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Judythe Morgan

1 05, 2017

Six Ways to Be a Better Wordsmith

By |2017-04-30T14:50:05-05:00May 1st, 2017|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Our ability to “create meaning from words” –– wordsmithing–– is such a wonderful gift. (In case, you’re unfamiliar with the word, it means skilled in using words.)

I agree with J.K. Rowling. Words are magic and that magic is found in how we choose to use words.

When I write, I seek not just any word but the perfect word to convey my meaning. For example, when describing a character’s departure, I could say

He left.

He stormed out.

He ambled away.

He darted away.

He wandered away.

Each sentence suggests a different departure. I select the most appropriate one based upon the contextual meaning I want to convey to my reader.

Too often, such care is not given. If you spent much time on social media, I’m sure you’ve noticed this.There’s definitely not much wordsmithing happening in some of the FB posts on my feed. Evidently, others feel the same way. Many of my FB friends have deserted because of all the negativity.

Unfortunately, being a good wordsmith is a choice. And, we can only control our choices, not the choices others make.

We do need to remember what Yehuda Berg saysPoor or careless word choices can inflict damage both physically and emotionally. Using the wrong words can be construed as bullying, harassment, and/or slander and there are laws against bullying, harassment, and slander.

We need to make our word selections carefully. How? Try these six things.

  • Filter your thoughts before you speak them. Thoughts that might bring negative feelings or trouble—eliminate those. Choose instead to use words that create serenity.
  • Commit to no complaints and no gossip about anything or anyone, including yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel.
  • If a complaint is unavoidable, find words to express appreciation first, no matter how small that thing may seem. Positive words have the power to change a situation.
  • Communicate with constructive and affirmative words. When your speech contains optimistic phrasing, you’ll discover others are more likely to respond the same way.
  • Make a concerted effort to say thank you more often. Kind words generate happy feelings in you and those to whom you are speaking.
  • Share happy stories and good news often. When you come from a place of gratitude, others will be joyful with you.

Can you add anything else to the list?

 

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28 04, 2017

The Importance of Eyeglasses

By |2017-04-23T16:52:59-05:00April 28th, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Tucker, our dachshund, got up at 1:30 a.m. the other morning and wanted to go outside.

This is not unusual. I got up and walked with him to the kitchen to let him go out back. I did not put on shoes or my glasses.

I will not make that mistake again.

He started sniffing at the door from the garage to the back yard which was latched open leaving a small space between it and the wall.

I looked and saw what I thought was one of his balls behind the door. It was just out of my reach so I grabbed the mop and used the handle to scoot it forward.

As I reached to pick it up a baby possum hissed at me!

I was very glad I had not grabbed it. I stood for a few minutes trying to decide what to do.

Since I wasn’t wearing shoes, I didn’t want to chase it out in the back yard. Being unable to see without my glasses, I was afraid I would step on something and really hurt myself.

I left it alone and went back to bed. It was gone when I got up the next morning. Hopefully, it was as scared as I was and will not come back.

If so, I will at least be able to see it before I start reaching because I will grab my glasses the next time Tucker decides he has to go out in the middle of the night.

I thought of this eyeglass commercial:

I’m grateful it was Tucker who followed me back into the house.

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24 04, 2017

Sometimes English Isn’t English

By |2017-04-23T21:52:10-05:00April 24th, 2017|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

English isn’t always English.

I learned that many years ago from my British partner in our antiques business. With his King’s English and my Texas-English, communication was frequently a bit of a challenge.

As we traveled the English countryside on our quest for merchandise for our shop in Houston, I quickly learned his bobbles and bits were my smalls. My chest of drawers was his bureau. What he thought rubbish, I thought garage sale.

Chip Butty

The first time we circled a round-about to catch a chip butty truck I wasn’t sure what I was getting. By the third day, I was searching for the trucks myself. (If you’re not familiar with the English treat, it’s french fries on buttered white bread. Add a splash of ketchup and it truly isn’t bad. Carb overload, but who’s counting?)

This GrammarChek infographic highlights some of the other U.S.-British English differences we worked our way through while in business together.

British vs. American English: 63 Differences (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

What about you? Have you ever had English-speaking differences with someone?

