I’m sure you’ve heard that famous quote attributed to Sigmund Freud, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” I don’t know the context of the quote, in fact I’ve seen suggestions that it isn’t even a legitimate Freud quote.
Read more on With apologies to Freud — make sure you know your cigars…
Are some words we have in our toolbox as writers really “unusable”? Why are some words considered to be taboo or maybe reserved for “mature” audiences?
There really are no fixed answers to those and similar questions about word usage. From one culture to another, from one time to another, words fall into and rise out of that linguistic “black hole” we call profanity and/or obscenity. There are no protective goggles or helmets, no safety products you can use to surround yourself, your writing vocabulary, or your readers so that some words will no longer be dangerous or taboo.
I’ve always been fascinated by word origins and meanings. The formal study of that is called “etymology,” or study of the history and evolution of words. It’s always been fun for me to explore words, how we use them and why they are used one way and not another. I generally love to read mystery and suspense novels, and to me etymology is sort of like mystery or suspense writing brought down to the word level.
Read more on Fun word origins: Why are UGGs considered so tony?…
I was reminded this week of how very widely the Internet has become as a research tool. A few days ago, I dropped by my friendly mechanic’s shop for him to check out a car I was buying. I found him huddled over in a corner hunched over an antique (nearly) desktop computer — surfing around eBay Motors for some car parts.
Read more on Google offers great, useful map research tools…
Do you include photos or graphics in your writing?
I come from a non-graphic, non-photography background, so much of my writing in the past, and my blogging in the present, centers on words, not pictures. Although I’ve enjoyed taking photos in the past and still do when I see something I like, photography has never been part of my writing career.
Read more on Do you include photos, graphics in your writing?…
You’ve probably seen the newspaper and magazine ads for Amish fireplaces, Amish home builders, Amish demolition crews, Amish style cooking, and probably (although I haven’t seen them) you could even find ads for Amish buggies and Amish buggy whips.
Read more on Good copy writers turn traditions into sales — think ‘Amish’…
I’ve discovered the greatest feature about cable or satellite dish television is that it broadcasts digital music on literally dozens of channels, and I enjoy the music much more than most television programming. So I use our television most of the day as a music box.
Read more on Television makes great music box as I sit here writing…
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