Week of March 30, 2014 - Spring Cleaning

By Joan Whetzel

I have begun spring cleaning around my house. It began outdoors with long overdue hedge trimming (thanks for your help son Dave), followed by weed and feed to the front and back yard, weed and grass killer in the cracks on the driveway and sidewalk, and mowing. The yard's looking pretty good thanks to daughter Emily's help.

I have also been spring cleaning in my office, as well, with the following areas:

1. Book shelves  I've been getting rid of the books that I no longer use for reference materials and books that are outdated.

2.  CDs/Music  I've also been get rid of music that I don't like to listen to any more. Both books and music are going to be sold to the local half price book store.

3. Files  Old files with information that is dated and ideas that I am no longer interested in. Filled up a few garbage bags. This chore should have been done a long time ago.

4. Desk   Cleared out a few things from the drawers and my desk top. Also dusted.

5. Computer Files  Can't believe how many useless and old files I've been storing on my desktop and laptop computers and my thumb drive. You know what? They run faster and better now.

Yes it's been a few weeks in the clean up, but well worth the effort. I feel inspired to clean up a few more things.

Week of March, 23, 2014 - Websites for Writing Style and Writing Basics

By Joan Whetzel

During my writing career - and college -  I have run across several websites that have been helpful with learning the various aspects of good writing. These sites cover everything from writing style (APA, MLA, Chicago Manual of Style, and Associated Press) to grammar, spelling, bibliography creation, legal and ethical aspects of writing, and the particulars of writing essays. Below are listed the site any writer can use to write well.

1. Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Contains a collection of instructional materials for writing and the writing process. The site, while primarily set up for Purdue University students and faculty, can be used by anyone writing in the English language.

2.  Merriam Webster Online

http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/

The Merriam Webster online dictionary reads like the print version. Instead of having to wade through a whole page's entries, however, it provides only the definition for the word or phrase typed into the search box.

 

3.Roget's Thesaurus Alphabetical Index at Thesaurus.com

http://thesaurus.com/Roget-Alpha-Index.html

While not being as comprehensive as the print version, this web copy of Roget's  Thesaurus is helpful in finding synonyms and antonyms for commonly used words and phrases.

4. Bartleby

http://www.bartleby.com/

Site includes free access to encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and several reference books. It is also a good site for locating quotes from famous people.

 

5. Publishing Law Center

http://www.publaw.com/

Supplies legal information for writing  and publishing, as well as the business end of writing and publishing. Information on licenses, trademark law, copyright law, contracts, and intellectual property are all covered.

6. George Mason University's Nonfiction Universe

http://gunston.gmu.edu/nonfiction/main.html

Nonfiction Universe provides links to a host of resources and online publications in academic writing and all genres of nonfiction writing. 

7. US Copyright Office

http://www.copyright.gov/

Covers all aspects of copyrights, copyright law, copyright records, licensing, registration, filing for copyrights, patents and trades, royalties and anything else related to copyrights and protecting your intellectual property.

8. The Chicago Manual of Style

http://chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/new/new_questions01.html

The online version of this manual is by paid yearly subscription only. The downside is the cost, the upside is that the information is always up to date and accurate, and you don't have to lug the book around with you.

9. American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual

http://apastyle.org/

Supplies the basics of APA format. If you need more detailed information, you'll have to look it up elsewhere or buy the print version.

=

10. Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Book

http://www.mla.org/

The online handbook is available by registering online. The registration form asks either for an activation code (I haven't been able to figure out where to get this) or by becoming a member of the MLA, which gives you access to all the other benefits given to members.

 

11. Guide to Grammar and Writing

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

This website offers help with word choice, sentence structure, grammatical errors and correction, paragraph structure, researching and writing of essays and other papers, among other things. Great resource for the writing process.

12. Associated Press (AP)

http://www.ap.org/

Provides information for journalists and up-to-date news articles written by AP writers worldwide. These articles are frequently picked up by newspapers and broadcasters and can be used as background information for informative articles and essays. This is a great research site for writers interested in timely topics and recent events

13.  Bib Me

http://www.bibme.org/

Helps writers and researchers create a bibliography in any format either by looking up the information for some books, articles, websites and films, or by filling in the information and letting the site set up the entries in correct format.

14. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

http://www.grammarbook.com/

Provides help and instruction for the rules of proper English usage in the following area: grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, vocabulary, words that are commonly confused (to, too, two, there, their, they're), and writing out numbers.

15. Essay Writing Center

http://essayinfo.com/

Offers rules, ideas, and instruction for writing the types of essays often assigned by teachers, from 5-paragarph essays to scholarly essays, and everything in between.

 

16. Society for Professional Journalism (SPJ)

http://spj.org/

Covers resources, training, and legal issues for journalists - much of which can apply to writers in just about any market or genre.

17.  SPJ Code of Ethics

http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

These are a good set of ethics for any writer to apply to their writing career.

Week of Mar. 16, 2014 - Almanacs

By Joan Whetzel

 

At my dad’s funeral, my brother referred to my dad as the original “Google” meister because he loved to find the answer to every question we could pose. His best reference was the Almanac which he used to “Google”  information of all kinds.

