Write Well Me

Beauty Is Necessary

I've been struggling for a few years with  my idea of a writing divination deck.  I had a great idea combining the principles of feng shui with writing.  And I just about finished the deck (52 cards) and its accompanying guidebook.  I've only lacked 7 cards.

And it's been in that state for at least a year.  I've struggled with those last 7 cards as well as an idea for a design.  While I've entertained lots of ideas and concepts, nothing grabs me.

Recently, I figured out why this project has stalled, in all actuality, stagnating.

It's not the deck my soul cries out to create.

I need to be inspired from the design of something to how it reaches me deep inside.  What's come up for me is a different deck, Writing From Your Soul Divination Deck.  I've come up with 100 words, started the guidebook, and already  have an idea - that thrills my soul - for a design.

All in about ten minutes.  Really.

THAT is what has been missing... the inspiration of beauty, of words, of really reaching into my soul (and hopefully the souls of people who will use this deck).

And even though the words are important, and the heart and soul of the deck, they have to be beautiful.  I have to love holding them, feeling them, turning them over and over in my hands and loving what I see.  I have to want to gaze upon them and just feel soul-filled when I do, almost with an ache of "Could something truly be this beautiful?"

Here's to beauty that makes our souls ache.

Feng Shui for Writers Card Deck Project - Clarity (Metal)

(This post is part of the Feng Shui for Writers Card Deck project.  For more information on what this is and how to participate, read this first.)

When it comes to metal, there’s no mistaking where one side ends and another begins.  It’s smooth, clear-cut, and has a no-bones-about-it attitude.

As a writer, you’re going to have an easier time of it if you’re as clear as can be.  On the same hand, your readers need to be absolutely clear about the journey you’re leading them on.  Lack of clarity equals struggle.

Think about where you need to be clearer in your writing.  This is where an editor, writing support group, or writing coach come in handy.  Your support tribe can tell you if you’re being clear.  If you don’t already have a writing support tribe, where can you get one?

Flip Side:  There may be times when you don’t want things to be so clear.  You want a certain amount of ambiguity and haziness.

Feng Shui for Writers Card Deck Project - Passion (Fire)

(This post is part of the Feng Shui for Writers Card Deck project.  For more information on what this is and how to participate, read this first.)

It’s quite appropriate that passion is in the fire element.  We often hear of a “burning passion” or being in love feeling like being on fire.  Even Elvis sings of “a hunk, a hunk of burning love.” 

Where does passion come into your writing piece? The more passionate you’re writing the better able you’ll be to connect with your readers and the more powerful the impact of your writing.  Perhaps you want to light a fire under your readers.  How can you do that? What can you say to incite them to action? To fuel their passions?

If writing fiction, passion can be an obvious element in your piece.  A love story. A rime of passion.  Revenge. Murder. Mystery. Biography. Memoir.  The places where passion comes in are endless.

Flip Side: Is there too much passion or not enough?

Feng Shui for Writers Card Deck Project - Communicate (Fire)

(This post is part of the Feng Shui for Writers Card Deck project.  For more information on what this is and how to participate, read this first.)

Where is communication missing?  Is there a concept that needs to be communicated – to the reader, between characters?  Maybe lack of communication is a problem you’re solving with your writing.  Try amping up your communication skills.  Go deeper.  Tap into your communication strengths.

Flip Side: introduce problems of communication.  If all writing has tension, make communication the center of that tension.

License Plates and a River

I swear Virginia has the best license plates.  I don't know if they make it inexpensive to get a vanity plate or if it's because that extra letter (one more than Maryland) inspires more creativity.

I saw plenty of vanity plates on my recent drive to Virginia Beach and back for Laura West's Business Goddess Marketing Breakthrough Experience workshop, but since I was driving, I couldn't write them down. ("I'm a good driver, good driver.")  Here are two good ones:

• 26PT2 - I'm only doing 13.1 miles in a 1/2 marathon, but I still thought it was a cool nod to runners.
• ZAT YOU - I like the fun and playful nature of this one.
• BUGBYT - Only one guess as to what kind of car this one was.

And because I'm so drawn to words and language, I got a particular kick out of the Chickahominy River, otherwise known as "The Chick." I just like saying it.  :)

Top 10 Signs You're a Word Geek

1.  You get very excited that hotel sign says atria (because there is more than one atrium).  However, you're devastated when you get home and write this article only to find that you forgot to take a picture of the sign.
2.  You go through the conference program and wonder if it's a typo that that the security officer's name is Tony Hilton.
3.  In the middle of a serious conversation, you get diverted by proper pronunciation of words like "angst."
4.  You miss your Oxford English Dictionary while you're traveling.
5.  You get excited when grocery stores correctly use "fewer" rather than "less."  You've given up on getting irritated at "less," but you still get excited by "fewer."
6.  You notice when a singer completely enunciates verbs with "ing" - "feeling" instead of "feelin'"
7.  You save old, emotional emails because you think they might make good fodder for a future book.
8.  You and your children notice typos on the open house sign. Actually, they notice the typos before you do, and you feel so proud.
9.  You choose to listen to certain songs because you love the alliteration and the way the words roll off the tongue.  (Case in point:  "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra,  I adore "I've been a puppet, a pauper, a poet, a pirate, a pawn, and a king."  In "Ode to Billy Joe," I wait with anticipation for "another sleepy, dusty, delta day" line.)
10. You're texting, and you're trying to do it fast because you have something important to say.  And you're doing it with one hand.  Yet, you still take the time to put the commas in the right places.

