Who Knew the Dictionary Was So Much Fun?

I will be the first to admit that I am a horrid speller.  Over the years, the various forms of AutoCorrect have made it even worse.  They offer up the correct spelling, I recognize it as being correct, select it, and move on without taking the time to learn the proper spelling.

The word “necessary” is the one exception.  For some reason I’m so off base that it doesn’t even suggest any sort of replacement.  I suspect at that point my computer is rolling its eyes at me in disgust.  “Really, Boyd?  How many times have we done this word?” 

By now it has become some sort of permanent mental block.  It certainly isn’t a challenging word, but I never get it correct the first five times out of the gate.

There are occasions where I’ll use some form of a dictionary to verify my spelling or make certain I’m using the word correctly.  I mean…it’s a dictionary.  That grand tome of knowledge we’ve been directed to since we were children.  It could be that cumbersome and heavy hardcover version in the bowels of the library or any number of online versions – they’re all the same, right?

It wasn’t until this past election cycle that I began dive into what makes up the contents of a dictionary.  On any given day up until November 8^th of last year, my Facebook feed was flooded with “news” regarding nearly every candidate and political party in the general election.  I like to think of myself as discerning and verified the source of each of the stories.  More often than not, they were fake.  Still, they would be shared and re-shared to such a degree they would feel real.

Along the same lines, maybe I want to use the word ‘tacitly’ in a project I’ve been working on.  A quick search in Google brings up 516,000 results and they kick off with…

…but where is it getting that information?  Who decided that was accurate?  I had a general idea of what the word meant and how I wished to use it.  This seemed to confirm my thinking.  But what if it had been a completely new word to me?  I would have searched, seen that definition, and been off and running whether it had been entirely correct or not.  Not terribly different from those who buy into the fake news rolling by on Facebook.

So who decides on the content and are there cases where they don’t agree?  Absolutely.  Back in the early 1960s, Webster’s Third was published.  The edition raised eyebrows because of liberties it took in definitions and included words.  James Parton, who at the time was a co-owner of American Heritage magazine, even attempted to purchase the G. and C. Merriam Company (publisher of Webster’s Third) so he could undo their changes and revert everything back to what had been a standard up to that point.  When that failed, he had American Heritage Dictionary published.  Part of that process included the creation of a Usage Panel – a panel that lives on to this day and features writers, speakers, humorists, editors, and up until his death last year, even a Supreme Court Justice.

You can find the complete list of current Usage Panel members here.

The more research I have done, the more fascinated I have become.  Part of being an excellent craftsman is understanding your tools.  As a writer, words are my tools.  I appreciate them more now than ever before.

What are your thoughts on spelling, dictionaries, or the Usage Panel?  Let me know in the comments section below.

Keeping it Fresh as a New Fallen Snow

Like some of the plot ideas in my head, the snow arrived early yesterday morning and was gone by the afternoon.

 The picture on the left was 9:00am.  The one on the right 12:00pm.

As a writer of Christmas mysteries, I always find the snow energizing.  I was able to get out with Mr. E (who was sporting his favorite scarf) for a bit before it melted and it was beautiful.

Mr. E

The snow was exactly the same as in my first novel The Stockings Were Hung.  Enough to whiten things up, not enough for everyone to be stranded in the town.  I had a list of items…heck, we’ll call them what they are – clichés – that I didn’t want to appear in the novel.  One of the first on that list was a major snowstorm that traps everyone together.  You know the one…all the trains are blocked!  The roads impassable!!!  

*yawn*

The challenge in writing is keeping it fresh.  At their basic core, many stories are the same.  There is a protagonist, an antagonist, protagonist wants something, fights with antagonist on a journey to get it, and depending on the genre the protagonist will normally win and grow on a personal level along the way.  My default example of this is any given episode of I Love Lucy.  Lucy tries to get into the show, Ricky says no, Lucy schemes to get in, and eventually finds a way – even though she normally ends up ruining it some comical way.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

The show ran for several seasons on CBS and airs in reruns today, BUT you can tell while watching which the earlier episodes are and which aired in later seasons.  Near the end, the show became almost a cliché of itself.  You can spot the set-up and the punchlines to the jokes before they are said.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s a phenomenal show.  Still, as it rolled along it lost the fresh writing that set it apart when the series began.

THAT is one of the most challenging aspects of being a writer.  Walk into the closest Barnes and Noble and the shelves are overflowing with books.  While yours may be a new entry, to some it may come across as that seventh season of I Love Lucy.

As you are write, find the way to make yours feel fresh.

What clichés annoy you the most?  How do you avoid using them in your own work?  Let me know in the comments section down below.

Springing Ahead to Creativity

We spring forward and set the clocks ahead this weekend.  With it will come a wave of people lamenting the loss of something – usually an hour of sleep.  

While certainly not a life changing event, it always brings with it a bit of excitement for me.  What am I looking forward to most?  Being able to take Mr. E for a full length walk after work each night.  This comes to an abrupt end in November when the clocks go the other way.  By the time I get home, darkness has set in, and doing a long outing becomes reserved for weekends only.

Our route varies, but the duration is at least sixty minutes.  I say it’s an opportunity for him to get out and explore, but it’s as much for me as it is him.  The scenery is visually stunning, but not in the grand way of the Swiss Alps or a sandy beach of Honolulu.  It’s far more…simple.

I spend the bulk of my day working on a laptop and phone where I'm lost in a sea of projects and E-mails.  This is a welcome opportunity to ditch technology and get lost in my thoughts instead.

A number of different story prompts have occurred while we’ve been out and about.  Nature itself is always a great inspiration, but so are the way people and things interact with it.

When the river is low, you can get down to banks and walk along the shore line.  When it rises, the current is so incredibly strong you can watch entire trees get carried by.  I love that contrast.

If we're lucky, the snow will stick around for a day at least once a year.  THAT is my favorite time to be out. When the snow absorbs nearly every sound and the woods are near complete silence.

Definitely the road less traveled.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures out on the trail during Autumn.  You can almost smell the leaves.

Mr. E sporting his stylish scarf.

For me, I don’t see it as losing an hour at all.  I’m gaining some quality time with Mr. E and springing ahead to creativity!

Are you looking forward to some extra daylight in the evenings?  Let me know in the comments section down below.