Relationships are a tough business, you know what I mean. Any time two people get together we have to accept each other's differences. It is no secret that most marriages don't last these days. I ran across this article of sixteen couples and the rituals they use to stay together. Check it out http://goo.gl/xvd5tC it is interesting. In my novel Shop Side, I write of several relationships that are put through a test. Have a good day and keep writing.--Keith
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Writing Tips
1. Cut the boring parts I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard Unless you’re writing for personal reasons alone, you need to consider the attention of your readers. There’s no point is publishing content that isn’t useful, interesting, or both. 2. Eliminate unnecessary words Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain I used to feel that using words like “really”, “actually”, or “extremely” made writing more forceful. It doesn’t. They only get in the way. Cut them and never look back. 3. Write with passion Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth It’s not hard to realize that unless you’re excited about your writing no one else will be. 4. Paint a picture Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov Simply stating something is fine, but when you need to capture attention, using similes, metaphors, and vivid imagery to paint a picture creates a powerful emotional response. 5. Keep it simple Vigorous writing is concise. ~William Strunk Jr. Maybe it was all those late nights, struggling to fill out mandatory 10 page papers, but many people seem to think that worthwhile writing is long and drawn out. It’s more difficult (and effective) to express yourself in the simplest possible manner. 6. Do it for love Write without pay until somebody offers to pay. ~Mark Twain When you’re just starting out it’s hard to decide where to begin. So don’t. Just start writing. A blog is a good place to start. The most valuable benefit is the feedback. 7. Learn to thrive on criticism You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. ~Ray Bradbury Writing means putting yourself at the mercy of anonymous hecklers and shameless sycophants. Learn to make the most of the insults and distrust the praise. 8. Write all the time Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed. ~Ray Bradbury image: http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=picthebrawita-20&l=ur2&o=1 The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn’t behave that way you would never do anything. ~John Irving 9. Write what you know … or what you want to know If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Learn as much by writing as by reading. ~Lord Acton Successful writing is all about trust and authority. It makes sense to write about your area of expertise. If you don’t have an expertise, reading and writing is the best way to develop one and put it on display. 10. Be unique and unpredictable I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. ~G.K. Chesterton Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. ~Oscar Wilde Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer’s make-up, the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto. ~Ray Bradbury Following what works will only get you so far. Experiment with new styles, even if it means taking criticism. Without moving forward, you’ll be left behind. What a great movie. I can't tell you how many times I have seen this masterpiece. I think this is Scorsese's best film. I also think that it is Pesci's best work. Here is a link of 25 things you didn't know about the movie. http://goo.gl/J0U9xq. Kind of interesting. have a good Wednesday.--Keith
Here is a good article on writing fiction. Everything I write in my books and short stories are fiction as well as my poetry. Please feel free to browse through my work and enjoy yourself. Here is the link to the article. http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-fiction-5-tips-to-get-more-creative Have a good day .--Keith
Welcome to the United Slang of America. In order to create the map above, we used a layered, multistep approach. First, we called up some linguists who helped us make an initial list of unique words that are in one way or another associated with a particular state. That got us off to a coruscant start (linguists!). Next we researched online message board discussions about zany terms that have gained popularity in different states. We also surveyed friends and colleagues on the words they most associate with their home states and polled Slate readers on Facebook. Ultimately, we built up groupings of anywhere from five to 10 viable options for each state and then, well, argued a lot. The competition was fierce, the results certain to be controversial.
Before turning to the map, please allow us to briefly note the following: First, our selections are not put forth as the definitive “right answer” in each case, but rather represent our favorite word from among several worthy choices. (That said, please feel free to take our nominations as irrefutable dogma.) Second, in many instances, the word chosen as a representative for one state is also used by those living in other states. This is to be expected, of course, considering the ease of interstate travel and the tendency for some uniquely regional words to spread over time. Third, you’ll notice that some of these “words” aren’t words at all, but rather expressions or short phrases. In those instances where an expression or phrase was better or more interesting than the top one-word option, we decided against hewing narrowly to a single-word rule. Finally, ties were broken based on things like which word was the most fun to say or whether any of the word choices included especially cool letters like z’s or w’s. With all of that out of the way, now it’s your turn to let us know how we did. We stand by our picks. But if you’ve lived in Kansas for 75 years and have never heard anyone say “shucky darn,” or you grew up in Mississippi and have no idea what “nabs” are, by all means be heard. Of course, there are some things that we feel strongly about. For instance, we will shed no tears for Southern California on the whole “hella” thing. (No SoCal word beats it. End of story.) Similarly, nothing from the eastern portion of Pennsylvania ever had a chance of prevailing over “yinz.” And, for all the pedants out there, please know that we realize some people in and around D.C. spell “bama” with two m’s. We made a call there, we feel good about it, and we’re moving forward. Enjoy the map and fear the glawackus. Special thanks to Carnegie Mellon student Zora Gilbert for her research assistance on this project. Alabama cattywampus (adjective): crooked, tipped over, sideways, crazy, messed up Who came up with this cattywampus campaign slogan? Alaska sourdough (noun): a longtime resident of Alaska That sourdough is super old and kind of smelly, but he’s got a good heart. Arizona snowbird (noun): a visitor who flocks to Arizona to escape the cold winter elsewhere Here are two things that snowbirds love: playing golf terribly and telling everybody back home that it’s “a dry heat.” Arkansas tump (verb): to tip over or dump out We’re about to hit this bump, so hold your drink or it will tump. California hella (adverb): very or extremely; (adjective): many, much, a lot of That telenovela is hella melodramatic. Colorado fourteener (noun): a mountain more than 14,000 feet above sea level So far on this road trip I’ve counted 13 fourteeners! Connecticut glawackus (noun): a mysterious and ferocious animal/monster of local legend Enjoy this map while you can, people, because the glawackus is real—and real hungry. Delaware baggin’ up (expression): to laugh loudly or for an extended period The clerk at the grocery started baggin’ up when he noticed all the packages of bacon Jerry had placed on the counter. Florida toad-strangler (noun): a heavy or especially severe rain storm That rainstorm ended up being a real toad-strangler. Georgia dingnation (noun): damnation, hell Getting stuck at this impromptu choir bell concert is akin to being trapped in dingnation. Hawaii aloha (noun): greeting/farewell; (adjective): welcoming, friendly, kind [Telephone rings] -Aloha! -Aloha? -Aloha. -Aloha! -Aloha! -Aloha. -Aloha. -Aloha. Idaho whistle pig (noun): a prairie dog I tried to chase down the whistle pig in the yard, but it dove into a hole and disappeared. Illinois grabowski (noun): a hard-working, tough, blue-collar individual A true grabowski has no time for your linguistic squabbles. Indiana Hoosier (noun): Someone from or living in the state of Indiana, or a country bumpkin, depending on who is using the word and how. This is an example of how to use “Hoosier” in a sentence when you are not from Indiana and don’t really understand this whole thing and are afraid of angering people by crafting something that will be offensive in some way. Iowa kybo (noun): port-a-potty Whoa, I gotta go! Where’s the kybo? Kansas shucky darn (expression): an exclamation that loosely equates to “wow!” Shucky darn, that’s a yucky barn! Kentucky chughole (noun): a pothole Our Ford Fiesta might struggle with that chughole. Louisana banquette (noun): sidewalk Estelle regretted wearing high heels after she tripped on a crack in the banquette and dropped her baguette. Maine ayuh (expression): yes Ayuh. Nu-uh! Ayuh. Maryland hon (noun): short for honey My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hon. Massachusetts wicked (adverb): very; (adjective): awesome, great, etc. That Broadway play was wicked! Michigan yooper (noun): a person from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Michigan state trooper pulled over the speeding yooper. Minnesota: uff da (expression): a brief statement of surprise or disgust Uff da, was Jesse Ventura really the governor at one point? Mississippi nabs (noun): peanut butter crackers I’ve got tabs on the nabs, so they are not up for grabs. Missouri Missouri (noun): a state name that has four different pronunciations How do you say Missouri properly? Montana graupel (noun): snow-like precipitation that resembles tiny ice balls That rain was pretty annoying, but this graupel that stings when it hits you is just absurd. Nebraska runza (noun): a pastry consisting mainly of ground beef and cabbage Runzas seem like they would be completely gross, but they are surprisingly delectable. Nevada pogonip (noun): a dense, icy fog Whatever you do, never attempt to use a pogo stick in the pogonip. New Hampshire poky (adjective): scary or eerie I can’t decide whether that Donald Trump impersonator is hokey or poky. New Jersey jug handle (noun): an intersection that forces you to turn right in order to turn left Why can’t Springsteen call up Christie and have him do something about all these stupid jug handles in Jersey? New Mexico christmas (noun): green and red chili mix Please pass the christmas—these chips could use some flavor! New York mad (adverb): very, exceptionally; (adjective): many or several De Blasio seems mad chill. North Carolina Cackalacky (noun): another name for North Carolina I had a massive stomachache following our epic road trip to Cackalacky for some pulled-pork sandwiches. North Dakota hotdish (noun): a casserole Trish knew her hotdish was delish. Ohio carry-in (noun): a potluck dinner What sort of casserole are you going to bring to Carrie Ann’s carry-in? Oklahoma quakenado (noun): an earthquake that occurs at the same time as a tornado This quakenado could really use some sharks. Oregon jojos (noun): potato wedges Guests at the dinner party reported that Joe’s jojos were just so-so. Pennsylvania yinz (noun): you all, you guys If yinz people from Philly were making this list then maybe you could have gotten “jawn” on here, or something about cheesesteaks, but those are the breaks. Rhode Island cabinet (noun): milkshake I can’t believe you hid my chocolate cabinet in the backyard! South Carolina surcee (noun): an unexpected gift She tried to conceal her disappointment at the fruitcake her grandmother had dropped off as a surcee. South Dakota chislic (noun): cubed meat The only available appetizer was the chislic that made me sick. Tennessee whirlygust (noun): a strong wind Just as we were about to complete the house of cards on the back porch a whirlygust rolled through and ruined everything. Texas hoss (noun): partner, friend Hey, hoss, would you mind trussing that there pig? Utah oh my heck (expression): a variant on “oh my God” Oh my heck, these kids talking in the movie theater are such a pain in the neck! Vermont creemee (noun): soft serve This chocolate and vanilla swirl creemee is totally dreamy. Virginia might could (verb): can Virginia might could be for lovers. Washington jumble sale (noun): a yard/tag sale Rob’s jumble sale was a smashing success: Someone actually paid real money for all those stupid Beanie Babies he bought back in the day! Washington, D.C. bama (noun): a loser or chump It’s only 9:30 and these bamas are already in their pajamas. West Virginia mess (used as a measurement): a mess of Luckily, we made a mess of banana bread! Wisconsin TYME machine (noun): an automated teller machine Where can I find a working TYME machine in this town? Wyoming: dout (verb): to put out a fire Don’t dout the fire. For it exists and shall carry on. |
AuthorKeith Kelly currently lives in Rio Rancho New Mexico. Archives
October 2020
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