Fun with Maps: Holiday Movies!

Fun with Words: Homonyms!

Someone has finally solved our spelling difficulties!

(Also, check out this great homonym list.)

Fun with Words: Plots!

Oh, Words: Fake News

Fun with Words: Yum!

WAHT DOES A THESAURUS EAT FOR BREAKFAST?

Just Words: Proactive!

Fun with Maps: SuperMoon!

Fun with Words: Table

Fun with Maps: Candy!

A.Maz.Ing! I need to move to Tennesee, Texas, Wyoming or Oregon! Or South Carolina...Candy Corn, just in time for Halloween!

Fun with Words: NaNoWriMo Prep Final Days

Final Days (October 29 to 31): Write a query pitch

It might sound crazy, but I recommend writing a rough query pitch to make sure you have enough figured out to write your novel.

The query letter format is a fantastic way to verify the necessary elements of your plot and characters, and find holes before you fall into them.

NaNoWriMo is a lot of fun, and a good way to whip out a fast first draft. Plan accordingly, and you’ll be able to hit or exceed your daily word-count goals and reach your 50K.



Are you doing NaNo this year? How much do you prep for it?

Reblogged from: http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

Fun with Maps: Cat!

So hard to believe this is only now being discovered!

Fun with Words: Barbershop!

Fun with Words: NaNoWriMo Prep Week 4

Week 4 (October 22 to 28): Focus on major turning points of the story

Flesh out whatever you need to write your novel.

If your story is character-driven, you might plan the character arc and focus more on the internal journey of your protagonist and discover the plot as you write.

If you’re a plot-driven writer, you might prefer to map out the major plot points and figure out who your characters are by how they solve those plot problems.

Whatever your process, look at the key turning points and elements you need to keep your story moving forward. I suggest aiming for three major points per act (beginning, middle and ending), but develop as many as you like to keep your plot on target.

Reblogged from: http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

Fun with Words: NaNoWriMo Prep Week 3

Week 3 (October 15 to 21): Focus on how the novel ends

The ending is how the novel’s core conflict problem is resolved. It starts with the protagonist at her lowest point and drives her to the ultimate showdown with the antagonist.

Things to determine:

How the protagonist plans to defeat the antagonist

Although the plan may (and often does) fail, this is the goal that launches the ending and propels the protagonist to the climax. What are some of the steps that will take the protagonist from hopeless to victorious (or hopeless to defeated, if that’s how it ends)?

How the novel ends

You might not know the details at this stage, but it helps to have at least a general idea of how the core conflict of the novel is resolved.

How the protagonist is changed by the experience
In most novels, the protagonist grows and becomes a better person by the end of the novel. What changes for your protagonist? How is she better off? How is she worse off? What did she learn?

Reblogged from: http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

Fun with Words: NaNoWriMo Prep Week 2

Week 2 (October 8 to 14): Focus on how problems get solved in the middle

This middle is where the bulk of the novel unfolds as your characters work to resolve their problems and fail a lot. The number of attempts and failures will vary by the type of story, as thrillers have different expectations than romances.

Things to consider:

How the setup transitions to the middle
Everything in your beginning will lead to the middle, where the protagonist will make that all-important choice to accept responsibility for resolving the plot, and move into act two. The opening scene leads to the inciting event, which leads to this decision.

The major problem or event revealed in the middle
Adding a big shake up, problem, or reveal at the novel’s center can prevent the all-too-common boggy middle. The mid-point event creates the goal and problem the second half of the middle will have to resolve, and set up what will happen in the ending.

How the middle transitions to the ending
The protagonist has failed, feels utterly lost and hopeless, and things are at their worst. What the protagonist does here will launch the ending and lead to the climax of the novel.

Reblogged from: http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

Fun with Words: Plot

Belatedly beginning my October prep for NaNoWriMo, I google and find: Plot Types.

Below are the two main types claimed by the author. A kind of map of a novel's emotional journey for the reader.

Guess I will just pick one and stick to it for my terrible novel.

Of course, if that is too simplistic for you, have a look at this neat and tidy summary of other takes on plot types and number.

Fun with Words: NaNoWriMo Prep Week 1

Week 1 (October 1 to 7): Focus on the novel’s setup

Beginnings introduce the characters, story problem, and story world or setting to readers, and they set the stage for the rest of the novel.

A strong start will provide you with solid scene goals, giving you something to write about every day.

Things to determine:

How the protagonist is introduced

What traits do you want readers to know right away? How might you show those traits in action? What likable qualities does your protagonist have? How can you show those qualities in your opening scene or first chapter?

The problem the opening scene deals with

An opening with an interesting problem to solve gives the story drive and the characters reasons to act. What problem might your protagonist face when the novel opens?
Remember, the goal of an opening is to a.) hook readers and b.) lead the plot to the core conflict of the novel.

The inciting event

If this event did not happen, there would be no novel. It either drives your opening, or is the bridge between your opening scene and the beginning of the middle (act two).

Reblogged from: http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

Fun with: maps and word play!

