Attention Class: Today's Lesson Deals With Grammar

I recently taught an hour-long grammar refresher course at my job.

I volunteered for this assignment and came up with the topic nearly two months prior, but didn't find out the exact training date until a week before. Yikes! I've never been one of those people with a fear of public speaking, but because I'd never stood before an audience as an "expert," I was extremely nervous at the thought.

The good thing was that I had complete creative control of the presentation format. What caused me some stress though was that I only had an hour and didn't want to go over or take just 25 minutes. I had to also be sure to cover the grammar subtopics I had proposed (punctuation and eliminating redundancy and wordiness)

I consulted my favorite style manuals; put myself in the position of student and forecast what attendees might want to know; threw in a bit of my own creativity; and even relied on my previous blog postings on the subject to create Grammar and Eliminating Redundancy, a presentation that was met with resounding approval and positive feedback. The attendees' only suggestions were to make the training longer and offer it again and soon. I was astonished at how well I did, and how confident I felt. I actually knew what I was talking about up there and was able to give insight and answer the grammar and writing questions of my peers. It was such a wonderful feeling, and so very rewarding.

Yay for Jennifer!

Would you like to see my slide presentation? You didn't think I'd do all that bragging and not share did you?

You can view it on my website under the "Technical/Nonfiction Writing Samples" header.

What's So Special About a Plot?

I'm reading The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing and wanted to share a few pointers from my favorite chapter, "The Plot Thickens," written by Monica Wood.

A story needs a point of departure, a place from which the character can discover something, transform himself, realize a truth, reject a truth, right a wrong, make a mistake, come to terms. Departure is the story's complication because something has to happen. For example, Grandma Frances gets sick; Buddy the dog gets hit by a car; the boss's 15-year marriage is tested. You see where I'm going.

Don't mistake a "situation" for a "complication." A complication must illuminate, thwart, or alter what the character wants. A good complication puts emotional pressure on a character, prompting that character not only to act, but to act with a purpose.

Good complications are connected to the character, usually conjuring some kind of desire or regret, conscious or unconscious, in the character. A well chosen complication should give you choices. Having multiple choices for your characters makes fiction writing interesting.

If you're struggling more than you feel you should, you may have run out of interesting choices, or had too few to begin with. Go back to the complication, tweak it, and start all over.

It's okay, this is your baby. Take all the time you need to see that it grows into exactly what you want your readers to see.

You can learn more about developing your plot, breaking your writer's block, revising your manuscript, creating suspenseful page turners, marketing your work, and other helpful guidance, but I'll let you go pick up a copy of the book and read for yourself. The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is now in its 2nd edition; however, I prefer the first (pictured above). So, have I whetted your literary appetite?

Now Blow Out The Candles

Salut,

I was a birthday girl last weekend. Yay for me, I made it another year and I'm still standing in good health and in a comfortable existence. I spent my birthday with my mother and we had a wonderful time. "Creating memories" is how she described it. My flight there and back was great as well. By some fluke I happened to get a straight flight, which has been impossible in the past. So used to having ridiculous layovers was I, that when she informed me that the itinerary I sent her appeared to be nonstop, I quickly told her that perhaps they had left my little detour out.

But anyway, I'm sure you're wondering what's the deal with the art in today's post. Striking, isn't she?

My mommy gave her to me as a birthday present. You can't see this detail from my pic, but the entire image is actually a series of numerals. Yes, an amazing configuration of 0s-9s. How intricate. The woman in this art piece is blowing out a candle. The same as I did on my birthday. I received her on that day. I realized the coincidence this evening.

I began to think about the tradition of making a wish before blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. And the superstition that you must keep your wish a secret or it won't come true. What I wished for was *&&$* $*$& &#*#*& $* $&#*$& (()) @@ !@^^$&*#(++)&#$@**((@

Now, you didn't think I'd actually reveal my wish, did you? Nope, this one is far too special and I want it to come true for the special person I wished it for.

When I look at this work, I see her as symbolically blowing away the past, whatever or whomever it may be. I can dig that. This next year of my life I will strive to do the same. Letting go of negative thoughts that have held me back. Working to end being a slave to the temptations that keep me from feeling good about who I see in the mirror. Blowing away the woulda, coulda, shouldas, and affirming that I can and I will.

Time is scary in the speed in which it passes. I was just 23; hell, I was just graduating high school. Such a pity to spend so many years unfulfilled. Not me. Not anymore. I gotta try, right?

Mom always said that when reaching for the moon, if you should fall, at least you'll land amongst the stars. Smart lady.

Wow, all that from an art piece.




Jennifer

OMG!: I found my first website!!

Back in 2001, I had to build a website as a class project for a Technical Writing class. Being a biology major, naturally, my first thought was to create something that relayed information about some interesting aspect of science. For me, it was human sexual attraction. What causes us to desire one another? What chemicals are responsible for the complex reactions that take place in our body when we feel "excited"? And what's the deal with those tingly butterflies in the pit of our stomach when we see someone we're attracted to? I set out to answer these questions and compiled all of my information (and these really cheesy graphics) onto separate web pages using Netscape Composer (is that still around?).

OMG, while "googling" myself this evening, I decided to find out if my old site was still up. And it is!! I'm so excited, I still remember picking out my background and staying in the computer lab late at night with floppy disks full of my stuff for my web pages. I learned so much from this assignment. My goodness, if I'd continued building web pages, I'd be so incredibly awesome right now. Instead of struggling with Yahoo Sitebuilder and relying on my limited knowledge of html.

Oh my god, without further ado...here's my website from 10 years ago. Oh wait, I got an A on this assignment. Yay for me!

http://www.geocities.ws/deydreme78/

The Story of My Online Dating Life

I stumbled across this video and couldn't control my laughter. Oh my god, how can strangers know my life so well? You mean there are others? I know this is a "joke" vid, but I was somewhat relieved to know that there are enough of us out there that it warranted the Onion's attention. I suppose it's sad, but their delivery was spot on and hilarious. I wish we all could gather for a big group hug.

You mean, we aren't as smart as we think?

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid!

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

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Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we don't read every letter when we read, our brains are merely recognizing the first and last letter of the word. It doesn't help that brains know what words should be there, thus influencing their "reading" of the correct word whether its missing or not.

This is why editors are needed. As long as our brains take shortcuts, another pair of eyes will have to do a few tricks of their own.

(Though if you don't have a second pair of eyes to review your work, the next best thing is to take a break from your writing for a few minutes to allow your eyes to focus on other things. When you look at your words again, you may find it easier to spot misspellings and missing words. Also, another trick someone taught me is to read a sentence backwards. It forces your brain to actually read each letter.)