WOTW: Alienist

Alienist:  noun, a former term for a psychiatrist; a psychiatrist who assesses the competence of a defendant in a court of law.

IWSG: Advice from Tom Clancy

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From an NPR story remembering Tom Clancy:

Clancy didn't mince words when he talked to would-be writers. "If your objective is to write a book, get a computer and write the damn book," he told members of the military at a 2004 writing workshop. "Yes, you can do this if you try hard enough. It's a lot easier than you realize it is."

Source:  http://www.npr.org/2013/10/02/228485169/tom-clancy-dies-left-indelible-mark-on-thriller-genre

Seems like good advice to me.  I already have the computer.  Now I just need to "write the damn book."

RIP Tom Clancy.

WOTW: Chloroform

Chloroform:  (noun) a colorless, volatile, sweet-smelling liquid used as a solvent and formerly as a general anesthetic.

I am currently reading The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.  According to the author, for fifty years after chloroform was discovered, "every drugstore stocked it.......It was mixed into cough syrups and liniments; it was dispensed as a sedative, a sleep aid, a painkiller, a treatment for alcoholic DTs, for hiccupping, seasickness, colic, vomiting, and diarrhea.  No one was entirely sure how it worked, just that it appeared to slow the body down and sedate the brain, sliding a patient into a much-desired stupor."

I am fascinated by the idea that doctors used to prescribe substances for so many ailments when they had no idea what the effect would be.  I guess it is a good reminder of how much we have learned about science and medicine.

IWSG: Too Much Reading

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Summer Break was amazing!  I read a lot of books, but the lack of a schedule really took me away from my writing routine.  I did not keep current on any of my blogs and I did not make any progress on my manuscripts :(

Also, reading a lot of books made me feel a little insecure about my own writing.  First I read Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind and learned what it looks like when someone tells without showing.  Later I read Offworld by Robin Parrish which taught me the importance of a good plot.  The book started out with a great premise- a group of astronauts return from Mars to find no one living on Earth -but the plot was so boring.  I almost gave up.  Towards the end of the story, the plot got so ridiculous that it held my attention, but only because I could not really believe what was happening.  Both books made me think about my own writing in a critical way.  Now I am afraid to look back at what I have written; I fear I have made some of the same mistakes :(

The most recent book I read was The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.  If you have not read it yet, drop everything and find that book!  It is amazing.  I want to read the rest of the series immediately, but I don't think it is even published yet.  Her writing style, subject, plot and characterization are awesome.  I could not put it down.... and I know that my writing is nowhere near her level.  I keep telling myself that she had editing time that I have not gotten to yet, that I am just working on laying down the first draft, but part of me doesn't believe it.  Part of me thinks I can never reach that high of a level.

I am nervous about picking up my manuscripts again.  Meanwhile another story is clamoring to get out of my head and onto paper.

WOTW: Mensch

Mensch:  (noun)  a person of integrity and honor.
New Oxford American Dictionary

I have heard this word often.  Most recently I read it in Michael J. Fox's book, Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Future, where the author uses the word to describe his brother.

In the past few weeks, I have been seeing this word a lot, since I have been relearning the German language with the help of Duolingo.com.  I recommend the site.  It is really fun.  Well, in German, Mensch means person, Menschen means people.  I have been familiar with this definition for many years, but I never really understood the meaning when used as part of the English language (as defined above).  It is interesting to me that a word can be borrowed from another language and then have more meaning added to it.

Have you tried Duolingo yet? 

IWSG: Handwritten Letters

Insecure Writer's Support Group is hosted by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

In February, I participated in the Month of Letters Challenge.  At the time I had just finished reading Jane Austen's Emma and was in love with the idea of handwriting letters as communication.  I instantly picked up paper and pen and wrote a letter to my sister.  Back in the days before email became the norm, I loved writing letters.  I had a German penpal throughout high school, I wrote to friends I had left behind in Ireland and even stayed in contact with some friends I met during my student exchange to Chile.  I received and sent seven-page letters on a regular basis.  Then email took over, and I stopped writing letters.

It turns out that my sister loves the whole letter-writing idea as much as I do.  We have started a much more regular communication now that we write each other.  For some reason, we have never been able to keep up regular communication by phone or email, but suddenly we are writing letters and cards to each other.  There is something so personal and special about receiving a handwritten letter in the mail.

I did not complete the Month of Letters Challenge.  I liked the challenge so much that I decided to make it a year-long project :)  I plan to continue sending letters to my friends and family throughout the year.  I have had such positive feedback from the people who received letters.  It really made their day to receive a handwritten note in the mail.  I even included handmade items with some of my letters.  

I like that writing letters allows me to practice my writing in a different format than usual.  It is more personal, like a journal, but still published in a way.  I find that I go through a different process when I write a letter.  I find it to be an inspiring experience in its own way.

Do you ever handwrite letters?  

WOTW: Autodidact

Autodidact (noun):  a self-taught person

New Oxford American Dictionary

Found in Michael J. Fox's book, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future:

"I used to tell people that I was an autodidact, then smile smugly when I could tell, by the look on their face, that I was so autodidactic that I had taught myself a word they didn't even know."

Sounds like something I would have done when I was younger :)