New Entries from the Urban Dictionary

“Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.” – Jim Rohn

In an effort to stay up-to-date with our ever-changing language, I periodically pay a visit to the Urban Dictionary. Here are a few of my favorite entries since the first of the year.

Echo boomer - the child of a Baby Boomer.

Verbal Handcuffs - When someone won't stop talking (usually about a subject you have no interest in). The talker has verbally forced you to stand there and listen, even though you have given many clues that you have checked out. Examples: vacant stares, looking at your watch, checking your phone, answering in short one word phrases.

Yawn Pong - A game played by tired people. In short, one person yawns and then the other person does. Should the original yawner yawn twice before the second person yawns once, player one has one point.

Redneck Teleprompter - Crib notes written on a public speaker's hand in order to remind him or her what to say during a speech or interview.

iphone effect - shortly after one person in the group brings out their iphone, the rest follow suit, ultimately ending all conversation and eye contact.

Time vampire - Something or someone who literally sucks your time like a vampire sucks blood.

Text-hole - Someone who texts on their cellphone in really inappropriate places, like movie theatres, concerts, plays, or during sex.

Mid-day crisis - when one is in a desperate need for a siesta because they become extremely tired in the afternoon and coffee isn't cutting it any longer.

Tivo timezone - A time period that lags behind real time; that is created by letting the tivo build up enough to skip commercials.

Head Splinter - A painfully annoying song that gets stuck in your head, in extreme cases, impeding everyday tasks.

I’d like to work some of these words into my novels but I’m afraid there may be lots of people that, like me before visiting the Urban Dictionary, would have no idea what I’m talking about.

Have you heard any new words lately? Do you have an entry for the Urban Dictionary?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Rohn, Urban Dictionary,

What Makes a Bad Book?

“A bad book is as much of a labor to write as a good one, it comes as sincerely from the author's soul.” - Aldous Huxley

In my opinion, a bad book is one that’s impossible to follow, has unbelievable characters, or a plot that never develops. According to The American Book Review and their Top 40 Bad Books List, there is so much more involved in the selection. The bad book reviews were given by a variety of college professors. I admit some of the reviews were way over my head. I had no clue what they were talking about.

Though I don't necessarily agree with their comments, I've listed a few of my favorite remarks about the authors and books that made theTop 40.

Ian Fleming’s novels consist entirely of clichés, coordinating conjunctions, and appositives. No renaissance man, commander Bond is nobody, a super zero (“a neutral figure,” Fleming calls him) who lives to advertise a watch—set, as they are in magazines, to ten past ten. He’s a “secret agent” who tells anyone his name. Being an agent, he cannot act for himself, and going everywhere, he has no real home and lives in a no-man’s land where every side has another side, a third side that can be the second side of the first two sides, so that the opposing sides often find themselves on the same side. (With Ian Fleming’s great success, I don’t think he’d care that his name appeared on this list.)

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates - Why is it bad? Because it’s tricked so many into thinking it’s good. (Though depressing, I didn’t think of this as a bad book so I’m one of tricked readers.)

Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence “It’s like someone put a gun to Nietzsche’s head and made him write a Harlequin romance.”

Herman Melville’s Pierre (1852)—so extravagantly mannered as to be barely readable, and yet so exquisitely conceived, so archly comic that you can emerge from its pages at last and think that the whole assemblage is pretty good; somehow the fact that the book is bad becomes either irrelevant or else important in a whole new way. (I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to add this one to my to-read list.)

Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses (1992) comes immediately to mind. I think of it as a romance novel for men, his trilogy included. Like all good romance novel writers, McCarthy uses clichés and derivative characters to sell millions of copies. He gives men a romanticized view of manliness. McCarthy wraps his characters in half-truths and idealized anecdotes, much like Jackie Collins does, only his are about the Lone Star State, the border, and its cowboy myths.

Frankenstein is a book made great by its badness. We cannot do without it.

If badness is related to perceived greatness, then I offer The Great Gatsby (1925) as the worst novel in American literature.

Gustave Flaubert, The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1874)—that’s my pick for a bad book. His friends told him to hide it away, not to publish it, and while it’s tempting to romanticize any negative reception of a great artist, in this case I think they were right. It just isn’t a good book.

But is anything as bad as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003)? This formulaic knock-off of fascistic conspiracy theories is a trite study for a film script—and no wonder the movie was also bad. I love the chapters that are only a couple of lines long. Again, it is a book whose publishers flooded the preview/review market with thousands of free copies. Yet for many of my students, it is the book that brought them into the English major. For others, it is the only book they’ve ever enjoyed reading. IS it possible that even a Bad Book can do Good? (I admit, I've enjoyed all of Dan Brown's books.)