Almanacs are annually published reference books, containing calendars, weather forecasts, astronomical information, statistical data, timelines, tide tables, and other information (biographical, geographical, historical, political)  posted either in table or list formats or written up into brief articles.

Almanacs cover just about any topic you could think of including: agriculture, awards and prizes, business, demographics, economics, geography, government, health and medicine, mass media, religion, science, sports, technology, and transportation. Finding the facts you’re seeking is made easier though the table of contents and the index. My dad went to the almanac so much that he knew where to find just about any piece of information blindfolded. But for those of who don’t use it regularly, using the index and table of contents is a bit like entering the right search terms or keywords. Once you get a handle on the book’s layout, it’s easier to figure out which keywords and search terms “Google” into your information search.

Yes, you can virtually find all of this information online these days. But for those days when you just feel like sitting in your armchair and “Googling” old school, pull that almanac off the shelf and “Google” away.

 

Week of March 9, 2014 - Blogging

By Joan Whetzel

 

     I began writing my blog as part of a package deal to help sell my writing skills. My blog, like everything else in my life, is starting to evolve. Into what? I’m not sure yet. Discovering  where I am going in life and in my writing is going to be an adventure.

     I used to write from my areas of expertise. But since I am entering a new chapter in my life, my previous expertise doesn’t seem to be the best basis for writing any more. Or maybe it’s just that my interests and my expertise are also in a stage of transition into a new chapter – or adventure.

     I still have my writing skills. That’s something I can build on as a basis for my blogging and any future writing. My writing skills will also take me into the next chapter, maybe even help me explore intriguing potential adventures before committing to a definite course.

     The best part about blogging, is that I can write it quickly. Blogs require little or no research. Just writing from the heart - especially nowadays. My blogging doesn’t require  strict organization like that of most of my other writing, It’s more of a natural flow of information and ideas, written in a more conversational tone.

     The passion I had for the previous topics in my blogs seems to be shifting now, like the rest of my life. I don’t know where this passion is going to lead me. But, like everything else in my life, I’m learning to be open to the adventure of not knowing where my passion will lead me,
 

***Happy Time Change!. Hope you don't suffer TOO MUCH from the lost hour of sleep.***

Week of March 2, 2014 – Widowhood, Surviving Holidays and Other Milestones

By Joan Whetzel

 

 

I’m coming up on the first anniversary of my husband’s death – just three months away. It’s not a milestone I’m looking forward to. For the first six months following his death, the few days surrounding the 22^nd of every month were always rough, so I’ve been anticipating trouble with this one too.

 

In January, my sister Amy gave me a book called “Confessions of a Mediocre Widow” by Catherine Tidd. It’s an autobiographical account of a young woman who was widowed with three small kids. (Her husband suffered a head injury during a motorcycle accident and died a few days later.)

 

I wasn’t sure I was ready to read it, but as soon as I cracked the cover, I couldn’t put the book down. I found that, during my own recent widowhood, that I experienced a lot of the same feelings and chaotic, whacked-out, spazz atacks as she did. I also found that, like Ms. Tidd, there’s no right or wrong way to grieve, that everyone does it in their own way, and at their own pace.

 

I was relieved to hear her share how she didn’t feel like she was grieving the way everyone expected her to grieve, that she felt like she needed to make everyone more comfortable so they wouldn’t have to endure the depth of her grief, and her frantic need to clear out her husband’s things so she could make her home her own.  And here I was going around thinking I was crazy. It seems that many other widows have gone thorugh these phases as well.

 

In one of the sections in the book she discusses milestones, and how she felt, and how she finally figured out the connection between the milestones (wedding and death anniversaries, Christmas, Valentines', birthdays, special events they shared) and the unexpected spazz attacks that cropped up around these days. She gave me a few hints on how to take care of myself during these times and how to not take it out on everyone around me.

 

One of the ways to make these  milestones less painful, and changing them into days that I look forward to again, is to make them my own. Find new ways to celebrate my own way. This last Thanksgiving, for example, which also lands somewhere around our wedding anniversary (November 24^th), I celebrated with my sister Amy and her husband Jim. My daughter Emily and oldest granddaughter Haleigh went with me. Jim slow smoked us a scrumptious Thanksgiving brisket. It was the best brisket I ever ate. We even got to spend some time visiting with my other Austin sister, Mary Jo and her husband Michael. It changed the holiday enough to make passing those two milestones for the first time much more tolerable.

 

 

For those who haven’t gone through widowhood, it may be difficult to appreciate the emotional roller coaster ride Catherine Tidd describes. But she does manage to express some of it with a great deal of humor, which makes this book a great read. In fact, I really appreciated the fact that I am not the only one who finds humor in weird places. You get a whole different perspective on life from the other side of widowhood.

 

If you're interested in reading more from Catherine Tidd, she also has  a webpage called Widow Chick (found at http://widowchick.blogspot.com/2013/09/where-ive-been-going.html ) which is also well worth the read.