Last year as the holidays loomed, the language geek in me got an early gift, when the Washington Post finally allowed using “they” as a singular pronoun, and then a national linguists’ association named the singular “they” its Word of the Year. Another thrilling season for language nerds may be upon us, because the stylebook editors are at it again. Continue reading “The Right Word”
I’ve been dwelling in Ancient Egypt lately. No, I haven’t worked out time travel yet, but I’m reading a biography of Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.
We don’t know that Cleopatra was as gorgeous as the movies depict, but she was undeniably impressive. As the pharaoh of Egypt, she had to maneuver among family, subjects, and the power of Rome, each one poised to kill her if she made a wrong move. Continue reading “Make Some History”
Halfway through National Novel Writing Month, and the pressure is high. That’s the point, really—pressure writers to sprint through November, so they cross the finish line clutching a first draft.
Lately, though, it seems no longer enough to produce 50,000 words in 30 days. Look at these recent articles, ostensibly “encouraging” NaNoWriMo-ers during their marathon: Continue reading “Beautiful Pieces”