Monthly Archives: November 2011

Slogans: Do They Get You Elected?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by

This week we are focusing on Election 2012! Today’s Amaze-ing Words Wednesday topic is campaign slogans, and for Deep-Fried Friday I will be interviewing Piper Bayard and Kristen Lamb, presidential and vice-presidential candidates with a marvelous slogan and governing ideas you’ll want … Continue reading →

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Raising Stakes: A Bible Story

Posted on November 25, 2011 by

Welcome to Deep-Fried Friday. Today the subject is about writing and raising the stakes for your fictional characters. I recently finished reading Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, which I definitely recommend for writers. In one of the chapters, … Continue reading →

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From Model T to Mustang: Car Names

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

One of the recurring premises of Amaze-ing Words Wednesday is that names matter to us. I’ve covered our own personal names, town names, and rock band names. Today we’re looking at the names of cars. The first mass-produced car was … Continue reading →

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Help, I’m Addicted

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

Today’s Deep-Fried Friday has a very personal tone. You see, I have an addiction and need help. Ever since my college years, I have fondly clutched one form of Coca-Cola or another in my hands and sipped with sweet satisfaction. … Continue reading →

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Where Did That Come From? Toponyms

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

On Amaze-ing Words Wednesday, we enter the sometimes confusing but always intriguing world of the English language. One of the curiosities of language is how words are created and evolve. The study of word origins is etymology, and today’s topic … Continue reading →

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Are You a Believer or a Skeptic?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

Skeptic: 1. a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual. 2. a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans, statements, or the character of others.from http://www.dictionary.com, based on Random House Dictionary … Continue reading →

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Poetry You Actually Like

Posted on November 9, 2011 by

After my Limericks post, I realized how true it is that people who swear they don’t like poetry actually might. Plenty of people enjoy limericks, and that’s poetry. What other poetry masquerades as something fun rather than something you must … Continue reading →

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What Would You Put in Your Fiction Museum?

Posted on November 4, 2011 by

I have probably mentioned before – maybe a dozen times by now – that Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my favorite films. (Ignore all sequels; by comparison, they suck.) In Raiders, an object takes center stage as … Continue reading →

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Lining Up at the Movies

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

What primarily fascinates me about language is how by simply choosing and ordering words, we can convey something meaningful to someone else. That fact is the foundation of speaking and writing. Sometimes, however, what’s said moves beyond meaningful and becomes … Continue reading →

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