What constitutes a bad book to you? Do you have a book you think should be on the Top Bad Books list?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Huxley, American Book Review, Top 40 Bad Book List, Ian Fleming, D. H. Lawrence, Frankenstein, Great Gatsby, Dan Brown,

The Perks of Blogging

"The heart and soul of blogging is the individual and/or the group of individuals opining on the fly and responding post-haste to one and all." - Michael Conniff

Last week I posted advice from famous authors. Much to my delight fellow bloggers left equally good, if not better advice, in their comments. So this week I am publishing the suggestions, let’s say…from newly famous or soon-to-be famous authors and illustrators.

Elisabeth at Sixth in Line:
The best advice I ever heard about was to do with 'bum glue' and the need to keep yourself at your desk.

Joanne at Whole Latte Life:
Some of the best writing advice I've received is regarding blogging. Before I set out with my blog, I was advised to give it a specific theme, or focus, which would help in writing blog posts. I borrowed a general theme from the fiction manuscript I was writing, and I'd have to say that's worked out well for me.

Elizabeth at Mystery Writing is Murder:
"Write every day" is a tip I received and try to live by.

Darcia Helle at A Word Please :
A piece of advice I like is to let the creative juices flow and just write. Don't stop to conjure up the right phrase or word, particularly with fiction writing, because it breaks the creative flow. Deal with those things in your first editing phase.

Karen Walker at Following the Whispers:
The best advice I've received about writing is to let it come from the heart, not the head.

Elspeth Antonelli at It’s a Mystery:
The best advice I ever got was to remember you can't get it perfect the first time through.

Galen Kindley at Imagineering Fiction:
My best advice was, "Don't fall in love with what you've written." It was offered in the context of don't be afraid to aggressively edit "great stuff" out.

Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs:
Coffee. That's it. Gotta have great gourmet coffee with cream.

Rayna M. Iyer at Coffee Rings Everywhere:
My favourite advice is the one I have culled from all your collective wisdom - keep writing.

Journaling Woman:
"Write even when you don't feel like it. Otherwise one would never write."

Jan Morrison at Crazy Jane:
Show up every day. Sit down and write. After awhile read what you've written and have at it. Repeat.

Patricia Stoltey:
The best writing advice I ever received? "Never give up."

Theresa Milstein at Substitute Teacher’s Saga:
For those who struggle with show and not tell, I pulled this from Francine Prose's, Reading Like a Writer:

“…a form of bad advice often given to young writers-namely, that the job of the author is to show, not tell. Needless to say, many great novelists combine ‘dramatic’ showing with long sections of the flat-out authorial narration that is, I guess, what is meant by telling. And the warning against telling leads to a confusion that causes novice writers to think everything should be acted out…”

Christina Rodriguez:
I like Richard Ford's advice not to drink and write. If I were talking to my peers (book illustrators), I'd say, "Hey, have that drink if you want to. It worked for all those French impressionists!"

Good advice isn’t the only perk from blogging. Recently I’ve won Galen Kindley’s soon to be released, Hearts of the Morning Calm. If you haven’t visited his blog, Imagineering Fiction you may want to stop by. His contests are easy. I won simply by having lived in Korea at one point in my life.

I’ve also won The Stillburrow Crush by Linda Kage at Nancy Parra’s This Writer’s Life. I was excited to find that Nancy included an autographed copy of her own book Mr. Charming.

Darcia Helle at A Word Please usually has some sort of contest going on. I recently received a signed copy of her book, Hit List.

Finally, I’d like to thank Tamika at The Write Worship for passing along The Butterfly Award to me on March 3. If you are not familiar with Tamika, she writes beautiful and inspirational blogs.

Making blogging friends, receiving advice, being introduced to new writers and new books, and being honored by awards are just a few of the perks of blogging. What do you enjoy about blogging?

Thanks for stopping by.

Writing Advice from Famous Authors

“Sometimes I give myself admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it.” - Mary Wortley Montagu

I like to read advice from others because, like Ms. Montagu, I’m not very good at listening to my own counsel. Therefore when I read about a “chorus of advice on writing from famous writers,” on the Coconut Wireless blog by Sara Williams, I had to go check out the two-part article, “Ten Rules for Writing Fiction” in Guardian.co.uk.

There’s typical advice such as, “Keep your exclamation points under control,” (Leonard Elmore). There’s also some rather unusual rules. I picked out ten of my favorites.

