Writing

SoCS — Déjà Vu All Over Again

Fandango20 Comments

When I saw that today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt from Linda G. Hill said for us to “start your post with any adverb and just run with it.” I thought “been there, done that.”

Sure enough I dug into my archives and just over three months ago, Linda gave us this SoCS challenge: “start your post with any adverb that ends in ‘-ly.’”

So, being the lazy bastard that I am, I’m going to essentially repost (with a few minor edits) what I posted on February 9th. Here goes.

D565E643-654E-4772-8799-BCA48E331BC7First of all, let’s define the word adverb. “An adverb is a part of speech used to describe a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb. It simply tells the readers how, where, when, or the degree at which something was done.”

Apparently, the biggest issue with adverbs is that people tend to overuse them. Some say that of all of the parts of speech, adverbs are the most likely to clutter your sentences pointlessly. Therefore, it is often suggested that writers should use adverbs sparingly.

(Hey wait. Aren’t “apparently,” pointlessly,” and “sparingly” adverbs? Oh crap. I just cluttered up my last paragraph by using three adverbs in just three sentences.)

I remember reading Stephen King’s book, On Writing, where he goes on and on about how he feels about adverbs. I was surprised by his strong feelings. He admonishes writers to minimize, if not eliminate, their use of adverbs by suggesting that “adverbs, like the passive voice, seem to have been created with the timid writer in mind.”

King famously wrote:

“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one in your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day…fifty the day after that…and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s — GASP!! — too late.”

Personally, I think Stephen King overuses ellipses…as do I.

I have nothing against adverbs. I don’t use them often, but I do use them in my writing. And I don’t think of myself as a timid writer.

But I’m not a best-selling author, like Stephen King. In fact, I’m not an author at all. I’m not even sure I’d call myself a writer. I’m just a blogger who writes posts on my personal blog.

So, as the old song goes, it’s my blog and I’ll adverb if I want to, despite how Stephen King feels.

Apologies to Linda and to those of you who read my previous SoCS post about adverbs for recycling an old post, but it’s Saturday and I have things to do, people to see, and places to go. So deal with it.

I’m Just Not Feeling It

Fandango35 Comments

4F6A46DC-2742-4D23-B446-3106CE524C9FI have four partially written draft posts that I started today and they all suck.

In one of the four drafts, I tried to craft, as I am wont to do each day, a cohesive story around five one-word prompts, including my own. But nothing worked.

Then I began writing a post for Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt and I just couldn’t get it to come together. Same with The Haunted Wordsmith’s Daily Prompt post and with Paula Light’s Three Things Challenge post. Nada!

I thought about writing yet another rant about Donald Trump and, even though there’s plenty to rant about, my head and my heart just weren’t into it.

I have been wracking my brain (or is that racking my brain? I’m never sure which is the correct expression) all day, but nothing has surfaced.

Then I saw the Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Tale Weaver prompt, where we are challenged to weave a tale in which ‘search’ features prominently.

So perhaps that’s the answer. I’ve been spending all this time today in search of something to write about and to post. But is it appropriate to write a post about a search when that search has come to naught? Probably not.

Maybe I’ll try again later. Or maybe not. But right now, I’m just not feeling it.

A Verse is a Verse, of Course of Course

Fandango28 Comments

E5AD6A4B-1CDA-4E83-B9B3-A5B76CCCC718Rory, A Guy Called Bloke, crafted together a four-line rhyming verse and then passed the baton into my palm and said, “The next leg is yours, Fandango.”

My task, according to Rory, is to add my four-line rhyming verse to his and then to tag the blogger of my choice, who I will task with keeping things going.

But before I begin, for those of you who are wondering about the title I chose for this post and who are too young to remember the American TV sitcom, “Mister Ed,” which was about a talking horse, I bring you this:

Okay, back to the business at hand. The topic for the this “blog hop” poem is:

Ode to the Writers of Words

and here’s how Rory kicked things off:

I am quite the writer you know, it has to be said,
My imagination runs wild, loose and amok,
Creating literary havoc within my head,
Luckily however, I haven’t experienced writer’s block!

