Make sure your verbs are strong—avoiding overuse of what I call the Terrible Twenty, (was, had, did, saw etc.—everybody has their own Terrible Twenty) the one size fits all verbs that are used again and again… Like a one-size fits all t shirt, it looks good on nobody. Try to be as specific as you can, take the time to find the absolutely right word.
Month: September 2019
Today’s Poem ~ Worthwhile
Worthwhile
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth,
Is the smile that shines through tears.
It is easy enough to be prudent,
When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away;
But it’s only a negative virtue
Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor on earth,
Is the one that resists desire.
By the cynic, the sad, the fallen,
Who had no strength for the strife,
The world’s highway is cumbered to-day,
They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth
For we find them but once in a while.
Say it Again, Again, and Again
I Know Who I Am and That’s Good Enough for Me.
Today’s Poem: The Answer
The Answer
Grantland Rice
When the battle breaks against you and the crowd forgets to cheer
When the Anvil Chorus echoes with the essence of a jeer;
When the knockers start their panning in the knocker’s nimble way
With a rap for all your errors and a josh upon your play—
There is one quick answer ready that will nail them on the wing;
There is one reply forthcoming that will wipe away the sting;
There is one elastic come-back that will hold them, as it should—
Make good.
No matter where you finish in the mix-up or the row,
There are those among the rabble who will pan you anyhow;
But the entry who is sticking and delivering the stuff
Can listen to the yapping as he giggles up his cuff;
The loafer has no come-back and the quitter no reply
When the Anvil Chorus echoes, as it will, against the sky;
But there’s one quick answer ready that will wrap them in a hood—
Make good.
Writers’ Wisdom ~ A Time to be Wary
“If you show someone something you’ve written, you give them a sharpened stake, lie down in your coffin, and say, ‘When you’re ready’.” ~
Can You Kidnap a Stuffed Animal? LOL
3.
The t-shirt was special to Joey because he won the dart tournament at Barlow’s and first prize was the Barlow’s Beer Stop t-shirt. It was the first and only thing he ever won in his life. He’s never won a scratch ticket. He’s never won the football pool. He’s never won the basketball pool. But he won the dart tournament. He once told Nate, when he died, he wanted to be buried in his Barlow’s Beer Stop t-shirt.
Joey swore to get even. He might let his fixation with Barlow’s Beer Stop t-shirt pass if Sunny would agree to sleeping with him two or three times a week. She was the best he’d ever been with, not that he’d been with that many women. Joey knew he wasn’t the brightest bulb in the ceiling, but he felt Sunny’s light was so dim, she couldn’t find her way out of a closet with her hand on the door knob. One time he said, “Sunny, who’s on the one-dollar bill?”
Sunny answered, “Is this a trick question, because I hate trick questions.”
Joey said, “No, if you tell me the correct answer, I’ll give you ten dollars.”
Sunny took an emery board out of her purse and started working on her nails. She thought about the question for a moment before she said, “I got it down to between three choices. Can I have a multiple guess question? I always did good with multiple guess questions because I can guess good.”
Joey considered himself easy going and good hearted. He decided to make it a no brainer for Sunny. He says, “The Beatles, Spiderman, or George Washington.”
Jody beams, “It’s either The Beatles or Spiderman. Whoever put somebody with George for a first name on money? Get real, Joey. My guess is it’s Spiderman because The Beatles will be on the four-dollar bill because there’s four of them.”
Joey gave her ten dollars and they had sex the rest of the afternoon. Those were the salad days for Joey and Sunny.
Now, Joey it was time to even the score. A week after Sunny tossed him out and threatened to terrorize his Barlow’s t-shirt, Joey called in sick at work and went to Sunny’s apartment complex and commenced a stakeout to see when she leaves for work. He knows Sunny usually leaves around eleven for her daytime job, cashier at a car wash. While he’s waiting he’s twisting the key to her apartment over in his hand. He never returned the key she gave him and he figured she didn’t change the locks because she never watches Cold Case Files or any of the other crime shows. The only thing she likes is reality shows or social media.
Sunny leaves for work at eleven-fifteen, Joey slides the key into the lock, twists it, and the door opens. Joey walks over to the alarm, punches in Sunny’s security code, 1 – 2 – 3 – 4. Sunny picked the code because it was easy to memorize. The alarm system shuts down. Joey doesn’t waste any time. He walks in the bedroom, searches all her drawers and closet for his Barlow’s Beer Stop t-shirt, but comes up empty. He spots Jody’s pet stuffed poodle, Punkin, resting on her pillow. A plan is born in Joey’s mind. Joey was always jealous of Punkin. He told Sunny more than once, she loved Punkin more than she loved him. Each time he told her, Sunny agreed with him. He grabbed hold of Punkin, goes into the kitchen, finds a pen and tears off a paper towel and writes a ransom note: If you ever want to see Punpkin alive you will have to leave my Barlow’s Beer Stopt-shirt at the coffee shop on the table in the corner at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Don’t tell the cops or Punkin gets it.
Joey wants to make sure Sunny sees the note so he tapes it to the bathroom mirror. Satisfied, he resets the alarm, closes and locks the door, and leaves.
It’s been 48 hours since he broke into Jody’s apartment. Joey glances toward Barlow’s front door and on cue, in walks his best bud, Nate.
✨ Inspiring Quote ~ The Way to Live Life
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Gandhi
❤️ Health Hack: Want Healthy Hair?
Noticing that your strands are falling out more than usual? . . . Experts say that it’s best to avoid shampoos that contain sodium chloride. While it isn’t a toxic ingredient, it is extremely dangerous to the health of your hair. This ingredient is used to make the consistency of hair thicker, but it’s known to be quite damaging for those with sensitive scalps; it can exacerbate the condition of your scalp and make it drier and itchier, which can lead to hair loss and breakage. . . .Look for shampoos that contain amino acids and other nourishing ingredients to rebuild your hair and prevent further damage and breakage.
🔤 Grammar Tip: Rx For Run on Sentences
Fixing a run-on sentence or a comma splice can be accomplished in one of five different ways:
- Separate the clauses into two sentences.
- Replace the comma with a semi-colon.
- Replace the comma with a coordinating conjunction–and, but, for, yet, nor, so, or.
- Replace the comma with a subordinating conjunction–after, although, before, unless, as, because, even though, if, since, until, when, while.
- Replace the comma with a semi-colon and transitional word–however, moreover, on the other hand, nevertheless, instead, also, therefore, consequently, otherwise, as a result.
For example: Incorrect: Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart. She began reading when she was three years old. Correct: Rachel is very smart; she began reading when she was three years old. Correct: Rachel is very smart, for she began reading when she was three years old. Correct: Because Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart; as a result, she began reading when she was three years old.
