Yeah, Write

The countdown is ON!

My very first online workshop begins in just TWO DAYS.

I'll admit I'm a bit nervous to be in the spotlight like this, all by myself.

I spend so much time developing, editing, and shaping other people's content that I rarely have the opportunity to create and share intensive educational content that's 100% mine.

As you may have noticed, both of my eBooks were co-authored, so I could share the workload and make it more manageable. I co-authored Quick & Creative Quizzes with Wendy Smedley and Journaling that Matters with Kelly Jeppson.

But this one is going to be ALL me. No buffer. No co-teacher to hide behind.

I'm not sure what I was thinking, taking on this project (thousands of words of text, 34 layouts of which lots are brand new, 12 emails, 6 videos, promotional content, banners, and all the related accoutrements) while I was in the midst of packing up my whole house and moving 10.3 miles the weekend before Thanksgiving, then hosting my husband's family for Thanksgiving, then trying to survive the holidays while we Lucases experienced a round-robin of illnesses. (Poor Keira was so sick on Christmas Day that she didn't even want to open her presents.) All this while I was also learning my new job at Big Picture Classes!

My husband deserves an award for surviving it all with me.

And now that it's all done, I'm super excited to be sharing it live with my 312 students (and counting) starting this Thursday! The payoff for all that work is the chance to interact live with my students, see the projects they create based on my challenges, host live chats, offer cool giveaways, and make some fun new friends.

I can't WAIT for that part!

So, if you've been on the fence about trying out Grammar-Free Journaling for yourself, now's the time to act.

I'm happy to give away one FREE spot in my class to someone who leaves me a comment by Thursday—if there's still anyone reading this blog, that is! (This will be an interesting experiment, since I've been known to go 6 weeks between blog posts in the last few months, a situation that can easily be explained by paragraph 6 above.) It doesn't matter if you're my mother, my neighbor, or a friend I haven't met yet who lives in Australia, you can still enter to win. :)

Even if you don't win, you can get a free copy of my eBook, Journaling That Matters: Simple strategies for finding the right words (a value of $7.99) if you register for the Grammar-Free Journaling workshop by Thursday.

Here's how:
Click here to register for Grammar Free Journaling. Then in a separate transaction, click here to purchase Journaling That Matters and enter code GRAMMARFREE at checkout. Offer expires February 14, 2013. Cannot be combined with any other coupon, discount, or special offer. Must use specific links in this paragraph.

(Note: For an extra chance to win a FREE spot in my class, visit Rebecca Cooper's blog today! She's also offering a coupon for $7 off if you'd rather save some cash than get a free eBook. Your choice!)

UPDATE 2/14: And the winner, as chosen by Random.org, is commenter #14, Rebecca! Congrats and see you in class!

Grammar-Free Sneak Peek

Check out one of the 34 layouts (and a free tip) from my upcoming Grammar-Free Journaling workshop, featured today in a guest post at Club CK (the online community for Creating Keepsakes magazine)! 

You can enter to win a free spot in my class and grab a $5 coupon! There weren't many entries yet at the time of this post, so your odds are good! Winner will be picked Friday.

Check it out here.

The Truth About Babies

I have 10 nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 12 years to 2 months, so I knew this before, as everyone does and mentions a million times a day, all over the world.

But now that I have a 14-month-old toddling around my house (who is, at the moment, emptying my purse onto the floor and exploring every compartment, object, and zipper), I know this personally, viscerally, completely.

The truth is, babies grow SO fast.

Yeah, I knew that. Everyone knows that. But then I see a picture like this one, taken just a year ago, and I'm halted in my tracks.

This photo captures my every sense. I'm stunned at the sight of her tiny fist next to my grandpa's thumb—how his massive welder's hands cradle her little pajama-clad body.

I look at this picture, and I am instantly enveloped (as Keira must have been) in that familiar, musky scent that always clings to grandpa's plaid cowboy shirts: a combination of Old Spice, horses, and that sandpaper-like soap he keeps in his downstairs bathroom. He smells like love and comfort and dependability.

At the same time, I'm drinking in the fresh newness of Keira, all slathered in baby lotion, with her whisper-soft cotton clothes carrying traces of Dreft baby detergent. She smells like hope and miracles and the future.

I want to live in this picture, basking in the light from the window that is filtered through the branches of my mom's Christmas tree, newly in love with my new baby daughter, remembering the hours I spent cocooned on grandpa's lap when I was little.

