Redundancy in Writing - Are You Guilty?

I'm not quite sure why this word popped into my head when I was searching for the perfect R word for this blog post. It was just...there, and plunged its roots into fertile soil refusing to leave until I wrote about it. As a writer, sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

Redundancy is a funny sounding word, at least to me. The word dunce is in there too. I think it may exist in this perfect word to remind us not to be a dunce and use redundant phrases in our writing. Redundancy is a phrase of two or more words that repeats itself. People in general tend to use many redundant phrases, but as writers we must be on the lookout for redundancy that turns concise writing into a long, painful read for others. Sometimes redundancy is appropriate if you're writing poetry, haikus or limericks. My focus today is on when not to use the dreaded redundant phrases.

"What time is it?", "It's 12 noon." Let's see, the sun is high in the sky, temperatures are rocketing up to 90 something and it's 12 noon. Well of course it is! At 12 midnight it's cooler by at least two degrees, but you can transport yourself among the stars to cool off. I bet you can pick the redundancies in the above pretty easily.

We'll take redundancy up a step and refer back to the definition, a phrase that repeats itself. Personally, I feel if days were shorter in length I'd be a much happier person. I love winter because of the short amount of time the sun is in the sky. I've always suspected I was part vampire. The end result of shorter days is a happier me.

Who gives away free gifts? Do you pack basic essentials when you go on a trip? In the event that the plane may crash, she is a person who will sit in close proximity to the nearest exit. The rock was of particular interest to the plane watching boy. He liked to examine each and every rock he came across before deciding whether it was worth keeping or not.

Watch for sneaky redundant phrases and banish them to regions unknown before they take over and ruin all your hard work.

Quiet and Quit It - Two Things My Muse Hears A Lot

I can just hear you saying, "You what? Why would you tell your muse, of all people, to be quiet and quit it?" Give me a few moments and I'll explain. First, I should tell you a bit about me, things the people who know me well already know.

I'm not normal or quite sane and take pride in that fact. Why be like everyone else? Normal and sane is booooring! My fur babies, Shanni (short for Shannon Kyla) and Connor (Connor Devlin) are both rather, unusual themselves. Can't have normal kitties now can I? My household is always filled with magick, fairies and a couple of dragons. Sometimes I have to tell the fairies and dragons to take a short a vacation sometimes, but at least they're quiet.

So, now we come to why in the world I would tell my muse to be quiet and quit it on such a regular basis I feel the need to blog about it. You can see this coming right? Yes, you win the prize, you there in the black shirt. My muse is as odd as the rest of us. While she provides me with the ability to be a halfway decent writerly type of person, she also adores talking. She can turn into a non-stop chatty Cathy for days on end. It's not something I can tune out either, because she insists on being heard, whether I want to hear her or not. Yes, sometimes I do tie her up and gag her just to get some peace and quiet. Other times she takes an extended vacation which I'm heartily grateful for.

She, like the fairies, has a playful streak. She'll move things around, hide stuff from me and even...this could be the worst of it all...give me the insane urge to drink coffee. *gasp* Quit it are words I say day after day, except when she's on vacation, or sleeping. I love her best when she's sleeping, sort of like I loved my kids best at times when they were asleep. No noise, no distractions, no games, just peace and quiet.

Patience and Persistence - Two Writerly Qualities it Pays to Have

Writers who have been around awhile know patience and peristence are nice qualities to have because they really do pay. It doesn't matter if you write online content, books or for magazines, being a writer requires patience to build and persistence to get where you want to be. This is something new writers should know and a good reminder for the old timers.

Let's take a look at patience and all the situations we need this quality for in our daily writerly life. We need to exercise patience as we slowly build up our writing portfolio. No writer is going to become a household name overnight. Too many people jump into online writing expecting to make hundreds of dollars a day right off the bat. They have serious unrealistic expectations. It takes patience to start bringing in the money in a decent amount. Money rises as you build your portfolio and show people what you can do.

Outside of writing, but still very much writing related, are the things we also need patience for. We need patience when our muse deserts us, stranding us on Writer's Block in a bad neighborhood. We need this sterling quality when we're trying to work, but the kids, the husband or boyfriend, neighbor and that strange guy from the park keeps insisting on disrupting us. Ripping out one's hair leaves ugly bald spots and isn't all that attractive. Remember to breathe and let patience become your mantra.

Persistence is another writerly quality it pays to have. We need persistence to meet the goals we set for ourselves each day, week or month. It comes in handy when we need ideas to keep us writing. Persistence really counts if you're serious about being a full-time freelance writer and want to make enough money to pay all the bills. We're persistent as we send in query letters to magazine after magazine, publisher after publisher hoping this time we'll get more than a rejection letter.

