Epistolary Novels, Finding Your Theme, and the Science of Good Writing

Can letter writing teach you how to write a novel? Can your socks help you identify a theme? What do neuroscientists have to say about writing? Find the answers by checking out these links to our favorite stories from around the web this week. Have something you’d like to see us cover here? Let us know in the comment section!

Our Favorite Stories:

1. Why Writing a Book Through Letters Is Beautiful and Wild (The Guardian)
2. Theme and the Power of Socks (The Writer)
3. 6 Scientific Tips to Improve Your Writing (Futurity)

Staff Book Picks of the Week:

The Marvels (Fiction) Brian Selznick

“Filled with mystery, vibrant characters, surprise twists, and heartrending beauty, and featuring Selznick’s most arresting art to date, The Marvels is a moving tribute to the power of story.”

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (Nonfiction) Elizabeth Gilbert

“Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.”

Author & Illustrator Birthdays

George R. R. Martin — September 20, 1948

Stephen King — September 21, 1947

F. Scott Fitzgerald — September 24, 1896

Shel Silverstein — September 25, 1930

Andrea Davis Pinkney — September 25, 1963

 

5 Reasons to Have Someone Else Proof Your Resume

Guest Post from Brie Weiler Reynolds

It’s tempting, especially for those in writing professions, to assume you can proofread your own resume just as well as anyone else. After all, you know your work history, the message you’re trying to convey to employers, and how you want to convey yourself, right? There are, however, some very good reasons to have someone else proof your resume.

5) You may be too industry-centric. If your job is technical or includes lots of jargon, your resume may not make sense to general recruiters or human resource professionals who are often first-in-line to screen resumes before hiring managers will see them. Ask someone outside of your profession to read your resume and point out anything that they don’t understand. This may include abbreviations, certifications, or industry-speak.

4) You’re burying the lead. As the amazing professional you are, you probably think everything on your resume is very important, but few employers will see it this way. They expect the most important information to be at the top, just like in a news article. A Summary of Qualifications is where you should be writing your resume as an answer to the job description. Another set of eyes can help you pinpoint what’s important in that top area, and what can be shifted downward or removed.

3) Form is just as important as function. You may have a very well-written resume, but if it doesn’t look nice, you’ll lose valuable points with employers. Ask your more organized friends to help you clean up your resume. Remove unnecessary formatting, reorder information so it flows better, leave lots of white space, and wow employers with your easy-to-read, impressively simple document.

2) You just don’t know what else to cut. You may have a hard time keeping your resume to one page, and two pages can be acceptable provided all of the information is highly-relevant to the specific job for which you’re applying. But if you need to cut your resume to one page, yet you can’t choose anything to get rid of, a friend with a critical eye will help you separate the wheat from the chaff, concentrating the best parts of your resume onto one page.

1) You’ll never catch everything. It never fails–you’ve read your resume hundreds of times, but there’s always that one tiny, or sometimes not-so-tiny, mistake that falls into your blind spot. Other proofreaders will catch that one mistake you’re overlooking, saving you from countless employment rejections.

Having someone else (or many someones) proofread your resume is a valuable exercise for any professional. Make a list of your friends, family, and colleagues who can be counted on to be honest with you, and who have an excellent eye for detail and design. As with most parts of the job search, this important step is all about who you know.

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Brie Weiler Reynolds is the Director of Online Content at FlexJobs, the award-winning site for telecommuting and flexible job listings. FlexJobs lists thousands of pre-screened, legitimate, and professional-level work-from-home jobs and other types of flexibility like part-time positions, freelancing, and flexible schedules. Brie provides career and job search advice through the FlexJobs Blog and social media. Learn more at www.FlexJobs.com.

Meet the Dictionary’s New Words

From Merriam-Webster’s Peter Sokolowski, here’s the full list of words

(we added a few notations about why certain words were added, via the m-w.com press release):

aha moment n (1939) : a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension [Oprah Winfrey’s signature phrase]

brain cramp n (1982) : an instance of temporary mental confusion resulting in an error or lapse of judgment

bucket list n (2006) : a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying [popularized by the movie title]

cloud computing n (2006) : the practice of storing regularly used computer data on multiple servers that can be accessed through the Internet [technology]

copernicium n (2009) : a short-lived artificially produced radioactive element that has 112 protons

craft beer n (1986) : a specialty beer produced in limited quantities : microbrew

earworm n (1802) 1 : corn earworm 2 : a song or melody that keeps repeating in one’s mind [“this summer’s example being the inescapable Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.”]