Core Values - My Litmus Test

I know I've written about one thing or another has been a litmus test for me - that thing that I can use to measure qualities in a situation in my life. (And I'm too lazy to go through three years' of posts to find them.)

My current litmus test consists of the core values I came up with during the Craving Balance teleclass program I took earlier this year.

As someone who has been working with coaches for years and does writing coaching myself, I'm pretty familiar with the concept:  look through a list of words (and you wonder why I like this), and pick out those that are my core values.  It's also a bit like Power Words, although Power Words simply resonate with us or have particular meaning for us. Core values are just that: words that exemplify those concepts and states that are at the very center of our being.

Not only was going through the exercise of determining my core values helpful, I do use it as a litmus test or ruler when measuring a situation, person, or idea.  Does this idea bring me joy? Is this relationship in integrity? Does this situation create a sense of aliveness?

I think we were supposed to only have five, but I'm an overachiever and came up with nine.  In all seriousness, although there are some similarities between some of the values, there's enough subtle difference that I went for the nine.

• Aliveness
• Creativity
• Integrity
• Partnership
• Passion
• Fun
• Laughter
• Joy
• Connection

If I ever have a question about anything, I apply it to my core values. I almost always get an answer.

More License Plates

Along with everything else I'm known for (being short, having curly hair, my perky personality), people also think of me as the license plate girl, and they keep giving me many gems.

KLVUBBY - This was an old vanity license plate of my neighbor girlfriend (coincidentally, another short Dawn).  It's a tough one, and I have to say it all the way through in my head; it doesn't automatically come to me.  One hint: it's from Animaniacs.

WTF NOW - I actually saw this one with my own eyes while we were celebrating Damascus Days this weekend.  I have no idea how in the world it passed Virginia's MVA.  Maybe it doesn't mean what I think it means.  And if it does indeed mean what I think it means, what's with the "now"?

Word of the Day

I've been playing a game on Twitter where I come up with the word of the day and Tweet about it.  My Twitter friends play along and try to use the word in sentences.  We've had such words as "devastating," "personhood," "seething."

These playful words of the day are a bit like Power Words - words that just stick out and seem to define the day or define you - or on a lighter note, are just cool words you don't see every day.

As I've been busy integrating AuthorSmart into Write Well U (full sunshine and light of the day release on Friday!!!), there's been lots of creating - and lots of messages to me that creating is what I love to do, am fueled to do, and must do to fully live.

So as I was posting today's word of the day on Twitter ("create," in case you hadn't caught that yet), it occurred to me that there's a thought of the day to go along with it:  take time to create.

(And if you're on Twitter and want to play along, be sure to follow me.)

Values - More Than Words

A few weeks ago I signed up to be a charter member of a four-week teleclass series, Craving Balance.  (Boy, does that title say it all or what?)

In the first class we talked about values, and we were asked to list our values off the top of our heads.  Out of my mouth came the following:

• grace
• connection
• authenticity
• integrity

What makes them values? For me, it's that these words, and the meaning behind them, are what is most important to me.  What I live my life by.  What I look for in relationships, in my work, in the world around me.  It's how I find meaning in my life, and the people with whom I share my life.

And, of course, because it's me we're talking about, the words are powerful, too, not just the concepts. I can look at those four words and get shivers.  They're my guiding lights, what I can use to measure my success, and my litmus test for decisions.

It wasn't until I just wrote the last, that I realized how very powerful values - and knowing what your own are - can be.  Some things I've been struggling with recently feel a little clearer - just because I have a measuring stick.

Voluptuous vs. Curvy

In the next-to-last session of the Writing Essentials Program last Monday, we talked about tone, and how tone can be conveyed by just word choice.  For example, if you want to describe a woman who isn't a stick figure, you might use the word "curvy" to describe her.  (See Scarlett Johansson in He's Just Not That Into You.)

But if you were to use the word "voluptuous" instead, then a whole new world of meaning comes into play. 

As Robin said in class, "Curvy is a road.  Now voluptuous.  That's a woman.

Words of the Day

Every so often, I have words that are so impactful for me that I have to stop and take notice of them.  And, of course, since I process my world through words, I have to write them down.  (This is part of an ongoing series - at least in my head - of Power Words. See the original post from almost three years ago.)

And so for your viewing pleasure, today's words:

Allow
Shift
Clarity
Love
Trust
Faith
Amazing
Gratitude

Along with the above words, it appears that I have a mantra for today:

Allow.  Breathe.  Live.

What are your words for today?

License Plates - what they teach me about seeing words

NOTKENS

What do you see?

At first, I thought it was "no tokens."  Someone really passionate against the proposed slots bill here in Maryland.

But then I realized it was probably "Not Ken's."  (I figured it was Ken's wife's car, but Ken was driving.  Well, I did see this at the gas station, so maybe Ken was just being nice and getting gas in his wife's car.)

It's a bit like that exercise - what two words do you see in "NOWHERE"?

Either "no where" or "now here."

What I found interesting about this was how my brain broke up the string of words.  I saw "no" before I saw "not."

Commitment

I recently had a friend ask me about commitment.  What does it mean to be committed?  According to Dictionary.com (I went for easy, not Oxford English Dictionary.  Remember, we're trying to find an easy definition, not the 1000 places the word has shown up in history), "commitment" means "a pledge or promise; obligation; engagement; involvement."