Writers are a patiently persistent bunch who never give up, never quit and wield the written word like an experienced sword fighter. We love shaping letters into words, into sentences, into paragraphs, into entire articles and books. Keep your expectations realistic, set realistic goals, be the best writer you can be and one day you will be King or Queen of the writerly world.

Expand Your Vocabulary - Unusual O Words

B and O 2, andrewatla, sxc.hu

I don't feel very motivated today and couldn't think of a Motivated Monday posting, so I decided to stick with the letter of the day in the A to Z Challenge. The letter today is O. Instead of the same old thing, I thought it would be fun to check out some O words you may or may not have heard of. I'm probably a bit odd, but I love to toss out words that have people scratching their heads. With some new words at hand, maybe you can work one or two in somewhere and have fun too.

A lot of people may have their fair share of obduracy. It means stubborn, persistant and can also mean not easily moved by feelings or supplication; hardhearted. I have more than my share of stubborness and persistance, but I'm definitely hardhearted, though I have known people who are. How often do you exercise your obduracy?

Have you ever wondered how old an obeliscolychny is, then imagined what it might be like to live in one? What's that? Oh, you don't know what an obeliscolychny is, never mind living in it. Well, quite simply it's a lighthouse. I love lighthouses and have imagined what it might be like to live in one. The word itself is a mouthful, but it's sure to impress and befuddle the most learned person.

I had four kids and they were extremely obstreperous some days. This word means noise, unruly. Though I love them to death they could fill the house with enough noise and unruliness to make it seem as though there was a small classroom inside, not just the four of them. I like my quiet household now there's only my youngest at home, who turned 17 not long ago. Some days I miss the chaos of having youngin's in the house, but most days, I'm so glad those days are behind me.

Now you know a few more words than you did yesterday. Hope it amused you a little and educated you a lot. I know it did me. For more unusual O words, visit, The Phrontistery.

Saturday Stumblings - "N" Randomness from the Writerly World

It's still Saturday morning, quickly closing in on the noon hour. I'm armed with my trusty cup of coffee and prying my eyes open. Walking over to put my coffee on, I tripped! I look down to see if I tripped on air again, cause I really am a klutz and do trip on air often, and what do I see? I see the letter "N" laying there snickering at me. If you really look at it, you can see how it's made for tripping the unwary walker.

Well, my day is off to a great start now. Tricky "N" was determined to make sure I didn't forget today I'm writing about him. Or at least words that begin with him. We'll begin with the word no.

No, I do not like the latest update to the guidelines at DS in the home and garden section. There's nothing wrong with the industry standard of single quotes, which is also followed by AP. You want everything else in AP, but insist on making up rules left and right to make us look foolish. You want expert voice and writing, but then do stuff like that. Hopefully the weekend gives you insight and come Monday you'll have come to your senses.

Winter Fog, pdekker3, sxc.hu

We'll move from a bit of venting to something we writerly types might do a lot of certain days, noshing. We nosh on whatever is handy absentmindedly throughout the day as we churn out our works of art. Brownies, chips, pizza, and snack cakes are consumed to give us energy. Some are capable of noshing on the healthier things in life such as fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite things to nosh on is cottage cheese and crushed pineapple. Yum! Give me some broccoli smothered in cheese sauce and I'm in heaven. Good grief I'm making myself hungry.

Moving along before I start eating my keyboard. Our last "N" of the day goes to nebulaphobia. I'm sure you see the word "phobia" at the end and have guessed it's some sort of phobia, but which one? It is the fear of fog or clouds. I can see why someone would have nebulaphobia. Fog has led to horrific pileups on roads and has been used to scare the bahjeebus out of people in movies. When you see a foggy night and a lone person wandering in it, you know this won't end well.

So ends our "N" randomness for this Saturday. Take your new word and use it well.

Freelance Friday: Ode to M

It's Freelance Friday once again. This week is Ode to the letter M for the A to Z Challenge. We have movies, making things, medication and an mmmm mmmm good snack.

Our first freelancer is Rodney Southern. You'll never meet a more down to earth guy, who's devoted to his wife and twin daughters. His writing takes us into the realm of horror movies. He tells us how to set the mood for a scary night in Setting the Mood for the Perfect Horror Movie Night. If you like your horror without gore, then check out the Top Five Horror Movies Without Gore. He then takes some of us down memory lane with Five Classic Monsters That Need a Remake. I like his ideas, I think you will too.

