Category Archives: #ReaderFriday

Reader Friday-What Would You Say If . . .?

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A couple of weeks back we discussed the Awesome Power of One Word. Today, boys and girls, we’re going to build on that.

Cast your mind back to your younger self.

Picture what you looked like and what you were doing.

How old are you?

In this picture in your mind, are you sitting in your third grade classroom listening to an impossibly old person drone on about periods and commas?

Or, are you scrapping with your brother? Riding your bike all over town with an abandon that present-day kiddos can’t even fathom?

Maybe you’re hiding under your covers with a flashlight and a comic book.

Now that you’ve got that image, whatever it is, firmly fixed in your mind, I give you an assignment.

Look that younger self in the eye and speak one sentence that might change your thinking forever—if you listen, that is—and set you on a course living your best life.

My sentence to me, at age 16, would be this:  Don’t listen to anyone who tries to talk you out of your dream–go for it!

What do you say to you? Do tell . . .

 

Reader Friday-Where Am I?

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Easy, fun question for today, TKZers.

If you could be anywhere in the world today except where you are, where would you be?

And, if you’re writing (wherever you are), what are you writing?

 

 

Me? Alaska. Never been there, but maybe some day, eh?

What am I writing?

I’ll let you know when I get there.

🙂

 

 

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And for more fun . . .

Meet Kimber . . . our new owner! 🙂

 

Reader Friday-The Awesome Power of Words

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I borrowed some words from Steve Laube for today’s post.

His post is entitled The Power of a Single Word, and it captivated me immediately.

It made me think of all the times in my life when just one word either made a huge difference in the path I was on, or it didn’t because I dismissed it or I wasn’t paying attention.

Below are some excerpts from his post:

 

“According to various sources, there are about one million words in the English language. Approximately 750,000 of them are technical or scientific. That leaves us with 250,000 words with which to communicate. I doubt any of us know all of them or use them.

Interestingly, in his works, Shakespeare used about 29,000 different words, 12,000 of them only once. The King James Bible has 12,100 different individual words. In our normal life, we use only around 10,000 words to communicate our ideas, our emotions, and our understanding of truth.

You [we] are gifted with words, both spoken and written.

I find that when I’m angry, my vocabulary expands like a thesaurus; and I use that articulation like the sharp edge of a blade. Never to kill but to fillet. To carve enough pieces to leave my victim bloody and helpless. There is no pride in this skill. In fact, it is my greatest weakness. Nay, it is my greatest humiliation.

What if I–what if you–used that skill with words to bind wounds?
To give hope to the hopeless.
To give breath to the drowning.
To catch falling tears and turn them into refreshing joy.
To laugh a little, cry a little, love a lot, and pray even more.

You [we] are word warriors. Called to something unique and special.

Never let the machinations of this publishing industry cause you to deviate from your calling. Never.”

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Thank you for allowing me to share your words today, Mr. Laube.

TKZers, can you think of one word, just one, in your past which made a difference–either positive or negative–to you?

For me–amongst many others–the word TRY stands out in my memory.

Comments welcome.

 

Reader Friday-Name That Tune!

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Fridays are fun around here at TKZ. We talk about writing, marketing tips and tricks—but wait! Yes, we can cover those writing topics and more on Fridays, but let’s have a bit of fun.

Today we’re going to indulge in some nostalgia.

What was your favorite music when you were a teenager? Tell us the genre and the artist(s) you couldn’t get enough of. Did your parents approve, or did you have to be an undercover listener? Has your choice of tunes changed now that you’re a *grown-up*?

I’ll start:  My parents introduced me to Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, The Ames Brothers and the like. My friends introduced me to Creedence, the Monkees, and the Eagles—for covert listening, of course.

I liked all of it then . . . but now? I’d listen to that second group of artists every day and twice on Sundays.

Okay, your turn–what’s your fave music from back in the day? And how about your characters–are they music lovers? What tunes do they gravitate to?

And thanks for playing Name That Tune!

 

 

Reader Friday-Happy 2nd of July!

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And you thought this would be a 4th of July post!

Well, technically, that’s what it is. Here’s the deal . . .

Reading up on the history of our country’s birth pangs, I discovered that our independence was actually declared by those dusty forefathers of ours—not on the 4th—but on the 2nd of July. I probably should have learned this in middle school (and probably did), but somehow it was not saved in my internal hard drive, aka, brain.

We celebrate our independence on July 4th, the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed.

 

All that to ask you TKZers:  What is your favorite part of celebrating the 4th (or 2nd) of July?

 

 

 

Reader Friday-That Stinky Mood

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Thinking back to my teenage years, it seems like I was in a bad mood about something most of the time. You’d think I would have outgrown those sour moods by now. Sigh.

I don’t get moody as much anymore, nor (heaven forbid!) about the same life stuff as when I was younger, but sometimes a mood strikes—one that causes me to slam my laptop closed and walk away.

You?

I ran across this website the other day:  Moods and Writing

It contains 5 tips for shooing away the doldrums in order to get back to work.

Listen to some upbeat [or your favorite] music.

 

“Music affects mood, so choose something that gets you happy and dancing. Try listening to it for just 5 minutes before you start writing, and see if your session doesn’t go better than you thought it would.”

 

Eat some dark chocolate. (My favorite!)

“Chocolate is good for you, and studies have also found that it can boost levels of the good-mood neurotransmitter, “serotonin,” in your brain. It also boosts dopamine levels, which will give you more energy. As if you needed another excuse to eat some chocolate! Just try to be sure it has at least 70 percent cocoa.”

Give someone a hug.

“A loved one, friend, pet—give someone a quick hug before you start writing. It lowers stress and stimulates the release of oxytocin, which helps boost mood.”  (And the cool thing is, you’ll usually get hugged back!)

