Friday Five Minute Exercise - Diversity

1. Set your clocks/timers for Five (5) Minutes.

2. Write about Diversity. Pay attention to the differences in your world and write about them. You may unearth new peculiarities just waiting to be noticed.

Get into as much detail as you can for the next five minutes.

3. Ready?

4. Go.

5. Finished? Review and be amazed.

I hope you had fun. Come back next Friday for a new writing prompt.

Was this exercise helpful?

Did you succeed with this writing exercise? Was it helpful? Did you notice anything different about your world than before when you observed it? What did you write about? Did you discover anything new? Was this exercise helpful? Did you enjoy it?

Why or Why Not?

The Least You Should Know - Possessives

Possessives can be tricky.

And, confusing as well. Are we thinking about what belongs to us? Or are we thinking about how to portray a possessive in writing?

Let's go with writing in this session.

 Do you add an "s", do you add an apostrophe? Will the world end if you don't? I don't know about you, but if you make a grammar mistake on the Internet, i.e, FaceBook, Lord help you and all you know.

So, let's take a look at writing possessives. The best question to ask yourself is "Who does this belong to?" Or, if you want to be particularly proper, I guess the correct question is "To whom does this belong?" But, I'm not going to hold you to that.

Remember, the key word is belong.

Who does it belong to?

If you ask the question a different way, you might not get the correct answer and can turn out some pretty ugly stuff. (Ok, did you see how I slipped in that oxymoron? Cool, eh?)

To make a possessive:

Ask "Who or what does it belong to?"
If the answer ends in s, add an apostrophe.
If the answer doesn't end in s, add an apostrophe and s.

Clear?

Let's try some, shall we?

The womans dress

The womens ideas

Stephens department

James apartment

The Whites house

Mr. Whites house



So, how'd you do?

Well, I'll tell you the correct answer below and you can find out for yourself.

The woman's dress

The women's ideas

Stephen's department

James' apartment

The Whites' house

Mr. White's house


Clear?

Sometimes people will write a variation of the possessive. For example, James' book may be written James's book. That's correct as well. However, always following the examples above are the best way to stay out of trouble.

WARNING: Don't assume that because a word ends in s it is necessarily a possessive. Make sure the word actually possesses something before you put in an apostrophe.

A few words, called possessive pronouns, are already possessive and don't need an apostrophe added to them.

my, mine              its
your, yours           our, ours
his                        their, theirs
her, hers               whose


Practice with the following:

1. (It) raining
2. (You) car needs washing
3. (Who) to blame?
4. (They) planning to come.
5. The cat drank (it) milk.
6. (Who) been sitting here?
7. The wind lost (it) force.
8. (Who) going with me?
9. My book has lost (it) cover.
10. (It) all I can do.
11. (You) right.
12. (They) garden has many trees.
13. (It) sunny today.
14. (Who) car shall we take?
15. The club lost (it) leader.

Did you get them all correct?

Here's the answers:

1. It's
2. Your
3. Who's
4. They're
5. its
6. Who's
7. its
8. Who's
9. its
10. It's
11. You're
12. Their
13. It's
14. Whose
15. its

Are you on the right track for writing correct possessives? I hope so. If not, you can refer back to the above list and practice sessions.

Enjoy!

--
Your Writing Coach

Copyright: iqoncept / 123RF Stock Photo

Friday Five Minute Exercise - Reflection

1. Set your clocks/timers for Five (5) Minutes.

2. Write about Reflection. Are you a pondering writer? Do you do your research in your head as you observe the world? Think about the many mind tools you use to write.

Get into as much detail as you can for the next five minutes.

3. Ready?

4. Go.

5. Finished? Review and be amazed.

I hope you had fun. Come back next Friday for a new writing prompt.

Was this exercise helpful?

Did you succeed with this writing exercise? Was it helpful? Did you determine if you are a pondering writer? What mind tools do you have available to use to write? Was this exercise helpful? Did you enjoy it?

Why or Why Not?

The Least You Should Know - Punctuation

When writing, using punctuation helps your reader navigate your story and interpret it properly. There are several rules when using punctuation. Some you may know, others may not be as familiar.

Sometimes we all forget the basics. And,  that's okay. This may be a refresher for some of you or just the right tip you were looking for to enhance your writing.

Webster's defines punctuation as: 1. The use of standardized marks in written material to separate structural units and clarify meaning. 2. The marks used in punctuating written material.

There are six tips below to get you started on the road to proper punctuation use. In our next lesson in The Least You Should Know, we'll cover those pesky commas. Do you, or don't you?




1. Put a period at the end of a sentence and after most abbreviations.

The animals at the zoo entertained the children.

Mr. Etc. Jan. lbs.

2. Put a question mark after a direct question. But not after an indirect one.

Where are the flags?
He asked where the flags were.

3. Put an exclamation mark after an expression that shows strong emotion. Note to writers: use exclamation points sparingly in your work.