Rodney Southern has been with YCN since July 2007, writing on topics such as sports, parenting, news, pets and his faith. Check out his blog, Rodney Southern Says full of real life stories and humor.

Next up in our talented freelancer department is Linda Ann Nickerson. Her contribution to "M" day begins with Menstrual Migraines: 5 Ways I Managed the Monthly Mayhem. If you are someone who experiences them or love someone who does, give Linda's tips a try. From a woman who knows her horses, read about the proper way to mount these wonderful beasts in 10 Steps to Mounting a Horse from the Ground.  I'm glad to know I did all the right things when mounting my horse oh so long ago. Finally, control the drooling, she gives us Make Milky Way Brownies from Leftover Halloween Candy. It combines my two favorite things, brownies and Milky Way candy bars. I'm almost drooling at the thought of chomping down on one...or a few of these.

Linda joined up at YCN in March 2007 and has written on such subjects as news, horses, saving money, pets and seasonal content just for starters. Check out her blogs, Nickers and Ink, The Mane Point, Practically at Home for a little bit of everything starting with poetry, humor, horses and home and garden.

Moving along, we stop by Marie Anne St. Jean's  writings and found, Make Your Own Beads from Household Items. Some I've seen and done myself, others I have got to try. Buttons, buttons everywhere and not one on a shirt. Check out Easy Craft and Decorating Ideas to Make with Buttons. Just in time for Easter, find out what to do with all those hard boiled eggs when the holiday is over in What to Make from Leftover Hard Boiled Eggs After Easter. June 2008

Marie Anne, also known by those who love her as MA. She's a multi-faceted, talented woman who don't take stuff from nobody. She began writing at YCN in June 2008. For some fun reading, check out  Marie Anne's Missives, Write, Wrong or Indifferent, In the Garden With Sow-n-Sow and Every Day Crochet. She also has an Etsy store, MACrochet, where she sells her crocheted baby blankets and dishcloths.

Last on our list today is Lynn Pritchett. Understand how medications treat migraines and their effectiveness in treating them in, Top 5 Migraine Treatments and Medications. If it's closing in on prom time like it is here in Florida, this may save you a boatload of money getting your kids to prom in style. Give Save Money on Prom Expenses: Prom Dress to Limo. A terrific personal story about a mistake turned into a triumph with a little help from friends is found in Best Mistake I Ever Made.

Lynn joined YCN in June 2006. She was among the first I met when I joined YCN, which was AC back then. She's absolutely the sweetest person ever and I love her to death! Give her profile a glance and you'll see topics on health and wellness, places to go, music and a bit of everything else.

Laziness Among the Writerly

Come on, admit it, you have lazy days too. Those days you just don't feel like writing a dang thing and for once it has nothing to do with your muse being MIA. That's the kind of day I'm having today. It's hard to get motivated to do much of anything when pain has taken over everything.

I can usually distract myself with computer stuff, but I don't get much work done. I can't afford to not work though, so here I sit in the midst of a huge quandry. I've been cussin' at my computer all day long. It refuses to cooperate, particularly Firefox. I have to end program every 2 to 5 minutes and despite how that ticks me off, I can't put any heat behind my curse words, nor get too upset about it.

I've caught up on my blog posts for the A to Z challenge though. I'm quite proud of myself. That means tomorrow's edition of Freelance Friday will be on time! I promised it would and I can't break my promises. I'll have to unlazy myself and produce a couple of articles, lazy day or not. I need a new computer. This one is so old and can't handle what I need it to handle.

Ode to Writerly Laziness

My brain is empty,
hollow and dead.
Must I really,
get up out of bed?
Yes I must,
thought I'd rather not.
Lazy days are calling,
but today it's for naught.
Goodbye lazy day,
it was nice knowing you.

How do you overcome your lazy days? If you give in, that's okay too, we won't judge.

Kangaroos and Your Muse - What They Have in Common

Have you ever stopped to wonder what your muse and kangaroos have in common? No? Well, let me enlighten you. I promise you'll never look at your muse the same way again.

Baby kangaroo, Donmike10, Wikimedia Commons

When kangaroos are babies they're so cute! You just want to pick them up and cuddle them! A new muse is like a baby kangaroo, called a joey. They're so cute and cuddly. You put up with the sudden bursts of energy and frolicking that may or may not create havoc with your schedule and/or writing. They're as unpredictable as a toddler and can get just as annoying.

