That Penultimate-Minded, War-Inducing, Trendy Punctuation Mark, The Oxford Comma Begs the Question, “Why so serious?”

The Oxford comma has many names, such as serial comma, series comma and the terminal comma. Terminal. Serial. These words conjure grave images in my mind and they are of the utmost serious kind. And for both pro- or anti-Oxford comma camps, it is a serious matter, indeed. 🙂 You may have noticed that I …

Super Face Recognition: Have We Met Before?

In a previous post, I shared my experience as a teacher with hyperphantasia and coming to the realization that not all people have the ability to create mental images, after one of my students shared with me that he couldn't picture images in his mind. Curious, I wondered if there was a reason or diagnosis …

Island of the Misfit Stories and What To Do About Them!

When I was a kid, I loved watching Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. The toys were considered misfits because they possessed some defect and nobody seemed to want them. For example, there is a cowboy that rides an ostrich, a bird that swims, a winged bear, and a boat that …

Quotes to Write By – Day 28

Months ago, I wrote a poem for my husband (it was his birthday) that invoked such deep emotion in him that he cried. I considered getting the published (come on, our kids have gotta eat) at one point and instead shared it at a Wordier Than Thou open mic event. The response was powerful from …

Quotes to Write By – Day 25

Last night, I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning. A picture book idea came to me and I simply had to write it! I completed the first draft within four hours at 1275 words. I've always loved picture books and adore the time I share with my two youngest sons reading them and reveling …

Quotes to Write By – Day 23 Writer vs Author?

Quote #23 "Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it." Sidonie Gabrielle Based on this quote, I want to be an author. Other differences between what makes an …

Quotes to Write By – Day 20

In an earlier post of the "Quotes to Write By" series I cited Mervin Block's quote "nouns are the bones that give a sentence body. But verbs are the muscles that make it go." Well, let's have a little discussion about adjectives and adverbs.   Believe it or not, these descriptive parts of speech can …

Quotes to Write By – Day 18

Last Saturday, I attended my critique group, Pinellas Writers, with a mission: To read and get valuable feedback on a picture book that I wanted to submit to a major publishing house. Ironically, as I read the manuscript I couldn't stop shaking or sweating. I held the podium until my fingers ached and grew slick …

Quotes to Write By – Day 8

Today's quote comes from my most recent accomplishment. I wrote my second picture book. My first picture book was called "Abigail and the Butterfly Masquerade." I've never submitted it and may self-publish it someday or submit it to a publishing house. This most recent attempt at writing a picture book was a lot of fun …

Quotes to Write By – Day 5

The following review is from one of my readers. It's a fabulous feeling when someone other than your family has read and reviewed one of your books -- especially if you're an Indie author. I love reading and lately I've come across of books that aren't traditionally published. Some are of the highest quality. Some …