Spelling Tips

If you're in need of a little humbling, take this quiz on 25 commonly misspelled words.

Then, if you find out you need a little help, check out these spelling tips from a former spelling champion.

Needing Inspiration

I can't seem to nail an essay I've been working on for weeks. I've been staring at the computer screen and haven't gotten anywhere with it--except tired.

I have accomplished a few things today though: I signed up for Writer's Market online, created a new piece of flair on Facebook and wandered into the kitchen to open and close the pantry door at least 75 times.

Looking for my muse. It's not in the pantry.

Txt 4 dummies

If your children are anything like Greg Hardesty's daughter in California, who sent 14,528 texts in one month, you may be interested in what they're saying...and how. At that rate, each letter is important, so teens shorten words and phrases as much as possible.

Just as teens have done for generations, they've created a language that locks parents out. Perhaps that wasn't the purpose, but it's a bonus, no doubt. With the help of two brave teens, I've gathered a list of some common text shortcuts and their meanings. My contributors shall remain anonymous for their own safety and have gone into government protection for revealing this information.

O, n btw, yw 4 da info. L8r!


lol--lots of laughs/ laugh out loud
ttyl--talk to you later
nvm--never mind
b4--before
bf--boyfriend
bff--best friends forever
btw--by the way
idk--I don't know
ilu--I love you
ne--any
ppl--people
rotfl--rolling on the floor laughing
ur--your/you're
wtf--I'll let you guess this one
brb--be right back
sup/wassup--what's up
jk--just kidding
jp--just playing
gtg--gotta go
idc--I dont care
np--no problem
lmk--let me know
ty--thank you
b--be
n--in
c--see
da--the
dat--that
srry--sorry
wrry--worry
dint--did not
dnt--don't
idts-I dont think so
lirl--laugh in real life
tbh--to be honest
ftw--for the win
atm--at the moment
yw--you're welcome

Hope Against Hope

Yesterday, I posted an article and applauded the author’s hope—a hope that I have personally seen endure even the most trying circumstances.

Today, I received another rejection letter for my story—a story of hope against all odds. This time, the editor included a personal comment, so I’m going to step out there and ask for some feedback.

I hope she’ll write back. I hope I get the story published somewhere.

I hope.

Sonnet Form

A Shakespearean sonnet is 14 lines long and consists of three quatrains (stanzas with four lines) and one couplet (stanza with two lines) at the end. The poem follows a rhythm of iambic pentameter, which means that there are five "feet" per line. The feet are made up of two syllables with the stress on the second (da-dum). The rhyme scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, gg, which means that lines with the same letter rhyme.

This may seem like a strict formula, but the Italian and petrarchan sonnets are even stricter!

Don't let the Shakespeare label or the form stop you from giving it a shot. It's a fun challenge. Our goal yesterday was to have a little fun and celebrate a good friend. We accomplished that even though it's not in perfect iambic pentameter.

The mystery co-authors are Meredith and Kylie, who would have been mentioned it in the poem if their names were easier to put in iambic pentameter.

A Sonnet for Cynthia

She is a teacher with a heart of gold
who treats her students as her very own.
And if she'd dress her age she might seem old,
but she's so hip she lets them text her phone.

She wears her hair up in a messy do--
it's red and rich, and wild as a bee.
And though her skin is fair and her eyes blue,
"her" people aren't just those that look like she.

She knows that line is right though some wonder--
her language skillz are second to no one.
These lines filled up and went by like a blur--
with so much left to say, we're almost done.

The three of us (we'll tell you later who) just wrote a birthday poem 'cuz we love you.

The Epitome of Irony

I have yet to see anything more ironic than this story: Man Who Pushed for Program to Fight Bicycle Theft Has Bike Stolen.

Don't get me started on Alanis Morrisette's song that should be renamed "Isn't it Too Bad."

Be Yourself!

Rumor has it that being a writer or any sort of artist (artiste if you want to be pretentious) gives you license to be quirky.

You can wear your hair short and spiky, and even dye it with purple streaks (if that's your thing). You can wear old tennis shoes with an otherwise hip outfit, including a trench coat and funky glasses. You can wear black socks with short pants and you can have LOTR marathons (extended edition, of course).

But hey, I say be yourself whether you're an artiste or an accountant. Even if that means wearing Spider Man undies under your three-piece suit.

Procrastination

It's 9:24 pm and I have a deadline tomorrow.

So I'm blogging.

I'm also watching Action Jackson and Flashy Ferrari do dog tricks on Oprah. And then there's Maggie the Jack Russell Terrier who can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Seriously.

Reminds me of college. My apartment was never cleaner than when I had an essay due.