Muse's then grow into their teen years, full of attitude and spunk. They think themselves indestructable, just like human, and I'm sure, kangaroo teens. They want to strike out on their own and may desert you without any notice, hopping off across the land, possibly going for a long walkabout leaving you hanging. If your muse deserts you, remember it's not the end of the world. Refer to a previous posting, Creativity: Secrets Your Muse Doesn't Want You to Know to get yourself back in the writing game.

Lazy Kangaroo, kathatp, sxc.hu

Finally, your muse grows into an adult. He or she settles down a bit, ready to provide you with stability and a steady outpouring of words. Depending on temperament, your muse may be docile, outspoken or still stuck in his/her teens unable or unwilling to grow the heck up already! You have to adjust to your muse's personality and learn to be flexible and roll with it.

Kangaroos pack a lot of punch in their kick if they get angry. A muse can also pack a punch, but luckily for us, we won't be killed since they don't physically hit us. The wallop we get is the urge to write like we've never written before. The words flowing non-stop from our fingers and brains so fast we can barely keep up. This in itself can be thoroughly exhausting and leave us feeling drained. I know when this has happened to me, it also leaves you feeling proud and satisfied at what I accomplished with the help of my muse. Learn to love the muse's kick.

Even adult muse's will take off on a walkabout every now and then and call it a vacation. Refer back to the above creativity posting if this happens. Just because they're adults doesn't mean they'll give you any advance notice of this time off. Some are thoughtful and will, while others just...poof! off into the ether. You'll survive these periods if you remain calm.

Kangaroos and muse's go through the stages of life together, dwelling on different planes, but yet have things in common. Always be prepared for any stage of development. You'll survive and thrive the turbulent toddler years into the joyous, or not so joyous, stage of adulthood.

Justifying Your Writerly Time, Make the Most of It

Leaving the brick and mortar workplace, either because you want to, or had no choice, doesn't mean you don't have to justify your time any longer. Being your own boss as a freelance writer does give you a lot more leeway in what you do with your time, but on the other hand you can't fritter time away if you expect to make money to buy food and pay the bills.

You don't have to make up a rigid schedule and justify every single minute of the day, but you should plan your day to make the most of the hours you do have available. Sometimes things happen in life that's out of our control and can derail even the best schedule in the world.

Keep in mind that everyone is different when it comes to their writing needs. None of our schedules are going to be the same. As an example, I'm a night owl and tend to do best when I write at night. Even us night owls have different times of the night, late night, or early morning that we find most productive. Determine when your best writing hours are to make the most of your writing time.

Don't force the words or the time. Trying to write at the wrong time of day leads to frustration. It may also have you producing craptastic articles that make you cringe. I tried writing during the day one time, a whole article and...wow, I'll never do that again unless my muse moves me to write during my "off" hours.

Use your "off" hours to outline or do some research. You may not be writing, but you are doing writerly activity. That's making the most of your writerly time, allowing you to be ready to write that article when actual writing time rolls around. I lay out my how to's with my "Things You'll Need", steps, tips, warnings, references, resources and notes to the CE and notes of what goes in each step done. For section type articles, I give them headings and if there's something I particularly want to say, I make a note of it.

Always carry a small notebook, small recorder or something around with you to take notes. Life can be so hectic and that brilliant idea you had while standing in line buying groceries will vanish into the ether if you have to wait to jot it down. Make a note of whatever pops into your head right then and there. Later you can flesh it out on virtual or actual paper.

Reward yourself. I find the reward system is working for me. I must get x articles researched and outline, or x written before I'll allow myself to take a break. I get to peruse FB, check on a game, go clear the crap out of my email and leave the stuff I want or need to read sitting there for later. Some of you may go for a short walk to get the blood pumping, or grab a snack. Whatever you do, always make the most of your time, while rewarding yourself for all the hard "work" you're doing.

Inventing Your Writerly Self: Who Are You?

I didn't think much about a writerly self growing up, heck, didn't really thing about "serious" writing till a couple of years ago. See, I've always loved to write...and read, a lot. My whole life has been spent in pursuit of language and words, putting them together to create a tapestry. I wove words together to help heal wounds, as tributes, to be silly, or just dream. The picture upon the tapestry reflected parts of me.

Two years ago when I stumbled across AC, I saw a chance to expand my tapestry. It also made me think about my writerly self. Who was I? Some people have a niche, some are generalists, others do both. Inventing your writerly self is a process you may or may not give any thought to at all. I'm a thinker, a planner, an organizer, so in typical fashion, inventing my writerly self required some thought.

I began with health related content because of the chronic pain condition I have. That led to my next favorite subject of home remedies and other health problems. I wanted to be more than a health writer, so I did some parenting type articles. Being a mom to four kids and one grandson helps me come up with ideas for those.

