What childhood adage or diddy do you remember?

As I pumped gas into my car this morning, I glanced down and noticed a penny lying on the ground. The first thought that ran through my mind was a childhood adage.

Do you remember "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck"? Do you pick it up?

Do you ever take an evening stroll and find yourself avoiding cracks in the sidewalk? Is it because of the phrase "Step on a crack, break your mother's back"?

What other childhood sayings do you remember? Which ones do you swear are true?

What word or words best describe you?

When I was a kid, one word best described me – SHY. Here is where most people who know me now give a choked laugh. Yes, I was one of those kids who wouldn’t shake the preacher’s hand after church, who wouldn’t pay for her own apple pie at McDonald’s, and who would rather squeeze her legs shut and pray that she could hold the gallon of water she just drank than ask a salesperson where the ladies’ room was located.

Today, the last word anyone would ever use to describe me is shy, even though I really am.

One word that has always stuck with me, even from childhood is INDEPENDENT. My parents taught me that if I wanted something or needed something done to not wait around for others, do it yourself. Here I am at the wise age of never you mind, and I am still independent. Perfect example is that while I could have hired someone to paint the interior of my house and it would have been done a lot sooner, I am just as capable and could get the satisfaction of saying, “I did it.” Every day I wake up and see my Caliente Red dining room walls and I smile because I painted those four coats, painted the bright white baseboards, arches, and crown molding, and even caulked afterwards.

Starting a few years back, I heard the words ENIGMA, PARADOX, RENAISSANCE WOMAN as the prevalent descriptors for my personality and me. I’ll be honest, I looked at these people with my brows furrowed in complete disbelief and thought, “Are you kidding me?” These are people I know well and they think I’m a mystery, a contradiction, and a woman with a wide-ranging intellect. It’s funny, but I hear these three words even more often today.

While I still believe “what you see is what you get” when it comes to me, I can see where some of these words may apply. Here’s this little blonde woman who by day manages a team of software engineers and is considered kickass at work then she goes home at night to write fiction curled up in her favorite jeans either sitting on her deck listening to the roller coaster or sitting in front of her fireplace. Then on the weekends, she tucks her mass of blonde hair underneath a Boston Sox cap, throws on the ugliest shorts or trashiest jeans she owns just to go outside and get her hands dirty by playing in the garden or attempting to do things in the house that many people either would leave be or would hire someone.

To this end, I tell you that I am all of the above and am the better for it because I have reached a balance…or almost. Sometimes the scale tips one way more than another, but it also always tips back.

So – what words best describe you? Why?

Life's lessons, signs, and Fate

Fate listens so watch your words.

Have you ever noticed that things happen to you that you don't always expect, but for some odd reason you have a conversation about it and hours or days later, BAM! The thing you had joked about in a conversation with a friend occurs.

I am a firm believer that this is always the case and I should know better.

One example of this occurred when I was as a young teen. A bunch of us were riding out to a soccer game and for some strange reason we got on the subject "What if one of us had an accident?" First of all, why would we ask a question like that while we're driving to a big game? Because we did not know fate was looking down at us and listening.

Later that day, I was rushed off the soccer field in the middle of a game with a broken leg and dislocated knee. A freak accident occurred when the goalie grabbed my ankle instead of the soccer ball.

Well, this weekend fate stepped in again. On Friday at work, I was talking to one of the guys I work with about plans for the long weekend. We had Monday off. I told him that I planned on finishing up all my painting so I could enjoy my house and get back to writing. He made some joke about "unless you fall off a ladder or something."

I did finish painting all the trim work, got my upstairs hall painted, so the only thing left was the entry way. I was just finishing up one wall when I stepped down to get off the ladder when the ladder wobbled. I held my breath and held still and figured it would stop. The ladder had other ideas. It went sailing out from under me and unfortunately, I landed on the hardwood floor.

Now, I'm sitting here with a sore bum, a fractured finger, a sprained wrist, and bruised pride. Not to mention my poor wall that was just painted now has a hole in it, my floor is scratched and my lovely mirror took on a new opaque linen white color to it.

This is why you should never tempt Fate by speaking aloud about something you don't want to occur. However, I look upon this as a sign. The sign is that I need to put my house back together and get back to writing. That is what I love to do so that is what I should be doing. And I think that is what Fate was trying to tell me. That's probably why it was my left hand that was injured and not my right.