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21 04, 2017

All God’s Critters

By |2017-04-14T22:21:03-05:00April 21st, 2017|Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I have come to accept the fact that not everyone shares the Miller fascination with all things living.

When people come over for the first time I hold my breath and hope they don’t turn around at the front door when they see the bee hives and hear all the dogs. So agreeing to host an international student is a huge risk.

Bill, the Chinese student currently living on Miller Farm, fits right in. He actually has pet snakes at his home in China. His mom cares for them while he is here. I’m very impressed with her. Wrangling chickens is one thing but snakes…

Anyway, on the way home from school this week, Bill mentioned that there had been a snail hanging out on the window in his bedroom. He said it hadn’t moved in a couple of days – not surprising for a snail.

A little while later he came into the living room with…The snail on his window had three baby snails. He put them back outside on a tree with their mom.

Miller farm has now seen the birth of guinea pigs, lizards, chickens, quail, mice, puppies, and snails. I have a feeling we are not done yet. I just hope we go back to babies with fur or feathers.

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17 04, 2017

A Writer’s Dilemma – Drama and Suffering

By |2022-10-22T06:24:32-05:00April 17th, 2017|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

We all dislike negative, unhappy things aka drama.

Who wants to suffer and be unhappy? I sure don’t.

But – reality is drama, though unwelcomed most of the time, is what life is all about.

Our puppy’s reaction to hearing thunder for the first time.

Happy drama is a very different thing.

I love the drama our new Old English Sheepdog added to our world. If you’ve ever had a puppy, you can relate. He changed our lives dramatically while adding so much laughter and love.

As a writer, I have such a difficult time being hard on my characters. I don’t want them to suffer or be unhappy. Unfortunately, that makes for a dull, uninteresting story. Drama is an integral part of real life so fictional characters must suffer.

After attending the BONI Intensive Seminars where Donald Maass stresses Tension (drama) on every page to engage readers fully, I finally understood the need to create more suffering for my fictional characters.

Readers expect drama and want to become emotionally involved with our characters. When drama and suffering are absent, readers fail to connect with our characters. They won’t read our books.

If you need a nudge to add drama to your writing (as I did), let me suggest:

1. Read The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
2. Attend a Breakout Novel Intensive Seminar
3. Visit One Stop for Writers website where you’ll find loads of resources like The Emotion Thesaurus

Or you can watch the news or read news blogs. There’s always drama there!

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10 04, 2017

Do April showers bring May flowers?

By |2017-03-06T14:46:40-06:00April 10th, 2017|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

It wouldn’t be right to blog in April without referencing the old saying, “April showers bring May flowers.”

The phrase probably came from the General Prologue found in The Canterbury Tales:

“Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote.”

These words – March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers – can be found in The Dictionary of Proverbs by George Latimer Apperson and Martin H. Manser

Another version can be traced to the 1557 collection of writings by Thomas Tusser, A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry. For April, he wrote:

Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers

Tusser’s rhyme is a short poem, which fits nicely since in 1996 the month of April became National Poetry Month. For ways to celebrate poetry this month, check here.

The writer in me can’t resist sharing the poetic meaning behind “April showers bring May flowers” – even the most unpleasant of things (in this case the heavy rains of April) can bring about very enjoyable things, i.e.an abundance of flowers in May. A lesson in patience that remains valid to this day.

But, do April rains truly bring May Flowers?

Not according to botany and biology research that says, for most species, first flowering is more closely tied to temperature than to rain.

According to Libby Ellwood, “The plants may not be aware of this proverb, but they rarely have to worry about having enough water in the spring to start growing and producing flowers. … But the water itself isn’t dictating flowering times the way that temperature is.”

David W. Inouye, a biology professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, studied bloom times in the Rocky Mountains. He concluded the Alpine flower blooming season, which used to run from late May to early September, now lasts from late April to late September because temperatures in the Rockies are becoming warmer. That means a longer wildflower viewing season for mountain hikers.

Perhaps, if climate warming more closely controls flowering, the proverb should be re-written to read “Warm temperatures in March bring April flowers.”

Somehow, that doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

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