I love crafting, which led to crafting articles. Sometimes crafting and decorating cross, so I ended up with multi-dimensional articles. I have one pagan article, but have plans for more one day, as well as genealogy subjects for YCN. I have two fur babies who own me and let them each write their own article and the one I wrote on Maine Coons. Over at DS, I stuck with the health articles, then started writing gardening type, with a few craft articles thrown in and a few genealogy too.

At this point, two years later, I'm still inventing my writerly self. I'm a crafter, genealogist, gardner (only virtually...I murder anything that grows in real life. I did garden with my grandma growing up, just don't do it on my own.), health, parent, pet owner and proud pagan. I am a generalist who can write to specific niche topics with ease due to my life experiences.

There's other dimensions to me as a writer that I have yet to explore, but it's not as if I have any limits on what I can do either. I've seen people ask many times about how to get article ideas or rely on assignments at YCN in order to write something. Everyone should take some time to find out what they like to do to begin inventing their writerly selves. Go on, getting crackin' and make a list! I bet you'll start coming up with ideas for articles before you get too far.

Saturday Stumblings - "H" Randomness from the Writerly World

My purple H

It's not Saturday anymore, but I did stumble around two days ago. My dern legs just wouldn't work right! Now, I'm stumbling a bit mentally working to get caught up, but I'm almost there and I'm getting things done, so I really am doing good.

Instead of my usual total randomness from the writerly world, today's random stumblings have a purpose, sort of. Today is the randomness of "H." I could be extremely creative and post random "h" words, naughty and nice, but figured I'd be nice.

How the heck do some CE's at DS justify rejecting well-written articles based on their opinion?! Another example of this came up today, as a good writer had an article rejected because the CE had never heard of something before, even though it was only mentioned once in 400 words or so and not to mention the references provided by the writer had the item the CE said essentially didn't exist, right there. How they think that what they did was right we'll never know.

High five for getting caught up! *grins* It's Monday, so if I can manage to get "I" done before midnight, I'm finally up caught up with the A to Z Challenge. It's a nice feeling. I won't slack off though because I want to get ahead, so I'll do at least two blog posts for the next few days before cutting back to just one. I've been writing this entry between DS articles.

Freelance Friday: Ode to G

I know it's not Friday, it's Monday, making this posting of Freelance Friday three days late. *hangs head in shame* I'll beg forgiveness now, but most of you know my behindness wasn't my fault, so am I forgiven?

Due to the A to Z blogging challenge, this week's Freelance Friday, and the next three Friday's to come, will center on the letter that falls on that day. This past Friday, the letter was "G".

This week's freelancers bring us articles centered around the letter "G" somewhere in the title. We have giving, ghosts, a green craft and more to kick things off.

Our first freelance writer is Deborah Braconnier, also known as my co-conspirator in taking over the world, as well as a terrific writer who, according to her YCN profile, joined the site in November 2010. She has written billions of small business articles, okay, not billions, but still lots, and gives small business owners great advice. Check out Giving Your Small Business the Look of a Large Corporation. From business cards, to websites and other practical tips, you too can spruce up your small business image.

From giving your business a makeover to giving to others, Debbie reminds us in, A Season of Giving All Year Through, how satisfying it is to give all year long when you see a need, rather than confining the giving to one time year, during the holidays.

Consider signing up and joining the site she started, The Freelance Writer's Connection. It's a directory for those looking for writers, a way to give writers who don't have their own website a place to direct potential clients and a place to share ideas and more with other writers.

Next up is Tony Payne. He joined the YCN family in January of 2010 and has written up a storm. Tony is a genuinely nice person with a great sense of humor that comes through in his writing. I love all things supernatural, so couldn't resist showcasing The Ghost in the Bathroom. Does something or someone otherworldly reside in his house? You be the judge. 

Take a trip overseas with Tony's slideshow from Glendurgan Gardens and Maze - Falmouth - Cornwall. These very nice pictures of a trip to Glendurgan Gardens is a pleasant nature break for the day, plus they made me smile.

You can also see Tony's other work around the web and his passions at Off the Record With Debbie & Tony. Look to the right side to find lists of blogs, sites and other goodies from Tony and his wife.

Karen Barnes, also known as tall Karen to differentiate her from me in chats, is an awesome writer with sarcastic wit and a great sense of humor. Pop on over to Karen's YCN Profile, where she's been adding well-written content since October 2006.