Fun with Words: NaNoWriMo Prep

How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: Your 4-Week Success Plan

If you’re participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November , you’re likely gearing up to plan your novel in October. Writing 50,000 words in 30 days takes work, and starting the month prepared makes it easier to hit your goal — or even surpass it.

Since all stories are about an interesting character solving an interesting problem in an interesting way, your first step is to figure out your main character(s), the story problem, and the main goal.

In a few sentences, describe what this novel will be about. This summary will be your guide for October, and help keep you on track all through November.

Reblogged from: http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

Me: My graduate school course load (my last semester!!) is finally manageable enough (in comparison to the last two and a half years) that I can conceivably participate in a November NaNoWriMo. A national month of writing that has often previously called out to me. To help myself out, I'm reblogging bits of this article and getting the blog post notifications to my email inbox as reminders. Crossing my fingers to at least write a terribly written novel in November.

Fun with Words: Color!

So many delicious color words on this reblogged facebook post:

Fun with Maps: Airport WiFi

Fun with Maps: Ocean

Also, see videos and diagrams of how the Mid-Atlantic ridge and the East Pacific Rise, balanced by the Marianna Trench and the San Andreas Fault are like the beginnings and endings of sea floor spreading and continental drift.

Fun with Words: Holonovel

50th anniversary of Star Trek this month, plus a 3-day virus, prompted blurry-eyed watching of Voyager re-runs on Netflix. Today's highlight: the trekky literature genre of the holonovel. Best episode so far: the Holonovel gone wrong in S3:E25:


Definition of holonovel here.

Fun with Words: Adjectives! Order!

Linguistic order! Oh my beating heart.

Fun with Words: New Verb

So, according to the news site and dictionary site below, we now have an abbreviation masquerading as a fully inflected transitive verb: I.D'd. Very interesting!

(You do have to play the news clip to see the verb scroll past in the ticker.)


Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.

Fun with Maps and Words

Where is your geological dialect? Click through to take the Quiz!

Fun with Words: Hoarding!

Fun with Words: Phonetic Puns!

How can my linguini heart not love these? Puns and phonetics!



But wait! there's more, and more, and more!

Fun with Words: Oh beautiful words!

Fun with Words: Praxis

Got very busy with the end of my first internship and studying for (and passing!) my Praxis Exam for Speech-Language Pathology. That's the reason for no other July or August posts. Lots of professions take a nationally administered Praxis exam, to see if students gained more than just theory and book knowledge during their grueling undergrad or graduate years. Apparently I did. Now the real test: my second internship in an elementary school, starting in September!

Fun with Words: Overcoming a Bully

Brilliant teenager!

Fun with Maps: Mindmaps

During the long, drawn out phase of applying to graduate school, I read articles on mind map software for my iPad, and this is the one I test drove with the most personal success and fit. I still like it a lot, but for most of my academic projects, I find keeping a calendar and then using regular pen and paper to map out thoughts for written papers actually makes me more productive. What are your thoughts on mind mapping tools?

Fun with Words: Proverbs

Don't we just love it when kids speak originally. Sometimes the more literal take on things is utterly refreshing. Click through to this lovely homework sample of a new twist on proverbs:

Maps: Wages

For graduate school I'm in a one-bedroom apartment. As I gradually acquire thrift store finds related to SLP life and life in the USA, I must repeatedly purge, shuffling items back to Salvation Army and Goodwill. Otherwise I'd bust out of these wooden seams. Not to say that's not a good habit! But sometimes I dream that my future SLP salary will allow me a bit more home space. Have a look at some interesting statistics on the cost of two-bedroom apartments across the nation.

Fun with Words: Atoms!

Since I am taking a Physics course to make up for not having done so in undergrad, this sweet pun caught my eye!

Fun with Maps: Internship

So I started my first SLP internship this week. Found this nice little 'map' and a brief article on three simple tips for employers of interns. I received the first of these on day one, will be regularly asking for the third, and found out the second one is in the files but outdated. Good to know these tips to know what to look for and ask for!

Fun with Words: Tools

Maps: Are you Safe?

This map site allows those in Bangladesh to let their friends and loved ones know how they made it through the recent cyclone. It's a quick way to get the word out. Share it to those you know who live and work where Cyclone Roanu just visited.

Fun with Words: Hair Color!

Check out this amazing etymological summary about the words 'red' and 'hair' at Grammar Girl. I re-post this in honor of my one sister of seven siblings who inherited grandma's red hair.

Oh, and by the way. You might find this tip useful. Whenever I want to find out easily what Grammar Girl advises on a tricky grammar item, I just google, for example, "grammar girl hyphens". Because Grammar Girl is housed on another site with lots of other non-grammarly tips, googling this way returns a link at the top of the search results that takes me straight to the right page.

You're welcome!

Fun with Maps: Middle Earth

Like Tolkien, as a kid I also messed around with hand-drawn maps and imaginary people living and running around on them, although not to the extent he did! Remembering this, however, prompted a google search for "JRR Tolkien Map" and I came across this interactive beauty to share with you.

