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shalannaIt's officially November! Time to start working on my NaNoVel. I was up listening to my mother doing her nebulizer and coughing anyway *sigh*, so I figured, why not come in here and open a Word document for the new novel?
I have the plot summary and a few ideas. Not that it'll be anything different from all my other books, but oh well. Here goes.
# # #
While we're at it: Useful Stuffs to Knowz Dept.
Oft-Confused Words--er, the WORDS themselves aren't confused, just their users
SHOULD IT BE: perspective (a way of regarding things)
Try to see things from my perspective.
OR SHOULD IT BE: prospective (expected in the future)
A pregnant woman is a prospective mother. The interviewer is your prospective employer.
SHOULD IT BE: compliment (to express admiration for)
I received several compliments on my new puce frammis.
OR SHOULD IT BE: complement (to improve or complete something else)
Chocolate complements every dish. Your friendly demeanor complements your sales skills.
SHOULD IT BE: preceded (came before)
February preceded March. Oh, by all means, precede us: Age before beauty; pearls before swine. (ha ha)
OR SHOULD IT BE: proceeded (carried on or continued)
The marathon proceeded despite the rain. The work proceeded because you fixed the glibberglabber when it ran out of zopkif.
SHOULD IT BE: diffused (spread out)
The lampshade diffused the light.
OR SHOULD IT BE: defused (literally, removed the fuse from)
The bomb squad defused the boom-thingie just in time. Jethro's diplomatic skills defused a tense situation.
SHOULD IT BE: manger (a container for animal feed or the building containing animals at night)
To feed the horses, fill the manger with straw.
OR SHOULD IT BE: manager (one who manages)
To get a raise, amaze your manager with competence.
SHOULD IT BE: lead (a soft, heavy, toxic metal)
The lead apron protected me during the x-ray.
OR SHOULD IT BE: led (provided leadership)
Maybe you've been led to believe the other way is right, but it's not. He led me on!
SHOULD IT BE: peaked (rose to the summit)
My energy level peaked at 7:30, and I was sound asleep by 8:00.
OR SHOULD IT BE: piqued (provoked or aroused)
The strange noises downstairs piqued my curiosity. The job description piqued my interest.
OR SHOULD IT BE: peeked (took a quick look at)
We peeked inside the envelope, but couldn't read the signature.
SHOULD IT BE: trooper (soldier or police officer)
That idiotic state trooper gave me a speeding ticket.
OR SHOULD IT BE: trouper (one who persists without complaint, especially a member of a dramatics group or other performing artists clan)
The troupe's motto is "The show must go on," and the actress was a real trouper to work with a broken arm.
SHOULD IT BE: Pubic (a bodily region)
Pubic places are generally kept private.
OR SHOULD IT BE: Public (the opposite of private, or people in general)
Public places generally welcome the public.
SHOULD IT BE: stationary (not moving)
Your career vehicle will remain stationary if you leave lots of typos in your resume.
OR SHOULD IT BE: stationery (writing paper)
If you like to sell office supplies and stationery, you should become a stationer.
SHOULD IT BE: dispersed (spread out, scattered)
The crowd dispersed. Joe's family members dispersed to points across the country.
OR SHOULD IT BE: disbursed (paid out)
The treasurer disbursed the funds.
# # #
One anagram of “Barack Obama” is “Maraca Kabob.”
One anagram of "Ronald Reagan" is "a granola nerd."
One anagram of "Britney Spears" is "nearby priests."
I have the plot summary and a few ideas. Not that it'll be anything different from all my other books, but oh well. Here goes.
While we're at it: Useful Stuffs to Knowz Dept.
Oft-Confused Words--er, the WORDS themselves aren't confused, just their users
SHOULD IT BE: perspective (a way of regarding things)
Try to see things from my perspective.
OR SHOULD IT BE: prospective (expected in the future)
A pregnant woman is a prospective mother. The interviewer is your prospective employer.
SHOULD IT BE: compliment (to express admiration for)
I received several compliments on my new puce frammis.