I can't resist the kitties, I have two fur babies of my own, so thankfully Karen wrote an article, or rather her cat did, titled Top 10 Free Christmas Gifts for Cats. It'll make you laugh and smile. If you have fur babies, you'll find yourself in complete agreement, because we all know you don't disagree with the real owners.

For further entertainment from the "G" world, Google maps gives untold hours of entertainment in Karen's article, Funniest Directions Given with Google Map. If you need a laugh, bookmark it to read again and again. I knew about Japan, but not the other totally screwy directions, but they were no less amusing than the first one.

Check out Karen's blog at Writing at Home for Money, where her humor is sprinkled throughout her postings, while she informs you of the things in the writerly world.

Our last, but by no means least, freelance writer is Lauren Romano. She's bold, brash, and in your face. How else would you expect a fist pumping Jersey girl to be? Behind all that that, she's a great friend to have through life's ups and downs. She's also a terrific writer who produces fun to read articles at YCN. On Lauren's YCN profile we find dating, home decor, and pet related content going back to June 2007.

Ever had to corral a kitty into a carrier? I did a couple of weeks ago when I had to move my fur babies to their new home. It took four of us, but we managed to get them both inside without being scarred for life. I wish I'd found, Tips for Getting a Cat into a Cat Carrier before that day. Maybe it would've saved us all some trauma.

Lauren is a crafty woman who makes some of the most awesome things ever. This love/hate relationship with all things crafty makes it into articles for others to read and be crafty too. Her Green Craft Ideas: How to Reuse Computer Keyboard Keys has interesting craft ideas that are simple and fun. You might be tempted to pop the keys off your keyboard just to make them.

Another addition of Freelance Friday for your enjoyment. Barring worldwide disaster, I hope to never be late with it again.

Frustration: How Not to Strangle Your Muse or Other People

Letter F, ba1969, sxc.hu

Oh how our muse's love to play with us. They have the ability to make the words flow smoothly, or throw us into the world of chaos for days on end. Sometimes those days make us walk around groaning and ripping our hair out over the lack of work being done, while others happily take a play day knowing tomorrow will be better.

No matter your reaction, I've had both, you can overcome the urgent need to strangle your muse or other people who may wander into your path as you have a righteous, writerly meltdown.

#1: Take a deep breath and just breathe. That's right, in...out...in...out, repeat until your blood pressure falls below immediate heart attack status due to frustration. Stop that! No counting while breathing allowed. For some reason counting can have the opposite effect and make you more ticked off rather than less. It does for me, try it sometime and see if you calm down faster.

#2: Don't make eye contact with anyone. This is imperative if you don't want to find your hands wrapped around the throat of your muse or other non-writerly types dwelling in your household. The muse sometimes likes to hang around to see our reactions as he, or she, takes back the magical writing dust they sprinkle around.

#3: Take your own mini vacation. It doesn't have to be anything big, like taking an impromptu trip to Hawaii or the farthest reaches of Timbuktu where you'll find yourself on a snowy mountain top. Think smaller, but relaxing. Put on some music and dance around the room like a crazy person. Take a bubble bath, slather yourself in lotion and body spray for a "spa" day. Go beat up some stuffed animals.

For the more manly among us, bubble baths and stuffed animals and dancing might not be your thing, so go do some manly activities. Retreat to your workshop and build an ark, happily sawing wood and banging nails galore. Ok, so maybe nothing so grand, how about a toy boat then? Tackle the highest tree and build that treehouse you always wanted.

We can also do non-genderly things too. Exercise is good for burning calories and frustration at the same time. Hiking, biking, walking, eating..healthy eating, not junk food. Tell yourself it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world and grab a bottle! Don't drink till tipsy or drunk though, because your writing will suffer if your muse decides to give back the wordage you need.

Keep focused, keep calm, go forth and write your fingers off!

Excellence in Writing

Letter E, ba1969, sxc.hu

We demand excellence in our writing, in everything we do that is writerly. Some of us take it one step further, going so far as to rewrite a simple grocery list or note because it's not perfect. It doesn't matter no one cares, we care and some of us are just that...well, committed to excellence. Ok, so some of us are anal, there I said it. Happy now?

The writerly will edit, edit and edit some more in order to achieve perfection in our works of art, down to the smallest jobs, giving it our all. We're determined to excel and ban those pesky typos, awkward words or sentences and passive writing to the realms of darkness never to be seen again. Reading everything forward, backward and upside down, we edit our writing.