energy drink n (1904) : a usually carbonated beverage that typically contains caffeine and other ingredients (as taurine and ginseng) intended to increase the drinker’s energy

e-reader n (1999) : a handheld electronic device designed to be used for reading e-books and similar material

f-bomb n (1988) : the word fuck — used metaphorically as a euphemism

flexitarian n (1998) : one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish

game changer n (1993) : a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way

gassed adj (1919) … 2 slang : drained of energy : spent, exhausted

gastropub n (1996) : a pub, bar, or tavern that also offers meals of high quality

geocaching n (2000) : a game in which players are given the geographical coordinates of a cache of items which they search for with a GPS device

life coach n (1986) :  an advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with problems

man cave n (1992) : a room or space (as in a basement) designed according to the taste of the man of the house to be used as his personal area for hobbies and leisure activities

mash-up n (1859) : something created by combining elements from two or more sources: as a : a piece of music created by digitally overlaying an instrumental track with a vocal track from a different recording  b : a movie or video having characters or situations from other sources  c : a Web service or application that integrates data and functionalities from various online sources [“Whether it’s a politician contradicting him or herself with excerpts from different speeches shown in quick succession or Danger Mouse’s Grey Album, mixing Jay-Z with the Beatles, we’ve come to expect combined and rearranged elements that bring new perspectives and new creativity to our culture with mash-ups,” says editor Sokolowski. “It’s a recent phenomenon, made possible with digital editing, and it has a fun and descriptive name.”]

obesogenic adj (1986) :  promoting excessive weight gain :  producing obesity

sexting n (2007) : the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone

shovel-ready adj (1998) of a construction project or site : ready for the start of work

systemic risk n (1982) : the risk that the failure of one financial institution (as a bank) could cause other interconnected institutions to fail and harm the economy as a whole [the global financial crisis]

tipping point n (1959) : the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place

¹toxic adj  (1664) … 4 : relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market

underwater adj (1672) … 3 : having, relating to, or being a mortgage loan for which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth

Read more: Meet the Dictionary’s New Words

5 More Endangered Words

New words come into use, old words slowly fade away. It’s a natural, all-too-familiar cycle. We’ve already covered words that may be headed toward extinction. Here are five more words in various stages of endangerment. But, who knows? Maybe some of them can still be saved—but should we save all of them?

Tag isn’t a word that’ll disappear anytime soon, as long as things still cost money and come with price tags. But in the United States, and in the state of Virginia especially, tag is a slang term for a pine needle. According to the Dictionary of American Regional English, this meaning of tag might soon disappear, and it’s one of the fifty regional slang words they’ve included in their endangered words list. If more people using a word means the word is less likely to die out, tag and other dialectical words might need to go mainstream in order to survive.

While we’re on the subject of dialects, when whole dialects die out, they take plenty of words and expressions with them. Young people in the United Kingdom are not particularly interested in Cockney rhyming slang, so it’s foreseeable that in the future, phrases like apples and pears, meaning “stairs,” or china plate, meaning “mate,” might not be heard, except in old TV shows.

Often enough, we see a word disappear because the thing it was used for no longer exists. That’s what happened with drysalter. Drysalters were people who sold chemicals, and things like glue and paint. This profession existed up to the early twentieth century, but in 2011, Collins Dictionary decided that the word is so far gone it should be removed from their dictionaries.

Marvellous is having a hard time in the UK. According to a study performed by Lancaster University and Cambridge University Press, the word appeared in spoken English 155 times per million words just twenty years ago. Now, it’s down to two appearances per million words. The culprit seems to be the Brits’ willingness to adopt synonyms commonly used in American English. In this case, it’s awesome that’s taking the place of marvellous.

Some words fade from everyday language because of changing societal attitudes. Macalester College’s More Than Words Campaign aims to eradicate the use of certain words in an offensive context, including spaz. In the US, this word is fairly benign—it simply means “klutz.” But in the UK, it is a deeply offensive insult toward people with disabilities. So, maybe this is one that we should let go of.

What do you think? Should we keep marvelous, tag, and drysalter alive?

A Parallel Love Letter to Grammar

In honor of National Poetry Month, writer Antonella Gazzardi has contributed a poem about grammar for your reading pleasure!

Every weekday in April, we will be sharing a poem, an excerpt of poetry, or a feature on a poet. Our celebration will feature poetry from every era, and we ask our friends to join us throughout the month by sharing their favorite poetry under the tag #PoetryMonth.

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I was asked to write creatively about grammar.

As a gift to myself. To my passion. To my writing.

I was asked to write and give my creation

To my friend. To my mentor. To my inspiration.

I started an ode – got two words down.

I started an essay – got four words down.

I stared at the wall – got zero down.

I started free-writing – I got this down.

So let me just talk to you, grammar.

Let me just confess to you, dearest.