Running out of Words?

Do you ever have those moments when you are editing your work or someone else is and they circle the same word five times on a page or GASP! in the same paragraph?
Have you stared at word and tried to think of another word to use to describe something or some action?

If you answered “no”, I would say you are full of you know what.

Come on, we’ve all been there. For some reason you get used to using a specific word and it feels natural until you revisit the story. Then your eyes grow wide in horror and you groan every time you see the word “run” on the page.

Believe me, if you catch it you will be much happier than if an editor or agent recognizes the fact that you have a fixation for the word “looked”.

So what do you do about it? Besides editing and catching your obsession with the word “pulled”, you then have to come up with a good replacement.

There are various tools available to you to help with such things such as the dictionary or thesaurus. I am attached to www.dictionary.com because it also has an online thesaurus.

When I first started writing I bought the book “The Romance Writers’ Phrase Book” by Jean Kent and Candace Shelton. I have since been given or bought books like “Urban Dictionary” by Aaron Peckham creator of www.urbandictionary.com, and “American Slang Dictionary” by Richard A. Spear, Ph.D.

Anyway, there are all kinds of online site you can find like the ones I listed above based on a particular subject or language. In my fourth novel, I have a character who is Irish and I had to find out how to say a particular phrase. Voila, the Internet comes to the rescue.

Back to the point. Using the same word repeatedly is tiresome and boring. “Blech!”

In an attempt to offer a little help for the mundane and the word weary, I thought I would post some adverbs that can be used to change up your pace, “show” the reader more of what the character is doing rather than stating “he said” or “she said”.

Feel free to share some of your own adverbs and/or sites that you recommend to help alleviate the routine use of specific words.

Here are some adverbs to try out:

Instead of "walked"
or "ran"
lumbered, plodded, scurried, sidled, slinked/slunk, proceeded, wended, scuttled, shuffled, scuffed, scuffled, stumbled, shambled, waddled, wobbled, scooted, slouched, scrambled, scampered, minced, trotted, strolled, sauntered, ambled, marched, stepped, paced, roamed, roved, meandered, shadowed, pursued, trekked, continued on, drifted along, strayed, strode, stalked, stomped, strutted, swished, swaggered, stamped

Instead of "touched"
clutched, pawed, gripped, grasped, adjusted, felt, manipulated, maneuvered, twiddled, palpated, palmed, handled, thumbed, caressed, fondled, stroked, grazed, rubbed, tugged, squeezed, scratched, pinched, patted, tapped, tamped, rapped, brushed, dabbed, scraped, glanced, alighted, pressed, wrung, kneaded, shoved, gouged, grazed, prodded, ticked, trapped, jabbed, poked, pressed, probed

Alternative to "pulled"
removed, extracted, produced, tugged, extricated, lugged, drew, dragged, yanked

Substitute for "pushed"
propelled, set in motion, drove, trundled, shoved, thrust, pressed forward, squeezed through, roused, prompted, forged ahead

For "looked, saw"
glared, glanced off, regarded, made out, had in sight, glowered, squinted, shot him a look, fixed her with a stare, sighted, ogled, cast a glance, his eyes begged her, gazed, gaped, spotted, surveyed, turned an eye on, looked upon, distinguished, fixed her gaze on

In place of "turned"
wheeled around, whirled about, rotated, spun on her heels, pivoted, revolved, swiveled, circled, swirled, sheered, veered, shifted, angled off

For the dreaded "said"
uttered, mumbled, parroted, echoed, said half-aloud, snarled, blurted, moaned, muttered, murmured, cooed, whispered, crooned, hollered, shrilled, sassed, prompted, questioned, demanded, queried, replied, suggested, responded, sang out, scoffed, screamed, yelled, yelped, shouted, inquired, chirped, squealed, squeaked, asked herself, asked, assured, commanded, cried out, exclaimed, advised, announced, growled, stuttered, stammered, instructed, told, jeered, scolded, mocked, objected, questioned, roared, speculated, snapped, spat, stated, whined, jabbered, prattled, cackled, gabbled, sputtered, blathered, rambled on, ranted, gushed, spouted, let slip, pointed out, chatted, revealed, boasted, crowed