No Christmas Cliches: Nixing "reaching out!"

Too funny! Overused Christmas cliches? Not that I didn't love a little rant on this blog touted by one of my favorite book a publicist, Joan Stewart:

But we only have to put up with  Christmas clichés once a year. In another article Stewart recommended, the writer used "reached out"  to introduce the rant to introduce his essay. Now, that Clive really bothers me  because it has begun to  lose its original meaning– – Yes, I am old enough to remember when "reach out" became popular. There was a touchy – feely aspect to it.  It him ply deed on the part of the reacher, or on the part of the reachee.  It imparted the notion of giving and receiving. In the process good old words that have always worked for us got neglected. Words like "interviews" or "asked." They are old words– – not very fancy or poetic– – but they are basics that need no dressing up to get the point across.

Just thought I would share with you my own little cliche rant today.  Find this fun article on Christmas cliches that are often inspired Christmas songs where they sounded just fine at: http://m.ragan.com/Main/Articles/10_clichs_to_ditch_this_holiday_season_51955.aspx. 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults, and speaks on issues of writing and publishing. Find her at http://howtodoitfrugally.com. Find the second edition of her multi award-winning The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your bestseller. (HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers find lists and other helps including , Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her SharingingwithWriters blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

Micro Rant on Generational Differences and Vocabulary Words

I had an article criticized because "young folks won't know what you mean by Rolodex." 

Here's the thing. "Rolodex" makes a dandy metaphor for a group of contacts related to a specific subject. So, does it hurt if we use a word that people have to look up now and then? Isn't it possible to use "Rolodex" in a context that people can quickly grasp its meaning without looking it up? And aren't words more than so much use-and-toss garbage? Take "Rolodex." It's an example of a brand name that vividly brings to mind what we do with one. It rolls and it's a kind of index for personal or business use. 

About the idea of ascertaining the meaning of a word by its context. Most writers do that frequently. Khaled Housseini uses whole sentences in several Afghani languages in his novels and I'm assuming his readers mostly figure out what was said. It's called technique and we writers should know how to do that. We used to teach analytical skills in school, didn't we? We shouldn't give up on that, either.

What if we just discard the word and any others our grandkids don't get? We could start a list of words my grandson might not get--starting with "typewriter." If we start eliminating from our dictionaries what those from prior generations don't remember, we may also have to eliminate some of the greatest books of all times.

Is this rant moving from "micro" to "mini?" Sorry about that.


MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and The Great First Impression Book Proposal, another booklet, helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart,and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Her SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com blog focuses on the writing life and book marketing and promotion. It is a Writers' Digest 101 Best blogs pick.
Learn more on her Amazon profile page,

Do You Really Know What "Corn" Means?

Sometimes words mean different things to people who work in different disciplines. Sometimes, that can be important in both the understanding of what we read and in editing for a particular audience. The word “corn” is one of those words. To anthropologists and many others “corn” is not just the agricultural product known as maize; they may take it to mean a cereal crop of any kind. You may read about “Roman corn.” It is not the stuff of popcorn or corn on the cob dripping in butter and salt. It is probably wheat—or even barley. Often any grain can become “corn” in translation when a specific grain is uncertain.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults, and speaks on issues of writing and publishing. Find her at http://howtodoitfrugally.com. Find the second edition of her multi award-winning The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your bestseller. (HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers find lists and other helps including , Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her SharingingwithWriters blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

On Smelly Old Dictionaries, New Words and Old

When I was very young, my grandfather brought home a huge dictionary. It was about two feet thick—the kind they put on pedestals in libraries in the old days. Everyone in the family thought he was nuts but me. I was awarded it by default, put it in the basket of my blue and white Schwinn, and pedaled it home. It was a bit unwieldy so eventually it was stowed in the rafters of a basement room. Then when I was in New York learning the ropes of publicity, my mom and dad sold the house. “Oh, no! My dictionary!” I asked them to try to retrieve it from the new owners but the story hadn’t changed much. They thought I was crazy.

So a couple years later when I went home to visit, I stopped by our old home on a whim. It took chutzpah! “Hello, I used to live here and there may be something in your basement that belongs to me—that is, if you don’t have a need for it.”

Now this was not yesterday. In those days people actually let strangers into their homes occasionally, but there was still a chance they’d consider an ax-murder possibiity. I trailed behind the new owners to the basement and there it was. It hadn’t been moved an inch but it was covered with cobwebs and dust. I was ecstatic and the new owners were either happy to let me have it or eager to get rid of me.

I still have that dictionary. It has those little thumbprint cutouts for the different letters of the alphabet and the edges of each page are gilded. It has a linen cover. It can’t really be used because it has none of the new words in it.

Ahhh, yes. But it does have four color plates of the flags of countries that existed then. There are even a few that still exist. Most of the changes have been in Africa. There are other pages that illustrate flowers and the human skeleton. Stuff like that. I mean, this is a real dictionary. So I kept it for the smell (however smudgey—that’s my own word for moldy-but-I-don’t-care-how-bad-it-stinks!), the memories, the feel of the silky thin but still substantial pages. And because I kept reading that dictionaries discarded old words to make room for the new. And, naturally, I couldn’t discard any words, right? Fiction writers can find old words valuable.

By the time computers came along, I was attached to this volume, this tome, this giant doorstop! And now the kicker!

National Geographic tells me that the words in the Oxford English Dictionary never disappear. Once a word has been very carefully vetted, it stays there. “The OED is unique,” says the new words editor of the book, “in that we never remove a word once it has been included.”

Just in case you’re interested, they add some 4,000 words of 6,000 considered each year. Including the new meaning of the word “unplugged.” It now also means the “state of living without electronic devices.”

Now wouldn’t that be awful! Almost as bad as living without my near-ancient dictionary!

PS: Can’t resist another just-added word. You know when you put your Coke bottle on a manuscript and it leaves a caramel-colored ring that can’t be erased? Rejoice. You have made a “dringle.”

PS: My articles, essays—even my rants—are available for reprint in your blog or Web site. Just let me know what article you like and I’ll supply you with an appropriate credit line with links. HoJoNews @ aol (dot) com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

Flesch Readability Index: A Test for Your Writing

Question: I just completed my sixth edit, after following the advice in your book. What a great feature that Flesch Readability index is! I had no idea. (I'm pleased to report that the passive score for the initial draft of my children's book was 7%, but I've been able to reduce to 4% and the story is better for it. Is that low enough? I've no gauge.) At last, it seems the manuscript is done so I can begin the query/cover letter. I'm setting Friday as my target day to begin mailing, but will delay if the letter is not ready. Much to do but it has to be right.

What a relief to have finally figured it out and feel the satisfaction of doing what I enjoy! Thank you for the inclusive "we"; that is a club of which I'm proud to be a member.

Answer: First a little background on Flesch. It is an editing tool available with your Word program under tools. I describe how to find it and use it effectively in The Frugal Editor. It is especially useful for writers of children's material. Whether your Flesch score of 4% is low enough depends on your title and your goals. I like to see a little advanced language in children's literature. Especially if it is in a context where the child can pretty easily guess at its meaning. That approach helps build vocabularies.

Using the grade level feature in the Flesch pop-up box, some newspapers aim for a fourth grade level. That may give you something to go on -- sort of a measuring stick. The LA Times's Flesh score may be way above that, though.

What do you use the Flesch Readability tool in your Word program for. Please share with your fellow writers by using the comment link below. Be sure to include your website address in your signature. (-:

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits and consults on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success on Amazon. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.