So, what does it mean?

Does it mean that if you're committed to something or someone that you're committed to that thing or person to the exclusion of all else?

No.

For example, I'm committed to my writing.  One's perception of being committed to writing might look like this: I get up and write.  I take a break to eat breakfast, absentmindedly kiss my children good-bye for school, all the while thinking about my writing.  They leave for school, and it's back to writing.  I forget to eat lunch, I'm so engrossed in my writing.  When the door opens, accompanied by shouts of "Mommy! We're home," I jump and look guiltily at the clock, the pile of dirty laundry, and the empty pantry.  Ooops.  I hurry down to fix a snack out of old Saltines and the last bit of scraped peanut butter.  As soon as the children settle down to their homework, I rush back up to my creative space to see if I can get a few more pages in before someone magically manifests dinner.  After said magically manifested dinner, I beg off another round of Monopoly, crying out, "But I'm committed to my writing!" Everyone nods in understanding, and there I am back at the computer, churning out pages and pages of beautifully written literature.

Well, that's not how writing goes in my house.

Yes, I'm absolutely committed to my writing.  And I have two daughters.  And I have a business I'm fully engaged in.  And I have relationships I'm committed to.  Writing is important, yes, but I can be committed to many things at once. Somehow, I make them all fit. 

Are there times that one of those priorities takes precedence over another? Absolutely.  If my children are sick, screw the writing, and my clients will understand.  If I've been working too much, then I might need to slack off at home and go play with my friends.

It all works out.

So, while my being committed to writing may not look like that perception above of a truly committed writer, I AM committed.  I write.  I take classes and workshops on writing.  I develop classes and workshops on writing.  I teach writing. I read, sometimes for enjoyment, and sometimes with a writer's eye to how that author did that.  I'm noting scenes, characters, theories, plots... And I write.

What does commitment look like to you?

What's In A Name - Part II

(As I went to type this in, I didn't realize I had already written another blog post with that title. It's not related, but "What's In a Name" is a perfect title for this post.  You can go read the original again if you want. It won't hurt you, I promise.)

So, I get tagged - again - on Facebook to do another meme.  I sooooooo wasn't going to do this one (how many Facebook tagging things can one do? All right, don't answer that...), but then it's all about names and words and the like.

Sigh.

Fine.

Here goes.

1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name)
Lynn Aaron

2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
George Thomas

3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Golda (I really don't like this one. Can't I have a cooler Star Wars name?)

4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Purple Hippo (Ain't no one gonna hire a detective named Purple Hippo. Just sayin'.)

5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Michelle Meridian

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Burgundy Cosmo

7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Darg (Okay, that's funny right there.)

8. GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip (Sigh. Still no one's going to take me seriously.)

9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet's name, current street name)
Sam Woodfield School (It's getting worse....)

10. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Beautiful Godiva (Ha!!! Finally! A good one!)

11. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Coca Zang (I've always liked this one.)

Writing Tells Stories

Writing is all about connection. We write in order to connect to people.  Even if we're journaling, and no one else is ever going to see what we wrote, we're connecting with ourselves. 

I've been looking at the part that words play in my life, and I realize that my story is everywhere around me.  My story is in the pictures I take, the magic stones I surround myself with, the flair board on my Facebook page, the playlists on my iPod, my Power Words, the blog posts I write.

All of these pieces tell as a story in their own right.  There's a story behind the four magic stones above (abundance, magic, bliss, amazing).  Every button on my flair board is there for a very good reason.

Those who know me or follow my blog can pick out familiar pieces of my story.  There are probably only a few people who know the whole story.  Heck, do *I* even know my whole story?

Even if you're primarily writing for business or general nonfiction, your writing is telling a story.  You want to connect with the reader.

What are the stories you're trying to tell? And where are those words showing up?

Marketing with Coolness

In the same vein as AirTran (before they pissed me off), Snickers is getting creative with their language.

Peanutopolis ~ A state of mind making you feel very strong and powerful, almost mayor-like.

Nougatocity ~ A heightened yet fleeting state of accomplishment that makes you realize how unbelievably unmotivated (or lazy, depending upon which definition you decide you like) you normally are.

(Snickers words brought to you courtesy of Laura Allen. She promises she doesn't actually eat the Snickers bars, just reads the marketing on the wrappers.)

Stop Me If You've Heard This One

Whenever we drive somewhere, medium child has been reading us jokes from her joke book.  Some of them are true groaners, and I try to tune them out.  Every now and then, however, she comes across one that is a true gem.

Did you hear about the delivery van loaded with thesauruses that crashed into a taxi? 

Witnesses were astonished, shocked, taken aback, surprised, startled, dumbfounded, thunderstruck, caught unawares...

Happy Tuesday.  :)

Three Words

In keeping with trying to push past the fear, I'm trying to focus on positive attitudes.  One thing I'm doing is to keep three magic stones next to my bed so that they're the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see in the morning.  (Okay, well, sometimes my Blackberry is the last thing I see at night and the first thing in the morning, but I'll only admit it here.)

The words on my magic stones?