This is nostalgia. This is the power of a photo.

Journaling Prompt
Find a photo that causes an emotional response in you and write about what you see or hear or smell as you imagine yourself inside that photo. Describing what something smells like is not an easy thing to do, and almost whatever you write will feel inadequate to you, but it is a wonderful exercise for helping you connect very deeply to a memory. Try it! And share it on your blog, in your journal, or on a scrapbook page.

Note: as you try to describe what something or someone smells like, you are bound to discover the woeful lack of adequate synonyms for the word "smell." After checking my favorite online Thesaurus, I even Googled the phrase "other words for smell" and came across a new-to-me website, the "Super Thesaurus," that clearly does NOT know what a verb is. Here's a screen capture:

Exciting Things!

Portrait of a Travis
Our friend, Chad Hurst, is a professional commercial photographer—you know, the kind of guy who gets jobs with The New York Times Magazine and such. And yet he's the humblest guy you'll ever meet. He's doing 30 portraits in 30 days on his new blog, and it's bound to be very inspiring. The first model? My husband Travis!

Check in at chadhurst.blogspot.com and get inspired all month long. And honestly, you really need to check out his portrait series of cancer survivors. It's amazing. He shot my father-in-law for this year's CanSurvive benefit, and I'll share that will you later.

A New Look for Ella
In case you haven't stopped by in a while, Ella got a facelift! This is also courtesy of my talented husband. (With help from Joe the Programmer, of course.) I'm thrilled with how it looks, and how it functions too. Tell all  your friends! Oh, and if you'd like to enter a giveaway for an 8 x 8 hardcover photo book from Shutterfly.com, stop by the Ella blog.

Look How Cute
It's always fun to share a Keira pic. She loves her big brother. And this is what it looks like when he "watches" her for a second. It's more like she's watching him play video games. :)


Grammar Lesson of the Day
Yesterday, reporter Lisa Ling—whom I frequently confuse with Lucy Liu—said in a news story that someone "turned up missing." This is one they cover in Communications 101. Someone has either "turned up" or they're still missing—not both. The better choice is "went missing" or "has gone missing." Now you know! (Even if Lisa/Lucy doesn't.)

Handmade Gifts: Monogram Jars

Now that Christmas is officially over everywhere but at my house (Christmas tree? Still up. Baby handprint ornaments that I was supposed to finish December 15? Finished last night.), I'll share the handmade gifts that I didn't want to share before Christmas so as not to spoil the surprise.

Two of my lucky friends each received a jar full of her first initial. You never know when you're going to need a spare "W" or "K," so I prepared a couple of jars full of decorated letters, monogram notepads, and the like.

Here's the "W" jar, which is also filled with Whoppers, because they also start with "W." If any of you happen to be friends with the 43rd president of the United States, this would make a great gift for him as well. (He's probably really hard to shop for.)

And now for the "K" jar...

Since I didn't actually present this gift to K. until January 9th, I had time to gussy up the outside a bit more than Miss W's. But I did not have any Kit Kats on hand, which would have been a nice extra touch.

Supplies:
Wooden K's and W's: from Michael's and JoAnn's
Monogram cards in cream envelope: from Michael's
Monogram notebooks: from Barnes & Noble
Monogram ornaments: from Kohl's
Monogram iron-on: from WalMart for $1
Whoppers: leftover Halloween candy (but don't tell W.)

And now for a quickie grammar lesson.

Notice that I included an apostrophe on the "Jar of K's" label. Does that seem incorrect to you? It's actually correct, although it does drive me batty.

Here's the reasoning. Yes, apostrophes typically designate possession or ownership ("Keira's cute clothes") or indicate that something is missing in the word ("Don't y'all think that Keira's so cute?").

But in the case of single letters, apostrophes are used to make the letters plural. Why? Because without the apostrophe, it would be difficult to make certain vowels plural without turning them into another word.

Examples
With apostrophe: "Our son got straight A's." (And we're so very proud.)
Without apostrophe: "Our son got straight As." (Straight as what?)

With apostrophe: "I see four u's." (Something you might hear while playing Scrabble.)
Without apostrophe: "I see four us." (You could read this one several different ways and still never discern the meaning.)

As you can see, the letters "i," "u," and "a" turn into other highly recognizable words when you simply add an "s" to make them plural. I do wish there were another accepted method for making letters plural, but this is what the grammarians have decided upon. And who am I to argue?