Having gotten our work of art perfect, we proudly submit it to whatever venue it was created for. We're assured the person first reading it, whether it's an editor or the public, will praise us for our excellence. We sit back to bask in the glory due us for all our hard work. Tragedy strikes in an instant. We groan, moan and rant over the rewrite pointing out a teeny tiny error or two. We facepalm and exclaim, "OMG!" at the typo or awkwardness of a sentence that's now live to the public.

How does this happen? Writerly equals excellence in all things with nary a mistake seen in our writing. Well, the bottom line is we're all human. No matter how much we edit and reread, sometimes things slip by us, and even manage to slip by an editor perusing our work before it goes live. You can choose to let it horrify, or you can choose to laugh about it. The laughing sometimes is done on your way to write an email asking for a correction to something, but laughter it should be. Maybe along with a facepalm sometimes.

Deviousness and The Writerly of the World

Letter D, zacden, sxc.hu

We writerly types can be very devious indeed. We scheme, plot and devise bloody deaths for people we know and even a few people we don't know. We contemplate ways to get away with the perfect murder, or how to live on another world on a less than perfect planet. Occasionally, we take forays into magical worlds filled with all types of mystical and mythical beings. Other worlds are inhabited by vampires and werewolves.

The world of fiction writing is perfect for unleashing all the negative feelings we puny humans deal with everyday. The characters in the stories aren't real so no harm done, but that doesn't mean we're not envisioning a friend or family member as the one being brutalized while we're writing it. It can be quite cathartic.

Writerly people are also masters at being devious enough to avoid working on days the words just won't flow. We've all done it. You peruse every status posting by every person in your network for the past six days. You invent reasons to hang out in groups to talk to people or play games. Researching an obscure term just took top priority on your things to do list. Anything shiny within your field of vision is a good enough reason to chase it.

In writing and in life itself, the writerly are masters of deviousness. We can kill people all day long and get away with it, or hang out yakking because we can't muster the words or energy to dismember someone. Whatever the reason, never lose the devious streak lest your writing suffer.

Creativity: Secrets Your Muse Doesn't Want You to Know

Letter C in tile, rsvstks, sxc.hu

I've blindfolded and tied up my muse so she can't see or hear what I'm going to say. She put up quite a fight, but when it comes to creativity, there's a few things y'all should know. Our muse's want us to think we're dependent on them for all of our creativity and inspiration. That without them, we're useless lumps who couldn't string two words together to save our lives.

I'm here to tell you that's just not true! We can be creative and string lots of words together. It does help to have our muse's around to give us and our work extra oomph, but if your muse takes an unexpected vacation, here are some things you can do to keep the words flowing.

Secret #1: Do Not Despair

Seriously, don't despair because you're all alone. You're not really alone. So your muse has taken some time off, turn to your fellow writers. Chances are their muses also took an unannounced vacation too and you can all play on FB together. After all, you're not going to get any writing done are you?

Secret #2 Quit Slacking

Get back to work! You had some FB fun, now break out the virtual paper and start typing. If the subject of the article keeps eluding you, yank it back and give it a stern talking to. I've found it helps to look at it, then if nothing else just jot down a few things you know about the topic. What you don't know you can take a quick peek at and that usually gets the juices flowing.

Secret #3 Have a Party of Your Own

You've successfully finished an article without any help from your muse. You may now have a grand party of your own, a mini vacation if you will, and tip that bottle up. You in the blue shirt, tip it higher if you please. You're a writer, not a dilettante. After a few slugs from the bottle, go back to writing. You'll find the words come easier and possibly faster. The best piece of advice I have now, do not submit them until tomorrow. They may be unreadable and make little sense to sober people.

So there you go. The secrets your muse doesn't want you to know. Now I have to go untie my muse and watch while she deserts me, possibly for the next few months. I'll be okay though, no worries.

Banging on the Keyboard: It's All About the Mood

Carbon letter, ilco, sxc.hu

Writerly people do this thing on a keyboard called typing, also known as banging on the keyboard, because sometimes we really do bang on the keyboard. Banging usually happens when frustration, or an editor, makes our blood pressure skyrocket. Now typing is nothing new of course. Computers are everywhere, people type on them all hours of the day and night. Heck, there's even keyboards on phones now!

Keyboard, GinnyLynni, sxc.hu

The one thing writerly types do that others don't, we type with intent. When our muse is in a good mood, our fingers fly across the keys, eyes glued to the screen as the words flow onto virtual paper. The adjectives, adverbs, punctuation and other assorted words and schtuff fall together with ease and create a masterpiece. We're giddy with excitement to get that thing published, so others can bask in our genius.