And here’s my next round:

Each morning I think about topics on which to post
But what stirs my imagination by far the most
As I try to conjure up what it is I want to write
Is using the daily prompts while keeping my writing tight.

Alrighty then. Now to pick the next victim poet. I’m going to choose someone who almost daily responds to my one-word prompt with creative, imaginative poems of her own, Leigha Robbins. Leigha, I hope you’ll add your own four-line rhyming verse to Rory’s and mine and will then tag another blogger to pick it up from there.

Dear So and So

Fandango18 Comments

B9557CA2-C92C-4671-B919-AB003E2964BFDear Reader,

Do you still write letters? Or are you like me? I rarely write letters anymore — even business letters. I mostly communicate via email or text messages.

When you do write a letter or send an email, do you start it off with the word “Dear” in front of the addressee’s name at the beginning? How about “Sincerely yours” (or just “Sincerely”) at the end?

I’m not talking about letters to your close — or even extended — family members, where you might start it out with “Dear Aunt Barbara,” and end it with “Love, your nephew Jim.” After all, you do want dear Aunt Barbara to remember that you’re her loving nephew when she’s preparing her last will and testament, right?

No, I’m talking about letters (and even emails) to businesses, co-workers, friends, or acquaintances.

Terms of endearment

I was taught that opening a letter with the word “Dear” in front of the addressee’s name — even if you’re sending it to a total stranger — is the proper letter writing convention. It’s not necessarily intended to be a term of endearment.

So even if you’re writing a letter to a customer, a business associate, or virtually anyone else, you should, according to letter-writing etiquette, always start your letter with “Dear” followed by the person’s first name.

If you don’t know the recipient’s first name, you should use his or her last name, such as “Dear Mr. Smith” or “Dear Ms. Jones.” And if you know neither the first nor the last name of the addressee, you should use “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam.”

“Dear Madam”? Seriously, who does that anymore?

And you should, they say, end the letter with “Sincerely yours.” Even a business letter. Because you want your sincerity in your business correspondence to shine through, right?

Dear Electric Company,

Thank you for sending me the latest monthly bill. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

Sincerely yours,

Me

I never use “Dear” for a salutation or “Sincerely yours” at the close of a letter or an email. I may sometimes end an email with “Regards,” but that is about as sincere as I get.

So, what about you? Do you still use “Dear” and “Sincerely yours” in your letters and/or emails? Or do you consider them to be old-fashioned letter-writing conventions whose time has passed?

Have we, as a modern society, lost something by no longer using them?

Sincerely yours,

Fandango

R is for Randy Rainbow

Fandango22 Comments

7BD5E45F-FDA3-42C3-A12D-5FB979ED6F16

I’m very excited. My wife and I are going to see Randy Rainbow tonight.

Who?

Randy Rainbow.

Who’s Randy Rainbow?

I’m so glad you asked. Randy Rainbow is an American comedian and singer, best known for his videos published on YouTube, in which he spoofs interviews with famous figures and parodies musical numbers, often with a political focus.79BEB09B-A461-4B88-89EB-CA909DE3BFAB.pngTo be honest, up until recently, I wasn’t familiar with Mr. Rainbow. He started off his “career” conducting mock interviews with politicians and celebrities. But he eventually showed off his singing abilities in parody music videos based on Broadway tunes and pop hits. And best of all, Randy Rainbow has taken a particularly keen interest in President Trump and his administration.

And that’s how I first heard about him, because you know what a fan I am of Donald Trump.

Randy Rainbow is like a political “Weird Al” Yankovic. He has a versatile singing voice and has demonstrated a talent for writing hilarious — and biting lyricist. And his parody songs are guaranteed to make you laugh. Well, unless you are a Trump supporter.

I’m attaching two of Rainbow’s parade musical videos. Judge for yourself.

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