A Quickie Grammar Lesson: Sneak Peek

Below are two little memory tricks that will help you with one problematic expression:

I find myself stopping for a moment whenever I type this phrase. Is it "Sneek Peek" or "Sneak Peak" or "Sneak Peek" or "Sneek Peak"? And suddenly, none of them looks correct.

First of all, "sneek" isn't a word at all, unless you're Dr. Seuss. And that's probably not the part that trips anyone up. It's that darn peek/peak conundrum. These are homonyms (remember them?), or two words that sound alike but are spelled differently.

"Peek" is a verb meaning "to look or glance quickly or furtively, esp. through a small opening or from a concealed location; peep; peer." And the related noun means "a quick or furtive look or glance; peep."

"Peak" is a noun meaning "the pointed top of a mountain or ridge; the pointed top of anything."

Here's how I remember which is which:

"Peek" has two e's, and the word "eye" starts with "e." I imagine that the two e's in the middle of "peek" are two little eyes peering out at at me.

"Peak," on the other hand, has an "a" in it. And what does a capital "A" look like? A mountain peak, of course.

Problem solved.

Follow these links for help with other common grammar and usage pitfalls, previously covered on the Yeah, Write blog.

affect / effect

they're / their / there

everyday / every day (and also anytime / any time)

 

Hop on the word-nerd bandwagon!
(Of course we have a bandwagon.) This is a fabulous (and highly readable) resource for grammar goddesses and grammar novices alike. Check it out.

Endangered Phrases

There are all kinds of phrases still in use today that don't make much literal sense anymore.

"On tenterhooks" comes to mind, which originally referred to a frame used for stretching cloth, but now simply means "left in uncertainty." As far as I know (as if I would know), tenter hooks haven't been in use since the 1700s.

There's also "blow your stack," which originally meant the clearing of a smokestack (or the stack on a steamship) by a sudden burst of air, but now most often means to lose one's temper. Modern individuals, who have very little experience with smokestacks or steamships, may never understand this reference if it weren't for Looney Toons. (You know how characters' heads morph into red smokestacks when they get angry?)

It's interesting to think that many of the phrases we grew up using, and which made obvious and intuitive sense to us, will no longer make sense to future generations. Behold:

Rewinding a movie.
On old VHS tapes, something was clearly winding. We still say "rewind" when referring to DVDs or pay-per-view shows, even though no "winding" is involved. Just wait for that first child to ask you, "Mom, why is it called 'rewinding'?"

Roll up the window.
In most modern cars, there's no lever to turn. Only a button to push. But what alternative phrases could be used? "Raise the window, please, it's cold out there." Nah. Interestingly, you'll notice that characters in movies still pantomime a "rolling up" motion, even when a car would clearly have a button instead. (More about that here.)

Turn the dial.
"Don't turn that dial! I like this song..." On car radios today, it's usually a button rather than a knob or dial. Radio stations still say, "Don't touch that dial" just before going to commercial break.

Hang up the phone.
In the old days (and I remember them), you had to hang the phone back on its cradle in order to end the conversation. These days, once again, we push a button. And when you want to end a phone call indignantly—as I did recently while trying to get some answers from the neanderthals at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue—it's far less satisfying to select "end call" than to slam the phone onto its receiver.

Above the fold.
I remember way back before Al Gore invented the Internet; do you? Back then, we had to get our news from newspapers. And the most important stories were always placed "above the fold" on the front page. This term is also used for websites, believe it or not, indicating that an ad or story appears on the first view, before the user has to scroll down.

Boob tube.
Actually, I think this one went out long before my time. But at least I know what it means. "Boob" used to be another word for "idiot" or "moron," and televisions were once operated by vacuum tubes instead of electronics. The "boob tube" was a nickname emphasizing the idea that television turned people into mindless drones (which it now does even better than ever before). I'm afraid the younger generation might assume a "boob tube" was just another term for "halter top."

As technology keeps advancing, what other terms can you think of that will soon make no sense to the rising generation? Discuss.

Angie's Grammar Manifesto

Over the years that I've been blogging, I've had several readers express a reluctance to comment on my posts, for fear that their lack of perfect spelling or punctuation will defile the grammatical purity of the Yeah, Write website. Nonsense! With that in mind, I now declare my 10-point Grammar Manifesto.