Bliss

Magic

Abundance

Randomness to Close Out 2008

I have to say that I'm a little sad to say good-bye to 2008, even with the tumult and chaos that's been going on.  Because I know that there's been a lot of good stuff to come out of 2008.  Yeah, bad stuff too, but all of it's gotten me to where I am right now, on the cusp of a new year, new possibilities, and a new Dawn.  (I get a lot of mileage out of my first name.)

So that being said, I leave you with the following to muse and laugh over as you bid farewell to 2008 and usher in 2009.

• Lake Superior University banished words list.  (You had to know words would be involved in some way.)  I didn't get riled up over any words on the list, and maybe it's because I'm just so happy that we'll have a president who speaks in complete sentences.
• Which leads to this... Obama's chief speech writer.  I loved that they talked about voice in writing and Favreau's ability to write in Obama's voice.
• Yet another link to words, the Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words, compliments of Meryl.
• Stacy had written about my interview on an Internet radio show, and I've written about how she called me her BFF.  Then, she wrote more about what I said on Virtual Moxie and the concept of red and green traffic lights.  I actually think she wrote it better than I said it.  
• We all have favorite numbers, but it never occurred to me to pay attention to five.  Bruce writes about how to Unleash the Power of Five.  I like the idea of using five (five things your customers like about you, five things your customers don't like about you, and so on) instead of just saying, "Come up with what customers like/don't like."  You tend to stop at one or two. Five makes you go deeper.  Hmmm.
• The very best eCard out there. 
• On one of the rare occasions where I watched live tv, I saw this commercial.  It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, and I have to say that I almost rushed out to buy the product. It was no surprise that it was produced by Baz Luhrman.
• Watching Oceans 11 for the umpteenth time, I felt moved to find out yet more about the film.  One can find anything on the Internet.  Oceans 11 trivia awaits!

May you all have a prosperous and joyful 2009! 

Unrecognizable

Christine Kane is running a series of "Word of the Year" posts from guest bloggers.  It's been interesting to see other people's words and their journeys, as almost every word of the year, or theme, involves some journey of evolution and enlightenment.

My word of the year was no different.  Enlightenment, indeed. 

No, "enlightenment" isn't my word of the year.  "Unrecognizable" is my word.  And you can read what I've written about it on Christine's blog here.

Intentions and Manifestation

Christine wrote about six steps to effortless manifesting.  I've had her post up for a while, knowing I wanted to respond and not quite sure of what intention I wanted to put out there.

Step #4 was to post your intention as a comment on her blog.  Tonight I wrote this:

I intend peace with my life as it is right now, even as I stretch toward my most desired life.

It felt so powerful that I wanted to capture it permanently - or at least where I could see it every day without needing to keep yet one more browser window open.  (Luckily, I have these gorgeous Intention Alive cards that came with my Joyful Business Guide.)

Funny enough, when I went back to capture the URL for this blog post, I realized I had posted a different intention a week and a half ago.  I didn't even remember it, which tells me that tonight's had much more impact than the first.  (If you must know, the first was this:  "I intend to create my life as an independent, powerful woman with grace and respect for the people in my life." I like the most recent better, although this one isn't bad.)

Desire Path

Kristin posted some time ago this picture and the words "a desire path."  While I found the rest of her post interesting, it was that piece around desire path that really tugged at me.  She gives several options for what it could mean for her as a writer, and the closest that aligns with how desire path resonates for me is #3:  "It could mean what most of us are on in our life quest. Joseph Campbell understood this and encouraged others to 'follow your bliss.'"

For me, though, it's more than just bliss, although I guess one could say bliss and desire are synonyms.  But they're not synonymous as far as I'm concerned.  Bliss is more of a state of being, a gentle joy.  Desire is so much more, an active pursuit. 

While I'd love some bliss in my life, I'm more about desire.  Maybe that's because it's all about the journey for me.

Where does your desire path take you?

Say Yes

A couple of weeks ago I had the extreme honor of attending AssistU's Community Recognition Awards in Vegas.  (For a complete recap, see Stacy's post.  Please note that I did not shoot an AK-47, nor did I shoplift anything.  Other than that, our experiences were very similar.)

As part of the ceremony, both Stacy and I were gifted with one of the best books ever, Life Is a Verb by Patti Digh.  The core of the book is about engaging with life and six practices for intentional living.  And what do you know?  One way to go through these practices is to write.  Heck, Digh even recommends we WRITE IN THE BOOK.  Shudder.  Shudder some more.

Actually, funny enough, the VAs who were present at the CRAs all took time to write in my book and in Stacy's.  I have words of love sprinkled throughout the pages of this book that's supposed to help me engage fully with life. 

It won't surprise anyone close to me how much this book resonates with me.  What are the six practices for intentional living?  Intensity, inclusion, integrity, intimacy, intuition, and intention.  Nope.  No surprise whatsoever.

I've stepped completely into the book, and I wanted to share a piece of the following poem Digh quotes as an introduction to the intensity section:

I asked her if I could wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don't paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I'm telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

~ Kaylin Haught, "God Says Yes to Me"

I love the writing style.  (Yes, even someone who teaches writing can enjoy something that isn't punctuated.)  I love the almost-silly nature ("who knows where she picked that up").

And I have written in the margins.

Sad or Not Sad?

Is it just me, or does "Dog and Butterfly" by Heart seem to be one of the saddest songs ever?  Read the lyrics below and tell me what you think.

