Marginalia

Writing in books isn’t just something people do for fun, there’s a name for it – marginalia, and it’s worthy of study. I just checked out a book on marginalia from my library’s website. It’s a book about writing in books, how cool is that? I’ll let you know what I find out later. And while you’re waiting, here’s a link to a video that explains some reasons why writing in books is a good idea. And although it pains me to say so, he makes some valid points!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eigv7x8koLM

Write soon,

Mary

Writing in books and other horrifying acts

On a recent road trip, I wanted to make some notes from a book I was reading. As I looked around for paper, my husband asked me why I didn’t just write in the book.

"I can't do that."

“Why not?”
“I don’t know, I just can’t.”

“Is it your book?”

“Yes.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I just can’t, and I also can’t tear out articles from magazines.”

“Why not?”

“I think it’s from all those years of writing for magazines,” I said. “I know how much hard work goes into every article.”

I told him that many years ago while waiting at the ophthalmologist’s office, I asked a receptionist to make a copy of an article for me. She said no one had ever asked her to do that before because everyone else just ripped them out of the magazine.

At that moment I knew I could never be a receptionist because I would get mad at everyone who defaced the waiting room magazines.

It’s a problem, I know. What about you? Do you write in books and tear pages from magazines? I promise I won’t get mad if you tell me!

Write soon,

Mary

Watch The Marriage Whisperer Interview

Congrats to my friend and writing buddy Patt Pickett, Ph.D., whose book "The Marriage Whisperer" has been released. Watch the interview here through this link:

http://fox2now.com/2013/07/17/the-marriage-whisperer-tackles-laundry/

Write soon,
Mary

Don’t hold your breath waiting for these fines!

What do Keith Richards, George Washington and I have in common? We all love the library, and have the fines to prove it!

Have you seen the new Spencer Road Library?  My husband says they built at least one wing with the late fees I’ve had to pay through the years. (Hey, I was busy.) However, my guilt has been assuaged. I recently learned that delaying the return of books follows a strong tradition dating back to the beginning of our country. 

Currently, I have two overdue books that will go back tomorrow, bringing my fine to a hefty $7. Richards and Washington, however, have fees that are significantly more substantial. Richards confessed that he failed to return books borrowed from his early teens, and Washington checked out two on Oct. 5, 1789 that have yet to be returned. Although there is no exact figure for Richards, adjusting for inflation, Washington’s fine would be somewhere in the ballpark of $300,000. 

So tell me, what’s the largest fine you’ve ever had to pay?

Write soon,

Mary

Read more: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/keith-richards-293662.html#ixzz2Z4lClyfC

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/18/george-washington-library-new-york

Take these words, please!

“Sometimes your eraser produces better prose than your pen.”

thEditors.com

One of the most difficult aspects of writing and editing is deciding what to take out. St. Louis writer and teacher Catherine Rankovic mentioned in her interview a few weeks ago the value of studying journalism because it teaches writers how to edit. I couldn't agree more.  

In my book, Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing, I list common words that can be removed without changing the meaning of a sentence. I’ve chosen several to highlight here along with explanations and illustrations using many of the same weak words, which was surprisingly easy.

Remove these weak words from your writing:

Just – My favorite, I just can’t help using it in just about everything I write.

Completely – Completely unnecessary.

Really – Really? Is it really that hard to eliminate that word? (See also “That.”)

That – That is a word that is generally overused. (See also “Really.” "Generally," and “Actually.”)

Then – If you remove this word, then your writing will improve. (See also “Actually.”)

“To be” verbs – When you have a choice of using “to be” verbs, or not “to be,” verbs, go with “not” (I'm channeling Shakespeare). These are state-of-being verbs, and include: “is,” “am,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “be”, “being,” “been.”

Particular – This particular word is generally unnecessary. (See also “Generally.”)

Generally – I generally avoid this particular word. (See also “Particular.”)

Actually – I almost used this one in my opening paragraph, well, actually, I did, but then deleted it. (See also “Then,” and “Almost.”) You probably noticed the word “actually” in the previous sentence, and “probably” in this one, and can see that they are unnecessary. (See also “That.”)

Definitely – You definitely don’t need to use this word.

Almost – I used this in my explanation of “actually,” which probably weakens it and makes me a bad writer. (Note to self: I should probably add “probably” to this list.)

Basically – It's basically the same as definitely. (See also “Something” and “Got.”)

Things – Use something more descriptive. (See also “Something.”)

Something – If you’ve got something that is basically unnecessary, why keep it? (See also “Basically,” and “Got.”)

Got – If you’ve got it, flaunt it. (This use might be acceptable had we not been told to avoid clichés like the plague – lol, old joke, I know.)

Probably – You probably don’t use this as much as I do. (See also “Almost.”)

Very – Mark Twain said: “Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

Old jokes – (See also “Got.”)

Which words do you automatically delete?

Write soon,

Mary

Lesson learned

A couple of months ago I entered a first paragraph contest, and after editing that paragraph about 30 times, I sent it in and waited for the top prize and the accolades to roll in. In reality, it took fourth place. Of course, when I sent it, I thought the paragraph would win, and an agent would read those few sentences and offer me a publishing contract with a huge advance. After I entered it, I read it again and realized why it didn’t win.

Every sentence was about the same length, with identical formatting. Each one was divided by a comma in the middle, pretty much like this sentence and the one before.

Why didn’t I see the pattern BEFORE I sent it in? You can bet that the next time I write or edit a paragraph, I will look more closely at sentence length, structure and patterns. I also reminded myself that it's never too late to learn a valuable lesson.

Write soon,
Mary