“Do back exercises. Pain is distracting.” (Margaret Atwood)

“You can never read your own book with the innocent anticipation that comes with that first delicious page of a new book, because you wrote the thing. You've been backstage. You've seen how the rabbits were smuggled into the hat. Therefore ask a reading friend or two to look at it before you give it to anyone in the publishing business. This friend should not be someone with whom you have a ¬romantic relationship, unless you want to break up.” (Margaret Atwood)

“You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there's no free lunch. Writing is work. It's also gambling. You don't get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but ¬essentially you're on your own. ¬Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don't whine.” (Margaret Atwood)

“Do not place a photograph of your favourite author on your desk, especially if the author is one of the famous ones who committed suicide.” (Roddy Doyle)

“Do not search amazon.co.uk for the book you haven't written yet.” (Roddy Doyle)

“Do keep a thesaurus, but in the shed at the back of the garden or behind the fridge, somewhere that demands travel or effort. Chances are the words that come into your head will do fine, eg "horse", "ran", "said".” (Roddy Doyle)

“Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer's a good idea.” (Richard Ford)

“Don't drink and write at the same time.” (Richard Ford)

“Stay in your mental pyjamas all day.” (Colm Tóibín)

“In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it.” (Rose Tremain)

Click on Part One and Part Two for the entire Guardian article.

What is the best writing advice you’ve been given? Do you have a writing rule you'd pass on to a new writer?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Mary Montagu, Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Rose Tremain, rules for writing, writing advice,

Thank You Time

“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.” - William Shakespeare

I have been a bit remiss in acknowledging the kind bloggers who have presented my blog with some very special awards, so I am using today’s post to catch up.

First, I’d like to thank Helen Ginger for the lovely You Are My Sunshine Award. Don’t you just love those yellow galoshes! If you haven’t visited Helen’s Straight From Hel blog, you need to rush right over. Every day Helen, a writer and freelance editor, offers interesting and informative posts on all things about books, publishing, and editing.

Next I’d like to thank Karen Walker who bestowed the same award upon me. It’s great to feel appreciated. Karen’s blog, Karen…following the whispers, like her memoir, Following the Whispers, is full of honesty and emotions about her past and her current spiritual journey through life. This is another blog I try to stop by as often as possible, and recommend that you pay her a visit, too.

The You Are My Sunshine award is given to acknowledge those who have a blog and spend endless hours ensuring that other bloggers get feedback on their blogs by leaving comments, adding themselves as a follower or dropping by just to let you know there are people out there.

How special to be singled out for this prestigious award more than once. I do enjoy blog hopping – I find it becomes addictive. I know how much I enjoy receiving comments and therefore I do try to reciprocate whenever possible.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roz Morris of DirtyWhiteCandy.com for the different Sunshine Award and the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award. Roz is a professional writer of nearly a dozen published novels. She lives and works in one of my favorite cities, London. Her site abounds with tips on the basics of writing and blogs covering all aspects of writing from inspiration to creative provocation. Be sure to check it out.

If, like me, you’re curious about where the name Dirty White Candy comes from, you will find the interesting answer on the sidebar of her site.

For the Sugar Doll Award, I’m supposed to tell you ten interesting things about myself. The main reason I write fiction is because my life, though I enjoy it immensely, is not all that interesting. I didn’t want to bore you to pieces so I reduced it to five somewhat out of the ordinary things.

1) I once signed my own death warrant. It was required as part of the paperwork for our move to Saudi Arabia. My shaking hand made my signature hard to read. Fortunately, I did nothing to make the Saudi officials feel the need to carry it out.

2) During my 39-year marriage I’ve lived in six foreign countries. They were Taiwan, Korea, England, Holland, Italy and Saudi Arabia.

3) My favorite family vacation of all time was a safari in Kenya. We took about a gazillion pictures (give or take). Developing all those photos (in London) increased the cost of the trip significantly. Needless to say, the vacation was before the days of digital cameras.

4) I truly believe that I once saw a ghost in our home in Dallas, Texas, after I had gone to bed one night. She was non-threatening and produced feelings of awe rather than fear. However, I never slept on that side of the bed again.

5) While visiting an area of burial mounds in Korea, I felt like a real celebrity when a busload of young Korean school kids were more interested in the “foreign woman” than the historic site they were visiting. Each asked me, in nearly perfect English, for my autograph. How could I refuse?

Oops. I'm not quite done. This past Sunday, I learned Helen Ginger had also awarded me with the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award. Thank you again, Helen.

I’m trying my best not to let all these accolades go to my head…but it isn’t easy.

I'm supposed to pass these award along. I‘m doing that by saying THANK YOU to all of you who take the time to visit and to those who go a step farther and leave a comment and/or become a follower. You make the work that goes into blogging worth it and keep me motivated to improve my writing. Please feel free to help yourself to one, two or all three of the awards. Don’t be shy. You deserve them, for without you, writing this blog would be a rather unrewarding exercise of futility.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Shakespeare, awards, Helen Ginger, Karen Walker, Roz Morris, blogging,