1. This is a No-Judgment Zone.
I do not ever correct a person's grammar (either spoken or written) unless I'm being paid to do so. Neither do I sit back with a false sense of superiority and ridicule other people's writing efforts, unless I'm being paid to do so (which would be an interesting gig, I admit). If you like having friends, you shouldn't run around correcting people's grammar either.

2. All Writers are Not Created Equal.
I hold professionally trained writers and editors to a higher standard. If I critique the word usage in an advertisement or a published book, it's only because there should be someone involved who knows better. If you own a business, and you don't know better—because you're a genius at selling shoes rather than at punctuating signs—just hire or bribe the biggest Word Nerd you know to proofread your store's marquee, flyers, and advertisements before exposing them to the public eye.

3. There's a Difference Between Formal and Informal Writing.
Every attempt should be made to properly punctuate and spell research papers, dissertations, resumes, corporate signage, advertisements, newspaper articles, and company memos. But blogs, blog comments, Tweets, FaceBook statuses, and text messages all count as informal communication. I will never look down on you for writing whatever comes to mind in a blog comment. After all, you're probably just doing your best to respond in between chasing your toddler and folding laundry, and I'd rather have a quickly dashed-off comment than no comment at all.

4. Write Anyway!
When it comes to journaling, scrapbooking, and journal keeping, you should never let feelings of inferiority keep you from telling your story! Do not let the pressure to express yourself perfectly prevent you from expressing yourself at all. So much insight is gained by exploring one's thoughts on paper or on a computer screen. Your perspective is invaluable to yourself and your family, whether or not you are the Queen of Run-on Sentences. Write your memories down. The more you write, the more you'll discover your voice and learn to express yourself clearly.

5. Practice Makes Progress.
The best way to improve your writing is to practice, to read things that are written well, and to look up the things you don't know. (Or ask me, and I'll try to help!) If you're paralyzed by feelings of insecurity, take a basic writing course through your local community education program to build your confidence. Think to yourself, "I'm capable of writing well. I just lack the practice." Then, if writing well is important to you, put in the time to work on your skills! (Notice that I didn't say "practice makes perfect." No piece of writing will ever be perfect, and that shouldn't be your goal.)

6. Authenticity Rules.
I would rather read something that's full of creativity, soul, and heart—but lacks proper grammar and punctuation—than a dry and boring treatise that doesn't have a single comma out of place. Remember that fiction writers and poets play fast and loose with grammar, often for a specific effect. For example, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy completely omitted quotation marks to designate dialogue as well as apostrophes (cant instead of can't; dont instead of don't) in his powerful novel, The Road. And the revered poet e.e. cummings famously eschewed capitalization in his poetry—and in all of his correspondence, I believe.

7. No Editor is Infallible.
I do not know everything about grammar. I have a knack for it, I've taken multiple courses on the subject, I practice frequently, and I research questions that come up. But I'm no grammarian. A true grammarian would be familiar with all 37 pages of rules regarding the proper use of the comma in the Chicago Manual of Style. I fell asleep on page 2. However, I know my own pitfalls, and I always look things up when I'm not sure. (And I find myself looking up some of the same questions over and over again.)

8. Proofreading Matters.
I edit everything I write. You should know that impeccable sentences do not burst out of me intact. I write, I read what I've written, I futz around with it a bit, I futz around some more, and only then do I publish it.

9. You're Better at Math Than I Am.
Everyone has different strengths. Some of the most intelligent adults I know wouldn't stand a chance in a 3rd-grade spelling bee. I'm the only Word Nerd in my family of six children. That doesn't make the rest of them idiots. I can't do calculus like my brother Dan, and I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the internal organs like my sister Michele, nor can I recite the starting lineup of every NFL and NBA team since 1978 like my brother Jon. My gifts make me valuable in certain situations, just like their gifts make them valuable in other situations.

10. Scrabble Scores Do Not Predict Writing Ability.
So you suck at Scrabble, so what? That doesn't mean you can't be an interesting and engaging writer. My little brother Dan—who is 8 years younger than I am, spent more time studying math and science than English, makes his living as a nurse, and never EVER reads for pleasure—can kick my butt at Scrabble. He's some sort of prodigy, and he knows it. Rarely a game goes by without him getting a 50-point bonus for using all seven of his tiles in a single play. I'd accuse him of cheating, but I don't think it's possible to "mark tiles" the way poker sharks mark cards.