Maps Not so Fun: Dioxane Plume

Thanks to social media, I have now been enlightened about a potential drinking water contamination in nearby Ann Arbor.

Find the relevant Facebook page here and the relevant website here.

Fun with Maps and Words: Wedding Map Art

May seems to be wedding month among my friends, so curiosity spurred my googling for wedding map art. Bypassing several offerings of more than one or two hundred dollars, I found this sweet, up-to-date, techie, and very affordable find on Etsy. I'm not ordering it mind you, I just wanted to see what was out there that fit all those cool adjectives!

You can find it in this Etsy shop:

Fun with Words: Apraxia

For those whose words, due to speech muscle motor planning issues, fill up their minds but don't get spoken: Apraxia Awareness Day is May 14.

Some other informative links you can check out:
Apraxia Kids
The Apraxia Connection
What is Apraxia?

Fun with Words: Quote

Fun with Maps: How far to walk it?

Fun with Words: Write

Fun with Maps: Crime!

Fun with Words: Getting started!

For sure just getting started on writing is the first big accompishment. Bring on the brownies!

Fun with Maps: USA

All kinds of maps of the US, but especially census maps!

Fun with Words: Chewy

Pretty appropriate for just a few days after "May the Fourth be With You"!

Fun with Words and Maps!

Fun with Words: Star Wars!

Fun with Maps: Chicken!

Fun with Words: Advertising

Fun with Words: Pronunciation

Fun with Words: Puns

Fun with Maps: Migration

Where did everyone in your state come from? Click here to see an article and map.

Fun with Words: Animal Therapy

Click here to see the whole cartoon.

Maps: Winter 2015-2016

Fun with Words: Gift of Power

Fun with Maps: Bangladesh

Fun with Words: Shakespeare

Fun with Words: Bookworm

Maps: Domestic Violence

As the original poster at Grammarly said: Oh English you Scoundrel!

Fun with Maps: Travel

How to see everything cool in the USA in one continuous road trip:

Fun with Words: Math

Only people who love words as much as I do would be so in love with this T-shirt:

Fun with Maps: State Languages

Click here for a view of "the most commonly spoken language other than English or Spanish in each state".

Fun with Words: Dyslexia Font

Fun with Maps: Fiction!

And I've heard of a bit over half of them. How about you?

Maps: Floods

Fun with Wordlessness

Post-it notes are usually used for words. But this time, for super fun office wallpaper!

Fun with Maps: American Duck

The first in a possible series of animalistic maps.

Fun with Words: Sign Language

Fun with Maps: Bangladesh

Ever tried to get a grasp on the size of Bangladesh? Keep in mind, it's population is pretty near half of the USA's.

Fun with Words: Scrabble? Not!

Find out why by clicking here.

Fun with Maps: Australia

Time to compare sizes: Australia with a few others in the world.

Fun with Words: Just laugh

A new kind of sentence diagramming?

Fun with Maps: Wind

Fun with Words: Medical Alphabet

Fun with Words. Or rather...bad penmanship!

Fun with Maps: Coffee in NYC

Fun with Words: Bilingualism

Fun with Words...and Bilingualism....or (if you read some of the commenters' perspectives) with Multiculturalism and Language Expression - find the article here.

Fun with Maps: Population

Fun with Words: Metacognition

Interesting article! Friends who are parents please weigh in - would love to hear your thoughts...click here to read.

Fun with Maps: Alphabets

Fun with Words: Accents

Fun with Maps: Dialects

Click on the embedded post below and take a quiz to see your own dialect map!

Fun with Words: Series and Commas

Fun with Maps: American Culture

Fun with Words: Pooh

Fun with Maps: Race

Check out your neighborhood! Click here to visit this population map and then zoom to your country.

Fun with Words: Emojis

Maps: Women

How is it for women around the world?

Fun with Words: Michigan

Fun with Words. Oh, no! I just found out I'm a troll!!! Listen after clicking here.

Fun with Maps: Africa

Fun with Words: English

Fun with Maps: Alaska!

Fun with Words: Libraries

Fun with Maps: America from Australia

Fun with Words: Plural

Fun with Words: Mugged

Fun with Words: Logos

Fun with Maps: 40 of them!

Words and Maps Come Home

In another era I could have been a cartographer. In this era I have been a linguist. Over the past few years I've indulged my taste for these two fields by sharing numerous fun posts related to words or maps to my Facebook timeline. The problem is, they all fall off the bottom of the page. So I decided to collect them here, two interests in one blog.

A little "how-to" interlude. To find all those posts I went to my FB activity log, tediously scrolled down all the months, and copied the link to every Fun with Words or Maps item I've ever shared. Then I set up in Blogger and used this tip to learn how to embed them here. Oh, and in between I also googled library and map images, found two that were copyright free, and used Photoshop Elements to mash up a filtered, color-tweaked image for the blog background.

Today starts the transfer of all those lovely nerdy 'shares' to this new home, where, alongside future wordy-mappy finds, they will live happily ever after. With you!