Day: March 8, 2017

National Proofreading Day

Happy National Proofreading Day!

This is a day anyone who writes anything should celebrate.

I really try to turn in as clean drafts as I can to my editors, but sometimes things slip through anyway. Extra eyes are always welcome.

The best method of proofreading for me is reading aloud what I’ve written. That’s when I catch the missing words, the double words, the echoing words, and the (I blush to admit) places I’ve used the wrong version of it/it’s, your/you’re, their/there/they’re, and to/too/two.

Sometimes the brain and fingers are racing so quickly the weirdest things make it onto the page. Sometimes I use a word incorrectly and need to look it up to make sure it means what I need it to mean at that moment in the book. And sometimes I simply make mistakes.

So here’s a big THANK YOU to all the proofreaders out there who are on top of the written word.

 

 

 

 

Movies About Women: My Reviews

The Academy Awards (Oscars) are coming up. That means  TV Stevie is trying to see every motion picture nominated in the major categories–and not so major categories if the films are readily available for watching.

A few weeks ago, we decided to go to an early showing of Twentieth Century Women. The trailers lured me into thinking the movie was something it wasn’t. It was well acted. The ramshackle house in which most of the action took place was a nice metaphor for people who lived there, as was the vineyard in which the defining moment took place.

But something was…off about the movie. One of the women was born the same year I was, and I should have been able to relate to her, her music, and her state of mind at that age, but it was like a foreign country to me. In fact, I couldn’t relate to a single character.

And the pacing was off. I do have a difficult time sitting during movies, even at home, and when I start to wonder how much longer I have to sit through this, I know it’s not me. At home, I can stand and stretch. Run to the kitchen to refresh my beverage. But I can’t do that in a movie theater.  I wanted to do that several times during this picture.

TV Stevie and I then grabbed lunch and returned to the theater to see Hidden Figures. I am so glad we decided at the last minute to do this. This motion picture is wonderful. Just incredible. Although I haven’t seen any of the other contenders for Best Picture, I want this one to win. It’s about women. Powerless women.  And even without power, they made their voices heard and were able to make great contributions. It’s about time those contributions were acknowledged.

No pacing problems here.  I didn’t want the film to end.

 

National Joy Germ Day

Today is National Joy Germ Day. It’s a day specially designated to spread joy. The day and the phrase Joy Germ is the brainchild of a woman named Joan White.

I have actually met and worked with Joan White. When I first started working in local TV, she had her own advertising agency—Joan of Art. In 1981, she came up with the concept of Joy Germs, renamed herself Joy Germ Joan and started infecting the world with a positive mindset. Today there are Joy Germs in every state, in Europe, and in Africa.

In 1981, I was a cynical, callow youth. I thought it was a ridiculous concept, although a couple of my colleagues at the TV station embraced the idea.

Ever wish you could go back in time for a do-over?

Happy Joy Germ Day! Try to infect everyone with whom you come into contact with happiness.

Best Friends

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Today is National Best Friends Day.

I’ve had many friends over the years. I’ve stayed in touch–or gotten in touch again, thanks to social media–with many of them. I’ve been blessed with wonderful people in my life.

For the past 15–and that’s an estimate–years, my best friends have been members of my writing community. My tribe. They’re the ones who understand the frustration. The joy. The women who respect my process and who share their processes as we all muddle through this thing called writing books.

Image credit: andrejad / 123RF Stock Photo

An author’s best friends respect her need for solitude. Respect her need for last minute brainstorming. Her need to celebrate the victories and mourn her setbacks.

During interviews, I’m often asked what advice I would give to aspiring authors. My opinion on this never changes: find your writing community. Find your tribe. Find your best friends.

Home Town Funky Fact

I’m always curious about the quirks of places. Take my home town of Syracuse, NY.

We have the only one of these . . .

tipp hill light

. . .possibly in the world.

This “upside down” traffic light is located in the Tipperary Hill section of the city. Legend has it that the Irish immigrants threw stones at the traffic signal when it was first installed because they wanted the green on top. Eventually TPTB were pursued to see the light.

There is a little park nearby, called Stone-Throwers Park, commemorating the vandalism.

stone thrower

Does your home town have an interesting quirk?