Questions? Comments? Let me hear 'em!

Chicken-fried Grammar

Although I've personally been quite clear about the animal origin of chicken-fried steak since at least age 23, there are plenty of other facts that have escaped my notice until more recently.

But after Thursday's post, it occurs to me that chicken-fried steak (a badly named dish indeed) is still causing some confusion. And it has everything to do with the importance of the hyphen. Even restaurants that keep impeccable kitchens can be quite sloppy when it comes to hyphenating the compound adjectives on their menus. So, I figured a quick grammar lesson was in order.

A compound adjective is comprised of two adjectives working together to describe a noun. The fact that chicken-fried steak is steak rather than chicken is revealed in the construction of the phrase. Steak comes last, and it's being described by "chicken-fried." By the same logic, you know that a chicken-salad sandwich is a sandwich. If you read "chicken salad sandwich," you might assume it was a list of three different things and that someone forgot to include the commas. (Menus are known to do that as well.)

Here are a few parallel examples to "chicken-fried steak" that will help cement this fact:

Chicken-fried steak
Steak that has been fried like chicken. The steak is breaded and fried the same way fried chicken is breaded and fried, and its typically served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Bring on the heart disease! (And don't even get me started on "chicken-fried chicken." There's one too many "chickens" in that phrase.)

Chocolate-covered strawberries
Strawberries that have been covered in chocolate.

Citrus-glazed salmon
Salmon that has been glazed with citrus.

Man-eating shark
A shark that eats humans.

In the above examples, if there were no hyphen to designate the compound adjective, the phrases could be read as poorly constructed sentences:

Man eating shark. Man eating eel. Man getting indigestion.

Chicken fried steak. And then steak got its revenge with a fire poker.

Chocolate covered strawberry. And rock covered paper. But strawberry tasted better.

Does that help?

:-)

How Do You Like Them Apples?

I don't post many recipes on my blog, primarily because I'm not the most innovative cook around. I'm a follow-the-recipe-precisely kind of gal, except when I'm out of a key ingredient, in which case I'll try to substitute something else, often disastrously. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to share two apple-related Thanksgiving recipes that I look forward to all year long!

Because my parents always had two apple trees in the backyard while I was growing up—and I now tend to one of my own—apples often figure in to our fall cooking schedule.

This first recipe is a scrumptious dip Elizabeth Dillow shared with me years ago. It's now a must-make on Thanksgiving, and often Christmas too. Here's a helpful tip: to keep apples from turning brown throughout the day, submerge them in Sprite or 7-Up right after cutting, drain, and place on your serving tray!

The second recipe, for Spinach Salad with Apples and Pomegranate Seeds,  is one I patched together from several recipes found on kraftfoods.com last year. This was one instance where a vast series of substitutions was delightful rather than disastrous. I've truly been thinking about this salad all year long. Yummy!

Here's a cute photo of my niece Breanna seeding the pomegranate last year, and trying not to ping red seeds all over the kitchen. (Slippery little suckers.)

About my recipes...
Whenever I deem a new recipe important enough to keep for all eternity, I write the recipe on the lovely recipe cards you see above—always including a short caption about where the recipe came from or why I love it—and slip it into my beloved C.R. Gibson recipe book.

I have several other printed cookbooks, with various extra recipes scribbled in the margins, but this is the book  that houses all my favorite, tried-and-true, never-want-to-forget dishes. It has a very scrapbooky feel about it, and I like that. And, I just discovered that there's a matching recipe box. Fun!

About this post's title...
Yes, that's a cliche, and yes it's a grammatical nightmare, and yes I feel just fine about using it. I've got a whole month of cliche fun planned for the future, but in the meantime, I'll share a bit of background about this one:

"How do you like them apples? Meaning: What do you think of that (usually in contrast to something else)? The term probably originated in a comparison of certain apples with others in a marketplace. By the 1930s, it was serving for almost any comparison. In Edward Albee's play, The American Dream (1961), Grandma says to Mrs. Barker: 'They wanted satisfaction; they wanted their money back.' Mrs. Barker responds, 'My, my, my.' Grandma says: 'How do you like them apples?'"

Fun, eh? The source is Dictionary of Cliches: Over 2,000 popular and amusing cliches—their meaning and origins by James Rogers.

Now to figure out where "How Now, Brown Cow" came from...