Take Your Cue From These Memorable Gifts From Literature

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In about a week, many of us will be celebrating Christmas. If you’re like me, you might still have a long list of gifts to be bought, wrapped, or sent out. (I’ll get to it this weekend…crossing my fingers.)

The chances are that you have friends who are writers or friends who love to read. Birds of a feather and all that…

Do you already have gifts for them? If not, then let me help you out. Here are some gift ideas for writers (or literature lovers), courtesy of a graphic created by Pack & Send. [Read more…]

What Writers Can Learn From the Cat in the Hat

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Cat Hat BookGreen eggs and ham, the cat in the hat, etc. – many of us grew up reading these words, and many of us learned to love reading because of the genius of one man: Dr. Seuss.  Born Theodore Seuss Geisel, the American cartoonist and writer is definitely one of the most loved children’s book writers today.  Dr.  Seuss was born on March 2, 1904, and in his lifetime, he published 44 children’s books which are all full of wonderfully imaginative characters.  Add to these his uniquely creative writing style, and you will not be surprised at how well-loved this writer has become.

Today is Dr. Seuss’s birthday, and it is but fitting for us to celebrate the day he was born.  What better way to honor the man than to learn from him?

See the fun in what you do, and share that fun with your readers.

Pick up any – and I mean any – of Dr. Seuss’s books, and you will see how much fun the author had when he was writing the book. There is no denying it – Dr. Seuss enjoyed what he was doing, and that enjoyment shone through in his work.

Maybe you’re thinking along the lines of “How can I have fun when I have to write copy about real estate in a hundred different ways?” While it is true that not all the jobs that we get are inherently fun, our attitude towards the job can make a world of difference. Perspective is everything. ((I have to admit that I have had more than one instance of NOT having fun when writing, though.))

It’s okay to be different.

Dr. Seuss is as different as different gets. Where did his difference get him? A long, long way. I have to add this, though: being different is not an always excuse to use incorrect grammar. 😉

Exaggerate if you have to!

Exaggeration does wonders if used properly. Anyone who has read at least one Dr. Seuss book can see that. Dr. Seuss himself once said:

I tend to basically exaggerate in life, and in writing, it’s fine to exaggerate. I really enjoy overstating for the purpose of getting a laugh. It’s very flattering, that laugh, and at the same time it gives pleasure to the audience and accomplishes more than writing very serious things. For another thing, writing is easier than digging ditches. Well, actually that’s an exaggeration. It isn’t.
(Interview in the Los Angeles Times Book Review, 1976)

Keep it short.

A wise man once said, say a lot in a few words. According to Dr. Seuss (and this may very well be one of my favorite quotes):

It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.

So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.

That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.

FWJ readers, what are your “Seussical” experiences? ((NOTE: Next week, we shall go back to talking about non-errors in the English language.))

It’s National Punctuation Day!

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It’s not yet too late to celebrate one of the most important days of the year: National Punctuation Day!    I am not making this up, although my love for quirky holidays is well known.  You can check the official web site for the holiday to confirm that this is for real.

With the tag line “A celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotation marks, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons, and the ever-mysterious ellipsis,” National Punctuation Day is a great excuse to party tonight.  If it’s too late for you to organize something, you can always do it over the weekend. 😉

So how can you celebrate this special day?  Jeff Rubin, the founder, shares his game plan (together with the reminder not to overdo it):

  • Sleep late.
  • Take a long shower or bath.
  • Go out for coffee and a bagel (or two).
  • Read a newspaper and circle all of the punctuation errors you find (or think you find, but aren’t sure) with a red pen.
  • Take a leisurely stroll, paying close attention to store signs with incorrectly punctuated words.
  • Stop in those stores to correct the owners.
  • If the owners are not there, leave notes.
  • Visit a bookstore and purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.
  • Look up all the words you circled.
  • Congratulate yourself on becoming a better written communicator.
  • Go home.
  • Sit down.
  • Write an error-free letter to a friend.
  • Take a nap. It has been a long day.

Thinking about my day, I haven’t really followed anything – except for sleeping late!  Maybe tomorrow?

Anyhow, if you’re interested in punctuation products, they also have cool stuff in the online shop.  You can also check out the recipe for Punctuation Meatloaf (THE official meatloaf of the holiday) in the web site.

I’ll pass up on making the meatloaf, but I might have a drink or two later and make a toast to the brilliant guys behind National Punctuation Day.

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