Hey! Yeah, you there in the gray shirt. I hear you snickering over that last line. You must not be a writerly person. *gives you my best mom eye* We writerly people are geniuses ya know. Our ego's are full of our creative genius that people like you can't ever hope to touch. *sniffs haughtily*

Ok, where was I? Oh yeah...our genius in creating words for others to read. I believe I used the word basking, which is a "b" word too. See, pure genius I tell ya! We bang away on our keyboards day and night, night and day to create stories full of wit, humor, facts and more woven together seamlessly to entertain and inform the masses.

When we have to go banging on the keyboard for other reasons, well, smart people steer clear. It's the not so smart ones who'll venture near for a closer look at the spittle flying from our mouths, our eyes glowing with an inner light that's not quite sane. All the while we mutter foul language about the idiotic so-and-so's and where they can stick that rewrite.

Whether we blissfully type away or bang on the keyboard, we do what we love. Only true writerly types will devote so much time to the written word and unleash our creativity onto virtual or real paper for others to read. It can be a true blood, sweat and tears business, but I wouldn't trade this "job" for anything in the world.

Artistic Temperment Exposed

Typographic element, Unvrs, sxc.hu

That's right, I'm going to do it for all the world to see. Nope, you can't stop me, I'm exposing the artistic temperment of writerly people on my blog in honor of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. The month also begins with A, so what could be better? Well, of course not exposing anything could be better, but it's my duty to warn the non-writerly people so they have a chance at least to save themselves.

Crazy Lady, Shine4Him8, sxc.hu

The artistic temperment of a writerly type is extremely volatile. One minute everything is fine, the next there's gnashing of teeth, growling and probably hair pulling. There's many reasons for all those strange sounds. The computer and/or site might have eaten hours of hard work. A minor mess up where something comes out sounding awkward can cause this reaction in some. The worst possible cause...the writerly's must just deserted him/her. Do not approach and don't make any sudden moves. It could result in a very ugly scene that ends with broken furniture.

Non-writerly types should be wary even when the posture of the writer is relaxed and smiling. It means things are going very well, the words are flowing, but one little interruption could spell their doom. Yelling things like, "Mom, where's my favorite pants?" or "Honey, I'm hungry." could turn the placid writerly person into a not so nice person. Never, ever interrupt the flow between the muse and the writer lest you find yourself in the middle of a real life horror movie titled: What Happens When You Interrupt a Writerly Type Person. Fend for yourself until the work day is over.

One last warning before I go. Just because the writerly person remove their bottom from the chair in front of the computer does not mean it's open season for solving world hunger, bringing peace to all and making said writerly fix you food. Their mind is likely composing the next great article as they write/walk to feed their own belly. Us writerly types need an occasional break too. Keep fending for yourself until you don't see any documents open and said writerly type person actually speaks to you.

Just a few simple rules that could save your life, sanity and keep you all in one piece. My civic duty done, I must now stride off into the sunset to compose more words for the masses.

A Flurry of Words and A Special Thank You

Later today there will come a flurry of words flying from my fingers. I needed to devote yesterday to working on making money. The week without internet has put me behind, but I'm not out. I'll be posting my A to Z Challenge blog posts as fast as I can get them typed up, while striving to make the moola.

Freelance Friday's this month will still happen, they'll just be devoted to the letter that falls on that day. Stick around to find out how that's going to work. Same goes for Saturday Stumblings, which will be devoted to the letter of the day as well as Motivated Monday.

It was a rough day for me physically, so a comment left on my last blog post from Deirdra Eden-Coppel, awarding me the Powerful Woman Writer Award, completely made my day. I have a shiny new page tab at the top labeled Awards if you want to take a peek at the awesome art work on the award. I have artist envy because I can make a stick person look funny. Go check out her site, A Storybook World. Thank you so much for my very first award, for making my day and the boost it gave me.

Disruptions in the Writerly World

Well, moving and then not having services like, ohhh, internet not hooked up keep one from doing anything. This is where I find myself at the moment. Actually, for the past week. I'm very sorry for the regularly scheduled programs being off the air for the past week, but the good news is everything should, I say should, be hooked up and running tomorrow morning.

Some of you already know I've been offline, this is for anyone who didn't see my FB messages when I could finally leave one last week. Freelance Friday, Saturday Stumblings and Shiny Object Sunday will return as scheduled this week...as long as Comcast does its part and gets stuff hooked up tomorrow now that the cable line is finally buried.

I'm off for the moment, and will get caught up when I'm chillin' on my couch surfing the web again. Cross your fingers everyone! Sending some really, really good, "go smooth" vibes and if you so choose, a few prayers wouldn't hurt.