Last spring you reminded me how much I love you

When I tutored my first class and its little chickens

You worked hard to torture

Because you are a sadist

But I love you anyway.

This fall you made me realize I can’t live without you

While I tutored my last class and its little chickens

You insisted to torture

Because you insist on being a sadist

But I insist on loving you anyway.

I adore every single one of your limbs

Your phonology, your morphology, your sexy syntax.

I adore the complex workings of your brain

Phrases and clauses, adjectives and adverbs

Participles and gerunds.

Simple sentences

Compound sentences

Complex sentences

You are an absolute in my life!

With your bashful tiny commas

Your imperative exclamation points

Your uncertain questions marks

Your emphatic little dashes.

I so appreciated your gift of a wooden chair

Of an oak table

Of pen and paper

Of a role

That called me so loud

A role

That made me so proud

So I decided to marry you – would you marry me, grammar?

And then we’ll move to Tampa

To be absolutely happily ever after.

The end?

The beginning.

by Antonella Gazzardi

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About the Author

Antonella Gazzardi is from Italy, has been living in Orlando, FL since 2005, and is a graduate student in Applied Linguistics: ESL at the University of South Florida, Tampa. She has recently transferred there from a Master of Liberal Studies program at Rollins College, Winter Park, where she worked as a writing consultant and grammar tutor for two years, and where she interned as teaching assistant in Editing Essentials, core course on grammar and style in the English major, in the fall of 2014. In 2012, she worked as a freelance writer on Italian culture for Examiner.com.

Confusing Words: Versus vs. Verses

Versus:

meaning against (especially in sports and legal use); as opposed to, in contrast to. (Often abbreviated as vs.) For example:

The rivalry of the Green Monkeys versus the Blue Barracudas has raged for years.

I’m weighing the pros and cons of the white-and-gold dress versus the blue-and-black dress.

Verses:

meaning a kind of writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme; small sections of the Jewish or Christian Bible; several similar units of a song. For example:

Due to her writer’s block, the poet could only complete a few verses each day.

John 3:16 is one of the most well-known verses in the Bible.

I like this song, but the verses are hard to remember.

For explanations of other confusing word pairs read this blog post about the difference between then and than.

Spelled or Spelt?

The verb spell commonly means to write or name the letters making up a word in the right order. Spell is a verb with irregular and regular forms. Spelled and spelt are both common forms of the past tense and the past participle of spell, though with geographical differences.

Learn more about the details of this difference, as well as additional uses for spelt, below.

Spelled or Spelt—Which Is Correct?

An obvious place to start is the dictionary. You will find a few definitions for the verb spell. It can mean “to signify” or “to explain explicitly.” The definition in question is the one that deals with naming, writing, or signing the letters of a word in order. Searching spelled and spelt will yield invaluable information: both of these variants are used as the past tense of the verb to spell. Is this one of those British English versus American English spelling differences?

It’s true; the American English past tense form is spelled. In other varieties of English, both spelled and spelt are common. So, if you’re in the United States, you would probably write it like this:

The past tense of the verb “spell” can be spelled in two ways.

If you’re anywhere else, you might also write it like that, but you can also do it like this:

The past tense of the verb “spell” can be spelt in two ways.

Spelled in Phrases

Where you live dictates which form you use for the past tense of the verb spell. But remember, spell has other definitions besides the most common one, and it’s frequently used idiomatically to say that something “spells doom,” “spells trouble,” or “spells ruin.” It’s not the happiest bunch of expressions, but they can be useful. When it comes to using them, spelled may be the preferred choice throughout the world.

Similarly, spelt can be used in different ways. Namely, spelt is a particular kind of hulled wheat.

Spelled and Spelt—Examples

Considering local custom when choosing spelled or spelt can help you to get your point across without unnecessary distraction. In the United States, stick with spelled. Elsewhere, spelt is an acceptable option. Here are some examples from publications from different English-speaking countries:

Spare a thought for Katerina Johnson-Thompson, who when competing at the highest level of her respected field found her name spelt wrong on her official Rio 2016 racing bib.

—The Independent

The US sub-prime mortgage crisis that spelled ruin for thousands and left many homeless is not exactly a catchy subject for a Hollywood movie.

—The Daily Mail

The other remarkable aspect of Cotter’s life was his friendship with an aboriginal leader named Onyong, spelt in various ways.

—The Sydney Morning Herald

The “FeeJee Mermaid” (sometimes it’s spelled “Fiji Mermaid”), an amalgam of papier-mâché, fish and possibly monkey parts, and wood, is one of many artifacts…

—The Boston Globe

The title of Frank Ocean’s excellent and bizarre new release is spelled different ways in different official locations.

—The Atlantic