There I was with the old man
Stranded again so off I'd ran
A young world crashing around me
No possibilities of getting what I need
He looked at me and smiled
Said 'No, no, no, no, no child.
See the dog and butterfly. Up in the
Air he like to fly.' Dog and butterfly
Below she had to try. She roll back down
To the warm soft ground laughing
She don't know why, she don't know why
Dog and butterfly

Well I stumbled upon your secret place
Safe in the trees you had tears on your face
Wrestling with your desires frozen strangers
Stealing your fires. The message hit my mind
Only words that I could find
See the dog and butterfly    
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
Laughing to the sky, up to the sky
Dog and butterfly

We're getting older the world's getting colder
For the life of me I don't know the reason why
Maybe it's livin' making us give in
Hearts rolling in taken back on the tide
We're balanced together ocean upon the sky

Another night in this strange town
Moonlight holding me light as down
Voice of confusion inside of me
No begging to go back where I'm free
Feels like I'm through
Then the old man's words are true
See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft
Ground with a little tear in her eye
She had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly

Visual Dawn Strikes Again

I process the world visually.  Using Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, I'm very verbal/linguistic and visual.  I see words in my head.  When I'm trying to remember notes I've taken, I can see the page in my head, along with where on that page the particular notes are that I'm trying to remember.  Not quite a photographic memory.

People are names to me.  Stacy is S-T-A-C-Y.  I picture the letters, not her face, when I think of her.  And so on.

It should be no surprise, then, that whenever I use the ultra-cool tool, twhirl, I see it as t-whirl (two syllables and everything).  I bet that it's meant to be one syllable as in "twirl," but I see the word "whirl," and the "t" just happens to be in front of it.

Usually the only way I can get past such a thing is to say it out loud.  So if you run into me quietly muttering, "T-whirl, t-whirl, t-whirl, twhirl...." you'll understand why.

Full Stop Ahead

Back in February, I wrote how I use "so" too much.  Many of us do it.  When we're speaking, we don't know how to end a sentence fully, and we trail off with a word like "so."

My solution was to say "full stop" at the end of a sentence.  (Boy, that sounds much better, doesn't it?)

Thanks to Joanna's post on why you shouldn't write in your readers' language and a small aside on full stop punctuation, I found this Wikipedia article on full stop.  I had no idea it's a real thing.  I swear I never heard it used in conjunction with punctuation.  Never.  (Of course, I could have heard this a long time ago, it lodged in my brain, and then decided to emerge in February.  Whatever.)

I'm just a little amazed that unbeknownst to me, I fell into using a term that was perfectly accurate and relevant.

Side note:  Firefox and Typepad don't like "unbeknownst."  They think I should use "unbeknown."  What is it about me and a more formal language?

A Word Tribute to 9/11

I didn't want to do the traditional tribute to 9/11.  I know there will be tons out there, many done better than I could ever do.  Since my life revolves around words, I thought a Wordle representation would be the most appropriate.  (I used the 9/11 Wikipedia article for a quick word reference.)

To see this in the Wordle gallery, click here.

The Open Road

Words always have special meaning for me, and lately quotations and poems from all sorts of sources lodge themselves in my heart.

Here's the latest:

"Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune;
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content, I travel the open road."

~ Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

Enjoy your journey on your own open road.

More Words From Friends

After Antonette's gift of the Raven candle, I didn't think I'd get another word gift so soon.  Tara sent this to me as flair on Facebook.  I love what it says:

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the Devil says, "Aw crap, she's up."

I'm up.

How Our Friends See Us

Antonette sent me this beautiful Zena Moon candle with a note that said "You are a raven to me."

(If you've never bought or received a Zena Moon candle, know that each candle comes with a label with its title and some words describing it.  Carla, I've described this badly.  Please forgive me!)

Here's what Raven says:

• magic
• keeper of ceremony
• community
• duality
• prophecy
• healing
• balance
• spirituality
• exploring the unknown

Thank you, Antonette, for knowing me so well - and loving me enough to send this to me.

Mindfulness

Today is my writing day, and I'm feeling some trepidation over writing.  With all the traveling I've been doing, and the fact that it's summer, I haven't been able to find a writing schedule that sticks.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to get some writing days in before vacation.  Then I wouldn't feel like a schlub, and I'd be that much closer to finishing the book.  With a deep breath, I wrote.  My chief concern was staving off the wonky, and I worked toward not letting the wonky in.  One of the things I did was have Chris draw out a card from the gorgeous Grace cards by Cheryl Richardson.  On the front of the card he chose, it said "Mindfulness."  On the back, it said, "Manage your mind.  When we direct our thoughts and words toward the outcome we most desire, we ignite grace."  Seemed like a good card; I'm always up for being mindful.

Six hours later, I realized that all that I had written that day was gone.  The document was two weeks old, and didn't show an update from earlier that day.  It was gone.

To this day, I have no idea what happened.  It's not as if hitting save isn't an everyday thing I do.  No clue.

The next day, I decide I'm going to try again.  My "j" key on my keyboard wouldn't work.  No joke.  Granted, it had been loose off an on for a couple of weeks, but I was always able to press it back in.  That day, no matter what I did, it wouldn't press down.  I decided the Universe didn't want me writing, so I listened.  (Note:  Chris came home and fixed the "j" in under 30 seconds.)

It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm getting ready to write.  I decide to start out by refreshing my Grace card.  "Mindfulness" has been displayed long enough, and I'm thinking it's time for a new one.  I shuffle the deck, fan them out, and then pick the edge of the card that calls to me.  I pull out the card, and guess which one it is?