Awesome! Right on time!

4. Put a semicolon between two closely related independent clauses.

I have an appointment; therefore I must go.
We wanted to go to the big game; however we couldn't find a ride.

It is acceptable to write the above sentences without using semicolons. You can create two separate sentences.

I have an appointment. Therefore I must go.
We wanted to go to the big game. However we couldn't find a ride.

5. Put a colon after a complete statement when a list or a long quotation follows.

We used the following items: apple peeler, paring knife, and pie plate.

We used the following items is a complete statement.

We used an apple peeler, paring knife, and a pie plate.

We took is not a complete statement; it needs the list to make it complete. Therefore, since we don't want to separate the list from the first part of the sentence, no colon is used.

Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two thing above all others: read a lot and write a lot ... reading is the creative center of a writer's life ... you cannot hope to sweet someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."

Stephen King said is not a complete statement. Therefore we do not put a colon after it.

I used a quotation from Stephen King in this lesson: "If you want to be a writer, you must do two thing above all others: read a lot and write a lot ... reading is the creative center of a writer's life ... you cannot hope to sweet someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."

I used a quotation from Stephen King in this lesson is a complete statement. Therefore we put a colon after it before adding the quotation.

6. Use a dash when there is an abrupt change of thought.

I traveled all over the world looking for antiques-hey look at that squirrel.

And the dash-well, don't use it too often.


How about you? Do you have any tips about punctuation use or questions about use? Don't be shy, just ask or comment below.

Friday Five Minute Exercise - Inner Guidance

1. Set your clocks/timers for Five (5) Minutes.

2. Write about Inner Guidance. What happens to you when you don't listen to your heart? Do you lose focus and second-guess your ability as a writer? Sometimes cultural pressures persuade us to react and write in ways that are not true to our hearts. How many times do you stop and think about the audience instead of listening to that inner guidance that is trying to give you the words?

Get into as much detail as you can for the next five minutes.

3. Ready?

4. Go.

5. Finished? Review and be amazed.

I hope you had fun. Come back next Friday for a new writing prompt.

Was this exercise helpful?

Did you succeed with this writing exercise? Was it helpful? Do you listen to your inner guidance? Have you lost focus when writing? How many times have you stopped and thought about the audience instead of listening to your inner guidance? Was this exercise helpful? Did you enjoy it?

Why or Why Not?

What is the Least You Should Know - Confused Words

What is the Least You Should Know -- Confused Words

We all do it from time to time, get a word mixed up with another. We type fast. Our minds are processing so fast. Our fingers have a mind of their own. I've done it. I've seen WAY too many examples of it on the Internet. Especially in all those posters people pass around on Facebook.

Now, that's a place to screw up. There are so many grammar cops on Facebook, they come out of the Internet woodwork just to point out how you made a mistake and how you should never make that mistake again and how awful you are to have made the mistake. Yeah, I've seen them.

Well, I'm going to help you with distinguishing between the right word and the wrong word and how to use the proper word when writing. There are many words out there that can confuse you. I offered you a few ways to misspell words in my last post. Let's see which ones are most commonly confused and we'll go from there.

Lead, Led                                
The past form of the verb is led.
I led the race in the marathon on Tuesday.
The present form is lead, which rhymes with bead. (Don't confuse it with the metal lead, which rhymes with dead.)
I will lead the race today.

Loose, Lose                            
Loose means "not tight".
The screw is too loose for me to tighten it properly.
The other one, lose, has a "z" sound.
We are going to lose the game.

Moral, Morale                          
Moral has to do with right and wrong. Morale means "the spirit of a group or an individual". Pronounce them correctly and you won't confuse them. Moral is a short sounding word. With the emphasis on "Mor-" while Morale is a long sounding word with the emphasis on "-ale".
That was an interesting moral question.
The morale of the troops needed improvement.

Passed, Past                              
Passed is a verb.
He passed the house he was supposed to visit.
Use past when it's not a verb.
He walked past the house he was supposed to visit. (It's the same as "He walked by the house...", so you know it isn't a verb.)
John is living in the past.
Don't rely on your past reputation.

Peace, Piece
Remember "piece of pie". The one meaning "a piece of something" always begins with pie.
I gave him a piece of my mind.
The last piece to the puzzle is missing.
The other one, peace, is the opposite of war.
They signed the peace treaty.
Wanda attempted to keep the peace in the loud house.

Personal, Personnel
Pronounce these two correctly, and you won't confuse them -- Personal is emphasizing "Per-", while Personnel is emphasizing "-nel".
Personal has to do with emotions or feelings, or belonging to someone, while Personnel has to do with people.
He had a personal interest in the story in the paper.
She was in charge of personnel at her company.


Can you find the correct word for each of the following ten sentences?

