If you could jump into any novel/story/movie as the hero or anti-hero—man, woman, or beast—who (or what) would you be?
I’d like to be Q (or Q-ess) from Star Trek. A character with unlimited powers, until he ran into Captain Picard, that is.
How about the rest of you? Anyone from Lassie to Scarlett to Scout is fair game!
Digging deep today, TKZers!
As readers and writers, memories are important. When we read, we are often bombarded with memories from our own earthly timeline. A character being lost might dredge up that frightening memory when your child got away from you in a crowded store. Or a nasty break-up reminds you of one you went through.
The question today is this: What is your earliest memory? Pleasant or harsh or in-between, what is a memory that stands out from your youngest years?
My earliest memory is when I was five and my sister was two. She slipped on the ice outside our house and banged her head on the walkway, knocking her unconscious. My dad hurried over and picked her up. I remember her head flailing around on his shoulder as he rushed her into the house. My six-year-old brother and I both thought she was dead, and were afraid to go in. But then we heard voices, Mom, Dad, and baby sister. We inched in and were relieved to see her sitting up in Mom’s lap.
This memory is especially poignant for me because thirty years later she really did pass away—and along with the reality of her death—was infused into both of my novels in different ways. And, tomorrow is her birthday, which makes this post/memory even more precious.
Your turn! What is your earliest memory? And how have you worked it into your story?
* * *
Okay, here we are, readers and writers. We’re all about words, words, and more words—to the chagrin of some strong silent types.
I found a cool website where you can find out the origin of certain words. Here’s the link:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/words-with-surprising-histories
Let’s regale each other with our favorite word origins on this last day of July 2026, shall we?
Here’s mine: Boudoir
You might think, “Well, Deb, what’s so special about that word?” I’d tell you that it’s not the word that’s special, it’s where it came from and what the hidden meaning is.
Boudoir usually means a lady’s private dressing room, right?
Straight from the above website:
“The French verb bouder means ‘to pout,’ and it led to the French word boudoir, a noun that literally means ‘a place to pout in…’”
I don’t know about you, but I want one.
Your turn, TKZers. Astound us with your favorite word origin.
Sometimes we find ourselves complaining about our life circumstances. You’d think at my advanced age I wouldn’t do that, but there it is.
I was thinking the other day about being the one child out of my parents’ four who had the job of navigating their dying with them. Harsh? No, reality. There were four of us. Two passed away in the ‘80’s, which left my older brother and I. But he lives on the east coast, and I live in our PNW hometown, as did our parents.
When I was actually in the throes of caring for them, I didn’t think too much about it. It was just a job that had to be done.
But after they were both gone—Mom in 2016 and Dad this year in January—it’s like I started feeling sorry for myself that I couldn’t have shared that “burden” with anyone else.
After remonstrating with myself for a few months—telling myself to stop being such a whiner—I experienced a profound shift in heart and mind.
That shift is called “gratitude”. It made me realize the stupendous, breathtaking privilege I had been given—to take care of the ones who’d cared for me my whole life.
And then, life turned the tables on me. I got to help usher them into their next life. And there was time, time, and more time to say my thank-yous and my good-byes and see ya later to them. What a gift!
How about you? What—right here, right now—is the most cherished privilege you’ve been given? And how will you communicate that to those around you?
Comments most welcome…
Scary title this morning, yes? 🙂
Just a quick, non-scary question for this Friday morning.
Who is the one fictional character you relate to most? Can be from your own writing, or another author, or even from a movie. And please tell us why…
Here’s a few more to get your juices flowing…
(Fun fact: if you do a search on this morning’s question, there are links to websites where you can take a quiz to find out the character you’re most like.)
Good Friday morning, Killzoners! The topic under consideration today is Show Don’t Tell…with a twist!
As writers, we do wax eloquently about this subject, don’t we? But, how about as readers?
Hmm…why, whatever do I mean?
Here’s the deal. Today we, as readers, are tasked with sharing our favorite genre to read. But there’s one rule:
Do not, under any circumstances, name the genre. You must describe it without naming it.
Get it? Show, don’t tell!
And then, the rest of us will try to guess your favorite reading genre. Sound fun?
Here’s mine:
Picture me standing at my stove stirring a pot of savory somethings. Each ingredient I drop in adds flavor and a pinch of surprise.
But wait! As I stir, I see a face float to the surface. Tom Cruise. Oooh!
And what is that he’s holding? A cell phone, with a message staring at him. His glance darts upward as he hears the roar of a helicopter, three gunmen hanging out the doors with automatic weapons trained on him. With the speed of a Tom Cruise move he disappears from view, helicopter hot on his tail.
Are you getting the picture? So…what do you think? What’s my favorite genre to read?
And thanks for playing What’s My Favorite Reading Genre?
Happy American Redneck Day! (And you thought this might be a Fourth of July post. Well, maybe tomorrow…)
Oh, you didn’t know today is Redneck Day? Click on the link above to learn all about it.
Here’s an excerpt:
This is the day when rednecks and the redneck culture is acknowledged and celebrated. Get on down and participate in American Redneck Day with some of these ideas. It’s time to “git ‘er done”!
And my favorite paragraph on the website:
One of the funniest bits that many comedians who poke fun at rednecks do is to consider their unique, evolved vocabulary. In honor and celebration of American Redneck Day, it might be fun to learn a few interesting words.
Room for one or two more?
Feel free to jump right in and share how you will celebrate today.
Me? That Redneck Sauna looks good!
And, last but not least…happy to be back, and thank you to the Killzone Team for filling in for me while I’m getting acquainted with my new knee. 🙂
I’m filling in today for Deb Gorman while she’s on hiatus, and I thought we would talk about mistakes.
We’ve all made them, especially when we’re young. Is there one mistake you’ve made, would you go back and change it? I’ll go first. I’ve made some doozies, but I’m not sure I would go back and change them because that would alter what made me what I am today.
That said, after gold was deregulated, I tried to get my husband to buy gold when it was $36 an ounce. He didn’t. Since I’m terrible at numbers, I’ll let you do the math and tell me what it would be worth today.
Okay, TKZers, is there a mistake you would go back and change? Why or why not?