Mindfulness.

I can create the outcome I want.  I can create the experience I want.  Writing today will be easy.  I'll also be gentle with myself and ever mindful.

Final Road Words and Images from Vacation

When you have sixteen hours in the car, you have plenty of time to look around you. 

Along with noting songs that I wanted to add to iTunes when I got home (and I'm not going to list them here because every last one of you will make fun of me for my 80s music needs), I had fun with even more license plates.

TADAAA2 - I like the idea of "tadaaaaa," but why 2?  I guess it could be the second vehicle for a family who really likes "tadaaaa" or a company with that name. 

HLF TRK2 - Why just half of a truck?  From what I can remember, it wasn't a particularly small or large truck.  And again, there's that 2.

FANSTA - Not sure what this was supposed to signify, but it led me down the road to GANGSTA (I don't think we'll be seeing that on a license plate) and then HAMSTA.  I dare someone to get a vanity license plate with "HAMSTA" on it. 

JOURNAL - lucky duck, whoever owns this one.  Granted, maybe it's someone who works for the Journal newspaper, although I like the idea of someone who's just really passionate about journaling.

And finally, this picture.  I'd never actually seen an inmate transport before.  It immediately brought to mind Fugitive and Conair.  Luckily, there wasn't a train, plane, or one-armed man in sight.

This Group Needs a New Title

A few weeks ago, I was approached to solve a word problem.  I can be creative at times, but nothing is coming to this poor, old brain.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with coming back from a conference and then getting ready to go on vacation at my grandparents'.

We were our own organization.  We had Fellows and Senior Fellows,  an honorary title for members who made significant contributions to the field. Just like the academic sense of the word on wikipedia.

Three years ago we joined a larger, prestigious organization that already has Fellows. We can't use the title any more, but are allowed to rename ours.  The Board has debated and debated during 3 years of annual Board meetings, unable to come up with a word that makes everyone go "yes!" So the ones on the table are kind of "frumpy": Noted Member, Honored Member.

One debate point is the women want an inclusive word; they didn't like "Fellows."

So let's help them out.  What are some non-frumpy, cool, "YES!" titles?

(Author's note:  You gotta love someone who uses a semicolon!)

The True Meaning of Wonky

I've talked about "wonky" before, but I don't know that I've explained--here--what that looks like, for me.  As I was reading Laurell K. Hamilton's blog the other day, these words describing her struggle to finish her current book came pretty close:

I can feel the end, as if I have reached into a dark space, and am reaching as far as my finger tips can stretch. I feel something at the very limit of my reach. I know it is the end, but I cannot see it. I cannot feel all of it. I do not know it’s shape complete, but only in the few pieces I can touch. A corner here, a smooth edge there . . . It’s there, I can feel it, but it’s just out of reach, no matter how far I stretch my fingers, my hand, my arm, my shoulder. I shove myself against the hole, and try to grab a hand hold so I can drag it out of the dark and into the light. I am no longer worried about what shape it is, or what it may be, only that it is the end. I long for the end of this book. I beat against these last few pages like the bars of some cage. I want out!

For me, it's not so much reaching into a hole as it is that *I* am in the hole, and that hole is about 90 feet down.  And there's no one at the top to help me.  I'm reaching up, desperately, not sure if I'll ever get out.

Why do I use a word like "wonky" to describe this?  So that I can inject some levity into the situation.  So I don't take myself so seriously.  So I can climb out of the hole.

eWomen Network Conference - Part III

On my table at the eWomen Network Conference was a sign that said, "Ask me about my power words," cuz you know someone will see that sign and say, "Okay, I'll bite.  Tell me about your power words."

"I'd be happy to," I'd say, and I told them about how certain words resonate with me and that a list of these words can really define me.  (You can read all about it here.)

Thanks to Gail (I miss you!), we put a portable easel up by my table to invite others to list their power words.  Here's what I got:

Passion

Love

Create, Inspire, Experiment

Synergy, Integrity, Authenticity

Focus

Believe

Maholo, Aloha

Resources, Transformation

"Money Talks"

Creativity, Being, Defining

"Authenticity in Action"

Embrace and Adore, Live, Loved Ones, Strangers

Blessed, Encouraged, Empower

"Pain is temporary; quitting lasts forever" - Lance Armstrong

Thank you to all who shared their power words with me.  What are your power words?

(In case you're not caught up, start with eWomen Network Conference - Part I and eWomen Network Conference - Part II.)

What's With You Guys? Wake Up!

I posted about Wordle the other day, and no one, not one person, said anything about it.  Not here at Write Well Me, not in a casual conversation with me ("Hey, Dawn, that Wordle thing you found the other day is the coolest thing in the world!"), not a thing.

Go play with Wordle and come back and report.

How Do You Spell This Word? Part II

Thanks to all of you who weighed in on how to spell gāl'ə-vānt'. 

So, here's the story:  I wrote "galavanting," and Firefox didn't (and still doesn't) like it.  I happened to be on the phone with Stacy, so I ask her.  "Hey!  How do you spell 'galavant'?"  (I was so sure I was right.)  She comes up with the very same spelling.  Ha, Firefox!  Take that!

I'm a pretty good speller.  Stacy is a pretty good speller.  What are the odds that we'd both spell it wrong?  I right click on the red-underlined word, and Firefox gives me "gallivant" as a choice.  Hmmm.