OR SHOULD IT BE: complement (to improve or complete something else)
Chocolate complements every dish. Your friendly demeanor complements your sales skills.
SHOULD IT BE: preceded (came before)
February preceded March. Oh, by all means, precede us: Age before beauty; pearls before swine. (ha ha)
OR SHOULD IT BE: proceeded (carried on or continued)
The marathon proceeded despite the rain. The work proceeded because you fixed the glibberglabber when it ran out of zopkif.
SHOULD IT BE: diffused (spread out)
The lampshade diffused the light.
OR SHOULD IT BE: defused (literally, removed the fuse from)
The bomb squad defused the boom-thingie just in time. Jethro's diplomatic skills defused a tense situation.
SHOULD IT BE: manger (a container for animal feed or the building containing animals at night)
To feed the horses, fill the manger with straw.
OR SHOULD IT BE: manager (one who manages)
To get a raise, amaze your manager with competence.
SHOULD IT BE: lead (a soft, heavy, toxic metal)
The lead apron protected me during the x-ray.
OR SHOULD IT BE: led (provided leadership)
Maybe you've been led to believe the other way is right, but it's not. He led me on!
SHOULD IT BE: peaked (rose to the summit)
My energy level peaked at 7:30, and I was sound asleep by 8:00.
OR SHOULD IT BE: piqued (provoked or aroused)
The strange noises downstairs piqued my curiosity. The job description piqued my interest.
OR SHOULD IT BE: peeked (took a quick look at)
We peeked inside the envelope, but couldn't read the signature.
SHOULD IT BE: trooper (soldier or police officer)
That idiotic state trooper gave me a speeding ticket.
OR SHOULD IT BE: trouper (one who persists without complaint, especially a member of a dramatics group or other performing artists clan)
The troupe's motto is "The show must go on," and the actress was a real trouper to work with a broken arm.
SHOULD IT BE: Pubic (a bodily region)
Pubic places are generally kept private.
OR SHOULD IT BE: Public (the opposite of private, or people in general)
Public places generally welcome the public.
SHOULD IT BE: stationary (not moving)
Your career vehicle will remain stationary if you leave lots of typos in your resume.
OR SHOULD IT BE: stationery (writing paper)
If you like to sell office supplies and stationery, you should become a stationer.
SHOULD IT BE: dispersed (spread out, scattered)
The crowd dispersed. Joe's family members dispersed to points across the country.
OR SHOULD IT BE: disbursed (paid out)
The treasurer disbursed the funds.
One anagram of “Barack Obama” is “Maraca Kabob.”
One anagram of "Ronald Reagan" is "a granola nerd."
One anagram of "Britney Spears" is "nearby priests."
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 02:47 pm (UTC)It took about eight comments to explain the joke to her. I don't think she knew there were two words.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 02:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 02:58 pm (UTC)Walking toward the town's library, I noticed that our teenage vandal population, or a segment thereof, had done some creative redecorating outside: the word PUBLIC, in "HENDERSON PUBLIC LIBRARY," no longer had an "L" in it.
The librarian back then was a sweet, soft-spoken British lady (you may recall her from the 1946 film, "I Was an English War Bride, but I Never Expected Henderson") named Joan. I asked her if she knew about the atrocity committed on the sign.
"Yes, dearie," she sighed, keeping a resolute smile in place with a dab of Krazy Glue, which had just come on the market. In her whispery, musical British voice she said, "It has been reported and the repairs will be made in no time."
No time, in that case, proved to be almost three months.
The incident did give me a new appreciation of the Henderson school system. The louts who knocked the "L" out of the sign might have been a crowd of ignorant miscreants, but somewhere along the way they'd learned that "public" and "pubic" had very different meanings and changing the former to the latter created a nicely scandalized reaction, citywide.
Mem'ries, from the cobwebs of my mind . . . .
no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 10:26 pm (UTC)More oft-confused words: discreet/discrete, principle/principal, funny/Rob Schneider. No, I'm sorry, reasonable people don't have problems with that last one.;-)