1. We wanted to go for a walk (threw through) the woods but couldn't decide (were where) to start.

2. Finally we went (passed past) the university to a good trail I (knew, new) about.

3. It's not (to too) far from the university in a (peace piece) of virgin timber where it's always (quiet quite.)

4. Since (it's its) the (principal, principle) trail in the University Preserve, it's impossible to (loose lose) one's way.

5. The path is made of (coarse course) wood chips and is easy to walk on in any (weather whether).

6. It was a cool day, and before long we were (conscience conscious) that we should (have of) brought sweaters.

7. (There They're) are more birds (there their) (than then) in most woods.

8. We looked at (quiet quite) a number through (are our) binoculars.

9. The path (lead led) us a long way into the woods and (than then) back.

10. We were away only for (a an) hour -- exactly the (right write) length of time.

Be careful when finding the correct word. I've added some zingers in here that we didn't discuss. Can you still choose the correct word to complete the sentences?

Enjoy!
--Your Writing Coach!

Copyright: beephoto / 123RF Stock Photo

Friday Five Minute Exercise - Taking Risks

1. Set your clocks/timers for Five (5) Minutes.

2. Write about Taking Risks. Is your life as a writer a risky one? Do you see it as an adventure? Do you feel blessed because you have a passion for writing? Write about the risk you take in life if you do not listen to your heart and write. Does the risk of losing the chance to experience life as a writer outweigh the risk of failure?

Get into as much detail as you can for the next five minutes.

3. Ready?

4. Go.

5. Finished? Review and be amazed.

I hope you had fun. Come back next Friday for a new writing prompt.

Was this exercise helpful?

Did you succeed with this writing exercise? Was it helpful? Do you have a passion for writing? Do you take risks? If your life as a writer a risky one? Can you write about the risk you take in life if you do not listen to your heart and write? Have you found that the risk of losing the chance to experience life as a writer outweighs the risk of failure? Was this exercise helpful? Did you enjoy it?

Why or Why Not?

What is the least you should know? - Spelling

English - What we should all know

(We're bringing back the LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW series. It received a great response.)

A lot has been said about the English language. Tomes have been written. Hands down, English is a complicated language to learn.

For the next few sessions, we're going to go through the topics necessary for us to learn the the least we should know about English and still help us write acceptably.

a, an Use an before a before that begins a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, plus u when the sound is uh). An apple, an essay, an icicle, an heir (silent h), an honest man (silent h), an umbrella, an umpire, an ulcer (All the u's sound like uh).

Use a before a word that begins with a consonant sound. (all the sounds except the vowels) plus u or eu when the sound is yu.

accept, except Accept is a verb and means "to receive willingly." I accept your gift. (receive it willingly).
Except means "excluding" or "but". Everyone came except him. (but him)

advice, advise Advise is a verb. Use advice when it's not a verb. Pronounce these words correctly, remembering that the s sounds like a z and you won't confuse them.
I advise you to go.
I don't need any advice.

affect, effect Affect is a verb and means "to influence."
The lack of rain affected the crops.
Effect means "result". It a, an , or the is in front of the word, then you'll know it isn't a verb and will use effect.
The lack of rain had a bad effect on the crops.

all ready, already If you can leave out the all and the sentence still makes sense, then all ready is the form to use. (In that form, all is a separate word and could be left out.)
I'm all ready to go. (I'm ready to go makes sense.)
Dinner is all ready. (Dinner is ready makes sense.)
But, if you can't leave out the all and still have the sentence make sense, then use already (the forum in which the al has to stay in the word.
I'm already late. (I'm ready late doesn't make sense.)

are, or, our Are is a verb. Or is used between two possibilities, "as tea or coffee" Our shows we possess something.
We are studying English.
Take it or leave it.
Our class meets at eight.

brake, break Brake means "to slow or stop motion." It's also the name of the device that slows or stops motion.
You brake to avoid an accident.
You slam on your brakes.
Break means to "to shatter" or "to split." It's also the name of an interruption, as " a coffee break"
You break a dish or an engagement or a track record.
You enjoy your Thanksgiving break.

And, on that note, I hope come back rested and ready to learn more ab out the least you should know about English.

-- Your Writing Coach

Image credit: spaxia / 123RF Stock Photo

Friday Five Minute Writing Exercise - Transformation

1. Set your clocks/timers for Five (5) Minutes.

2. Write about Transformation. Does your writing often reflect the change in your character as you get older? Do you recognize the transformation of your inner self as you progress through the butterfly phases of life? Create a written list or essay of the phases of growth and transformation that exist for you.

Get into as much detail as you can for the next five minutes.

3. Ready?

4. Go.

5. Finished? Review and be amazed.

I hope you had fun. Come back next Friday for a new writing prompt.

Was this exercise helpful?

Did you succeed with this writing exercise? Was it helpful? Did you know that your writing has stages based on the butterfly stages of your life? Does your writing reflect the change in your character as you get older? Did you create a list or essay of the phases of growth and transformation that exist for you? Was this exercise helpful? Did you enjoy it?

Why or Why Not?