Stacy (we really don't have anything better to do than to research the correct spelling of words - with attitude, I might add) looks up "gallivant" on Dictionary.com, and it shows up as correct.  On a whim, she checks on "galavant," and IT'S correct, too.  (Stupid Firefox.)

You all weigh in, and we get both spellings, plus a few more.  Here's the OED pronouncement:

"Galavant" is a variation of "gallivant."  "Gallivant" is "perhaps a humorous perversion of 'gallant,'" and has been around since 1823. "Galivant" is also an accepted spelling.  (And Firefox doesn't like that one, either.)

What I find interesting is that both Stacy and I reverted to the lesser known variation.  I wonder why that is?  Any ideas out there?

Wordle Me This

For those of you who like the word cloud feature on blogs, you're gonna love this.  For those of you who love words, you're gonna adore this.  And for those of you who like to look at the world with a different set of eyes, you're gonna have your socks knocked off.

What's this socks-knocking thing?  Just an application called Wordle.  In their words, it's a "toy for generating 'word clouds' from text you provide."  It's incredibly easy to use.  Within less than a minute, I created my first Wordle.

I created two different Wordles:  one using random words (a bit like Power Words) and another using this blog's feed.  I much prefer the second.  Probably because there were more words from which to choose on the entire blog rather than just whatever words I could come up with.

We even used this as a strategy in the last class of Ready, Set, Write. As a group, we came up with a list of words and created a Wordle.

A couple of notes that I've found just in the few minutes of playing with Wordle:

• Since it works on the word cloud basis, if you enter words individually, you have to enter some words more than once to get that big word look.
• It looks at individual words.  If you type in a phrase like "old partner," it doesn't recognize it as one unit.  It sees two words, "old" and "partner."
• If you don't have a blog or RSS feed, instead of entering random words, you can cut and paste from anything. 
• Once you create your Wordle, you can right click on words and remove them.  This was helpful when I created the Wordle above.  Since one of my recent posts was a funny look at how people use online communities using the example of light bulbs, "lightbulbs" and "bulbs" were very big in my Wordle.  I liked "light" being big, but I didn't think "lightbulbs" and "bulbs" were truly indicative of me and Write Well Me.  :) 
• You can randomize your Wordle layout by clicking the "Randomize."  (I went back to create a Wordle to make sure that the correct command was truly "Randomize," and I got caught up in making a new Wordle.  I forgot to check, and I had to go make another one.  It IS "randomize.")
• There are several options for Wordles.  I have no idea what all the different options are, but I'm having fun seeing the different colors and fonts.

After doing the Wordle above for Ready, Set, Write, I want to do Wordles for everything!

Words of the Day

Admit
Judgment
Choice
Process
Feel

Today's a bit of a wonky day, so "process" and "feel" are key, as is, I suppose, "choice."  I guess they're all key, or they wouldn't make Words of the Day.

What are your words for today?

The Nine-Year-Old Gets Me

I was reading Ode magazine, and Anastasia was looking over my shoulder.  As I thumbed through the pages, she stopped me on an advertisement for Coaches Training Institute.

"You should tear that out for your life map," she said.

What did the advertisement say?

Want a life filled with

adventure
balance,
and personal
transformation?

Does she know me or what?  I don't know what to be more surprised at:  that she knew those words would resonate with me or that they'd be perfect for my life map.

Words of the Day

Yesterday I had a great From Concept to Content workshop.  One of the things we do in this workshop is talk about how we process information.  Being very visual and verbal based, I tend to use words to paint pictures.  One particular painting really struck a chord with me and another person on the call, and I wanted to share a piece of it here:

Savor the view.

"Savor" isn't a word we see often, probably because it's an action we don't do often.  When was the last time you truly savored a meal, a book, a movie, a moment?

What can you savor today?

Poor Y

Geoffrey over at Language Log gives Y a bad rap.  Specifically, he quotes a scene from Jersey Boys where the characters discuss how Frankie Valli should spell his stage name:

Because y is a bullshit letter. It doesn't know if it's a vowel or a consonant.  You're an Italian.  You have to end in a vowel.  Like pizza.  A vowel says, "This is who I am.  If you don't like it, you can go fuck yourself."

Who knew that a West End production would reference linguistics?

However, I'm a bit partial to y.  We spelled our daughter's name (Kathryn) with a y to differentiate it from the million other forms of the name.  Maybe we'd have thought differently had we seen Jersey Boys.

Of course, we're not Italian, so we do get some slack there.

To Recreate

From another old Laurell blog entry:

Recreation means to re-create yourself.

I'd never thought of it that way.  Next time, I'm recreating, I'll think about how, if at all, it's re-creating me.  How am I changing?  How am I growing?

What are your thoughts? Do you see a connection between recreation and re-create?  (I, like Laurell, hyphenate the word to differentiate between the act of creating again and having fun.)

Anal Retentive is Gone (If I Can Remember)

I've described myself as anal retentive numerous times.  In the spirit of blogging, I'd cheerfully link to all the posts where I've done just that, but that would be one long list. 

It's not a pretty phrase, anal retentive, yet everyone knows what I mean when I use it.  I've considered finding another phrase, but "organized" or even "super organized" doesn't seem to convey it.

