Punctuality Rules!

Moral Lesson Part 2

Remember a couple weeks ago, when I told you about a duplicate order I had received in the mail? And used it as a springboard to discuss manners and the benefits of doing the Right Thing? Remember how I emailed them to let them know, and was irritated that they…

Let the Yeast Do the Work

Writing is like bread baking. No, really! Let me explain. You start with the basics. Yeast: The initial idea. The spark that’s going to make your writing grow into a loaf of bread. (Well, you know what I mean.) Flour: This is the substance, the main argument. Really, without the…

Loot and Plunder

Do you burn your bridges? James over at Men with Pens asked an interesting question today. He described a situation where he was exchanging emails with a potential client, discussing possible permutations of what they needed, how much work was involved, the amount of time it would take. All the…

Pulse Warmers

Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the most difference. I was thinking about this the other day when I was sitting in my office, shivering in the draft coming from the door. I was wearing warm pants, wool socks, and a handknit sweater (made by yours truly) … but…

Curse-Breaking

You also know, of course, that as of tomorrow, we’ve got a new President here in the U.S. of A. (You may have heard?) I’m planning on taking an early, long lunch tomorrow so that I can actually watch the swearing in at noon … and see the Inaugural Address…

No, No, After You!

When I was little, my sister and I had a children’s book that had a picture of two men bowing to each other and saying, “After you.” “No, after you.” “No, after you.” While, all the time, in the margins, their beards were getting longer and longer. Because, of course,…

Social(izing) Media

Ah, Social Media. It’s everybody’s favorite, new buzzword. Really, though, it’s not exactly new. People have been interacting on the internet almost since its conception. (In fact, for all I know, the first transmitted item may well have been a message as simple as “Hi, How are you? LOL,” although…

Blogapalooza

I made it onto Robert Hruzek’s Blogapalooza, and you can, too! He has a self-imposed goal of 100 bloggers, and he only made it up to 92 and he wants more … and is asking everyone on the list to send him at least one more person. So, here’s your…

Moral Lesson

These boxes look remarkably alike, don’t they? That’s because they ARE! I went to Bath and Body Works on Saturday so that I could get some of my favorite body wash, but … I wandered all over the store, and they didn’t have it. Grr. Particularly frustrating, you know, because…

Good Company

Before I forget, I need to point you in the direction of a few very good posts with links to even more excellent reading. Joanna at Confident Writing: Simply the Best Posts of 2008 Melissa at Writing Forward: Creative Writing Tips from around the Blogosphere John at Pro Writing Tips:…

Shiny New

So, now that the year is all new and shiny, what are you doing? This isn’t going to be one of those “New Year’s Resolutions” lists. I figure you pretty much know the things you should be doing–exercising more, eating better, following up on leads, spending more time with the…