Dress up. (Not so sure about this one, but hey, it’s worth a try!)

“This can be particularly helpful if you’ve been in sweats all day. Put on something you like and that you think makes you look good. Studies have found that clothes really can affect our mood! (Read more about that here: “What Are You Wearing? Why Writers Should Care”) Better yet, choose something colorful. Green and yellow are associated with happiness, red with energy, and blue with calm.”

Look at nature images—and make sure they contain some green. 

“Studies have found that simply looking at pictures of nature can help relieve stress and put you in a better mood. If you want to boost creativity too, make sure the pictures have some green in them. (In other words, no winter pictures!) Studies have found that green helps stimulate creativity.”

 

TKZers—what would you add to this list? What is your surefire way to combat a stinky mood so you can get on with the fun stuff of writing?

 

Reader Friday-Holiday Magic!

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Did you know there are holidays out there that no one has ever heard of?

I went down a cyberspace rabbit hole the other day and found this website–https://www.holidayscalendar.com/topics/weird/ .

Here’s some favorite never-heard-of-holidays I found.

Z Day—January 1st:  “For years, people whose last names start with a “Z” were the last to be chosen in any alphabetical system, and this day corrects that problem. On this day, people with last names starting with a “Z” get the chance to go first, ahead of anyone else. At least in theory. These individuals are automatically moved to the front of the line, even if it’s only for one day of the year.” No joke! Click on the link if you don’t believe me…

World Sword Swallowers Day—Fourth Saturday in February:  “It’s our opinion that most people don’t know someone who swallows swords for either fun or profit. If a person does, however, they should thank them on World Sword Swallowers Day—a holiday that celebrates this ancient art and the people who practice it.” Someone give that guy a drink of water!

 

And, last but not least . . .

Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day—July 27th:  “This holiday is observed on July 27th, and it gives everyone a chance to bond with their plants and probably get a few strange looks from their neighbors as well.”

Those are just a few. Check out the link above and share your favorite with us—or come up with your own!

Question:  Do any of these weirdo holidays spark ideas for short stories?

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And speaking of short stories, check this out! An awesome collection of short stories by our own JSB–read for pure pleasure or craft teaching–or both!

Click on the cover to view on Amazon…

 

 

 

 

 

Reader Friday-On the Thirteenth

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There’s some weird stuff out there about Friday the Thirteenth. Consider this from our fine friend, Wikipedia:

One source mentioned for the unlucky reputation of the number 13 is a Norse myth about twelve gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the thirteenth guest, and arranged for Höðr, the god of darkness, to shoot Balder, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died, triggering much suffering in the world, which caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.

Kinda sounds like a plot for a thriller novel, yes?

Writers can be quite superstitious. I wrote a Killzone post back in February touching on how quirky some (or all?) writers are. You can read that post here.

Since today is Friday the 13th, I thought we’d share some of the weird superstitions that are out there. Cue Twilight Zone music. Or maybe X Files—

Here’s a few more I ran across:

Never stick your chopsticks straight up. In Japan, poking chopsticks down into your food is a big no-no. The utensils look like the unlucky number four, which means death, and also the incense sticks used at funerals. Another tip: Don’t point your chopsticks at anyone. That’s just plain rude.

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Don’t go home right after a funeral. In Filipino tradition, if you go straight home after a funeral, a bad spirit could tag along and wreak havoc on your life. Stop at a restaurant first to stay safe.

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Keep your new shoes off the table. (Say what?) In Britain, it’s considered bad luck because it symbolizes the death of a loved one. Back in the day, placing someone’s shoes on a table was a way to let the family know that they passed away. Nowadays, it’s also just bad etiquette.

And if you’re dying (heh, heh) to learn more about superstitions around the world, go here.

TKZers, what are some strange superstitions you’ve heard of; or maybe share some from your own family archives. And in your writing life, do any of your characters have weird superstitions?

(I’ll be in and out today, and will monitor as I can…)

 

 

Reader Friday . . . D-Day

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Today is D-Day. No, not Deb’s Return to The Killzone Day. I am glad to be back, though! Thank you to those who filled in on Fridays during my hiatus.   😊

Now, let’s talk about the real D-Day.

We often usurp the term D-Day to describe events of lesser import—such as work assignment deadlines, bills due, even personal stuff, like weddings or maybe divorces finalized.

But the real D-Day back in 1944 was (and still is) a day to remember. Because it was a day that sealed the fate of one of the real enemies of mankind.

According to my D-Day research, “Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Normandy landings, Operation Neptune.” (From Wikipedia)

Many books have been written, and many movies have been created about this period in history. I happen to be one of those movie-goers who would choose a war movie over a romance every day and twice on Sundays. But what’s important is in the next paragraph.

I will be forever grateful for those brave men and women who fought these battles, and for those who gave their lives on this day. Which brings to mind a 102-year-old gentleman, the father of a friend of ours. Still spry, with a sense of humor and a knack for the flirt, he is one who thankfully returned to his family.

Many Americans, along with our allied forces and their families and loved ones, however, gave their all so that I can sit here writing this post for you to read. Sometimes I just can’t wrap my head around that. I ask myself, if I’d been in that generation, would I have been willing to sacrifice myself, or a husband or child?

Think a moment. Try to imagine what our world would look like if this day had never happened, and those enemies had not been defeated.

I think, maybe, our world would be much different.

Comments welcome.

 

Reader Friday: What Happens Next?

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Fredric Brown (1906 – 1972) was a spec-fiction pulp writer and a master of flash fiction—short-short stories with a twist. (I love his collection Nightmares and Geezenstacks.) He wrote a famous story called “Knock” which begins:

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.

Without looking up the story, write the next line (or paragraph if you are so moved).

And AFTER you’ve done so, you may read the story here.