Today, I might have found my new word, compliments of Daphne Gray-Grant, author of the incredible newsletter,  Power Writing.

Her phrase?  "Organizational zealot."  Maybe it's not a synonym for her for anal retentive, but it works for me.

Words of the Day - From a Business Conference

Last week I attended the Women in Business Conference.  I found I wasn't very engaged in the first speaker's presentation.  It wasn't that I didn't agree with her views on positive thinking and the laws of attraction; I absolutely did.  I just couldn't connect with her. 

As someone who is very touchy-feely, incredibly empathetic, and for whom connection is key, I was stumped.  Whatever the reason, I didn't connect.  However, a few of her words popped out at me.

• Trust
• Detour
• Thoughts manifest matter
• This, or something better
• Sacred
• Giving
• Over time
• Deepen
• Everything powerful comes from connection
• Open

While I didn't connect personally with the speaker, some connection existed.  I love these words.  Maybe that's what I was supposed to learn from this experience:  I may not always connect personally and empathetically, but some connection will come about, just not always in the form I'm used to.

Traffic Control Messed Up on This One

The other night we had a yen for ice cream, so we trotted (well, drove, really) on over to Baskin & Robbins.  We also needed dog food, so after ice cream, we moved to Petco.  Now, this Petco is in a shopping center that we don't frequent regularly, and it's gone through some remodeling. 

Part of that remodeling includes speed bumps in the parking lot.  I don't see many parking lots with speed bumps, but so be it.

What really got me was this sign:

Do speed bumps really calm traffic?  I think of animate, sentient things as having the potential to be calmed.  But something inanimate and, I don't know, immeasurable (traffic is ... traffic)?  Calmed?

The Perils of Grammar

Just when you thought grammarians were full of it.

What would happen if we didn't have these protectors of our language looking out for us?  Possibly something like below:

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't been each other's First Contacts. Virgin civilizations, groping each other in the dark.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," the smaller of the two men moaned, his head down in his arms on the broken table, as the sounds coming in through the half-boarded-up window swelled louder.       

"If they wanted to destroy us, why didn't they just send a missile, an asteroid, a fucking army?"

The taller man took another drink from the bottle in his hand, staring without seeing at the window.

"We started it, you know."

"Bastards, bastards."

"We nearly destroyed them."

"Should have."

"It was the linguists," his voice was rough and slow, detached, almost toneless, "that went out in the first starship. We taught the Tanatha suicide."

"Bastards." The sounds outside moved away a bit, grew softer.

"Their language was utterly alien. No reflexive forms, strange verb tenses. Eventually they learned enough of it to try to ask them questions, eventually they asked them what their word was for 'suicide'. They didn't have one."

"Bullshit."

"They didn't. They had no reflexive forms, and 'to be' and 'to kill' were such utterly incompatible concepts that they had been literally unable to imagine killing the person that you are. Until we asked the question, and kept asking it until they understood."

He took another long drink, a deep breath, and shuddered. The man at the table raised his head just long enough to wipe his eyes.

"It nearly destroyed their civilization. They didn't have the millennia of evolved defense mechanisms that we did, the cultural institutions that discourage killing yourself, the structures to deal with it.

"They experimented.

"They died.

"Their cultures crumbled."

"Not fucking far enough they didn't," the smaller man muttered, and lay his head down again with a thud.

"They fell so fast. Our linguists came back on the last starship they sent out, along with what was left of their Tanatha colleagues. Half the crew died on the way, but they got here."

"Bastards."

"And their linguists, the ones that stayed alive, learned our language in return, and one day they knew enough to ask, to ask what was our word for --"

"No, no, no, no, no," the man slumped over the table moaned monotonously, as another explosion bloomed outside and a chorus of voices raised in an ululating scream, full of fear and an incomprehensible ecstacy.

Original story by David Chess, brought to our attention by the ever-vigilant protectors at Language Log.  May we take care with our words.

Now Snopes Gets in the Game

Who would have thunk that Snopes, land of the debunked urban myths, would wax poetic about nine-letter words?  As a matter of fact, looking at their page on the word puzzlers, they have a whole category on language.  Hmmmm.

Here it is:  There are some nine-letter words in the English language that, as you remove a letter (it doesn't have to be in order), the resulting word is still a legitimate word.  Here's the first example:

Startling

• remove the l, and the word becomes starting
• remove the t, and the word becomes staring
• remove the a, and the word becomes string
• remove the r, and the word becomes sting
• remove the other t, and the word becomes sing
• remove the g, and the word becomes sin
• remove the s, and the word becomes in
• remove the n, and the word becomes I

Any other words you can come up with?  Snopes has a few here, but see if you can find any on your own.  (I won't because I don't do word puzzles.  I suck.  Weird, I know.  I write; I don't puzzle.  It's not the same brain function.)

Thanks to Meryl for the link!

No Rhyme or Reason

New York J&P is our favorite family restaurant.  Our beloved waitress, Jane, works on Mondays and Wednesdays, so come Monday or Wednesday, there's a good chance you'll find us at New York J&P.

As much as I love it, however, this sign stumped me.

Of course, I understand what it means.  They're closed four holidays out of the year.  What had me scratching my head was the organizational choice of the holidays:  Easter, Christmas day, July 4, and Thanksgiving day.  They're not in chronological or alphabetical order. 

Chris figured the order was chosen based on how they fit graphically on each line.  Maybe, but my anal brain resists.