verb (this was once a no-no) because we don't have a single-word alternative that is non-specific (specific: phone, write, email...)

But I stand by two opinions. First,

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

I don't share this attitude, because communication is impossible if people don't understand each other, and they can't understand each other if they don't share the same definitions of the words they use.

Second, I have a lot of trouble with the loss of distinctions that occurs when two words with separate meanings become interchangeable: swath and swathe, to damp and to dampen, disinterested and uninterested, lend and loan, hone and home, staunch and stanch.

Distinctions enable precision in writing and in comprehension. I'm for precision and clarity.

#writers #writing #words #word meanings #distinctions #precision #clarity #these are my opinions so the fact that you don't agree with them doesn't make them wrong

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I MEAN, WHAT??

"He would tarry himself in the slurry of that darkness every day..."

"Tarry" is intransitive. It means "linger."

"Slurry" means "a semiliquid mixture, typically of fine particles of manure, cement, or coal suspended in water."

The author of the book I'm currently reading is given to such flowery writing. They also think "alright" is a word, running fingers through hair causes it to be "astray," and if a wound is bleeding, one must "staunch" it.

(Your modern dictionary may think these usages are just fine, but if you read enough, you know they aren't.)

#writers #writing #flowery writing #words #word meanings #I do not think that word means what you think it means #read more #where was the editor?

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Sad news. I knew that people who 'read" audiobooks don't effectively understand or retain what they've heard. Now it turns out that the current student generation can't effectively understand or retain anything longer than ten pages, if that.

When I was teaching, I gave my World Literature students a week to read Mme. Bovary and a week to read Billy Budd. No doubt many of them used Cliff Notes--but they were able to write essays (pre-AI) and pass exams on those books.

What's the solution? Less phone time, more reading would be a good start. Maybe setting aside class time for reading. Suggestions?

#reading #reading ability #focus #comprehension #retention #put down the phone #read more #practice focusing

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REASON 437 NOT TO RESTRICT YOUR "READING" TO AUDIOBOOKS

Be honest. When you're listening to an audiobook, how often do you stop it to look up that word you don't know? How often do you even notice that word you don't know?

If you're reading a book on paper or an ebook, you can easily stop and look up that word--you have a convenient dictionary right there in your pocket.

If you want to be a writer, you need to actually read the words (and I think you should look up the ones you don't know). This is how you learn about writing style (and increase your vocabulary).

#writers #writing #reading #audiobooks #books on paper #vocabulary #literary style #how to learn to be a writer #read more #listen less

[writerystuff]

NEWS FLASH

"...and farbeit from me..."

Like alright, bicep, barbeque, and warrantee, farbeit is NOT A WORD.

#writers #writing #words #non-words #proofread your work #or get a beta reader #and read more